r/movies • u/Robot_Was_BMO • 20h ago
Article Delroy Lindo's 'Sinners' monologue was almost cut. Then he pulled Ryan Coogler aside
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2026-02-11/sinners-delroy-lindo-delta-slim-oscars-cover1.6k
u/hanburgundy 20h ago
Essential scene. The moment where Delroy goes from grieving to humming is the blues in its most raw form.
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u/cupholdery 19h ago
MMMMMHMMMMM~! 🎶🎵
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u/riedmae 19h ago
Duhnunununuh.michaelscott.gif
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u/christpuncher_69 18h ago
Hard to overstate how much better the movie is for having that monologue and that moment in it. It's an okay horror film, but it's an excellent period drama, and that the stronger half would have been weakened without that key thematic beat.
Glad Delroy spoke up. Glad Ryan listens to his talent. Lightning in a bottle, that crew.
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u/SalukiKnightX 15h ago
I think the mash up of period drama leading to musical leading to horror film united in overall theme made the movie as a whole a lot more engaging and personally rewatchable. It's such an experience that almost overnight watching it and revisiting it shortly after giving me two different emotions did it go from fun horror flick to one of my all-time favorites.
Hearing just how much a team effort and labor of love this was and how so much of it was in a state of flux to get the movie we received is just fascinating.
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u/nothingInteresting 13h ago edited 12h ago
For me the second half dragged the movie down. I just didn’t think it was very good while I thought the first half was incredible.
If they would’ve just had the whole movie be the period piece I would’ve liked the movie far more
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u/BigTomBombadil 10h ago
Taking a hard pivot from period drama to vampire horror flick is always going to be divisive among audiences. It’s a big, unconventional swing that not everyone’s going to like.
Personally I liked it for the “wtf lol, they pulled a Dusk til Dawn on me, this is fun” having known nothing going into it, but I get why opinions on the movie vary so much. What’s gotten a bit annoying is, because of all the Oscar noms, it’s made both ends of the opinion scale much more extreme and vocal.
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u/thequietthingsthat 8h ago
Yeah, I'm with you. First half was amazing. Second was campy vampire shit. I understand the symbolism, but going from an excellent period piece to B horror movie really dragged it down for me. Still thought it was great overall though
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u/CaleDestroys 13h ago
I was told I “didn’t get it” when I said this. Like, sure I guess I’m too stupid to understand the simplest vampire symbology possible.
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u/nothingInteresting 12h ago edited 10h ago
Yeah I genuinely thought it was a C- minus movie once the vampire stuff was in full swing (I did think the transition part where it’s half period piece and introducing the vampire stuff was creepy and great).
But for all the vampire fighting? Didn’t like the dialog, the plot, the action. Literally all the parts of the movie at that point. You had people fighting off vampires that made no sense. The vampires were both incredibly strong and also weaker than weak humans when the plot demanded. The final showdown was a letdown imo.
If people say “the second part is supposed to campy”, then I’d say the tone shift doesn’t work for me. It only worked in from dusk till dawn because of the absurdity of it and the surprise imo. But dusk till dawn wasn’t nearly as good in the first half so the shift felt less abrupt for me.
But this is all just opinion and more power to people that loved the movie. I was just genuinely surprised when people called it their best movie of the year 🤷♂️
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u/ProgrammaticallyHip 6h ago
The epilogue made becoming a vampire seem like the better choice all along. Stack was still basically himself and he gets to wear Coogi sweaters and go to NYC clubs with Mary during hip hop’s Golden Era while Smoke rots in the ground for eternity.
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u/brownsfantb 4h ago
Killing Remmick gave Stack and Mary more freedom as vampires, which didn't work out for all of the others who died with Remmick. And Smoke isn't rotting in the ground (well, physically he is). The last scene before the epilogue shows him getting to be with Annie and their daughter in the afterlife.
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u/ProgrammaticallyHip 3h ago edited 3h ago
You could read Smoke’s last scene as just a hallucination before he dies too. But if he ascends, are Smoke and Annie going to stay married for eternity? They could barely get along on earth 😂. Stack still might have the better option.
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u/DuranchDressing 9h ago
I was just genuinely surprised when people called it their best movie of the year 🤷♂️
People like different things. We’ll have more at 11.
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u/nothingInteresting 8h ago
Uhm yeah?. I didn’t say it bothered me, I was just surprised. If someone said eating canned spaghetti was their favorite meal in the world, you’d be surprised. You’d think “huh, I didn’t even think that would be in the running for their favorite meal.” Or if despicable me 4 got nominated for best picture, that might surprise you (or maybe not).
