Film: Sinners

 

GENRE: Period Vampire Drama
RATING: R for bloody violence, sexual content and language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 17 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Michael B Jordan (Creed, Black Panther, Fruitvale Station)
Miles Caton (newcomer); Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit, Bumblebee, Hawkeye)
DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler (Creed, Wakanda Forever, Fruitvale Station)
WRITER: Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Fruitvale Station, Creed)
PLOT: Twin brothers return home to start a Juke Club but end up awakening an evil force. 

FULL DISCLOSURE: The 98% on Rotten Tomatoes convinced me.

STORY STUFF: This is not your typical vampire flick. The time period, racial tension and musical aspects set it apart from a lot of other films. Although, I did think of From Dusk to Dawn when watching. I liked the premise of the story and following these brothers as they try to start their life again. I was little surprised at the sensuality which strayed away from typical horror sex before getting killed by a boogeyman. The pacing works well and I often like the one crazy night trope in films. There were a couple of endings but not as bad as LOTR. The post-credit sequence was interesting but also visually fun with the outfits.  

ACTING STUFF: Coogler always get the best out of Jordan. While dual roles are sometimes campy, this film makes it work. I was thankful that their red and blue outfits set them apart easily for me. Jordan is always captivating but the rest of the cast is also bringing their A game. I enjoyed Delroy Lindo (Gone in 60 Seconds) and his contributions to this film.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The cinematography is top notch and so are the costumes. What sticks out the most are the songs that are played in the car and at the club. There’s a great stomping song. There is also one scene that I enjoyed that breaks some film norms but I have a feeling it will take others out of the film entirely for a few minutes. I’m not a huge blues fan but it was still enjoyable to listen to.      

VERDICT: Four and a half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like vampires set in the great Depression south with music.
UPCOMING REVIEW: Thunderbolts*

Film: The Amateur

 

GENRE: Action Spy Film
RATING: PG-13 for violence and language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 3 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Rami Malek (Mr. Robot, No Time to Die, Bohemian Rhapsody)
Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, John Wick 2); Holt McCallany (Mindhunter)
DIRECTOR: James Hawes (Slow Horses. One Life)
WRITERS: Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down) & Gary Spinelli (American Made)
PLOT: An CIA decoder seeks vengeance when his wife is killed in a terrorist attack and the CIA won’t help.        

FULL DISCLOSURE: This looked like an okay popcorn flick.

STORY STUFF: Just as I suspected, a nice popcorn flick. The storyline is pretty predictable, especially with a couple of the deaths shown in the trailer. While an analyst taking down bad guys is a Jack Ryan thing to do, Malek’s Heller is more panicky and not really saving the day, just getting revenge. There are some good chases and clever devices but nothing to hoot and holler about. I wish there was a bit more humour thrown in. There was a line about ‘treason’ that I found hypocritically funny.

ACTING STUFF: Malek on computers isn’t new as he rocked his Mr. Robot role a few years back. He gets to be more active and little less socially awkward. Fishburne seems to be stuck in these mentor roles lately. Jon Bernthal has a small role as an agent aptly names ‘The Bear’. If you need a slightly crazy tough guy, he’s your man.    

ARTISTIC STUFF: Not much to say here. Some okay action pieces.     

VERDICT: Three stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You aren’t sick of spy stuff on TV
UPCOMING REVIEW: Thunderbolts*