The 'Sinners' Movie's Syllabus
Looks to be an incredible list of resources and things to further research into key areas of the movie, from Jim Crow and the Mississippi Delta, to the blues, the great migration, and more. Wow.
|
Sinners (2025) - 4.5/5 Cigarettes
I went and saw Sinners yesterday and ended up really enjoying it. The story was really really good and it kept me engaged the entire way through. What surprised me was how amazing the soundtrack was, including this song. But even more than the song was the cinematography in the movie during this song.
This movie also reminded Katie and I how much we like Blues music, so I added a bunch of blues music to our audio library. B. B. King, Robert Johnson, Albert King, Buddy Guy, and others. So much good stuff.
After seeing the movie and posting about it, my feed on TikTok and YouTube has since been inundated with content about the behind-the-scenes for the film, and interviews with Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. And, I'm not mad. This is a really good movie and I'm so thankful we're seeing it succeed.
As I said on my Bluesky post yesterday, I feel that calling Sinners a horror film is a disservice to it as it turns a number of people off from watching it. Myself included. Had it not been Coogler + Jordan in the movie, I likely would have let it pass. But I am a fan of both of them and so I did some further research and determined that it was within a sphere that I was likely comfortable with. I would call it a Suspense / Action movie.
To me, horror is the sphere of movies which are the SAW franchise, or "Final Destination" etc. (none of which I've seen.) And this is more of a supernatural action + suspense.
None of the jump scares were gratuitous just to generate a reaction from the audience. None of the gore was over-the-top. There was no drawn out grown sense of fear hammered into the viewer.
This led me to consider using radar charts for showing what a movie's horror is. Giving a better sense of how gory it is, or how much it's about the audience fear rather than the story on screen. I know a big part of horror movies is surprise and not knowing what's coming, but I don't think hardcore horror lovers gain much from a chart like what I'm talking about.
I haven't made any charts, and as someone who avoids horror films, I definitely don't know enough about the genre to even know how to adequately encompass the genre. But, it feels like an interesting idea.
This idea then jumped to the idea of using a radar chart for straight movie rating. And thus, this evening, after doing a quick bit of mowing part of my backyard until the mower's battery died, and after making dinner, I have come up with a function that can be used to generate movie rating radars.
I'll write more about it, the method, etc. But I really like this idea for how to rate movies. I can go back and start rating movies like this, and then even pull two movies and compare how their ratings are drawn. I'm still deciding on the scoring axes, though I feel pretty good about these ones.
However I'm going to start sharing it with friends and we'll see what feedback people smarter than me have!
Footnote:
[1] - Cigarettes are bad. Don't do them. They're used for this rating thematically based on the film.
|
G20 (2025) - 3/5 Australian Accents
I love Viola Davis and will watch her in anything. Overall, this movie was fine and entertaining, but I doubt I'll ever watch it again.
|
Hulu ended our Oscars broadcast
The wife and I were watching the Oscars when suddenly Hulu ended the broadcast. Oops. Glad to know it wasn't just us.
|
The Gorge (2025) - 2 out of 5 stars
This was... fine? Left me relatively unsatisfied. The ending felt rushed.
|
I feel as if the only reasonable follow up to watching the Lord of the Rings extended edition is to continue the Brad Dourif marathon with rewatching Deadwood.
|
Love Hurts (2025) - 2.5 of 5 Valentine's Day Cards
I posted on Bluesky yesterday after seeing the movie that it reminded me of Bullet Train. Not as good, but in the same vein as an action movie with absurdist humor interspersed.
|
Will and Harper (2024) - 5 of 5 Diamond Earrings
This has been on our list to watch since it came out. We finally got to it, and it was even better than I hoped it would be. What a touching look at friendship and stark look at being transgender.
|
Inside Out 2 (2024) - 5 of 5
As I've documented before, Inside Out represents a genre I deeply enjoy, and this sequel is no exception. I greatly enjoyed the movie and look forward to watching it again.
|
Fly Me To The Moon (2024) - 3 of 5 Atlas Rockets
I heard the hook of this movie and put off watching it, but I'm glad I did. It was cute and well done. Reminded me of a mixture of The Right Stuff and Wag The Dog.
|
In & Out (1997) - 3 out of 5 Teacher of the Year Awards
I saw this movie back when it first came out with my dad and sister. He didn't, I don't think, do much research and we went because it was a comedy starring Kevin Klein and Joan Cusack. Little did he know what it was.