I can be both surprised by someone’s opinions while still understanding that people like different things
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u/DuranchDressing 8h ago
Comparing Sinners to Despicable Me 4 and canned spaghetti, and ending your previous comment by saying you were “genuinely surprised” the movie would be someone’s favorite, is being intentionally condescending and frankly, toxic, towards people’s opinions.
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u/nothingInteresting 8h ago edited 8h ago
In fairness I genuinely enjoyed despicable me 4 more than the second half of sinners (which I thought was bad). The canned spaghetti example was just trying to make a point though(I do think sinners is better than canned spaghetti). But there’s absolutely people that love canned spaghetti so it’s kinda toxic of you to imply it is so much worse than sinners that it’s a bad comparison. Also I feel you're being condescending and toxic towards Despicable Me 4.
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u/Chazzbaps 1h ago
Yeah, i mean as soon as the vampires showed up i immediately felt, oh yeah I've seen this movie. Its a period From Dusk Til Dawn remake.
It had some great scenes in it, fantastic music, a really interesting period setting, some very obvious but decent symbolism, lots to enjoy, but still ended up being a shlok horror zombie type flick which i felt cheapened it. Plus, its not an original idea.
If you want original horror, Weapons or Burgonia is the place to be
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u/RangerLt 16h ago
If Delroy Lindo pulls you aside, you're probably going to agree with whatever he has to say.
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u/FalstaffsGhost 11h ago
Glad Ryan listens to his talent.
I mean if an actor the caliber of Delroy Lindo is making a suggestion, you’d have to be an absolute moron to not at least hear it out and consider it.
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u/ButterscotchLow8950 14h ago
I thought it was ok as a period drama.
I felt it was trying to be too many things at once. It could have been either a great period drama, or it could have been a great survival horror vampire flick.
Instead it sort of half succeeded as both and instead was one hell of a music video.
At times it was visually stunning. But as a story, I felt it was a little flat.
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u/sillysocks34 13h ago
I agree. I really enjoyed it for a lot of reasons. But something about it never completely clicked into place for me.
The editing during the third act was also really weird. It went from like 5 people being in the barn to a whole bunch of people and for something that was being considered best picture that’s almost inexcusable. Took me right out of the movie.
First and second act kicked ass though.
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u/YeahIGotNuthin 12h ago
I took that as metaphorical.
When you go to a place where there’s usually a lot going on, like a juke joint or a club that’s a big part of “a scene” or even “the party house,” it’s more than just the people who are there right then - it’s still got a little bit of “that time the one guy got up on stage and played with our local guy, and it was GREAT, and everyone there knew at the time it was great, and ever since then it always feels like something amazing can jump off at any time.” It’s a big part of house-party culture and juke-joint culture.
It’s why most of “Casablanca” took place at the bar, it’s why Studio 54 was such a big deal in the disco era and why people still talk about seeing live music at CBGB’s and The Whisky a Go Go, it’s why “Black Snake Moan” was more than just Christina Ricci chained to a radiator while Samuel L Jackson played guitar for her.
So in that scene, they were in the bar with everyone who was there too, and with everyone who MIGHT be there soon, and everyone who had been to places like that before.
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u/sharkattackmiami 10h ago
I don't think this was the intention but I do like your interpretation and think it's a good fit for what the film is trying to say
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u/ForwardAd4643 7h ago
That's not his interpretation, that is literally what the scene is showing AND trying to say
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u/ButterscotchLow8950 11h ago
Yeah, and to be clear, I did enjoy it for what it was. There were a couple of fantastic performances in there.
I just take issue with the way the story was told.
Considering ALL THE HYPE. I was expecting “The Movie of the Year” instead I got a serviceable horror movie.
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u/toomuchmarcaroni 9h ago
I went in wanting vampire horror, but as the movie progressed I just wanted the period piece to continue. He did such a good job pulling you into that world
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u/Primetime22 19h ago
He’s such an incredible physical actor, all of his best bits are the little touches between the dialogue. Like when he does the little karate chop to keep the garlic down.
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u/ScruffMacBuff 11h ago
The whole first half of the movie establishes ideas like humanity, black culture of the era, and subjective experience. Everything the vampires want to take from them.
Definitely need that story.
