SCREENING ROOM: RYAN COOGLER ON 'SINNERS,' WAS 'WHITE LOTUS' ACTUALLY GOOD? FANTASTIC FOUR, HARRY POTTER SERIES CAST
'Sinners' is the best movie of the year (so far). Plus, was season 3 of 'White Lotus' off, or just the coconut milk?
WELCOME TO SCREENING ROOM
I’m Brandon Pope, an Emmy-winning journalist, film and tv critic. I’ve covered entertainment for years on screen and through the written word, and I’ve had a fixation with movies and TV shows even longer. This is a space to connect with other people who love this stuff as much as I do, while giving myself a fun, consistent place to write. We’ll have reviews, news, some streaming picks and giveaways. From time to time, you may even get an invite to join me to preview a new release. You’ll also see some guest features from friends at Black Film Club, Creative Cypher and a few others. Thank you for subscribing! Let’s dive into a must-see film that I can’t wait to see again.
REVIEW AND INTERVIEW: RYAN COOGLER AND
LUDWIG GÖRANSSON UNPACK ‘SINNERS’
Fangs, fear and a fusion of sound carry Ryan Coogler’s latest film, ‘Sinners.’ The supernatural horror film, which Coogler wrote, produced and directed, is set in the 1930’s American south. It follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan, who return home to Mississippi after criminal pursuits in Chicago catch up to them. Yet, what they encounter for their homecoming is anything but welcoming.
Through a pulse pounding score from award-winning composer and frequent collaborator Ludwig Göransson, Coogler paints a chilling and visceral work of historical fiction that mirrors our own modern day reality, wrestling with themes of redemption, survival, regret, and the duality of man. There are moments in ‘Sinners’ that left me breathless, aghast at the symmetry Coogler has mastered between sight and sound. The cinematography is rich and layered with texture and motifs. And the score, heavily entrenched in the Blues, is not just a key part of the story. It’s a heartbeat flowing through it.
Through ‘Sinners,’ Coogler cements himself as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time, joining the likes of Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan for supreme levels of technical achievement, and Guillermo del Toro and Quentin Tarantino for narrative and world-building. ‘Sinners’ is a movie that demands cinematic viewing at its highest form. It will be a tough film to topple for the mantle of “best film of the year,” come awards season.
Coogler’s uncle, James, a Mississippi native, became an emotional entry point for him in developing the film. He passed away while Coogler was working on the first Creed.
“This movie was for him,” said Coogler. “What I found myself doing, whenever I missed my uncle, it all played. All the blues records that we would listen to would remind me of him. I feel like I was kind of conjuring him. It was like he was sitting there listening with me. So, I was doing that listening to those records while I was writing the script. You know, and the idea kind of came to me.”
Göransson said crafting the musical flavor of Sinners was, “a very intense process,” and demanded more involvement from him beyond the recording studio.
“I also lived on set. Normally I just work out of my studio, but for this film, I went out with Ryan and Zinzi. I lived in New Orleans, where we shot the film for three months and had the actors. Everyone was so devoted because they knew how special this was.”
Coogler described his characters, “like a violin,” weaving through the story. “I thought it would be cool to give them something on the opposite end of that spectrum, supernaturally. I also love the theatrical experience. I love sitting in the theater watching scary movies and hearing people shout at the screen. So I combined all those two elements, because this was really personal for me.”
Sinners hits theaters nationwide April 18, filmed for IMAX. It’s rated R for “strong bloody violence, sexual content and language. This is an abridged version of an original piece. Read the full story on What’s The Word TV.
Black Mirror - The dystopian technology series continues it’s run of greatness in Season 7. Each episode is it’s own short-film, diving into slice of life technology stories that range from bizarre and fantastical, to eerily grounded and predictive. The ensemble cast includes Rashida Jones, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Awkwafina, Peter Capaldi, Paul Giamatti and Cristin Milioti, to name a few. (NETFLIX)
Shrinking - It’s an awards darling for a reason! Jason Segel plays a therapist grieving the death of his wife, while trying to help others on their mental health journey. Sounds dark? It’s actually a sitcom, perfectly balancing humor and heart thanks to Harrison Ford in the best role of his career, and the always hilarious Jessica Williams. Season 2 just wrapped, and Season 3 is now in production, so you’ve got time to catch up. (APPLE TV)
Abbott Elementary - It’s still funny! In Season 4, which concluded this week, Quinta Brunson and her team have brilliantly kept the laughs rolling while further developing the characters. Barbara frets over age, Gregory and Jeanine grow deeper in their relationship, and we finally learn why Ava is...Ava. This shows gets a lot of comparisons to The Office and Parks and Rec, but manages to tell stories with deeper meaning and real world stakes. (ABC, HULU, DISNEY+)
The Vortex - Richard Zelniker’s latest film is a perfectly paced one-shot on gambling addiction. Billy Gardell, of Mike and Molly fame, steps into a rare dramatic leading man role. It’s worth your time. Check out my interview with Billy here. (PRIME)
Got a suggestion? I would love to hear what you’re watching. Shoot me a message.
