Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, this week with special guest Lee Murkey, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every second Saturday at 6pm GMT, with the occasional bonus episode between them.
This week, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.
Twin brothers Smoke and Stack return to the Mississippi Delta from Chicago, bringing with them money and booze. The duo plan to open a juke joint for the local community, and set about preparing for the launch. Little do the pair realise that something sinister is stalking through the night, lurching towards their speakeasy, drawn by the siren call of the blues.
At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.
Show Notes:
- Recorded 12th May 2025.
- Sinners at The Internet Movie Database.
- Watch Lee’s reviews and essays as The Fake Critic.
- Follow Lee on BlueSky.
- Listen to Lee on Reel Ones.
- Ryan Coogler talks to The New Yorker about his life and career, April 2025.
- Ryan Coogler talks to Andscape about his early football career, January 2018.
- Ryan Coogler talks to Variety about his path to directing, January 2019.
- Ryan Coogler is profiled as a “new face” in Filmmaker, 2012.
- A.J. Black writes at Film Stories about the tradition of “one for you, one for them”, November 2024.
- Robert Brian Taylor at Collider reflects on the great tradition of “one for me” movies, September 2021.
- Eric Kohn at IndieWire reflects on the tendency of major studios to hire indie directors for franchise projects, May 2018.
- Chris Lee at Vulture talks to VFX artists about why major studios hire relatively untested directors for these projects, January 2023.
- Eric Kohn at IndieWire argues that indie filmmakers gain very little by becoming part of the larger franchise machinery, January 2022.
- Borys Kit and Aaron Couch at The Hollywood Reporter report on the production difficulties facing Blade, June 2024.
- Anthony D’Alessandro at Deadline reports on the removal of Blade from Disney’s schedule, October 2024.
- Brooks Barnes writes at The New York Times about the box office performance of Sinners, May 2025.
- Jeremy Fuster at The Wrap considers the remarkable success of Sinners as an original film, May 2025.
- Raquel Harris writes at The Wrap about the strange tone of the box office reporting around Sinners, April 2025.
- The cast and crew of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever talk to The Washington Post about how the death of Chadwick Boseman affected the film, November 2022.
- Ryan Coogler talks to Entertainment Weekly about the death of Chadwick Boseman, April 2025.
- Jon Blistein at Rolling Stone reports on the controversy around Letita Wright’s vaccination opinions, November 2022.
- Justin Knoll talks to The Town about the challenge that Letita Wright presented during the production of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, September 2022.
- Ryan Coogler talks to Variety about casting Denzel Washington in Black Panther 3, March 2025.
- Ryan Coogler talks to Deadline about the decision to push back Black Panther 3 to make Sinners, April 2025.
- Robert Palmer at The New York Times considers the origins of the blues, November 1977.
- Peter Watrous at The New York Times considers Mississippi’s importance to the history and development of the blues, August 1990.
- PBS considers the migration of African Americans throughout the history of America, 2013.
- Carlos Waters at Vox considers the migration of African Americans from the southern states of America, March 2017.
- Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson talk to The Wrap about the development of Sinners, April 2025.
- Ryan Coogler talks to NBC News about how personal Sinners is to him, April 2025.
- Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson talk to The Los Angeles Times about their creative collaboration, April 2025.
- Chris Lee at Vulture reports on how studio insiders are reacting to the deal that Ryan Coogler made over Sinners, May 2025.
- Ryan Coogler talks to IndieWire about why he sought ownership of Sinners, April 2025.
- Ryan Coogler talks to IndieWire about the importance of owning Sinners, April 2025.
- Tatiana Siegel and Borys Kit write at The Hollywood Reporter about Quentin Tarantino’s ownership of Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, July 2019.
- Matt Beloni writes at Puck about the deal that Sony made with Danny Boyle over 28 Years Later, May 2025.
- Lydia Spencer-Elliott writes at The Independent about the complicated rights issues over 28 Days Later, December 2024.
- Pamela McClintock at The Hollywood Reporter considers the outcome of Warner Bros.’ “project popcorn”, October 2021.
- Denis Villeneuve writes at Variety about his reaction to “project popcorn”, December 2020.
- Dade Hayes at Deadline considers the reaction to AT&T’s retreat from the failure of “project popcorn”, May 2021.
- Darren Mooney at The Escapist considers whether Warner Bros. movies can just “disappear”, December 2022.
- Darren Mooney at The Escapist considers the erasure of Batgirl, June 2023.
- Meg James at The Los Angeles Times considers David Zaslav’s profit motive, April 2025.
- Meg James at The Los Angeles Times considers the long-term future of Warner Bros., May 2025.
