Director Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” captivated audiences with its performances, visuals and direction; and now it will be screened as an exclusive 70mm presentation at the historic Oriental Theatre.
Whether it’s a rewatch or first-time watch, UW-Milwaukee students and the Milwaukee community should take this chance to experience the most thrilling movie-going experience of the year.
Screenings of the 70mm print of “Sinners” began on May 16 and will run for two weeks. Milwaukee Film has kept the celluloid projection alive with its projection equipment and trained staff, who will show the film as intended.
“Striving for the highest standard in film projection, including introducing the capability to project large format 70mm film to the Oriental Theatre, is an integral part of what we do at Milwaukee Film and we look forward to showing films on film to our audiences any time the opportunity allows,” said Milwaukee Film’s Technical Manager Kelsey Parks.
The Ultra Panavision format of “Sinners” requires the use of experimental techniques to achieve the aspect ratio of 2.76 and deliver the best possible presentation of the film, according to Milwaukee Film’s Director of Technology Kevin Rice.
With “Sinners,” Coogler created a genre-bending visual feast full of symbolism. The film is immersive and draws the viewer into its 1930s world with an impressive amount of historical accuracy typically not seen in a genre film.
Before the supernatural elements explode into the narrative, “Sinners” is an engaging drama about race, spirituality and community.
The film doesn’t allow itself to be trapped inside the boundaries of a period piece, and it’s after the supernatural elements are fully unleashed that “Sinners” elevates itself to new cinematic heights and deepens its rich themes.
Even with a runtime of over two hours, the film doesn’t drag on and finds a comfortable pace. “Sinners” could’ve benefited from a longer runtime because the ending feels rushed with an end-credit scene tagged on to tie up loose ends.
Michael B. Jordan plays a set of twins, and with his body language, he gives recognizable personality and unique character traits to differentiate them.
The writing, costuming and visual effects also assist Jordan by giving each character distinct development, a color palette and realistic duplication of Jordan on screen.
A turning point in the film happens when the supernatural and historical elements blend. This specific point is an unforgettable one-take longshot focused on Miles Caton’s character performing “I Lied to You” as produced by Composer Ludwig Göransson.
Göransson’s score is a crucial element in bringing the world of “Sinners” to life, and he seamlessly transitions between different genres of music in this time-hopping sequence.
Coogler has successfully brought together a period piece drama with the horror genre. This blend will hopefully reappear in future films, either inside this universe Coogler has created or in a film that follows the success of “Sinners.”