Was Season 3 of ‘White Lotus’ good? It’s a question a lot of people are asking (spoilers ahead).
I recently described ‘White Lotus’ to a friend as, “a show where A LOT happens, and NOTHING happens.” A slow burn in it’s truest form. Personally, I like that style when done right. But it turns out a lot of people don’t.
The man who wrote the show, Mike White, has addressed the criticisms to Variety in a…um…colorful way!
“I’m world-building,” said White. “If you don’t want to go to bed with me then get out of my bed. I’m edging you! Enjoy the edging. If you don’t want to be edged, then get out of my bed.”
Salacious analogy aside, it’s worth considering why White Lotus hooked people. The biggest is what rings true for many TV shows we love: relatability. Now, I’m not saying we can relate to the extravagantly rich lifestyles of the Ratliff’s and other guests of the resort (wish I could!). However, many of their life situations mirror our own. For example: feeling like the underachiever of your friend group may have drawn you to Laurie and her Emmy-worthy monologue on friendship as a belief system. Chelsea’s tragic devotion to Rick (that almost borders on worship) reminds me of far too many skewed relationships I’ve witnessed. And how about the trauma Rick grapples with? Seemed like he wanted to escape in some moments, yet he still stubbornly hangs onto what pains him most.
Folks also love the pop-psychology that is made for Instagram mood boards, touching on themes on religiosity, spirituality and the existential question of what happens to us when we die. And the memes have been outstanding. I will be yelling, “THE COCONUT MILK IS OFF,” out of context all summer.
Ultimately, I enjoyed Season 3 for what it is: surface level, well acted and cinematic TV. Not everything needs to be buttoned up. It’s ok to let stories linger in our minds and continue at our brunch tables. Let me know your thoughts, and I’ll share them in the next newsletter.
Shawn Levy’s New Star Wars Film, ‘Starfighter’ announced - Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling will headline the standalone film set 5 years after ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ It starts production this Fall. (Deadline)
Netflix Revenue Soared To 13% in Q1 - The streaming giant’s reported earnings of $10.54 billion in the first quarter beat out analyst expectations and sent the stock price up. The password sharing crackdown and rise in subscription price aided the boost, which is notable amid a murky Wall Street market. (Yahoo)
Fantastic Four Trailer Is Here - Disney finally has the rights back to Marvel’s First Family, and we now have a better look at the line-up, led by Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, and Julia Garner as Silver Surfer. I’m digging the retro-futuristic vibe director Matt Shakman has put together here. He killed it on ‘Wandavision.’ I trust he’ll stick the landing with F4. The MCU needs a win right now.
‘Adolescence’ tops Nielsen viewership charts - From Deadline, “Adolescence saw its watch time increase 59% over its debut weekend, per Nielsen, with adults 35-64 making up 56% of the audience.” Shonda Rhimes, ‘The Residence,’ ‘Moana 2,’ ‘Reacher,’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ round out the Top 5.
Andor Season 2 drops April 22 on Disney+ - Tony Gilroy has managed to do something special with Star Wars: craft a grounded espionage thriller in a galaxy far, far away. Season 1’s pulse pounding finale sets up a final season that will further paint the picture of the Empire’s rise, and the Rebel’s efforts to thwart them. The release schedule is a little different this time: Four weekly drops of three episodes, each trifecta serving as its own narrative. Here’s a great chat with Gilroy about the Emmy-winning series.
HBO’s Harry Potter Series Cast - I am praying fervently for Paapa Essiedu, just cast as the new Severus Snape for HBO’s Harry Potter reimagining. Paapa is a brilliant British actor and will do an outstanding job, but being a Black man cast as a traditionally white character is bound to bring out the most vile of the Wizarding World fanbase. He’s joined by some of the best of the best, John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer for McGonagall, and Nick Frost for Hagrid. All have high bars to clear, but Essiedu has the most intense challenge of them all. Still to come: who will play Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco? Stay tuned.
This is awesome, Brandon. Every section of the newsletter is really cool. Insightful, informative and smart. Forreals, brother! Nicely imagined and nicely executed. Looking forward to more!
Re White Lotus - slowwwww, beautiful, the drunken bit about the brothers should not have been in the script. Would not happen in real life IMHO. But this is fiction and that stuff must sell. I'll watch the next series. AB