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Sinners (2025)

Anela

By Anela
in Movies

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peridot

peridot

I enjoyed this movie.  I didn't know it would be set in Mississippi, but it was cool to see a vampire movie set there.  The relationships between the characters felt real and as the movie progressed, I was sad to see what happened.

I loved seeing the dance scene, it was mesmerizing. 

As the movie ended, I just planned on staying to hear some good music.  I'm glad I didn't miss out on that ending.

If there's a soundtrack for the movie, I definitely plan on getting it.

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scarynikki12

scarynikki12

1 hour ago, MissAlmond said:

How gory is Sinners because I've pretty much given up on films/television shows featuring vampires or zombies. Too many are made as if I want to watch them chomping down at a human buffet. 

I'd say it depends on how you react to blood on screen. I'm never bothered by it so, for me, I'd say medium. There's a fair amount of blood in the movie but we do get shown wounds. No organs or bones but lots of bites, some head injuries, and a variety of other wounds. The story takes place over a 24 hour period, and these vamps don't insta-heal like they do in other stories, so the bites that turned them and any wounds after are still present. 

Even with all that, the human buffet is there but also isn't. We see some people get attacked and turned but the vast majority takes place offscreen. We know it's happening but we get shown the aftermath which I found scarier and sadder. Also the use of the lights in the eyes for the vamps was super creepy even knowing it would be there from the trailers. 

So, no torture or gore porn like the Saw movies, but still very creepy and bloody with multiple wounds. If it helps I'd say about a good half of the movie is set during the day so, if you're unsure and want to wait until streaming, you could watch that and then decide when the sun goes down.

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Cobalt Stargazer

Cobalt Stargazer

(edited)
On 4/19/2025 at 2:14 PM, peridot said:

As the movie ended, I just planned on staying to hear some good music.  I'm glad I didn't miss out on that ending.

It felt almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Stack tells Mary that if something happened to her, he'd have to kill everyone who was involved with it, that he loved her but they both knew he was "never going to stay." He's her only on-screen kill, since whoever else she turned happened out of sight. Together forever, just like Smoke and Annie.



*Spoiler tagging because I keep forgetting how long we're supposed to wait.

Edited by Cobalt Stargazer
Trini

Trini

'The reaction to Sinners' opening lays bare the racial bias around Black blockbusters'

Quote

Usually, a film that has a great debut like Sinners would get some celebratory coverage from the trades and online sites. But, even though it’s another certified blockbuster that’s keeping the lights on at Warner Bros. (Minecraft is also a WB picture), some outlets have been downplaying its obvious success. ...

Quote

“I think that [the studio] didn’t anticipate the controversy that was going to come with it, for sure,” Collins says. “There’s no way, and it’s controversial for the wrong reasons. There’s backlash against the establishment and these publications that are so obviously biased that now it’s putting a spotlight on the fact that Black art doesn’t get the investments and the recognition that it deserves.”

It’s hard not to bring up race when it comes to the strange pushback Sinners has received. The film industry always acts like hit pictures from people of color are anomalies, preferring to stubbornly hedge their bets on franchise fare that’ll land those precious four quadrants. But, as African-American auteurs like Coogler and Jordan Peele have shown, non-IP popcorn films starring people of various shades will attract many people of many shades at the box office—and these young Blerds are making the powerful white people look bad! 

 

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Cobalt Stargazer

Cobalt Stargazer

I've actually seen several websites talking the movie up; Vulture, GQ, Collider, some others. For people like me who watch Youtube reactor stuff, I'm looking forward to seeing what the reactors I subscribe to have to say, because the response to both trailers was pretty positive. The one minor thing I've seen mentioned is that the second trailer gives away too  much, which isn't wrong. I mean, you might have to be interested in reading stuff from the trades, but I've seen more than a few glowing articles about the film.

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Trini

Trini

51 minutes ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

I've actually seen several websites talking the movie up; Vulture, GQ, Collider, some others. For people like me who watch Youtube reactor stuff, I'm looking forward to seeing what the reactors I subscribe to have to say, because the response to both trailers was pretty positive. The one minor thing I've seen mentioned is that the second trailer gives away too  much, which isn't wrong. I mean, you might have to be interested in reading stuff from the trades, but I've seen more than a few glowing articles about the film.

It's definitely not everyone; but enough of the bigger outlets who seem to want to put an asterisk on it's success.