- Christian Bale tells Variety that he would only reprise the role of Bruce Wayne with Christopher Nolan directing, June 2022.
- Bale Out, March 2010.
- Marisa Guthrie writes at The Hollywood Reporter about Ryan Coogler’s involvement in Space Jam: A New Legacy, September 2018.
- Tatiana Siegel at The Hollywood Reporter considers the extent of Ryan Coogler’s involvement in Space Jam: A New Legacy, April 2019.
- Sam Thielman writes at NBC News at AT&T’s plans for long-term vertical integration of its assets, December 2020.
- Georg Szalai at The Hollywood Reporter offers an overview of the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery, April 2024.
- Clare Malone at The New Yorker considers David Zaslav’s reputation in Hollywood, August 2023.
- Kim Masters at The Hollywood Reporter considers Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca’s roles at Warner Bros., June 2022.
- Matt Donnelly at Variety reports on rumours swirling about the stability of Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca’s jobs, March 2025.
- Pamela McClintock and Aaron Couch report at The Hollywood Reporter on the controversies over Joker: Folie á Deux, October 2024.
- Tatiana Siegel writes at Variety about Warner Bros. attempts to repair its damaged relationship with Christopher Nolan, October 2024.
- Kim Masters writes at Puck about how much is riding on the success of Superman for Warner Bros., March 2025.
- Mia Galuppo and Borys Kit write at The Hollywood Reporter on how the success of A Minecraft Movie might turn Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy’s fortunes around, April 2025.
- Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy talk to The Hollywood Reporter about dealing with talent like Ryan Coogler, April 2025.
- Nia DaCosta talks to Vanity Fair about how The Marvels is not her movie, September 2023.
- Ryan Coogler talks to Variety about rumours that he was in the mix to direct Avengers: Secret Wars, November 2022.
- Anthony D’Alessandro writes at Deadline about Daniel Destin Cretton’s departure from Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, November 2023.
- Reggie Ugwu at The New York Times looks back on the life and times of Robert Johnson, September 2019.
- Randy Lewis at The Los Angeles Times considers how Robert Johnson is tied to Clarksdale, Mississippi, May 2011.
- Robert Palmer marks the passing of Lightnin’ Hopkins for The New York Times, February 1982.
- Toni Morrison discusses literature and the urban experience, 1980.
- Toni Morrison sits on a panel with Amira Baraka and Nikki Giovanni, 1980.
- Fran Hoepfner writes at Vulture about the women of Sinners, April 2025.
- Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw talks to The Associated Press about becoming the first woman to shoot on IMAX film, April 2025.
- Ryan Coogler talks to Kodak about aspect ratios, April 2025.
- Ryan Coogler talks to The Atlantic about his influences on Sinners, April 2025.
- Ryan Coogler talks to Straw Hat Guy about how Puss in Boots: The Last Wish influenced Sinners, April 2025.
- Noel Ignatiev talks to The New Yorker about the strange racial history of the Irish in America, November 2019.
- The Onion offers its explainer article for Sinners, April 2025.
- David Veevers at The Guardian offers clear distinctions between the Irish experience of America and slavery, April 2023.
- Naima Cochrane at Vibe considers the tense relationship between hiphop and the Grammys, February 2019.
- Inua Ellams talks to District Magazine about how hiphop was corrupted by capitalism, May 2017.
- Derek Ide at Hampton Institute considers the complicated relationship between hiphop and American capitalism, June 2013.
- David Smith at The Guardian reports on the legacy of the strikes in Hollywood, May 2024.
- Kate Kilkenny at The Hollywood Reporter reflects on the scars that the strikes left on Hollywood, July 2024.
- Darren Mooney argues at The Escapist that Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 is about an artist asserting their value, May 2023.
- Alissa Wilkinson at The New York Times considers the duplicate in modern pop culture, April 2025.
- Fran Hoepfner at Vulture reflects on the ubiquity of the double in modern pop culture, April 2025.
- Broey Deschanel considers the arrival of “the digital double”, May 2025.
- Every Frame Painting considers the cinematography of David Fincher, October 2014.
- Michel Martin at NPR considers the censorship of the bible given to slave, December 2018.
- Adam B. Vary at Variety reports on plans for Chloe Zhao to direct Dracula, February 2021.
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Filed under: This Just In | Tagged: america, Andrew Quinn, black identity, capitalism, complicity, cultural significance, Filmmaking, hollywood, iconic director, IMAX technology, imdb, indie filmmaker, lee murkey, Lee Murky, Ludwig Göransson, money, race, ryan coogler, Sinners, storytelling, The 250, vampires |
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