The A-Listers Talk About Sinners (2025)
From the couple who see a lot of movies because they have AMC A-List.
Patrick: Welcome back to The A-Listers! I first saw Sinners on Thursday's opening night. That IMAX screening was so intense and so kick-ass, I came home and said, "We have got to see this on 70mm." So we did! Taylor and I, on our recent trip to New York, saw the film projected on 70mm at AMC Lincoln Square on their IMAX screen. How was that screening for you, Taylor?
Taylor: I can't say I'm very opinionated when it comes to seeing certain things on certain screens or in certain aspect ratios, etc. But, boy oh boy! Sitting down in the second row of that theatre was something else. I would have preferred to be a few rows back, but I also appreciated feeling like I was literally part of it. I don't know how I'm supposed to go back to dinky AMC screens now!
Patrick: To be fair, I didn't want to put us in the second row. But you can't get nice tickets last minute like that! There's so much to talk about when it comes to Sinners, which (and I think you would agree) is easily the best movie of the year so far. (Spoilers ahead!) Not a lot of people are making period-set vampire thrillers that run almost two-and-a-half hours meant to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Ryan Coogler did that shit. And, oh yeah, there's isn't a theme he doesn't want to cover or a conversation he doesn't want to start.
Taylor: And perhaps even more impressive than sparking those conversations and themes...he ties EVERYTHING UP! Not a stone is left unturned in Sinners and that in and of itself is a massive feat.
Patrick: Where would you like to begin? There's no wrong choice here.
Taylor: Well, let's start with the fact that I went into this basically blind. The only thing I knew about this movie was that Michael B. Jordan was in it. That is IT! So, you can imagine how shocked I was when everything began to unfold. Going into it your first time, you did know there would be vampires. This obviously shocked me, so I'm curious what you were thinking while anticipating that reveal.
Patrick: To be honest, it didn't really occur to me. I was so caught up in the world-building, Michael B. Jordan playing both Smoke and Stack, and the little teaser at the beginning - I totally forgot I was supposed to anticipate vampires. When Jack O'Connell shows up, burning up under the daylight sun, I thought, "Oh my god, there's more. This movie is stuffed!"
Taylor: It really is. Quick aside, I grew up truly and utterly obsessed with Skins (UK), and I have always been extremely invested in the careers of those actors. It gave us stars like Nicholas Holt, Daniel Kaluuya, and Dev Patel, but Jack O'Connell was one of my favorite performances from that series and I've always wanted him to get his flowers. This is totally that. Makeup does some heavy lifting here, but he's great. His constant switching from blood-sucking vampire to undead Irishman to folk singer is enthralling.
Patrick: The entire cast brings top-tier performances. I've never really thought of Michael B. Jordan as more than a leading man type, but his dual performances (and, well, let's just say he's playing more than the twins) sold me. Delroy Lindo is an actor's actor, and his crusty old drunk blues singer is what makes being a character actor worth living for. It's cool to see Hailee Steinfeld do something that isn't pop music or Marvel. And the movie has given me so many people to do career deep dives on, from Wunmi Mosaku to Omar Benson Miller to Li Jun Li.
Taylor: I couldn't agree more. The performances are fantastic, but what makes them all the stronger is Coogler's direction. His vision for this movie is crystal clear, and at times left my mouth agape at the sheer artistry and creativity. I just kept thinking, "HOW?" How do you get a vision like this, let alone execute it like that? How do you pull every single thing off? It is truly mesmerizing. If I was a filmmaker and went to see this, I don't know if I'd have the guts to pick up another camera.
Patrick: Here's just a quick, off-the-top-of-my-head list of what the movie tackles: race, ancestry, spirituality, colorism, interracial relationships, the loss of a child, the loss of a parent, freedom, assimilation, appropriation, and the power of music. The vampires are just a bonus! And used exclusively for metaphor!
Taylor: After recently binging The Twilight Saga together, I couldn't imagine vampires being used as effective pawns in the many stories being told... but then I saw Sinners. This isn't your average vampire movie, thriller, or historical portrait... it's all that and so much more, as you've already explained.
Patrick: I want to quickly mention Miles Caton in his film debut as Preacher Boy (great character name, by the way). A talented musician in his own right, he's the centerpiece of a scene halfway through the film where the frame opens up...and so does hundreds of years of black music. It's a scene that's been talked about a lot, and deservedly so, but not for the reason I think it should: the balls it takes to even try something like this. If we're going to praise **** *** playing ********** in Shithouse, we've got to praise "all of time and space converging on Delta blues music in Sinners."
Taylor: Absolutely. And while I'm not going to sit here and say Sinners and Shithouse have anything in common, you should see them both if you haven't already. That scene was unbelievable. And in just one shot! Every time you thought the movie couldn't get better or more rich, it did. Time and time again.
Patrick: And let's not forget that the vampire shit can be damn scary. It's a funny, funky, scary, sad, horny, epic monster of a movie. The film community talks a lot about directors taking "big swings," which is usually code for "they tried something even if it doesn't totally work." Well, this one works. And it's a big-ass Barry Bonds swing for McCovey Cove, to use a reference that Coogler (and his Uncle James, who inspired the film) might like.
Taylor: I left the theater in a trance. I haven't felt this deeply moved by a movie's creative gumption since Past Lives. Thank God for Marvel giving him the time for this between Black Panther movies!
Patrick: Just like last year with Civil War, he has already given us the movie of the year in April! The bar is high, not only for 2025 releases but for big-swing cinema at large. Coogler, you deserve to make your Marvel bag. But please come back soon!
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