Sinners

⭐ 9/10

This might be recency bias, since there was a lot of hype around the quality of this movie. Although this falls outside my typical movie genres that I enjoy I thought this was awesome. I've loved all of Coogler's non-MCU stuff, and I loved Michael B. in Creed, so seeing them both back in action is a treat.  It results in a unique and original story, something worth going to the movies for.

The setup here is great, you basically spend an hour learning about this place and the people in it, and then all hell breaks loose. I will say I didn't love the whole twin aspect of it, in that I still can't tell you which twin goes through what, even though they nicely colour-code them for you. I thought it looked amazing, and it was a fun place to be in even before you meet a vampire.

Maybe I've become a bit desensitized, but the horror aspects were exciting and not scary for me. The introduction of the vampires, learning what they want, I won't say it made them relatable but it made the story deeper for me than something like Nosferatu. The action was fun, the stakes felt high, overall the fusion of the horror/action/drama is what makes this a great time at the theatres.

What actually got me to go out and see this is when I heard there is a lot more depth outside these elements, specifically around the music. This is a blues movie! The soundtrack reflected this, but also completely transcended just that time period, mixing in different genres like when screeching guitars drop in for a vampire kill. The most memorable scene of the movie, one that feels like the seed this movie was built around, is basically Preacher Boy's music transcending time and connecting music past and present. That sounds corny, but the way it was filmed was incredible, and I got chills in a way I haven't watching a movie in a long time. I don't claim to have a deep understanding of music, but seeing this visual representation of the way music connects people and times felt wholly original. And then the Irish vampires, another minority group with distinct musical style, kind of going through the same thing, was an amazing connection of ideas that added so much richness to the experience. Ludwig Goransson is quickly becoming the modern composer of our times, and what he accomplishes here with Coogler is another astonishing entry in his catalog.

Lots of spectacle, lots of guns, lots of muscles, and some dashes of humour. In a year I might not be as enthralled by the memory of this movie, but for now its a top movie of the year. Give Coogler unlimited money to make more original non-IP movies please.