The Rewind: A double dose of MBJ and Ryan Coogler
Plus "Sinners," "Star Wars," "Mission: Impossible," "You" and more!
I’m not gonna lie. It’s been four days since I saw “Sinners” and I haven’t stopped thinking about it yet.
Ludwig Göransson’s score? On repeat.
Reviews and think pieces? Read.
Tickets for Round 2 in IMAX? Purchased.
Let’s dive in to all things “Sinners,” as well as everything else this week’s Rewind has to offer.
⏪ Rewind: ‘Sinners’ is a genre-defying Southern epic packed with blood, soul, and spectacle
I can think of just a handful of times I’ve been sitting in a theater mid-movie and realized I was watching something truly special.
Plenty of times I’ve recognized walking out of a theater that what I just watched was the real deal, but it’s gotta be a certain type of special to cause that meta realization while the film is still rolling.
I’m talking “Oppenheimer,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” the “Dune” films. Real deal big screen spectacle.
Now “Sinners” has joined that list. There’s a musical sequence about halfway through that made me AND THE TWO RANDOM PEOPLE NEXT TO ME hit the guy leaning forward in his chair meme all at the same time.
That’s when I knew we were really cooking.
Read our full “Sinners” review below:
Additional Recs:
Read: ‘Sinners’ Is More Than Enough to Chew On – Adam Nayman (The Ringer)
Listen: ‘Sinners’ Is for the Sickos, the Cinephiles, and You, With Ryan Coogler! – The Big Picture
▶️ Play: Going back to the start with Ryan Coogler
Zach: After watching “Sinners,” I knew it was finally time to check the last Ryan Coogler film off my list: “Fruitvale Station.” It’s not an easy watch. This is a gutting, deeply human retelling of the real-life murder of Oscar Grant III – and it’s essential viewing. Not just to honor Grant’s story, but to witness the origin point of one of the most vital creative duos working today. Coogler has never made a film without Michael B. Jordan, and “Fruitvale” shows exactly why. From day one, the two just got each other. Coogler unlocks something in MBJ that few others ever have – a rawness, a vulnerability, a kind of emotional access that feels almost too real. Like “Sinners,” “Fruitvale Station” devotes its early runtime to the small moments – the joys, the routines, the everyday resilience of Black life. Then the nightmare sets in. Whether grounded in reality or reaching into the supernatural, Coogler has always known how to strike that perfect, harrowing balance. And it all started here.
“Fruitvale Station” is available to rent or purchase on PVOD.
⏸️ Pause: Johnny’s very possible mission: rewatching all the ‘Mission: Impossible’ films
My first IMAX experience was “the one where Tom Cruise climbs the world’s tallest building.” It was my first year of high school, and I was only a few years removed from the cinematic awakening that was “The Dark Knight,” but “Ghost Protocol” felt like the first full-blown action flick I ever loved. As a kid, Batman was my favorite hero, and “The Dark Knight” trilogy was my defining cinematic saga.
But it was in my high school and college years that Ethan Hunt became a hero for me on par with the Caped Crusader, and “Mission: Impossible” grew into my movie series of choice. With the seemingly final “M:I” installment upon us, I want to take a trip down memory lane in the weeks leading to “Final Reckoning” and give my definitive takes and ranking.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to follow along as we revisit and rank every "Mission: Impossible" movie before the series’ epic conclusion hits theaters on May 23.
⏺️ Record: ‘Star Wars’ past, present and future
If you’re a “Star Wars” fan, you know all about what went down last week at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo.
The biggest news was “Star Wars: Starfighter,” the upcoming film from director Shawn Levy starring Ryan Gosling. Details had been sparse on the project until now, with new updates revealing the movie will be set five years after 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” but it’s a standalone film not related to the Skywalker Saga’s core storyline.
“This is not a prequel, this is not a sequel,” Levy told the crowd. “It’s a new adventure.”
It’s hard not to be excited about the Gos God channeling a galaxy far, far away, but then I remember the Shawn Levy of it all. His early work helped define my childhood faves, like “Cheaper By The Dozen,” “The Pink Panther” and the “Night at the Museum” films, and “The Internship” is still an underrated gem. But since then… maybe he just gives me the ick because of all the insufferable Ryan Reynolds slop.
Here’s hoping Gosling can help guide this starfighter to another happy landing on May 28, 2027.
Enough of that. Kids had their fun already. Now it’s real men’s turn, aka “Andor” Season 2 kicking off this week and “Revenge of the Sith” returning to theaters for its 20th anniversary.
Season 2 of “Andor” premieres April 22 on Disney+. “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith” returns to theaters beginning April 25. “Star Wars: Starfighter” releases in theaters May 28, 2027.
⏩ Fast Forward: Hello, ‘You’ Season 5
Look, don’t judge me — I’m still riding for “You.” Joe Goldberg may have lost the plot a bit in Season 4, but we’ve come this far. We’re finishing the job.
The fifth and final season drops all 10 episodes at once, teeing up one last binge-fueled spiral as our favorite hopeless romantic/bookstore manager/serial killer returns to New York City. Back to where it all began. Back to the books.
That means a return to the show’s simpler roots could be on the table — but let’s be real, this trailer is promising full chaos. We’re talking mounting body count, sprawling police investigations, and a fresh slate of characters, aka potential victims.
Still, the biggest crime this show ever committed? Killing off Victoria Pedretti. Long live Love Quinn.
“You” Season 5 releases April 24 on Netflix.
Other Recs This Week: “Andor” Season 2 Premiere (Tuesday, Disney+) “The Studio” Ep. 6 (Tuesday, Apple TV+), “Survivor” Ep. 9 (Wednesday, CBS), “Hacks” Ep. 4 (Thursday, MAX), “The Last Of Us” Ep. 3 (Sunday, HBO), “The Righteous Gemstones” Ep. 8 (Sunday, HBO), “The Rehearsal” Ep. 2 (Sunday, HBO)
That’s a wrap on this week of The Rewind!
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