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scarynikki12

scarynikki12

(edited)

It's being reported Sinners second weekend drop is only 6%. To give an idea, it's normal for the second weekend drop to be 40 something. All week the assumption was the word of mouth was going to make the drop between 20 and 30 so there was already an awareness of the movie's popularity. But 6% is unheard of. Hell yes.

I can't wait to see how the studio execs will once again learn the wrong lessons from this.

Edited by scarynikki12
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thuganomics85

thuganomics85

Usually not a huge fan of horror, but I gave this a go after hearing all of the hype and praise.  Granted, I really shouldn't have waited this long because I should know by know that Ryan Coogler rarely misses.  Even arguably his "weakest" film; Wankanda Forever; was honestly pretty good in my eyes considering all of the changes and decisions he no doubt had to do on the fly after Chadwick Boseman's passing.

Anyway, I thought this was a pretty excellent film that perfectly combined a historical look at the Jim Crow-era South/Mississippi with intriguing, fleshed out characters, along with some old-fashioned, but unique takes on vampire lore and the horror that goes along with it.  The look and feel of the film was spot-on, and the world felt lived in.  Despite a longish runtime, I wouldn't have been opposed to spending more time in this world.

Michael B. Jordan did a great job with both Smoke and Stack.  On the surface, it seemed simple enough: Smoke is the cool, collected twin, while Stack is the hothead that is unpredictable.  But I liked how you could quickly see a rage inside of Smoke that merely hinted at his violent past, and he might have almost been the more dangerous twin.  Meanwhile, despite his more arrogant and boisterous disposition, you can see that Stack is someone who truly cares about those he loves, and would do anything for likes of Sammie, Mary, and his own brother.  Good show, all around.

Always great seeing Hailee Steinfeld and she was a blast as Mary.  Is this the first time a film has acknowledge that she is 1/4th black in real life?  Either way, I imagine she enjoyed getting to play a role like this and dive into a character who was able to "pass" as white, but probably never felt like she ever found a real home there.  Wunmi Mosaku is someone I loved since I first saw her on Lovecraft Country, so it was great seeing her get some meaty material here as Annie.  Great seeing other familiar faces like the legendary Delroy Lindo, Omar Benson Miller, and Li Jun Li as well.

Miles Carton might be on his way to being a major star, assuming the industry doesn't somehow fuck it up.  Excellent actor and a fantastic singing voice.  He crushed it here.

Going into the film without reading to much about the story, I assumed all of the vampires were going to be KKK members or racist whites, which would have been entertaining enough, but I loved the direction Coogler went by making the lead vampire/Remmick actually be an Irish immigrant instead.  While still a violent, bad guy, his motivations didn't seem to be out of racism, but instead, he actually related to the African-American community and believed they would be happier with his lot instead.  In his own twisted way, he probably thought he was doing the noble, righteous thing.  Jack O'Connell did some great work here.

Sammi's performance in the barn was definitely the highlight of the film, followed closely by Remmick's "Rocky Road to Dublin" dance.

Another killer score from Ludwig Goransson.  I know he just won the Oscar for Oppenheimer two years ago, but I will not be against him getting a third one already.

Glad it's been crushing it at the box office.  Hopefully this give Ryan Coogler free reign to do whatever the hell he wants, because he seems to be one of the brightest and best upcoming artists in the industry right now.

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Cobalt Stargazer

Cobalt Stargazer

17 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Going into the film without reading to much about the story, I assumed all of the vampires were going to be KKK members or racist whites, which would have been entertaining enough, but I loved the direction Coogler went by making the lead vampire/Remmick actually be an Irish immigrant instead.  While still a violent, bad guy, his motivations didn't seem to be out of racism, but instead, he actually related to the African-American community and believed they would be happier with his lot instead.  In his own twisted way, he probably thought he was doing the noble, righteous thing.  Jack O'Connell did some great work here.

Someone pointed out that Remmick's mention of Christians taking his father's land for themselves means he was alive before Ireland was fully converted to Christianity, somewhere between the 5th and 7th centuries. So he was at least 1300 hundred years old, probably spending much of it wandering around alone. His intention, as bloodthirsty as it was, was to build his own community. Notice that his song, the one with the couple he first turned, plays as weak and kind of a joke, but the time they get to Rocky Road To Dublin he's built up strength and power, making the music much more potent. It's why all the other vampires are dancing perfectly in step with him, because he had them thralled.

