This movie was maybe not the best vampire movie as a genre movie, but as a film it is one of the best I've seen in my life. I cried during the final scene. Certainly deserves all the Oscar buzz.
SINNERS is the finest vampire movie in at least 33 years
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I finally got around to watching this film and yes, the recording-breaking Oscar nominations pushed to watch it already!
I'm not a vampire film fan (hell, I recently watch Blade for the first time and it simply wasn't for me) but I loved the hell out of this film. It helps that it's not just a vampire film but a story with deep roots within Black culture in the American South and everything that goes along with those truths. And, of course, the incredible music. The time-bending dance sequence involving their ancestors and descendants was a revelation.
This film definitely deserves all of the Oscar love it got. Cogler, Jordan, Lindo (lonnngg overdue!), and Göransson were all givens (Ruth E. Carter, too!), but I'm very happy to see Wunmi Mosakua get the recognition that she deserves. I've been a fan of hers for many years.
I just regret that I didn't see this film on the big screen. The cinematography was breathtaking.
I'm not a vampire film fan (hell, I recently watch Blade for the first time and it simply wasn't for me) but I loved the hell out of this film. It helps that it's not just a vampire film but a story with deep roots within Black culture in the American South and everything that goes along with those truths. And, of course, the incredible music. The time-bending dance sequence involving their ancestors and descendants was a revelation.
This film definitely deserves all of the Oscar love it got. Cogler, Jordan, Lindo (lonnngg overdue!), and Göransson were all givens (Ruth E. Carter, too!), but I'm very happy to see Wunmi Mosakua get the recognition that she deserves. I've been a fan of hers for many years.
I just regret that I didn't see this film on the big screen. The cinematography was breathtaking.
Yup, that really stood out to me. Asian-Americans are rarely depicted as normally integrated in American society in historical films not directly involved with the oppression of Asian-Americans, so it was refreshing to see the Chow family in this manner. I just wish more historical films and shows did this (the only one that comes immediately to mind is Deadwood).
I hadn't thought too deeply about that aspect so I greatly appreciate your insights on this.
I haven't seen this film yet but I was curious. People are calling it a horror film, but as someone who is not really a fan of Horror, how "horror" is it? Getting the record number of oscar nominations has peaked my interest, but I wanted to know from those who have seen it.
It's definitely a horror film but not too much gore. Lots of biting and some blood, but I didn't find it too bad.
But then I just also watched The Bone Temple and that went way beyond my limit in one scene in particular (although the rest of the film was fine by 28 Days Later standards), so it was refreshing to watch something on a "lighter" fare.
The "horror" is not really the point of the movie. It is a means to convey the themes and social commentary of the story. There is a hell of a lot more going on. If you are a music fan, especially a fan of blues music, that is as much a part of the story as the vampires. The end scene is an integral part to the full arc of the story, not an add on.
It's a pretty classic vampire flick, when you get right down to it. Some blood. The finale gets a little gory, but nothing really extreme.
What I found most fascinating about it is that ISN'T actually a horror film. Or at least, not all the way through. The first hour and change is really just a pretty straight up period drama, and a really good one. Once the pieces are in place it shifts and goes the monster movie route, but even then the monsters are more adjacent to the story than the point of it.
I don't like horror movies (with incredibly rare exceptions), and I loved it.
That's the "inspired by From Dusk Till Dawn" flavor shining through pretty clearly.
It's interesting, as a horror fan I know there's many in the community who feel horror is often dismissed when it comes awards season. Certainly in recent years the term 'elevated horror' has come to the fore because some people can't bring themselves to believe a horror film could have value in itself. So Hereditary and Get Out and Misommar aren't horror films, they're 'elevated horror films'.
Which is frankly bull. They're horror films!
This isn't anything new of course. When Silence of the Lambs swept the board at the 1991 Oscars it was clearly a phycological thriller, not a horror film. (note, it's a horror film).
It is great to see Sinners nominated so much, and even Frankenstein (though I think there were way more deserving horror films than that)
Oscars and horror isn't completely new of course, Frederick March won best actor for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde back in 1931, but man horror is usually excluded.
Actors, in just the last few years, who deserved Oscars include.
Toni Collette in Hereditary
Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out (at least he was nominated)
Florence Pugh for Misommar (I don't like the film but she's incredible in it)
Mia Goth for Pearl
Sally Hawkins for Bring Her Back
Ralph Fiennes for Bone Temple (frankly I'm not sure what it will take for Fiennes to get an Oscar now!)
