Sinners (2025)

Ryan Coogler's Sinners is a consistently entertaining mash-up of genres with sharp commentary on race and American history. The ambitious script ventures into musical, fantasy, historical drama, and horror. The film pays homages to its influences, but also a singular work alongside other American epics. Sinners is inn conversation with films like O Brother Where Art Thou? and Django Unchained. As you may infer, the film has a lot going on that may disrupt the tone at times, but it's all impressive modern cinema 

The film stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as twin brothers Elijah and Elias, both WWI veterans who became enforcers in the 1920s criminal underworld of Chicago. They return to Clarksdale, Mississippi to open a juke joint from money they ripped off from other gangsters. Back in their hometown they renew some old acquittances, Elijah with his ex-wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), who is a practitioner of Hoodoo, and Elias with ex-girlfriend Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) who passes as white. Their cousin Sammie is a blues prodigy to the dismay of his preacher father who sees the music as evil. Delroy Lindo provides a steady presence as wizened piano player Delta Slim.

I like the idea of a place being an interlocuter between the past and future, and the juke joint serves that story function in Sinners. Juke Joints were a place to celebrate creativity and self-expression away from the daily oppression of the Jim Crow system. Much of what's considered American culture came from such places, innovators from outside mainstream culture. The vampiric nature of cultural appropriation is one of the key metaphors in the film. 

The musical sequences are fantastic, ranging from majestic to the sublime. A blues jam evolves into a history of music, but is matched by the sheer magic of pure blues being played on acoustic guitar. And there's an extended cameo that will delight blues fans all over the world. Delta Slim observes at one point that while white people love the blues, they hate the people who play it. The white characters in the film are all parasitic in some way, understandable since if you were Black in Mississippi in 1932 white supremacy ruled. 

The entire cast is fantastic, led by Michael B. Jordan who is a true move star. His work with Coogler from Fruitvale Station, Creed, and Black Panther mirror De Niro and Scorsese. Everyone in the cast are given memorable moments.

Going by the Box Office, Sinners has struck a cultural nerve at a fraught time. The film is about celebration and joy as defiant acts in the face of a political movement doing everything it can to erase Black history and dismantle any semblance of democracy. Sinners is a reminder there's a dynamic counterforce towards the MAGA impulse. 

****

The Brutalist (2024) ****

The Brutalist boldly attempts to be a modern American epic. It's about many things, architecture, Jewish identity in post-war America, power and wealth, war trauma, and the most importantly the power of art. Directed by Brady Corbett, whose Vox Lux from 2018 I admired, it has narrative breadth of Coppola and the daring character insight of Paul Thomas Anderson films. The tension between art and politics is always simmering beneath the film's surface, vibrating through the narrative. 

Adrien Brody stars as Laszlo Toth, a Jewish architect emigrating to America from Hungary, a survivor of the Dachau concentration camp. He settles in Pennsylvania with a cousin who owns a furniture store, while his wife and niece have yet to escape Europe. We learn Laszlo was a brilliant architect who designed buildings in Budapest which survived the war. His work comes to the attention of wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) and is later commissioned to design an elaborate community center.

Yet the above plot synopsis is superficial and tells little about the film. Laszlo struggles with many things, poverty, his ego, and drug addiction. Life in America is harsh; he deals with many insults and humiliations. He struggles to articulate his artistic visions, resulting in several clashes with his patrons. Van Buren appears to genuinely admire the genius of Laszlo, yet at the same time treats him like a court jester who amuses him. Meanwhile Harrison's spoiled son Harry is another nefarious presence.

The backbone of the story surrounds the struggle to create the community center. Laszlo imagines a modernist structure that will foster community. Inevitably, conflicts develop from all sides. Financial concerns and Harrison's suspect business practices raise red flags, while the return of Lasalo's wife Erzsebet (Felicity Jones) and niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy) further complicate things, as they are also recovering from the horrors they experienced in Europe. Frustrations drive Laszlo both further away and paradoxically ever closer to finishing the project. 

Jewish identity in post-war America is another major theme. When Laszlo arrives in America the Statue of Liberty is framed upside down, a possible allusion to The Godfather Part II. His cousin Attila has fully assimilated into American life and married to a Catholic woman. Their culture clash leads to a breach in their relationship. Events in Israel are frequently referenced, and his niece wants the family to emigrate. Their dealings with the Harrison family inflame tensions further, and lead to questions on whether Jews are truly welcome in post-war America. 

The Brutalist tells a complex tale in its journey through midcentury America, one full of allusions and doubts, but neither is heroism absent. Brody's performance is both committed and impressive, as are the rest of the cast. The film's rigid anti-nostalgic stance is refreshing, even haunting at times. The score by Daniel Blumberg is both foreboding and majestic. With its overarching themes, many have criticized the film for not living up to the ambition of its ideas, possibly, but there's so much to admire - it's a film that demands reflection. 

****

Wolf Man (2025)

Wolf Man tells a modern werewolf story by focusing on trauma and family dynamics. Not a failure by any means, it's never boring, but never fully delivers either. 