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tennisgurl

tennisgurl

I knew that this was going to be really good, Ryan Coogler never misses, especially with his frequent partner Michael B. Jordan, who is always great, but this was a truly incredible movie, one of the best I have seen in years. I love horror movies but I would recommend this to anyone, even non horror fans, as long as they don't mind some blood and spookiness, its just that good. If you can see it in theaters, please do, the amazing musical numbers are a true spectacle that are made to be seen and heard in a theater. 

I love that, while the opening moments hint at something supernatural happening, the first half of the movie could have tricked the audience into thinking that this was a pure period piece/crime story, until all of the sudden we meet Remmick, Sammie plays a beet so strong that he creates a break in time and space, and vampires attack. The music in this movie is amazing, mixed with being shot gorgeously and the dances having some excellent choreography. The standout songs were obviously I Lied to You and Rocky Road to Dublin, but the movie was absolutely stuffed with great blues and folk music, making this not only a great period piece, a great horror movie, but also a great musical, because Ryan Coogler cannot stop switching genres and nailing all of them. Those two songs though, wow, just incredible. I Lied to You felt so otherworldly and celebratory and Rocky Road to Dublin is probably the first time I've seen an Irish Jig be so threatening. 

I love how many period details you can see in this movie that are thrown out but never explained for the audience, the movie treats the audience like its smart enough to fill in the blanks. They never mention the details of prohibition, Jim Crow, the twins experiences in WWI, what the twins were getting up to in Chicago between the Irish and Italian mobs, Remmick's implied backstory as possibly an Irish pagan forcibly converted to Christianity or even a victim of Oliver Cromwell's crackdown and colonization of Ireland about 300 years before this movies setting, the Chows and the often forgotten story of the Delta Chinese and their unique place in the Jim Crow south, the local money paid to black sharecroppers, there is just so much to unpack and so much to google the second you get out of the theater to learn more. 

The cast is obviously excellent, Michael B. Jordan is great as always, playing two characters as district people could not have been easy, and its great to see Wunmi Mosaku and Hailee Steinfeld here totally crushing it and looking incredible. Miles Caton is clearly a star in the making, both as an actor and as a singer, no wonder his song was good enough to summon ghosts and vampires. Jack O'Connell also really stands out, Remmick is an excellent villain and one of the best on screen vampires I have ever seen. He's scary, he's tragic, he's manipulative, he's sincere, he's cruel, he's sad, he wants to build a perfect undead egalitarian community by killing and absorbing people into his hive mind to recreate the culture and home he lost, he's a demon who still finds comfort in prayer, he's got serious moves, I was riveted by him. 

I feel awful for this community that just lost so many people in one night and will never know why. It seems like Sammie left pretty much right after he told his father goodbye in the church, and no one else survived, or at least survived as a human. They will probably guess that the KKK wiped everyone out, dumped most of the bodies, and Smoke killed the KKK in revenge before he was killed himself, but that still leaves Bo and Grace's daughter an orphan and Cornbread's wife and unborn child without a husband and father and a whole community torn apart. 

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Shannon L.

Shannon L.

(edited)
On 5/12/2025 at 9:14 AM, tennisgurl said:

I love horror movies but I would recommend this to anyone, even non horror fans, as long as they don't mind some blood and spookiness, its just that good.

I'm someone who doesn't like horror films.  I'm such a wimp that if I choose to watch one, it will only be at home where I don't embarrass myself when I curl up in a ball and watch through my fingers. lol.  But I made myself go to this one because of the good reviews and I'm so glad I did.  It was fantastic.  I can't disagree with anything you wrote.  It was great critique of the movie.

Just a couple of added notes:  You mention the historical details that he leaves you to fill in.  I don't know many details from history, but I do know how terribly the Irish and Chinese people were treated when they came here, as well as being familiar with prohibition and Jim Crowe.  I can imagine that the movie is even more profound for those of you who are history buffs (or, at the very least, were better educated in history that I was).

Michael B. Jordan was amazing--no surprise there.  But, what I really appreciated is how he made each character just a little different.  It was especially noticeable with the voice.  One was a bit deeper and gravelly. 