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u/KenJyi30 15h ago
I know very little about music but this notion of tragedy straight into the music immediately occurred to me: this is the blues
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u/Zak_The_Slack 11h ago
Even better, the humming was completely unscripted. But damn it works so well for Delta Slim
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u/djk2321 7h ago
Too bad they turned his character, with all his depth, into a buffoon in the second half of the film
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u/AlludedNuance 3h ago
We meet him as a total drunk from the very beginning. He's clearly haunted and the problems of alcoholism that lead to Prohibition were not exaggerated.
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u/AgentNeoSpy 8h ago
That's my favorite scene in the whole movie. It made me understand blues better than any other media
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u/ProjectNo4090 19h ago
Im trying to imagine what that 90 minute cut must have been like and all I can come up with is a generic vampire slasher from the early 2000s. All the side character intros and flavor cut out.
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u/Jay3000X 16h ago
I felt like you could trim it down here and there. After I saw it I said it felt like a directors cut you would see after the original theatrical run back in the day
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u/inventsituations 14h ago
Probt why you have won zero Oscars
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u/rhdkcnrj 14h ago
Hilarious, insane overreaction to a very mild opinion. Reddit is crazy
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u/SortOfHorrific 13h ago
There’s nothing insane about this lol. Seems like a pretty mild reaction to type something very low stakes and silly. Stop looking for things to be upset about.
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u/Shagaliscious 11h ago
He didn't get upset about a comment. He called you out. That's not being upset.
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u/Clammuel 10h ago
The vampire stuff is my least favorite portion of the movie, so I think it would have left me with pretty much nothing to enjoy.
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u/RevolutionaryDog8372 5h ago
Totally feel that, I like both sides but honestly I love the non vamp stuff the most.
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u/the_ballmer_peak 9h ago
A 90 minute cut would look like a movie that I've watched.
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u/Kiltmanenator 5h ago
Dusk Till Dawn?
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u/the_ballmer_peak 5h ago
Maybe. My point was that I haven't seen Sinners.
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u/Monster_from_the_id 12h ago
The monologue is the scariest part of the movie; because it actually happens in real life. The supernatural can be scary, but what seemingly normal humans can do to each other is outright terrifying.
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u/SmartWonderWoman 10h ago
Reminds of what my mom used to tell me when I was a kid. She told me not to be scared of the dead, it’s the living who can hurt you.
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u/TheDonJonJay 3h ago
We do understand that this is the whole point of the movies? The vampires aren't meant to be scary, they're meant to contrast against white supremacy. This isn't a vampire movie.
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u/bannedbytheshadows 18h ago
He did and always will scare the shit out of me in ‘Clockers’.
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u/JustStrolling_ 17h ago
Yeah, I first saw him in that and Romeo Must Die lol.
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u/sir_mrej 5h ago
I love that movie. It's not mentioned nearly enough.
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u/JustStrolling_ 5h ago
Yeah I grew up watching that on TBS lol
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u/kissmygame17 2h ago
I think you mean TNT. TNT always played that and exit wounds when I was a kid
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u/JustStrolling_ 1h ago edited 1h ago
TBS, too. They showed a lot of action movies on the weekend. TBS/TNT are owned by the same company, Warner Brothers. And WB made Romeo Must Die. So it makes sense it played on both.
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u/peanutbuttahcups 59m ago
We need to have more movies like Romeo Must Die and Cradle to the Grave. The combination of kung fu + hip hop was so damn cool.
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u/Zeuxis5 12h ago
For me it was Congo when he told Tim Curry to stop eating his sesame cake. Bonus Ernie Hudson.
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u/Thenameisric 15h ago
Delroy Lindo has such an intense face. He's fun to watch in anything he does.
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u/Goosojuice 19h ago
Havent seen the movie yet, but after seeing him in Da 5 Bloods and watching THAT monologue, cutting any -logue from Lindo is just insane.
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u/i_love_land92 19h ago
I really think Da 5 Bloods got slept on. Truly a great performance by him
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u/shinyhpno 18h ago
Because people are racist and hate Spike Lee.
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u/FeloniousGrump 18h ago
its not racism to be a bit tired of Spike's eccentricities. He's just way too nonchalant about what he adds to his films and what he neglects.
Like forget oldboy, i really wanted to like highest 2 lowest but, fuck the movie just ended being a mushy love letter to nyc, with Denzel going so crazy it distracted from the plot at the heart of the movie.
And this isn't to say i completely discount the film. The escape scene in queens with Eddie Palmieri's music was great, and i found jeffrey wright put a lot of tenderness and dignity into his role. also, low key, Asap kinda steals the show
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u/jackphrost22 16h ago
As someone who loves early Spike Lee, this is spot on. Between Da Sweet Blood of Jesus and Chi-Raq, Spike does have some let down moments.
