Sinners

I’m avoiding talking about current events today. Enough already. Sometimes good art is what you need.

We watched “Sinners” for the first time last night. On streaming, not on the big screen, which is probably a crime against art.

Let me start out with a few caveats: I don’t like horror movies. The horror books I read is pretty confined to Shirley Jackson, and while I keep intending to do a re-read … I haven’t yet, and it’s been a few decades. When I was doing a show back in the day that satirized horror tropes, the rest of the cast had to inform me about them. It’s not a genre I typically enjoy. I don’t like jump scares, or scary tension, or watching characters do dumb stuff (no, no, DO NOT SPLIT UP).

Next caveat: I don’t like vampire stories. I find the whole trope about beings who live forever to be … dull. I enjoyed Frank Langella’s Dracula back in the day … but have mostly avoided vampires ever since. Anne Rice? Christopher Moore? Twilight? Meh. Haven’t read them. Just do not care. (I keep telling myself to read Moore’s “Bloodsucking Fiends” – I like his writing! – and then not doing it. There are so many books to read.)

So, “Sinners.” I liked it. I thought it was layered and interesting, the vampires were interesting, and it worked for me. I loved all the performances. I thought all the deaths were earned. I can see that seeing it on a big screen would have been amazing. I loved the interweaving of cultures coming together in the Delta – Choctaw, African, Chinese, Irish, … Klan … in a heartbreakingly American way. It was brilliant.

Also, Buddy Guy is in it!

I will probably have to see to see it again to get more of the nuances.

That means Sinners wins. Not only did I want to watch this horror/vampire movie, I will probably watch it at least one more time … so catch all the things I missed or didn’t clock the first time: all the things that were relevant to the plot that I didn’t know were relevant. I do like a good plot-driven movie. This one was both plot and character-driven: so good.

I don’t have deeper thoughts today.