The music!  That scene where he unlocked the spirits from other worlds and times?  At first, I found it a bit jarring, but the further it went, the more captivating it became.  There was something about the Irish jig scene, where they were dancing in circles around him, that was mesmerizing. The way they melded the different forms of dancing with the music reminded me of Riverdance when they showed the Irish step dancing next to the African American tappers (which was my favorite scene in that show).  

The only thing I didn't care for was the final scene.  I understood it and what he was going for, but for some reason that I can't quite explain, it did work for me.  It still beautifully shot, but there was something that just seemed different from the rest of the movie. 

Overall, it's one that I highly recommend. 

Edited by Shannon L.
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Luckylyn

Luckylyn

I was thinking about doomed the club was.  If it wasn't vampires, it would have been the KKK.  If not the KKK, than it would have been the gangsters in Chicago the twins got the liquor from.   It works as a horror story or a crime story or a drama or even as a diegetic musical.

It's the kind of movie that makes you want to talk about it when it's over and watch again. There are so many layers with the characters and the attention to historical details.

 

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Cobalt Stargazer

Cobalt Stargazer

On 5/12/2025 at 9:14 AM, tennisgurl said:

I feel awful for this community that just lost so many people in one night and will never know why. It seems like Sammie left pretty much right after he told his father goodbye in the church, and no one else survived, or at least survived as a human. They will probably guess that the KKK wiped everyone out, dumped most of the bodies, and Smoke killed the KKK in revenge before he was killed himself, but that still leaves Bo and Grace's daughter an orphan and Cornbread's wife and unborn child without a husband and father and a whole community torn apart. 

There's been some speculation that Sammie made sure the community was provided for, at least financially. He went on to pursue a long career in music, and if he wasn't rich he was probably pretty well-off. It wouldn't have replaced the people, but all those other husbands and fathers who left and never came back would have left a bunch of families in bad shape given the time period.

As a whole, Sammie's story is fairly tragic. Like Remmick, he was a victim of circumstances way beyond his control, and he lost everyone he cared about, maybe including his father. There's a weary resignation in the final scene, because maybe he suspected over the years that that's how things turned out.

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arc

arc

On 5/12/2025 at 9:14 AM, tennisgurl said:

the Chows and the often forgotten story of the Delta Chinese and their unique place in the Jim Crow south

There's a nice AJ+ short documentary by Dolly Li about the Chinese Delta community on Youtube. Coogler then hired Li as a consultant for Sinners.

 

On 5/13/2025 at 8:27 PM, Luckylyn said:

I was thinking about doomed the club was.  If it wasn't vampires, it would have been the KKK.  If not the KKK, than it would have been the gangsters in Chicago the twins got the liquor from.

And even if none of that got them, the wretched economics under Jim Crow of a juke joint for sharecroppers who mostly only had plantation scrip to pay would have gotten them.

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Empress1

Empress1

On 5/12/2025 at 12:14 PM, tennisgurl said:

that still leaves Bo and Grace's daughter an orphan and Cornbread's wife and unborn child without a husband and father and a whole community torn apart. 

I also had the thought that Mary’s rich white husband (who apparently didn’t come to her mother’s funeral?) would wonder either why she didn’t return, or why she was tied up with those Black people. She said she “didn’t want to be white,” she wanted to be with Stack, so I assume she was fully passing when she left Mississippi and her husband didn’t know about her past. I also thought about how they were still 35 years from Loving V. Virginia, so Stack and Mary still probably have to be careful even as vampires, although I guess they could kill anybody who messed with them. Somebody on social media said theirs was a happy ending and I didn’t see it that way at all - Smoke and Annie’s ending in the hereafter was a much happier one, to me. (Even leaving aside vampirism and the complex race dynamics, the concept of immortality is unappealing to me generally.)

On 5/6/2025 at 8:34 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Is this the first time a film has acknowledge that she is 1/4th black in real life?

I think like Mary, Hailee has one Black great-grandparent (one of her grandparents is half Black), so she’s 1/8 Black. And IMO the character doesn’t work unless you have someone in the role who is white-presenting. She’s a great casting choice (and actress, which I knew back when she did True Grit). Her delivery of “boy, if you don’t get the fuck out my face” had me rolling.

On 5/12/2025 at 3:43 PM, Shannon L. said:

That scene where he unlocked the spirits from other worlds and times?

Curricula will be built around that scene. It was brilliant.

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