May 11, 2025

Week 3 | 5.10.25

» Are movies back??

• Last week I saw both “Sinners”and “Thunderbolts” and had to ask myself: are movies back??

• My first “movies are so back” (post-2020) was Barbenheimer weekend. I didn’t even see Oppenheimer, and yet I could sense it in the air. Movies were back. However, sadly this didn’t last long and things had a real dip down again - movies weren’t necessarily over, but it wasn’t looking great. Then I saw the trailer for the Minecraft movie and I had to say to myself, I think movies are once and for all: over.

• But then, just as I thought maybe all was lost for this media form, we got the herald of a new age: “Sinners.” Most of you have already heard a lot of hype about this movie, but it really is that good. People yearn for original content! (And also content that is kinda similar to what they already like, but really well executed and acted and with an amazing soundtrack and not just another fucking Disney live action remake.) This movie really did a lot to restore my faith in the future of movies, as did the fact that my theater was very full at 6:15pm on a Tuesday evening three weeks after release.

• Watch “Sinners” if you like: movies. Okay but also if you like: the blues, vampires, Michael B Jordan, folklore, and also [redacted hate group] getting blown to bits.

• Watch Thunderbolts if you: yearn for what fandom thought the Avengers were going to be. Also if you like: Florence Pugh, Bobs (the haircut and people with the name), and debating which actor has the potential to be Tom Cruise’s successor.

» Food for Thought: If the new pope had an inauguration, here are some bands from Chicago that could play at it:

• The Academy Is & Fall Out Boy - a double feature in case Pope Leo never got to go to warped tour and maybe he wanted to.

• Earth Wind & Fire - Pope Leo gives me the vibes of a guy who would enjoy a good rendition of “September”

• Chance the Rapper - idk what his religion is, but I do know he loves Jesus, so they probably have that in common.

» Question for the week: What summer movie release are you excited to see? (Personally the next movie I’m really excited for is Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning)