The Ryan Coogler-directed movie Sinners broke the record for most Oscar nominations when it netted 16 nods on the day this year’s nominees were announced. It’s something worth celebrating, as the record it beat had stood since 1950, when All About Eve bagged 14.
Two other films, Titanic and La La Land, tied the record in 1997 and 2016, respectively. Just having Titanic in the conversation makes the achievement of Coogler, the film’s star Michael B. Jordan, and everyone who worked on it a major feat worth talking about. La La Land was likewise a cinematic work to behold, which, to me, felt like a poetically composed love letter to all artists.
Yet Sinners, shortlisted 16 times out of 24 categories, begs the question: did it truly deserve that many nominations and the title of the most nominated film in Oscar history?
There are factors that may have contributed. The movie’s director had already carved a high reputation as a filmmaker, with his work embraced by both filmgoers and critics. He is behind the fame of Black Panther and engineered the ingenious twist to the Rocky legacy by casting his favorite collaborator—yes, that’s Michael B.—to portray the titular role in Creed, which earned Sylvester Stallone an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor playing Rocky Balboa.
Jordan also starred in Coogler’s directorial debut Fruitvale Station, in which he played Oscar Grant, a real person killed on New Year’s Day 2009 in Oakland, California, whose death was significant to the Black Lives Matter movement.
In other words, Coogler and Jordan are a one-two punch for the Black community—or, as I put it, the “colored ones” of film artists.
Sinners received nominations in the big categories: Director, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, and, as expected, Best Picture. It also earned several technical nominations, including Sound, Editing, and Production Design.
It’s somewhat easy to see why those with the power to nominate were captivated by the film. Sinners is a visual spectacle, properly acted, with snappy singing and dancing, and powered by strong social commentary. Traditionally, the Academy favors such elements as a nod to classic Hollywood.
The movie, which cost $90 million to make, grossed nearly $370 million, making it a box office success. It also consistently ranked high among Best Picture contenders.
Chances are Sinners, classified as a period film fantasy horror, could surpass the 11 Oscar wins set by Titanic, Ben-Hur, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Objectively, this film deserved to break the 14-nomination record that had stood for 76 years.
In my personal opinion, though, it’s a bit overkill that a vampire thriller—arguably a dressed-to-the-hilt version of From Dusk Till Dawn—ended up rewriting history.
When Titanic was overtaken at the box office by the also James Cameron-directed Avatar, I felt bad for cinema history. I never watched the original Avatar a second time, while I’ve seen Titanic eight times on the big screen as a young man. I was nearly in tears after each viewing.
Now Sinners is in a position to surpass Titanic for Oscar wins, since 12 victories out of 16 nominations is not impossible. Kudos to the high quality of Coogler’s work.
Another factor is that this year is not generally perceived as highly competitive film-wise. It’s not like 1994, when Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption, The Lion King, and Forrest Gump were all simultaneously in theaters.
Records are meant to be broken. Kids in the future might live in a world where one movie claims the most Oscar nominations and wins—and it’s not Citizen Kane.
That’s worth pointing out. The film, historically considered the greatest ever made, went home with just one Oscar out of nine nominations.
But while Citizen Kane was ahead of its time, you can’t say that about Sinners. The performances in this potential Best Picture are strong but not on the level of Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood or Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men.
Again, consider Titanic, whose behind-the-scenes story was itself newsworthy. Cameron may not have been the nicest person on set, but his work on the unsinkable story made filmmaking cinematic in itself. Titanic’s triumph was Hollywood’s first-class party.
Titanic beautifully presented a romanticized, headline-grabbing story worth seeing repeatedly until you realize it’s better to leave the doomed souls to history and simply learn from past mistakes. It made me a Titanic buff.
Sinners is, yes, a great film. But not many of its scenes will linger in the mind as long.
Still, if it wins at least 12 Oscars, I’ll be happy for Ryan and Michael.
