"Ooh, there's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning."
--Jimmy Buffett, "Fruitcakes," 1994
As
I said in my album "sermon," I went to see this week's movie. While
most people probably went because it looked like a good, suspenseful
horror film (and admittedly, I did partly go for that), I went because I
enjoy twentieth century period pieces. I like seeing contemporary
actors in period clothes, driving period cars, and looking like they
would have looked 90 years ago, or whatever period the film is set in.
Having seen the trailer, I also figured I would be treated to some
badass blues music. I was more than happy not to be wrong about that.
"There
are legends of people with the gift of making music so true it can
conjure spirits from the past... and the future. This gift can bring
fame and fortune. But it also can pierce the veil between life and
death."
--Wunmi Mosaku as Annie in Sinners, 2025
Set
in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1932, Michael B. Jordan plays twins
Smoke and Stack (named after Howlin' Wolf's classic song "Smokestack
Lightnin'") who have returned to their hometown after spending several
years in Chicago to open their own juke joint... in the Jim Crow
south... during Prohibition. In the process, all hell breaks loose.
As
I said, it's a horror film and I won't spoil anything on that front in
case you haven't seen it. But I was not prepared to be as moved as I
was from a spiritual/musical perspective. I've loved blues music (as
well as Irish folk music) since I was a teenager, but this movie
reminded me why film and music are the closest things I get to
religion. I was so moved, it's been a struggle to find the right words
to describe just how moved I was. I can't even begin to write more about
it other than to say go see it--preferably in a theater.
Co-starring
Miles Caton (in his film debut), Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme
Lawson, Omar Miller, Li Jun Li, Yao, Hailee Steinfeld, and Delroy Lindo
and written and directed by Ryan Coogler, this week I can't help but
recommend Sinners.
I'll
be taking the next two weeks off from writing these. Until I return,
stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at
first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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