Sinners: I'm actually really glad that my NFL Draft pieces prevented me from writing about Sinners after opening weekend because I saw it again last weekend and it floored me. That's not to say that I didn't really enjoy it the first time around, it's just that a lot of the subtext that I missed the first time crystalized during the second viewing and that significantly elevated my appreciation of the movie.
Sinners is about a million different things at once including a vampire movie, celebration of blues music and powerful drama about how assimilation and colonization destroy the unique specificity that gives a community its soul. Despite all of the different directions it goes in, the narrative never feels overstuffed or allows its many, many plot threads and themes to get in the way of its entertainment value or the brilliant development of its characters and setting (Clarksdale, Mississippi circa 1932). The ability to stay coherent and captivating is a testament to not only Ryan Coogler's dazzling vision and infectious passion as a filmmaker, but those of his many collaborators who were in complete lockstep with him. The ensemble cast (Michael B. Jordan in a dual lead role as twins, musician Miles Caton in his acting debut, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O'Connell, Delroy Lindo, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, Li Jun Li, Yao, Lola Kirke, Peter Dreimanis, David Maldonado, Saul Williams) is Tarantino-esque in how every single performer is perfectly cast and delivers exactly what the story needs from them regardless of how much screentime they have (Lindo's heartfelt yet hilarious turn as grizzled alcoholic blues musician Delta Slim was the top standout for me), Autumn Durald Arkapaw's cinematography-captured entirely on IMAX 65mm film cameras-is breathtakingly beautiful and the electrifying musical elements (both score and original songs) serve as the strong foundation that allows the entire film to thrive. This is the kind of remarkable, singular film that solidifies Coogler as one of the greats and its unbelievable box office success for an original film-driven mostly by its tremendous WOM-makes it even sweeter. While the wait for the next blank check movie he gets to make after he fulfills his longstanding obligations to Disney to deliver a series reboot of The X-Files and a third Black Panther film will likely be pretty long, there's no doubt in my mind that it will be ultimately be worth it.
Grade: A
The Accountant 2: Elevating Jon Bernthal to co-lead and allowing him to establish a combative yet loving rapport with on-screen brother Ben Affleck along with some great moments of character-driven humor provides The Accountant 2 with a more lighthearted tone that elevates it above its predecessor. That being said, it's still not lighthearted enough! These movies have a pervasive inherent ridiculousness to them that's begging to be embraced, but for whatever reason director Gavin O'Connor and writer Bill Dubuque-both returning from the original-just refuse to do it. By keeping things relatively serious and the action sequences-which are all solid-fairly sparse, the convoluted plot surrounding Affleck aiding his old friend from the Feds (Cynthia Addai-Robinson, also reprising her role from the original) in figuring out whose responsible for a human trafficking ring is often left taking center stage and that is not good at all for the business of fun that The Accountant 2 wants to be in. To put it more succinctly, these movies just aren't nearly as consistently entertaining as they could/should be and they'll never reach their potential until they solve their own identity crisis.
Grade: B-
Until Dawn: While it definitely could've benefitted from further exploring the endless possibilities its "every time the character's die, they face a new threat is trying to kill them" time loop conceit presents, Until Dawn successfully occupies the same fun albeit slight horror movie space that stuff like Final Destination, Saw and Resident Evil have in the past. The dynamic of lifelong friends (Ella Rubin, Michael Camino, Odessa A'zion, Ji-young Yoo) trying to look out for each other as they're hunted by a different killer each night while the new boyfriend of one of the character's (Belmont Cameli) demonstrates some selfish behavior feels pretty authentic, the menacingly decrepit production design/prominent use of practical effects (makeup, blood/gore, etc.) gives the terrors these characters are enduring some extra kick and since he'd spent much of the previous 5+ years working on the Shazam! movies, there's a joyous "just got out of jail" feeling to David F. Sandberg's direction that makes the proceedings fly by at a pretty good clip. If this ends up banking enough at the box office for the sequel that's teased in the film's final moments to be greenlit, I'd be down to go back to this universe again.
Grade: B-
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