Sinners
As far as original movies go, it’s the best of the year. As far as movies in general goes, “Sinners” is also the best of the year so far. And may not actually lose favor for me. “Sinners” is a fascinating examination on vampires, racism, Jim Crow, blues and culture. And nothing feels too in-your-face. Its themes are maximalist and loud in their own regard for sure, but for good reason. They are pronounced to highlight for many reasons, but most serve to highlight the unique divides of the era this takes place. There is also heavy, heavy inspiration from the Robert Johnson folklore, i.e. meeting the devil at the crossroads and selling his soul to be a gifted blues musician. Which, hell yeah. That story is already eerie.
Ryan Coogler has definitively established himself as one of the top directors today. The technical challenges making this movie and editing will be studied for years to come. To no surprise, I loved every performance as they all felt authentic. But the biggest star is Ludwig Göransson. This will earn him an Oscar, for sure. The man is easily the best composer today next to Hans Zimmer and John Williams. This score brings the movie to life; every beat carries every scene, every action. It carries you to another realm, let alone time period. Fusing bluegrass with Irish folklore makes so much sense I never would’ve considered it prior to this. And it gets creepy. As I said before, this is my favorite movie of the year. After another rewatch, I might come back here and say it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. Don’t be shocked.