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Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
'Sinners' highlights Mississippi
Clarksdale, Mississippi didn't just provide history and blues for director and writer Ryan Coogler's hit film about art, Jim Crow and vampires. One of the Mississippi Delta town's musicians contributed to the Sinners script, as reported by Reuters. After a special screening in the town, which has no cinema, Coogler told the audience gathered in a community hall about the first time he described the film's plot to a group of Clarksdale blues musicians he had asked to contribute to the score. He said he hesitated when he got to the part about the vampires. He went ahead. Then, Grammy winner Bobby Rush filled the silence. "I had a girl once that was a vampire," the musician joked. The line was given to Delta Slim, played by Delroy Lindo, a piano-playing character who brings both comic relief and depth to the movie. Thursday's screening and discussion came after Tyler Yarbrough, a community organizer and film buff in Clarksdale, wrote an open letter asking Coogler and Warner Brothers to bring the film to a town where people drive 80 miles (130 km) to Memphis, Tennessee to get to a cinema. Warner Brothers outfitted the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium with a big screen, projector and sound system. There was even popcorn. Path to ancestors Sinners has been widely acclaimed by reviewers and filmgoers, who praised the film for its stars' performances, its showcasing of African American art, and its wrestling with painful history and big ideas. According to Variety, by the end of its opening month of April, Sinners had grossed $122.5 million in North America and $161.6 million worldwide. At what was billed as a community screening, it was apparent the community was not just the geographical entity of Clarksdale. The audience came together around art and American history, including Jim Crow, the legal and often brutally policed racial hierarchy that subjugated Black people in America's South. Shelby Simes arrived at 7 AM from nearby West Helena, Arkansas, earning first place in a line that had grown to hundreds by the time the doors opened about an hour before Thursday's 11 AM screening, the first of six scheduled over three days. Simes said Coogler's film, which she had already seen seven times, was particularly important at a time when what many see as the truth about the Black American experience has been criticised by President Donald Trump as "improper, divisive or anti-American ideology." "They're taking books off shelves," Simes said. "They're not teaching us properly in the schools." She said with Sinners, which is fiction but offers a realistic portrayal of the Jim Crow era, Coogler and his team made the past tangible. "I love how they were able to create a path to talk to our ancestors," she said, echoing the reaction of other Black viewers. Apt genre Michael Johansson, who has worked with community members to memorialise lynchings in the county where the University of Mississippi is located, said it made sense for Coogler to weave vampire folklore into his storyline. "The horror genre is appropriate for the damage, the cruelty, the barbarism of what has been done to Blacks in this nation," said Johansson, who came from Jackson to see the film on Thursday. Andrea Driver, who supports library sciences students at the University of Mississippi in Jackson, was touched on a personal level. She cried when she saw that a young character had survived horror and reached old age. "He somehow carried that experience with him for years and didn't perish, didn't take his own life. I don't know that I could live with those memories my whole life," she said, saying it spoke to the experience of many Black Americans. Poet C Liegh McInnis, who was born and raised in Clarksdale, noted the hometown audience recited the Lord's Prayer along with a character during a tense moment in the film. He said Coogler had drawn from history, folklore and religion. "I love the fact that Coogler gave us a three-dimensional film," he said. Sinners is set at a time when Clarksdale was a bustling agricultural center in which Black residents were exploited. Many fled north, bringing the blues to cities such as Chicago and Kansas City. While Coogler set his film in Clarksdale, he filmed it in neighboring Louisiana, in part because Mississippi lacked infrastructure such as the soundstages he needed. Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy said the attention Sinners had brought could help revive his majority Black town of about 14,000, where 40% live under the poverty line. He hoped to capitalise on Clarksdale's status as a cultural capital by expanding performance and educational opportunities. Coogler saw a future for Clarksdale because of the entrepreneurial spirit that led residents to reach out for Thursday's screening, and its cultural resources. "The thing that you guys have is a thing that can't be taught," he said. Reuters