The prologue recalls a childhood memory with protagonist Blake (Christopher Abbott) being taught to hunt by his stentorian father. Now in the present, Blake is a husband and father to Charlotte (Julia Garner) and Ginger (Matilda Firth), while navigating being "in between jobs." Feeling that their marriage is failing, the family decides to return to Blake's childhood home in Oregon after the death of his estranged father. Once they arrive, things quickly take a horrific turn.

The first section does a great job of establishing characters and potential conflicts but then takes an erratic leap. Neither a gorefest nor a study in terror, Wolf Man is at its best on the psychological level, making the story more tragic than frightening. The horror of transformation also becomes a part of the story, something unique to mainstream werewolf movies

As Leigh Whannel's follow up to his well-received Invisible Man from 2020, Wolf Man feels a bit slight in comparison, but it still manages some fresh takes on an old genre. The music score by Benjamin Wallfisch is effective, while the sound design was creative and unnerving. 

***

A Complete Unknown (2024, James Mangold)

 

A Complete Unknown chronicles Bob Dylan's life from 1961 to 1965, the years that witnessed his meteoric rise to becoming one of the most influential songwriters of all time. Starring a dedicated Timothee Chalamet who disappears into the role of young Dylan. James Mangold's direction stays within the confines of conventional music biopics, the approach mirrors his 2005 Johnny Cash film Walk the Line: extended set pieces of live music, relationship drama, and historical verisimilitude. Dylan fans will single out some inaccuracies and creative choices, while many may find the format moribund, the film makes use of rich material and hits the right dramatic beats. 

The film begins with Dylan arriving in Greenwich Village, the heart of the early '60s folk movement that was galvanizing young people. Bob goes to visit his hero Woody Guthrie (Scott McNairy) who by 1961 was confined to a Sanatorium. Dylan also meets folk singer Peter Seeger (Edward Norton), elder statesman of the folk movement who helps Dylan and tries to be a mentor. 

Dylan quickly gets a contract with Columbia Records, and while his debut LP flopped, the second album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan instantly made him famous with iconic songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." He begins a tempestuous relationship with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) who was already established as a folk singer, and is on and off with artist and activist "Sylvie" played by Elle Fanning (based on Suze Rotolo). As Dylan's fame and influence begin to dwarf everyone around him, he sees no other choice but to go his own way, culminating with his legendary "going electric" appearance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.   

Setting up Pete Seeger as Dylan's antagonist brings the best dramatic tension. Norton plays Seeger as a purist dedicated to social justice and tries to wean Dylan away from rock music. In a stirring moment, Dylan performs "The Times They-Are-a-Changin" before an audience for the first time, moving them to tears as Seeger beams with pride. The song captures the Kennedy era of hope, best expressed by the March on Washington where Dylan and Baez performed. In time, Dylan became alienated with the folk scene and its insistence on artistic purity. 

The script settles on depicting Dylan as a cipher, always charming and baffling those around him. There's no attempt at a Citizen Kane type investigation of what drove him. He's emotionally distant from Joan and Sylvie, views Seeger with an admiration that turns into contempt, and scoffs at his adoring fans. He finds a kinship with Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook), they meet each other on the same level. Even at the height of his artistic triumphs, Dylan himself remains ambivalent about the nature of fame and art. 

Many may find it a folly to portray Dylan's life during the 1960s, especially by taking the traditional approach. Countless books have been written on the era, No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan by Robert Shelton is the best on the early years or Positively Fourth Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina, and Richard Farina by David Hajdu is also revealing, while Dylan Goes Electric by Elijah Wald provided source material for the film. Martin Scorsese's documentary No Direction Home is an essential watch and excellent companion to A Complete Unknown. 

In terms of films about Dylan, the most creative and ambitious attempt to understand Dylan was the Todd Haynes film from 2007 I'm Not There, in which six actors were cast to play Dylan, each symbolizing his different incarnations. Haynes even inserted scenes from a fake Hollywood biopic entitled Grain of Sand, in which a fictional Dylan played by Heath Ledger laments being the "voice of his generation." The 2014 Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis provides a jaundiced view of the folk scene with its abrasive protagonist played by Oscar Isaac.

A Complete Unknown will serve as a great introduction to anyone interested in Dylan and his music, and the film is at its best when focused on the music. Chalamet's steady performance carries the film and channeling Dylan's prickly and ever changing persona.

***1/2

Target (1985)

 

A slightly obscure family drama/Cold War espionage adventure from 1985, Target teamed up Gene Hackman and Matt Dillon as father and son. Filled with twists and turns (although the film offers diminishing returns in the plotting department) it does stand out for its unique approach to familiar material.

We first meet "Walter" played by Hackman, an apparent everyman living in Dallas who manages a lumber yard. His wayward son "Chris" is a college dropout with hopes of becoming a professional car racer. Walter's wife Donna (Gayle Hunnicut) is about to embark on a European trip with a scene suggesting their marriage might be on the rocks. 