It's a cute movie and though it definitely feels dated in its portrayal and handling of homosexuality in a small midwest town, it still made me laugh a number of times.
|
Red One (2024) - 4 out of 5 Hot Wheels Cars
You get exactly what's on the tin with this one. It's a silly action movie around rescuing J. K. Simmons as Santa Claus. Katie and I went to see it to get out of our cold dark house and it was a very enjoyable time.
|
I am surprised to realize no one has made a film out of Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
|
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) - 3 out of 5 Bags of Skittles
It was fine as a finale to this movie franchise. It almost took the Fast and Furious journey and reached superhero absurdity, not quite, but almost.
|
Rebel Ridge (2024) - 2 out of 5 Stars
Rebel Ridge was everything I expected and that is deeply disappointing. The plot was paper thin and convoluted, the action was predictable, and the pay off was weak as hell.
|
Rez Ball (2024) - 3 of 5 Free Throws
The Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team from New Mexico, must band together after losing their star player if they want to keep their quest for a state championship alive.
Katie and I watched this the other day. It was enjoyable. I wouldn't call it a "must-see" but it was good and it was a positive portrayal and racism faced living on a reservation.
|
Inside - 2/5 dead pigeons
Nemo, a high-end art thief, is trapped in a New York penthouse after his heist doesn't go as planned. Locked inside with nothing but priceless works of art, he must use all his cunning and ingenuity to survive.
The one-liner on Peacock mentioned described it as an art thief gets trapped in a highrise. I had no idea what I was in for. It's a commentary on modern society and art. Realizing that Dafoe's character's name is Nemo would have tipped me off that this wasn't a heist drama but instead an artistic commentary.
|
Good morning from SeaTac airport
I got up even earlier than I had planned because I was within an hour of my alarm and at that point my body won't let me go back to sleep. So here I am, mildly caffeinated, and sitting at a power outlet for a few hours before my flight.
On Psychology & a Rewrite
Last night, as I was tweaking Glowbug code, I began thinking I might just need to start new on the backend. The current system is five years old at this point and while it is still quite serviceable, there are also quality of life things I need to work on which I keep putting off because I just don't want to wade into the code.
The irony, of course, being that a complete rewrite would be magnitudes more work.
Brains are funny that way.
Flight Entertainment
As mentioned, I am at the airport with a day of travel ahead of me. I've loaded up on entertainment so expect some reviews once I land:
Movies & TV
- MAX's Chernobyl - I didn't watch it when it came out, but I've finally relented and have it downloaded
- Dropout's recent episodes - I watch most Dropout shows and I'm behind from this past week
Podcast
- Worlds Beyond Number - I listen to this amazing podcast on and off, mostly off. But I've got ten episodes downloaded in case I decide to binge it while I fly.
Books
Too many. I'll list some, but I checked last night and I carry nearly 3 gigs of ebooks on my reader.
- The Shortest History of Economics by Andrew Leigh [currently reading and enjoying]
- How to Clone a Mammoth by Beth Shapiro
- Reality is Not What it Seems by Carlo Rovelli
- The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte
- This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
- Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger
- A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green
- The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science by Seb Falk
- Bear: Myth, Animal, Icon by Wolf Storl
Really, the list goes on. I am an eclectic reader and I have an addiction to acquiring ebooks for my virtual library.
And now I must go in search of more caffeine.
|
Thoughts on Inside Out
Nine years ago today, I saw Inside Out. After posting my enjoyment of the movie on Facebook, a few friends expressed disinterest over it from the trailer. This was my response:
First thing to know is that the trailer is the most base level of introduction to the movie, it simplifies a complex world and story into a very simple concept. The trailer doesn't even really introduce you to the real main character adequately. Don't judge the movie by the trailer.
The movie weaves the complex story of growing up and learning your emotions into a narrative and world which really resonated with me. It wonderfully simulates and represents the things that go on in our heads.
It's emotionally powerful such that I was left in tears multiple times, once during a scene which was perfectly punctuated by a well timed question from child to parent. But the movie has layers such that kids are entertained while parents are thinking and understanding.
It was just amazingly done.
|
The Fall Guy (2024) - 4 out of 5 stunts
A very fun and absurd movie. The montage of actual stunt footage over the credits was fantastic.
|
Civil War (2024) - 3/5 stars
Watched Civil War and overall found it a fine watch but nothing that blew my mind or left me wanting to watch more.
|
Argylle (2024) - 3/5 Stars
Definitely closer to The Gentlemen absurdity than actual Jason Bourne. As long as you go into it with properly calibrated expectations, you should enjoy it.
|
Appaloosa (2008) - 2/5 Cowboys
We were looking through Ed Harris' movie credits and ended up watching this movie after The Abyss. It... was something. I guess. Definitely not one I'd recommend.
|
The Abyss (1989) - 3/5 Stars
I definitely had confused this and Sphere in my head over the years. But it was a fine movie, though the ending definitely left me unsatisfied.
|