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Sinners brings cinematic spotlight to Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale, Mississippi didn't just provide history and blues for director and writer Ryan Coogler's hit movie about art, Jim Crow, and vampires. One of the Mississippi Delta town's musicians contributed to the Sinners script. After a special screening in the town, which has no cinema, Coogler told the audience gathered in a community hall about the first time he described the movie's plot to a group of Clarksdale blues musicians he had asked to contribute to the score. He said he hesitated when he got to the part about the vampires. He went ahead. Then, Grammy winner Bobby Rush filled the silence. "I had a girl once that was a vampire," the musician joked. The line was given to Delta Slim, played by Delroy Lindo, a piano-playing character who brings both comic relief and depth to the movie. Watch: The trailer for Sinners Thursday's screening and discussion came after Tyler Yarbrough, a community organiser and movie buff in Clarksdale, wrote an open letter asking Coogler and Warner Brothers to bring the movie to a town where people drive 80 miles (130km) to Memphis, Tennessee to get to a cinema. Warner Brothers outfitted the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium with a big screen, projector, and sound system. There was even popcorn. Sinners has been widely acclaimed by reviewers and moviegoers, who praised the film for its stars' performances, its showcasing of African American art, and its wrestling with painful history and big ideas. According to Variety, by the end of its opening month of April, Sinners had grossed $122.5 million in North America and $161.6 million worldwide. At what was billed as a community screening, it was apparent the community was not just the geographical entity of Clarksdale. The audience came together around art and American history, including Jim Crow, the legal and often brutally policed racial hierarchy that subjugated black people in America's south. Shelby Simes arrived at 7am from nearby West Helena, Arkansas, earning first place in a queue that had grown to hundreds by the time the doors opened about an hour before Thursday's 11am screening, the first of six scheduled over three days. Simes said Coogler's film, which she had already seen seven times, was particularly important at a time when what many see as the truth about the black American experience has been criticised by President Donald Trump as "improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology". "They're taking books off shelves," Simes said. "They're not teaching us properly in the schools." She said with Sinners, which is fiction but offers a realistic portrayal of the Jim Crow era, Coogler and his team made the past tangible. "I love how they were able to create a path to talk to our ancestors," she said, echoing the reaction of other black viewers. Michael Johansson, who has worked with community members to memorialise lynchings in the county where the University of Mississippi is located, said it made sense for Coogler to weave vampire folklore into his storyline. "The horror genre is appropriate for the damage, the cruelty, the barbarism of what has been done to blacks in this nation," said Johansson, who came from Jackson to see the movie on Thursday. Andrea Driver, who supports library sciences students at the University of Mississippi in Jackson, was touched on a personal level. She cried when she saw that a young character had survived horror and reached old age. "He somehow carried that experience with him for years and didn't perish, didn't take his own life. I don't know that I could live with those memories my whole life," she said, saying it spoke to the experience of many black Americans. Poet C Liegh McInnis, who was born and raised in Clarksdale, noted the hometown audience recited the Lord's Prayer along with a character during a tense moment in the film. He said Coogler had drawn from history, folklore, and religion. "I love the fact that Coogler gave us a three-dimensional film," he said. Sinners is set at a time when Clarksdale was a bustling agricultural centre in which black residents were exploited. Many fled north, bringing the blues to cities such as Chicago and Kansas City. While Coogler set his movie in Clarksdale, he filmed it in neighbouring Louisiana, in part because Mississippi lacked infrastructure such as the soundstages he needed. Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy said the attention Sinners had brought could help revive his majority-black town of about 14,000, where 40% live under the poverty line. He hoped to capitalise on Clarksdale's status as a cultural capital by expanding performance and educational opportunities. Director Coogler saw a future for Clarksdale because of the entrepreneurial spirit that led residents to reach out for Thursday's screening, and its cultural resources. "The thing that you guys have is a thing that can't be taught," he said.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
My mother fell in love with an A-list celebrity she met online - the video is so convincing she refuses to believe it's fake
