"Sinners" was a mess. Occasionally a glorious mess, but still a mess. I loved the setting, but the script was doing several things at once, few of them well, from the terrible, pretentious opening voiceover to, notably, anything that happened after vampires suddenly appeared. Much of it looked great, though. And I can respect all the effort that went into making the music-video wedged into the middle of the 137 minute film, but it really does nothing for what comes before or after it.
Hello JoAnne! Thank you for joining the Sinners conversation. In the respectfully disagree department regarding "mess" (I won't attempt to sway your overall opinion): The opening (setting alleged pretension aside for a moment) more or less tells you that the vampires (or something evil) will appear in relation to the music. It might not say "vampires" (actually I'd have to listen to it again) but I would be reluctant to describe the appearance of an evil force as sudden. What you're describing as a music video is the concrete manifestation of what is abstractly laid out in the introduction, so it literally does do something for what comes before it. Effective? Any good? I defer to you. But it seems far more organized than a mess to me.
Really enjoyed the iso reactions - always love a review format that helps you cut right to what you're actually excited to say. Also very excited about No Other Land, and am hopeful there's continued reflection on the kind of programming we have access to here in Madison!
Hello Alex, thank you for the feedback. Maybe I'll continue the iso reactions for mainstream films that have already had plenty of ink dedicated to them. It certainly was a fun way to format the reactions.
Thanks for these iso reactions — I loved this piece. Rob Thomas and I saw the film a few weeks ago. He loved it, and I was on the fence. But I do think it's terrific in many ways, and I look forward to tracking Coogler's work in the future. Did you happen to see Jelani Cobb's profile? It's worth a peek when you have time. Thanks, Jim! https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/05/05/ryan-coogler-profile
The Inglourious Basterds style epilogue was the one thing I did not like about the movie, because it felt like Coogler "giving the people what they want" in a very forced way in a film that otherwise was very much doing what it wanted.
Well said, Rob. I'll say this: Sinners is an original, and for that, I like it. I had some qualms, but overall I'd recommend it to anyone. What are we seeing next?
"Sinners" was a mess. Occasionally a glorious mess, but still a mess. I loved the setting, but the script was doing several things at once, few of them well, from the terrible, pretentious opening voiceover to, notably, anything that happened after vampires suddenly appeared. Much of it looked great, though. And I can respect all the effort that went into making the music-video wedged into the middle of the 137 minute film, but it really does nothing for what comes before or after it.
Hello JoAnne! Thank you for joining the Sinners conversation. In the respectfully disagree department regarding "mess" (I won't attempt to sway your overall opinion): The opening (setting alleged pretension aside for a moment) more or less tells you that the vampires (or something evil) will appear in relation to the music. It might not say "vampires" (actually I'd have to listen to it again) but I would be reluctant to describe the appearance of an evil force as sudden. What you're describing as a music video is the concrete manifestation of what is abstractly laid out in the introduction, so it literally does do something for what comes before it. Effective? Any good? I defer to you. But it seems far more organized than a mess to me.
Really enjoyed the iso reactions - always love a review format that helps you cut right to what you're actually excited to say. Also very excited about No Other Land, and am hopeful there's continued reflection on the kind of programming we have access to here in Madison!
Hello Alex, thank you for the feedback. Maybe I'll continue the iso reactions for mainstream films that have already had plenty of ink dedicated to them. It certainly was a fun way to format the reactions.
Thanks for these iso reactions — I loved this piece. Rob Thomas and I saw the film a few weeks ago. He loved it, and I was on the fence. But I do think it's terrific in many ways, and I look forward to tracking Coogler's work in the future. Did you happen to see Jelani Cobb's profile? It's worth a peek when you have time. Thanks, Jim! https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/05/05/ryan-coogler-profile
Thanks Andy! No, I had not seen the New Yorker profile, I'll take a look. Have you seen this video with Coogler discussing aspect ratios? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Ru62uFM0s&t=172s
I have not! Thanks for sharing this with me. Drinks soon?
The Inglourious Basterds style epilogue was the one thing I did not like about the movie, because it felt like Coogler "giving the people what they want" in a very forced way in a film that otherwise was very much doing what it wanted.
Well said, Rob. I'll say this: Sinners is an original, and for that, I like it. I had some qualms, but overall I'd recommend it to anyone. What are we seeing next?