Five "iso reactions" to Sinners, and thoughts on Bartell Theatre film programming

You don't need to read a full review of Sinners at this point, so here are some "iso reactions" to specific details.

Click here for Now Showing in Madison, week of May 12, 2025

First of all, “iso reactions” are not a thing. I’ve just been watching too many NBA playoff highlights and commentary. I don’t really feel like writing a full review of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, even though I liked it quite a bit (with some reservations). So I’ll just make up the term “iso reactions” so that I can save time and share some thoughts on the film.

Let’s be honest, this is best for both of us. You don’t want or need to start from scratch with a plot summary at this point.

• I liked the sequence where Coogler links juke joints to music from the past and the future. In theory, the sequence shouldn’t work, or should come across as heavy handed (and maybe it doesn’t work for you and/or most people). The main thing that I liked about it was that I was not its target audience, which was a relief to see in a mainstream feature. In a sense, it doesn’t matter if I liked it or not. It’s there as part of a conversation between Coogler (and his filmmaking colleagues) and the African American community and audience. It resonates with other moments in Coogler films, like the dirt bikes and ATVs in Adonis Creed’s training run in Creed.

• I will never see Riverdance the same way again. But again I liked the references to Irish folk music and dance because it seems like a natural extension of the use of music described above if you follow the internal logic of the film. Again, some people find this to be silly, see the Vulture think piece linked above for an example. But even the Vulture writer, Nate Jones, seems to understand the point: “[Y]ou can feel the line he’s drawing between this [Irish] music and the African music at the center of the film: two musical cultures drawn from folk traditions, powered by pulsing beats, and marginalized by those in authority.” So if Nate Jones thinks this is silly, he might consider another possibility: that it is not addressed to him.

• While the marquee draws are Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Stanfield and Delroy Lindo, the most interesting performance is by Miles Caton as Sammy “Preacher Boy.” The moment where Sammy starts singing while Stack (Jordan) is driving, I shared the exact same reaction that Stack had: both surprise and joy. Sammy’s (and Canton’s) singing voice is very different than I had anticipated, and I was unfamiliar with his pre-Sinners fame. I’m not sure if his screen presence will translate to other roles, but he’s certainly fantastic in this film.

• I wonder if the Quentin Tarantino trademarked counter-historical fantasy ending is starting to make its way through genre filmmaking the way that so-called Mexican-standoffs seemed to be everywhere after his films in the 1990s. Wouldn’t it be great if we could blow up the big house on the plantation, or riddle Hitler with bullets or find a violent way for Sharon Tate to survive the Manson family? Something that certainly felt like this wraps up the epilogue in Sinners, and I haven’t quite figured out what I think or feel about that.

• I knew that there was some kind of post-credit sequence (or two), but I have made a promise to myself not to stay for them anymore. A friend texted me too late to tell me to stay for them. Not me. Nope. I’m completely comfortable with people “spoiling” them for me, so you don’t need to wait for me to watch it again. This is one Marvel trait that I hope that Coogler has the sense to drop in his future personal films.

A few thoughts on upcoming film programming at the Bartell Theatre

Kudos to the Bartell Theatre and their programming partners for finally bringing the 2025 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, No Other Land, to Madison for a free screening on Sunday, May 25 at 5:00pm. The difficulty that the film has had securing theatrical distribution in the United States, despite the Oscar, has been well documented. So unless I missed something on campus (and I don’t think I have), this will be its premiere in Madison.

I think those of us who have some role in film programming in Madison should take a moment for self-reflection. It should not have taken what is essentially a one-night rental of the Bartell Theatre to bring No Other Land to Madison. While I don’t think the film would have fit into some of the projects I’m working on (I don’t think it would work well as a Rooftop Cinema film, for example), I certainly was thinking about it as a Fall possibility if it hadn’t come to town yet. But should I have pushed harder to create an opportunity to screen it before now? Probably, yes.

I’ll say more about this when I review the film here before its screening on May 25. Meanwhile, I have secured my own free tickets for the No Other Land screening at the Bartell Theatre website, and I encourage you to do the same sooner than later if you want to get a seat or two.