A woman has reached out for help after discovering her mother might be falling head over heels for a fake Owen Wilson. The unnamed woman shared her concerns on US forum Reddit, along with an alleged video of the Hollywood star, 56, telling her mum she is an 'amazing woman'. The poster said she tried to convince her mum that it was the workings of artificial intelligence after finding a 'plethora of red flags' such as the man mainly contacting her mother via WhatsApp voice calls. But she explained that things turned eerie when the the alleged imposter 'got her [mother] a job with Warner Brothers' and sent her sporadic $10 salary payments. The 'fake' Owen Wilson then proposed that the poster's parents move into a new house he bought so that they could keep watch as 'caretakers' while he was away working. In the 10-second video, the near-robotic image of a man resembling Owen Wilson seemingly spoke directly to the poster's mother. 'I'm making this video so you know I'm real' said the 'scam' actor. 'I'd never do anything to hurt you. I respect you for your patience and understanding since we crossed paths. You're an amazing woman'. In the clip, the purported Wedding Crashers actor - who in real life is busy shooting his latest action thriller Runner in Australia as of last week - appeared to be the result of sophisticated computer graphics; most notably given away by static eye movements and a grainy facial complexion. The woman said her and her sister had tried tirelessly to inform their mom it was a grand 'scam' but lamented that 'she's just not hearing us'. After reading her plight, many users agreed that it was indeed a hoax, with one person shockingly advising the siblings to create their own AI Owen Wilson and siphon money from her to prove it. 'My sister and I have been telling her it's a scam but she's just not hearing us' she bemoaned. According to her mother, the odd pairing came about after a chance meeting at Yahtzee - a dice game - with some friends. Though the exact location was withheld, the poster said the man claimed to have mistaken her mother for someone he knew in 'real life' when he saw her at the dice game. She then explained that the two only spoke by WhatsApp, voice calls and FaceTime, which installed doubts over the genuinity of their relations. 'Originally he just sent photos directly from a fan account on social media. NOTHING that we couldn't find on the internet. She says he hasn't asked for money or banking info' she continued. The entire scheme appeared complex to the poster after the purported actor began sending her mother money, rather than the other way around. 'He 'got her a job' with Warner Bros. where she can make $5000 a month by liking social media posts' she revealed. 'The job has sent her a couple $10 payments through Cash App for her first trainings. She says they'll send her $1,000 through Cash App when she finishes training'. Things took an even more shocking turn when according to the poster, the 'scammer' asked both her mom and dad to move into a home he claimed to have just purchased. 'He's now buying a house in our small coastal town and wants her AND MY DAD to live there and be caretakers when he's not there. He had an actual realtor from this gated community call her to discuss their options. 'We believe this part because the realtor mentioned my sister in law's mother's uncommon name (we have no connection to her on social media) when my mother brought up my brother's wedding reception being held in the neighborhood. In the clip, the purported Wedding Crashers actor appeared to be the result of sophisticated computer graphics; most notably given away by static eye movements and a grainy facial complexion 'And he sent the video attached as 'proof''. She concluded her post by asking fellow users for advice 'to definitively prove to her [mom] this is a scam'. One viewer immediately noticed the actor's 'robotic' nature, writing: 'Wow that's scary, you can tell the tone is off and robotic. Face also looks slightly different than Owen but wow that's crazy for someone who wouldn't know any better'. 'His nose and eyes are also... not human lol' chimed another. 'Tell her to watch his nose lol' said one person. After reading her plight, many users agreed that it was indeed a hoax, with one person shockingly advising the siblings to create their own AI Owen Wilson and siphon money from her to prove it Noticing other 'red flags', someone else wrote: 'This AI doesn't even use the lady's name at all, just generic 'compliments' to keep the target complacent. Wonder how many targets they've sent this to that the celebrity 'really' loves them. Don't trust online, meet in real life and then judge based on that meeting'. Another said jokingly, 'You can tell it's fake because that's three sentences without a "wow". His [Owen Wilson's] average is one wow per two sentences'. On the subject of advice, one user advised the siblings to scam their own mom so they could prove how easy it was. 'Get a video of her' they wrote. 'Use AI to make a video of her telling herself it's a scam. Alternatively use AI to fake Owen Wilson and scam her out of her money first and save it for her'. Another user offered a tip so they could finally have some 'peace': 'My two cents: Go into her devices, block everyone, create new accounts, new telephone number, create a video from Owen Wilson explaining that he has to go fight in Afghanistan or something, you should get a few months of peace'. 'Get a list people she admires and have it run through the same software, having them say the exact same thing and show it to her' suggested one person. Meanwhile one user told the poster to 'Make an AI deep fake of him breaking up with her'.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Coogler's 'Sinners' brings cinematic spotlight to Clarksdale, Mississippi