This isn't just linked to horror of course, comedy tends to fall into the same bracket of unworthiness.
Which is frankly bull. They're horror films!
This isn't anything new of course. When Silence of the Lambs swept the board at the 1991 Oscars it was clearly a phycological thriller, not a horror film. (note, it's a horror film).
It is great to see Sinners nominated so much, and even Frankenstein (though I think there were way more deserving horror films than that)
Oscars and horror isn't completely new of course, Frederick March won best actor for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde back in 1931, but man horror is usually excluded.
Actors, in just the last few years, who deserved Oscars include.
Toni Collette in Hereditary
Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out (at least he was nominated)
Florence Pugh for Misommar (I don't like the film but she's incredible in it)
Mia Goth for Pearl
Sally Hawkins for Bring Her Back
Ralph Fiennes for Bone Temple (frankly I'm not sure what it will take for Fiennes to get an Oscar now!)
This isn't just linked to horror of course, comedy tends to fall into the same bracket of unworthiness.
That scene makes or breaks the film. A hundred other directors doing that in a hundred other films and it would have ruined the film. Instead Coogler makes it work, makes it transcendental.
It shouldn't work, but fuck me it does!
Sinners is the second best vampire film of the 21st Century for me (as I've probably said) I would highly recommend Let the Right One in (Swedish original, I've never seen the remake) I suspect you would like it.
It's definitely a horror film but not too much gore. Lots of biting and some blood, but I didn't find it too bad.
But then I just also watched The Bone Temple and that went way beyond my limit in one scene in particular (although the rest of the film was fine by 28 Days Later standards), so it was refreshing to watch something on a "lighter" fare.
Between both these films I hope you're not having too many Jack O'Connell infused nightmares!
I am slightly biased (we were born in the same city and support the same football team) but I really like O'Connell as an actor and it's good to see his profile rising.
Jack O'Connell is definitely having a moment right now. I didn't even realize it was him in Sinners because Remmick is a completely different character from Sir Jimmy. They're both complete bastards who deserved their respective fates, but I was impressed by how O'Connell differentiated them.
While I'm glad Delroy Lindo got nominated for supporting, I think Miles Caton and the big-bad Jack O'Connell were short-shrifted in the same category. Ditto for Hailee Steinfeld. Her reaction--as a vampire----to seeing former friends falling was quite unexpected.
A few years before the Oscars increased the slots for Best Picture up to ten (and sometimes in the '40s they went even higher), I generally did the same with my choices for Best Supporting Actor. There's never a shortage of semi-anonymous great talent almost any year.
A few years before the Oscars increased the slots for Best Picture up to ten (and sometimes in the '40s they went even higher), I generally did the same with my choices for Best Supporting Actor. There's never a shortage of semi-anonymous great talent almost any year.
Objection! Bite me?
BLADE was memorable. But BLADE II will make you forget about BLADE One. It's that good.
It's a multi-genre mashup and the percentage of horror, whatever it is, is effective enough.
Surely true.....but we get added reason and accountability this time.That's the "inspired by From Dusk Till Dawn" flavor shining through pretty clearly.
Good old Dimension Films was was so protective of its younger audiences they not only left Harvey Keitel's image off their FROM DUSK TILL DAWN movie poster, they even did it two years later by leaving off Peter O'Toole's face from PHANTOMS' ads. May whoever made those decisions get premature permanent wrinkles.
Perhaps, but I was concentrating on Rose McGowan during her early two-leg period.
I don't really understand what your point is.Objection! Bite me?
BLADE was memorable. But BLADE II will make you forget about BLADE One. It's that good.
It's a multi-genre mashup and the percentage of horror, whatever it is, is effective enough.
Surely true.....but we get added reason and accountability this time.
Good old Dimension Films was was so protective of its younger audiences they not only left Harvey Keitel's image off their FROM DUSK TILL DAWN movie poster, they even did it two years later by leaving off Peter O'Toole's face from PHANTOMS' ads. May whoever made those decisions get premature permanent wrinkles.
To put it succinctly, Sinners is a commentary on historical race violence in America that uses fantastical narrative devices, that mix historical race violence and its contradictions in a way that it sheds light on where America is today.
Defending SINNERS honor/Promoting BLADE II/Standing by my statement/Elevating SINNERS over FROM DUSK TILL DAWN/Studio ageist habits, respectively. Four replies to four posts before the ageist observation.
