Quick Hits #19 - Sinners, Didi, Dust Bunny, Hoppers
I enjoyed this a lot. Despite all its genre trappings and supernatural twists, the characters at the heart of the story are what makes it work â even before the vampires show up, I was already invested in Sinners as a period drama. And even when things take a turn, all of the movieâs best moments are built upon its characters: Stackâs tragic death, the multiple dramatic standoffs as the baddies try to trick their way inside the building, Smokeâs hands shaking as he tries to roll a cigarette on his own for the first time in years.
That being said, I did love Sinnersâ take on vampires. When the trio sings their first song outside the juke joint, I asked my partner, âDid that couple already know how to play these instruments, or does becoming a vampire just make you innately know how to play bluegrass?â
Even if you put aside the metaphor of American whiteness assimilating other cultures into itself, the vampire hivemind is just a cool idea. I mean, the Irish vampire jam, their eyes glowing like coals in the dark as they riverdance? Thatâs good stuff.
v cool of the twins to wear these color coded hats until their character traits were established, thank u Ryan
Wow, Iâve never felt so catered to by a specific era of nostalgia â hearing someone say âthatâs so wetâ absolutely shook me to my core. Is this what boomers feel like all the time?
What makes this movie work for me, though, is that outside of its 2009 time capsule trappings and AIM notification sounds, it manages to land emotional beats that feel like the real teenage experience â moments like Didiâs sister helping him out after the party despite him being a shit to her, or Didi desperately needing to talk to somebody but rejecting his momâs attempts anyway both resonated with my lived experience in ways I wasnât expecting.
You know, I feel like I put âfeature length Bryan Fuller filmâ on a pedestal for so long, I didnât think about the fact that a movie actually gives you less time to languish in a particular setting than a TV series does. Smartly, though, Fuller chose a premise here that can more or less be satisfactorily explored within the runtime of a movie, so it doesnât feel like itâs playing against his strengths. If anything, to be honest, Dust Bunny feels a little long â we spend an appropriate amount of time building the titular Dust Bunny up, but it then sticks around just long enough to lose its luster and mystery as we watch it kill off characters for nearly twenty minutes.
Still, if you like Fullerâs aesthetic, itâs got the goods. While the exterior shots were hit and miss, the hotel interiors and colors are all gorgeous. The cast of characters are classic Fuller fun too â Mads and Irora Auroraâs rapport is cute, I love how in Dust Bunnyâs universe the FBI is comprised exclusively of dark-skinned black hotties, and Sigourney Weaver really makes the most of her role here and goes full scenery-chewing sociopath.
At one point, while the premise of the movie is being explained to her, Mabel excitedly exclaims âGuys, this is like Avatar!â
Hoppers: like Avatar, but for cowards who canât admit that violence is justified when itâs against colonizers.