CLARKSDALE, Mississippi, May 30 - Clarksdale didn't just provide history and blues for director and writer Ryan Coogler's hit movie about art, Jim Crow and vampires. One of the Mississippi Delta town's musicians contributed to the "Sinners" script. After a special screening in the town, which has no cinema, Coogler told the audience gathered in a community hall about the first time he described the movie's plot to a group of Clarksdale blues musicians he had asked to contribute to the score. He said he hesitated when he got to the part about the vampires. He went ahead. Then, Grammy winner Bobby Rush filled the silence. "I had a girl once that was a vampire," the musician joked. The line was given to Delta Slim, played by Delroy Lindo, a piano-playing character who brings both comic relief and depth to the movie. Thursday's screening and discussion came after Tyler Yarbrough, a community organizer and movie buff in Clarksdale, wrote an open letter asking Coogler and Warner Brothers to bring the movie to a town where people drive 80 miles (130 km) to Memphis, Tennessee to get to a cinema. Warner Brothers outfitted the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium with a big screen, projector and sound system. There was even popcorn. "Sinners" has been widely acclaimed by reviewers and moviegoers, who praised the film for its stars' performances, its showcasing of African American art, and its wrestling with painful history and big ideas. According to Variety, by the end of its opening month of April "Sinners" had grossed $122.5 million in North America and $161.6 million worldwide. At what was billed as a community screening, it was apparent the community was not just the geographical entity of Clarksdale. The audience came together around art and American history, including Jim Crow, the legal and often brutally policed racial hierarchy that subjugated Black people in America's South. Shelby Simes arrived at 7 a.m. from nearby West Helena, Arkansas, earning first place in a line that had grown to hundreds by the time the doors opened about an hour before Thursday's 11 a.m. screening, the first of six scheduled over three days. Simes said Coogler's film, which she had already seen seven times, was particularly important at a time when what many see as the truth about the Black American experience has been criticized by President Donald Trump as "improper, divisive or anti-American ideology." "They're taking books off shelves," Simes said. "They're not teaching us properly in the schools." She said with "Sinners," which is fiction but offers a realistic portrayal of the Jim Crow era, Coogler and his team made the past tangible. "I love how they were able to create a path to talk to our ancestors," she said, echoing the reaction of other Black viewers. Michael Johansson, who has worked with community members to memorialize lynchings in the county where the University of Mississippi is located, said it made sense for Coogler to weave vampire folklore into his storyline. "The horror genre is appropriate for the damage, the cruelty, the barbarism of what has been done to Blacks in this nation," said Johansson, who came from Jackson to see the movie on Thursday. Andrea Driver, who supports library sciences students at the University of Mississippi in Jackson, was touched on a personal level. She cried when she saw that a young character had survived horror and reached old age. "He somehow carried that experience with him for years and didn't perish, didn't take his own life. I don't know that I could live with those memories my whole life," she said, saying it spoke to the experience of many Black Americans. Poet C. Liegh McInnis, who was born and raised in Clarksdale, noted the hometown audience recited the Lord's Prayer along with a character during a tense moment in the film. He said Coogler had drawn from history, folklore and religion. "I love the fact that Coogler gave us a three-dimensional film," he said. "Sinners" is set at a time when Clarksdale was a bustling agricultural center in which Black residents were exploited. Many fled north, bringing the blues to cities such as Chicago and Kansas City. While Coogler set his movie in Clarksdale, he filmed it in neighboring Louisiana, in part because Mississippi lacked infrastructure such as the soundstages he needed. Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy said the attention "Sinners" had brought could help revive his majority Black town of about 14,000, where 40% live under the poverty line. He hoped to capitalize on Clarksdale's status as a cultural capital by expanding performance and educational opportunities. Coogler saw a future for Clarksdale because of the entrepreneurial spirit that led residents to reach out for Thursday's screening, and its cultural resources. "The thing that you guys have is a thing that can't be taught," he said.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Coogler's 'Sinners' brings cinematic spotlight to Clarksdale, Mississippi