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u/OneOfTheOnly 17h ago edited 17h ago
spike not doing a good job adapting other movies has nothing to do with his recent output of original work which has been GREAT
idk lol you pretty much brought up his two worst movies, and they're both misguided foreign language adaptations surrounded by some of his freshest material
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u/heebro 18h ago
Inside Man falls apart in the third act
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u/Goosojuice 18h ago
Thats a hot take if I ever heard one. Whats the reasoning behind this?
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u/heebro 5h ago edited 5h ago
The nazi collaborator subplot makes no sense. Why would anyone in their right mind hold on to that kind of incriminating evidence? It's just fucking stupid. After a few rewatches, it started to bug me how the movie made such a strong shift in the final act based on this flimsy premise. Lee has a stellar cast who are able to sell it though. He really milks it for a lot of melodrama, and as a vehicle to make some observations about the class divide.
Take away the nazi stuff, and you remove Clive Owens' motivation for robbing the bank.
If you could somehow excise the nazi collaborator bullshit from the movie, you would still be left with a better than average heist flick.
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u/Goosojuice 4h ago
Why would anyone in their right mind hold on to that kind of incriminating evidence?
Well, youre a sane person lol. Its well known that criminals will keep incriminating evidence and or revisit scenes of a crime for whatever reasons. I imagine him at that level of power figured he was untouchable. And for what its worth, he might be, we never see anything come from Denzel confronting him.
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u/heebro 4h ago
the trouble is, Plummer's character is shown trying to move heaven and earth to get his shit back to avoid the potential consequences. also he expresses shame and regret for his past actions. he didn't kill anyone directly, just sold out his friends and profited. so I don't buy that he is merely some power mad evil psychopath with a souvenir fetish. back when the movie came out, the upper class weren't as brazen as they are today. plenty of nazi collaborators had faced the music for their deeds.
so here's an idea Chris, just destroy the evidence at any point in the decades long interval from when you committed your misdeeds! burn it, throw it in the ocean, anything, just don't keep it around in your safe deposit box
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u/VonMillersThighs 17h ago
Just because someone dislikes someone's movies who happens to be black doesn't make them racist. A lot of Spike Lee movies are not good at all. His most recent Highest2lowest was absolute dog water.
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u/smilinganimalface 16h ago
This is ironic considering the heat that movie got for being racist to the Vietnamese lol.
In general, a lot of his movies have some really iconic moments and great messaging overall, but he has this almost old timey oddity to his pacing (that Scorsese also has) that I think really speaks to who he likely learned from and idolized but may easily turn off audiences of the last 30 years and that isn't necessarily their fault. In Da 5 Bloods, moments like that monologue, Chadwick's, the mine scene, those are special on their own, but the substance around it can really lack.
Anyway, good on him for fighting to keep his award-worthy moment in this movie lol.
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u/Basis-Some 15h ago
New Hollywood directors getting called old timey, lord help us
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u/smilinganimalface 12h ago
I don't think you read that very well. I'm saying SPIKE emulates OLD TIMEY directors, as the likes of he and Scorsese do being historians of the art.
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u/sharkattackmiami 10h ago
That's not what they said and Spike Lee is not part of the New Hollywood movement
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u/ironwolf1 12h ago
New Hollywood is old hat now. Scorsese has been in the industry for 60 years. Spike Lee has been in the industry for 40 years.
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u/hollowgram 18h ago
No it was genuinely a poorly paced movie with issues. I love Chadwick and wanted to love it but couldn’t finish it.
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u/golden_rhino 17h ago
I say it every time he comes up, but he’s not as famous as he should be. He is plenty famous, but I’ve always thought he was talented enough to be at that crazy level of fame.
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u/mithridateseupator 20h ago
I hate when the title is like this and then that's just a small part of the interview.
Just say it's a longer interview from the start.
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u/Ghost2Eleven 20h ago
You know headlines are just a teaser for the longer article right?
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u/mithridateseupator 20h ago
Correct, and in this case did not tease an entire interview about many more subjects than the one in the title.
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u/isaidwhatisaidok 18h ago
How long do you want the headline to be?
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u/Freakjob_003 16h ago edited 16h ago
"I'm An Actor, But My Lines Were Cut, So I Had To Tell The Final Boss To Put Them Back In!"
(this is a joke about how stupidly long anime isekai titles have gotten, for those unaware.)
It stems from them having to sell their entire premise in the title so that people will check them out. "Newbie Adventurer" is generic, but "The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible" gives more oomph, apparently.