On a more upbeat note, I’m very happy to see that Lewis Peterson at Four Star Video Heaven has been able to secure a night at the Bartell Theatre for a pet project of his: a double feature of Matt Farley films (Local Legends, 2013; Local Legends: Bloodbath, 2024) with an in-person appearance by Farley on Sunday, June 29 at 4:00pm.

Am I well versed with Matt Farley’s ouvre? No. But his films (and more so his music) has received more than a bit of media attention from New York Times, Paste Magazine, ScreenSlate, Wired, and The Guardian, among others. Perhaps this will be the opportunity I need to familiarize myself with his work. What’s more important is that a film enthusiast (and general culture enthusiast) like Lewis has been able to secure the Bartell to make a special event happen.

The question now is, how often will this happen at the Bartell? I won’t go in to detail with my understanding (via Lewis) of the theater rental costs, but it makes sense that the tickets need to be $25 if the endeavor is going to break even. Sometimes deeper pockets will be able to make events free (like No Other Land), other times scrappy independent programmers will have to take a risk on the investment (like Erik Gunneson’s successful Milk Punch screening). One way we can make sure that future events happen is to support the events that do happen.

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Now Playing In Madison: May 12 to May 19, 2025

There are no screenings this week for Mills Folly Microcinema, UW-Cinematheque, or WUD Film. Stay tuned for their summer schedules (and Rooftop Cinema at MMoCA Cinema).

AMC Theatres, Flix Brewhouse, Marcus Theatres

Check the venue’s website to confirm dates and showtimes, especially after Wednesday for weekend openings and closings. I have not seen the films unless stated otherwise, and my brief notes under film titles are not reviews of the films themselves.

     AMC: AMC Fitchburg 18 Theatre
     Flix: Flix Brewhouse Theatre
     Palace: Marcus Palace Cinema
     Point: Marcus Point Cinema

As you’ll see below, the day to make a tough choice for repertory films (or a fan event) will be Wednesday, May 14.

• ACCOUNTANT 2, THE at AMC, Flix, Palace.

• A MINECRAFT MOVIE at AMC, Flix, Palace.

• AMC SCREAM UNSEEN: MAY 19 at AMC.

• AMATEUR, THE at Flix, Palace.

• ATEEZ [TOWARDS THE LIGHT: WILL TO POWER] at Palace.

  • Concert film from South Korean boy band, Ateez. I don’t know folks, I’m getting old. But I did discover that my niece Hannah and I were at the same concert this Saturday (Magdalena Bay at Sylvee) without knowing it until she posted pix on social media. So I can still connect with “the kids.”

• BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN at AMC.

  • One screening today, Monday, May 12, and one sccreening on Wednesday, May 14. Both screenings 6:45pm.

• BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT at Flix.

  • Flix Picks

• CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.

• DEMON SLAYER: MUGEN TRAIN 4K at Point, Palace.

  • Subtitled and dubbed screenings available between Wednesday, May 14 and Monday, May 19, so check Marcus website to confirm.

• DISNEY'S SNOW WHITE at AMC, Palace.

• THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS at Flix

  • Flix Pix

• FIGHT OR FLIGHT at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.

• FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.

  • Saw a trailer for this at Sinners. Looks dumb, of course, but someone must still like this franchise.

• HUNG UP ON A DREAM: THE ZOMBIES DOCUMENTARY at AMC.

  • Documentary about the British Invasion band (“She’s Not There,” “Time of the Season,” etc.). Appears to be only screening on Tuesday, May 13 at AMC.

• HURRY UP TOMORROW at AMC, Point, Palace.

  • Latest from director Trey Edward Shultz (It Comes at Night, which I liked, and Waves, which I missed), described as “Musical, Thriller,” on the Marcus website. Starring Abel Tesfaye (you know, The Weeknd), Jenna Ortega, and Barry Keoghan. There’s a Fan Event at Marcus and AMC on Wednesday, May 14, and it officially opens May 16.

• JULIET & ROMEO at AMC, Point, Palace.

• KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE - STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2025 at AMC, Point, Palace.

• KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (DIRECTOR'S CUT) at Palace.

  • There are some people who are very excited about this Ridley Scott directors cut. As far as I can tell it is only screening Wednesday, May 14 at Palace, so no Hurry Up Tomorrow fan event for you!

• MA: HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN at AMC, Palace.

  • Another in the “Halfway to Halloween” series of horror films on nice sunny days. This one is also only Wednesday, May 14 as far as I can tell.

• MAD MAX: FURY ROAD - 10TH ANNIVERSARY at Point, Palace.

  • Fan Faves series. I cannot believe this film is ten years old already.

• MARCUS MYSTERY MOVIE (5/19) at Palace.

• METROPOLITAN OPERA: SALOME, THE at Point, Palace.

• PRIDE & PREJUDICE 20TH ANNIVERSARY RE-RELEASE at Flix.

  • At this point, I’m wondering if this anniversary run has lasted longer than its original theatrical run 20 years ago.

• #SINGLE at AMC.

  • Telugu-language Indian romantic comedy.

• SHADOW FORCE at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.

  • If you end up seeing this, please tell Ben Reiser if it is worth his time (assuming, of course, that you liked Joe Carnahan’s Copshop).

• SHOW ME YOUR GLORY (2025) at Point, Palace.

  • Christian-themed documentary on the power of prayer.

• SINNERS at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.

• SUBHAM (2025) at AMC.

  • Telugu-language Indian horror/comedy/social satire.

• SURFER, THE at AMC.

• THUNDERBOLTS* at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.

• UNTIL DAWN at AMC, Palace.

• WARFARE (2025) at AMC.

• WIZ, THE at Point, Palace, Flix.

  • Not one, but two musical versions of Wizard of Oz this week (perhaps the Wicked fans just can’t get enough). This one, of course, is the 1978 adaptation of the 1974 Broadway musical featuring an all African-American cast, including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and the great Nipsey Russell. Sidney Lumet, not necessarily known for musicals, directed. At Marcus this appears to be Sunday, May 18 and Wednesday, May 21.

• WIZARD OF OZ, THE at Point, Palace.

  • Fan Faves series.

• WOLF CHILDREN 4K at Point.

  • If you’re interested in such things, this has a 95% critics and 92% audience Rotten Tomatoes rating. This kind of slipped by me last week. It was originally released back in 2012, and won the Japanese Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. As far as I can tell, only dubbed version will screen through Wednesday, May 14. (So see it tonight or tomorrow if you want to catch any of those other May 14 screenings mentioned above!)

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Looking Ahead

Mills Folly Microcinema

Mills Folly Microcinema presents Twinning: "Gemini" and animated inspirations, curated by Jamie Griffiths, a program of surrealist and experimental animated shorts on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 7:00pm.

This program highlights Jamie Griffiths' most recent hand-drawn animation, Gemini (2024), as well as experimental work by colleagues and other luminaries that give a general sense of the context in which Gemini was made. Gemini has screened at several North American and international film festivals, including Slamdance Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, and Open World Animation Festival. Special thanks to Mills Folly programmer Grant Phipps for coordinating this screening.

Cinesthesia at Madison Public Library Central Branch

Jason Furhman’s monthly movie night at Madison Public Library Central Branch continues on Wednesday, May 21 at 6:00pm with Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life (2011). After making four films between Badlands (1973) and The New World (2005), Malick kicked off a flurry of activity with The Tree of Life in 2011, followed six films through the rest of the decade. The Tree of Life confused a heck of a lot of people, and I have to admit I recall making an incorrect inference about the plot which led me to misunderstand some details, too. (The dinosaurs I was fine with, this was something else). But none of that is particularly important because the real selling point of the film is its texture. By the time Malick made The Tree of Life, nobody was making films like this anymore.

Madison 48 Hour Film Project

The premiere screenings for this year’s Madison 48 Hour Film Project will be Sunday May 18, 2025. Group A: 12:00pm–2:45pm. Group B: 3:00pm–5:45pm. Group C: 6:00pm–8:45pm. Screening details at Ticketbud.