The NBA playoffs have been taking up most of my movie watching time these past weeks so I haven’t seen a lot of stuff. The only movie I’ve seen recently that I have any interest in talking about is Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.
Talk about feeling a movie. I have a few qualms and/or small complaints about the film, but I have forgotten what they are. Because, goddamn the highs of this movie are stupendous. It’s all of the cliches. You feel this movie in your bones. It got my heart pounding, in new ways. Gave me goosebumps. The hair stood up on my arms. Not because it was scary, rather because the filmmaking was thrilling. I had a physical reaction to this movie. More than two of my senses behaved strangely do to the sounds and images coming from the screen. I FELT this movie.
Something about a character entering the joint when they weren't invited, has really rubbed me wrong. I very well may have missed something, but this specific (I'm being deliberately vague) qualm I have with the picture has been staying with me.
But you know what? Fuck the, logic. This movie is too savory to be bogged down with a gripe about a troublesome plot point.
I'm already contradicting myself. Welp, I guess this is what its gonna be: a lot of inconsistencies and me changing my mind. Bon a-petite.
There will be essays and books and long form in-depth pieces written about this movie. They’ve already begun (I’ve only read Robert Daniels review and the subsequent back and forth between him and Odie Henderson over at rogerebert.com) and I’m not sure I can or want to add to the discourse right now.
At a future date, after seeing the movie a few more times, I’d love to hear folks thoughts about a show stopping sequence in the dead middle of the picture, where music transcends time and the past and future all party with the present (which is actually a semi-fictional past). It’s a stunning display of filmmaking, and I’m not sure how Coogler and company thought it would work, because I’ve never seen or felt anything like it. Not remotely. Then, Coogler and company go out and execute this insane and brilliant idea to cinematic perfection. This might be one of those set pieces that changes cinema. Time'll tell.
I need to spend some time with the scene and the movie as whole before I'm the one who goes there.
Before I saw this movie, the trope of having a single actor play multiple roles had become obnoxious. Logan, springs to mind. I liked that movie until the second, younger, Wolverine shows up also played by Hugh Jackman. Its not as clever as they all seem to think it is.
Michael B. Jordan, however, is excellent here as the SmokeStack twins. They get all the clever special effects, like the two characters interacting and passing one another props and such, out of the way in his/their first time on screen. Its subtle, non-showy and as we come to find out, essential to the plot and characters. One brother, rolls the other a cigarette and hands it to him.
This is a great touch, made all the greater as we learn the backstory of these twins. Or when when one of the brothers has to roll his own cigarette. Whoa. What a moment.
It got me thinking: what are my favorite performances where one actor plays more than one role. I think I’m gonna have to leave animation or voice work out. It complicates it too much. Sorry Robin Williams in Aladdin. I’m also removing any movie where several actors play multiple characters. That just doesn’t feel like what I’m getting at here. It’s more of a narrative device. Plus, I don’t want too choose my favorites from Angels in America (yes, I count the HBO miniseries as a movie. My site, My rules). So you won’t see the Cloud Atlas’ or Angels in America’s on this list. Here’s what I came up with.
Nicholas Cage (Adaptation.)
Peter Sellars (Dr. Strangelove…)
Eddie Murphy (The Nutty Professor, Coming to America, Bowfinger) Yes I can see that I snuck three movies in. Sue me.
Naomi Watts and Laura Harring (Mulholland Dr.) I’m cheating a bit here as well, because I’m not certain they are playing dual roles, but I think they are. And this might be the movie ultimate “You don’t watch this movie, you feel this movie”.
Mike Myers (Austin Powers)
Lupita Nyong’o (Us)
Alec Guiness (Kind Hearts and Coronets)
Paul Robeson (Body and Soul)
Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
Michael Parks (Kill Bill vol. 2)
I’ve soured on Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator just a little. It felt a little too contrived (not the right word but the one coming to mind) on my last watch.
Apologies to Kim Novak (Vertigo) and Jack Nicholson (Mars Attacks) and Armie Hammer (The Social Network) and all the others that I haven’t thought to look up. Also, I haven’t seen several famous dual role performances. Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers springs to my mind. I’ll get there one day.
BEST THING I SAW THIS WEEK: The NBA Playoffs, specifically Game 1 Knicks vs. Pacers
The NBA playoffs have been delivering top tier drama since they began. Pretty much every other game the Knicks, Nuggets or Pacers have played has been an all-time classic. But Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals left me speechless. For as much basketball as I watch there is nothing greater than saying, “how the fuck did that happen?” Obviously, if you have a horse in the race, its a different story. My beloved Phoenix Suns deservedly missed the playoffs because they decided to tank their season for good draft pick only to forget that we don’t own our pick this year.
BEST THING I HEARD THIS WEEK: The Circus by Mr. Willis.
This is the final album from Mr. Willis, who passed away just upon it’s completion. He was an old friend of mine and I’ve been listening to this album exclusively this week. Its excellent. You can find it on ITunes.
THE BEST THING I READ THIS WEEK: The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot by Bart D. Ehrman
As always, these are my thoughts as of May 25, 2025