Walter and Chris decide to spend time together fishing to mend their frayed relationship until they receive a call from the American consulate in Paris - Donna has gone missing. They catch a flight to Paris and the intrigues ensues. Here the film delivers a twist when its revealed Walter's skills go beyond managing a lumber yard, he speaks French and German and knows his way around Europe. Target is not the fish out of water story the film was leading us to believe. Much to his son's surprise "Walter: was an intelligence operative in his younger days - and that his wife's kidnapping is related to an operation that went wrong. 

From that point on the film follows Walter and Chris through France into Germany, culminating with a climax as, right, you guessed it, in East Berlin. Father and son come to trust each other and discover a a new respect, in the midst of a number of double crossings and harrowing escapes. Government officials are untrustworthy and old intelligence operatives continue to scheme. The politics of the movie land on the side of cynical, even isolationist. America is the safe space, Europeans are dangerous. 

Methodical pacing and erstwhile performances from the two leads keep things moving along. While Target never achieves the heights of Arthur Penn's previous collaboration with Hackman, Night Moves, it does serve as a respectable programmer for those who enjoy 1980s espionage thrillers.

Salvador (1986, Oliver Stone)

Any conscientious person who takes a close look at the record of American foreign policy in Central American will rightfully be filled with indignation. Administrations have treated the region as one for economic exploitation, military interventions, and boosting authoritarian governments. Despite its messiness, Oliver Stone's Salvador takes a critical look at American engagement in the region from a 1980s perspective.

During the 1980s, Central America was frequently in the headlines with the Reagan administration meddling in the region, resulting in the Iran-Contra scandal that almost derailed his presidency. Providing military and economic support to reactionary paramilitaries to prevent a wave of leftist regimes in the region, specifically in Nicaragua and El Salvador, became a central tenet of Reagan's foreign policy.

Oliver Stone's Salvador is a semi-factually based account of the Civil War in El Salvador between the FMLN and the military dictatorship. James Woods stars as globetrotting photojournalist Richard Boyle, whose work in Vietnam was documented in his book Flower of the Dragon. The film begins with Boyle's marriage crumbling due to his philandering and drug addiction. Desperate to rebuild his reputation as a journalist he heads to El Salvador with his alcoholic buddy "Doctor Rock" played by Jim Belushi.

Upon arrival, they find the country in chaos with harsh crackdowns and retributions waged by the government against the rebels. Boyle learns the United States plans to bolster the dictatorship when the incoming Reagan administration comes into power to prevent a communist domino effect in Central America, supported by Castro and the USSR. The assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, a leading revolutionary voice against the government, further destabilizes the country and leads to an uprising.

Stone's documentary approach and Wood's intense performance provide a rawness. John Savage is electric as a photojournalist based on John Hoagland who was killed in El Salvador, in particular a scene when he and Boyle investigate a mass gravesite, saying "our job is to give nobility to human suffering." Meanwhile, the dramatic focus of the story has Richard trying to get his girlfriend Maria and kids out of the country. 

Unlike many Hollywood productions of this genre, Salvador takes an immersive approach. There's an on-the-ground feeling lacking in many Hollywood productions of its time. Stone took inspiration from political thrillers of the 1960s like Z and Battle for Algiers, adding a leftist American scruffiness to it. Woods and Belushi both play their characters as moral reprobates with little interest in the politics of the El Salvador until it affects them personally. The Reagan officials are grotesque yuppies, while the outgoing ambassador played by Michael Murphy symbolizes the Carter era's exhausted liberalism.

Salvador may strike some as crude and juvenile, but I would argue it remains a potent political statement of its era.  The abandonment of human rights in favor of power politics by the Reagan administration brought disruption to the region and we live with the consequences. 

Megalopolis ****

Not what I expected in a good way. Based on several of the reviews I read Megalopolis was "chaotic" and "incoherent." Not my experience whatsoever. 

After decades of false starts and delays, Coppola finally completed his Roman epic set in modern New York City. It's a return to form I would stand alongside his best work. There's a stately refinement running though the film that attempts to tackle big questions like: What is the role of the artist? What is money? What is power? What is the future? What are possibilities? What are the obstacles? What does it mean to be human?

These questions may induce eye rolling, if they do, Megalopolis will probably annoy you. If you're open to them, the movie will be a breath of fresh air compared to what's considered cinema in the 21st Century.

It's not perfect, far from it. Adam Driver a little uneven as the lead, but always watchable. His performance is somewhere between Jeff Goldblum and Cary Grant. Certain plot elements get underserved. The political side of the film also needed more insight.

The supporting characters are more symbols than individuals. The aesthetics are both Shakespearean and 1950s Hollywood. It's a about a society that's become self-indulgent and lost sight of the future.

Coppola excels at telling stories on a grand canvas and here we get one of his most hopeful films. It was more conventional than I expected, but had enough cinematic flourish to make it unique. The vibe of the film feels of a different time, even an alternate timeline, and I will definitely revisit.