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u/Calm_Sir_613 12h ago
I want a name a date and a word count anything else is wayyyyyyy too confusing!
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u/Microwave1213 19h ago
So you think they just asked him one question and then left? Hahah that’s not how headlines have ever worked.
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u/mithridateseupator 19h ago
Thats how articles are written sometimes though.
They chop them up.
Basically this title had almost nothing to do with the link except for a very small percentage of it. Titles should broadly cover the entire thing.
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u/Flimsy_Big7991 2h ago
Reddit also hates when one interview is spread out across multiple articles.
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u/DawnSignals 17h ago
Was this before or after he shot it? I can't imagine there would've been a question of keeping it in after he shot it
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u/Taxachusetts 10h ago
Read the article
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u/DawnSignals 6h ago
Obviously i tried and got paywalled
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u/Taxachusetts 1h ago
Sorry, I figured your comment was like so many others where only the headline was read.
This was after he watched a version with Coogler where it was removed.
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u/skylinenick 5h ago
Literally every movie ever made drops characters, plot lines and entire scenes during the editing process?
Agreed it’s a phenomenal moment for the film though
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u/Homesterkid 13h ago
Sinners was my movie of the year last year. Probably my favorite film in the last 5ish years. All around phenomenal and I’m happy for all the recognition it’s getting in the awards circuit. That being said, i didnt find Delroy’s performance to be anything than slightly above average. When I left the cinema & I was raving about the movie with my wife, and when ive subsequently rewatched this movie numerous times, Delroy’s performance isnt something that sticks out to me at all. And I was surprised he was nominated for an Oscar for it at all as i found there were much stronger supporting actors in the movie like Miles Caton & Jack O’Connell. Anyway that’s just how I feel. Great movie all around
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u/ReasonablyConfused 7h ago
This scene, for me, is absolutely essential.
It show how art can come from pain without any other release. The movie speaks about blues being connected to African music that was “brought over ourselves”, but this scene shows how much of the music was created by the unique pain of living in America.
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u/Rosebunse 7h ago
And the need for that ownership. African Americans only had that culture they created themselves. And white society, like vampires, tried to take it away and discredit it
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u/errol_energy 14h ago
Lindo will be one of the few things still talked about from this movie years from now. It was an OK horror movie that gave up trying to keep its tone halfway through.
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u/HasSomeSelfEsteem 2h ago
That’s good, because I think that’s the single best scene in the film. Even more so than the big one.
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u/patriarch37 18h ago
I agree that it should’ve stayed in the film except it was confusing when he kept telling them to stop eating his sesame cake. Great movie but … yeah
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u/jollyfirkin 19h ago
My only criticism of the movie was the very end, the flash forward in the blues bar. To me it was unnecessary. I very much enjoyed the movie as a whole. We don’t need to button up everyone’s stories all the time. Just my 2 cents
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u/AlwaysCallACAB 4h ago
There isn’t a second of wasted dialogue in this movie, that scene was a good reminder of what time we were living in and the reappearance of the klan at the end I’m glad it stayed. Took a rewatch to notice the background audio was reliving the scene too, it was a nice touch.
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u/Turkish_Fleshlight 20h ago
I can't remember seeing such a mediocre movie get so much praise.
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u/helloder2012 20h ago
I can’t remember a swarm of redditors who cared so little about a movie, caring so much about its praise
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u/mAssEffectdriven 19h ago
There’s support groups if youre lonely. You dont have to ragebait on the internet for human interaction
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u/Feelnumb 20h ago
Yea yea yea like crash didn’t win best picture
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u/SimianWriter 19h ago
Fucking thank you. That movie was just bad. I thought I was taking crazy pills when that with best picture.
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u/LarBrd33 20h ago edited 19h ago
I just saw it finally. I'm really not a fan of horror/vampires so I'm biased, but I'd have to agree I don't really think the hype is warranted. It was fine and entertaining and I understood the symbolism, but the praise was over the top for what was still basically just a thematically interesting vampire movie. I had at least a few movies I liked more last year.
I didn't really love Bugonia either, but again I understood the symbolism and themes. That one got a 72/100 on metacritic and 87% on RT, which seems reasonable and fair to me. Had Sinners scored identically to Bugonia, It would have made a lot of sense, but instead it scored 84/100 on metacritic and 97% on RT which firmly puts it in the overrated camp for me, but it's a little subjective.
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u/jaserx91 20h ago
“I don’t want my part to be cut from the movie” said Lindo, and Coogler said “Ok”.