* Community screening highlights film's portrayal of African American history * Coogler sees potential for Clarksdale's cultural and entrepreneurial growth * Clarksdale musicians contributed to 'Sinners' script and score CLARKSDALE, Mississippi, - Clarksdale didn't just provide history and blues for director and writer Ryan Coogler's hit movie about art, Jim Crow and vampires. One of the Mississippi Delta town's musicians contributed to the "Sinners" script. After a special screening in the town, which has no cinema, Coogler told the audience gathered in a community hall about the first time he described the movie's plot to a group of Clarksdale blues musicians he had asked to contribute to the score. He said he hesitated when he got to the part about the vampires. He went ahead. Then, Grammy winner Bobby Rush filled the silence. "I had a girl once that was a vampire," the musician joked. The line was given to Delta Slim, played by Delroy Lindo, a piano-playing character who brings both comic relief and depth to the movie. Thursday's screening and discussion came after Tyler Yarbrough, a community organizer and movie buff in Clarksdale, wrote an open letter asking Coogler and Warner Brothers to bring the movie to a town where people drive 80 miles to Memphis, Tennessee to get to a cinema. Warner Brothers outfitted the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium with a big screen, projector and sound system. There was even popcorn. "Sinners" has been widely acclaimed by reviewers and moviegoers, who praised the film for its stars' performances, its showcasing of African American art, and its wrestling with painful history and big ideas. According to Variety, by the end of its opening month of April "Sinners" had grossed $122.5 million in North America and $161.6 million worldwide. At what was billed as a community screening, it was apparent the community was not just the geographical entity of Clarksdale. The audience came together around art and American history, including Jim Crow, the legal and often brutally policed racial hierarchy that subjugated Black people in America's South. Shelby Simes arrived at 7 a.m. from nearby West Helena, Arkansas, earning first place in a line that had grown to hundreds by the time the doors opened about an hour before Thursday's 11 a.m. screening, the first of six scheduled over three days. Simes said Coogler's film, which she had already seen seven times, was particularly important at a time when what many see as the truth about the Black American experience has been criticized by President Donald Trump as "improper, divisive or anti-American ideology." "They're taking books off shelves," Simes said. "They're not teaching us properly in the schools." She said with "Sinners," which is fiction but offers a realistic portrayal of the Jim Crow era, Coogler and his team made the past tangible. "I love how they were able to create a path to talk to our ancestors," she said, echoing the reaction of other Black viewers. Michael Johansson, who has worked with community members to memorialize lynchings in the county where the University of Mississippi is located, said it made sense for Coogler to weave vampire folklore into his storyline. "The horror genre is appropriate for the damage, the cruelty, the barbarism of what has been done to Blacks in this nation," said Johansson, who came from Jackson to see the movie on Thursday. Andrea Driver, who supports library sciences students at the University of Mississippi in Jackson, was touched on a personal level. She cried when she saw that a young character had survived horror and reached old age. "He somehow carried that experience with him for years and didn't perish, didn't take his own life. I don't know that I could live with those memories my whole life," she said, saying it spoke to the experience of many Black Americans. Poet C. Liegh McInnis, who was born and raised in Clarksdale, noted the hometown audience recited the Lord's Prayer along with a character during a tense moment in the film. He said Coogler had drawn from history, folklore and religion. "I love the fact that Coogler gave us a three-dimensional film," he said. "Sinners" is set at a time when Clarksdale was a bustling agricultural center in which Black residents were exploited. Many fled north, bringing the blues to cities such as Chicago and Kansas City. While Coogler set his movie in Clarksdale, he filmed it in neighboring Louisiana, in part because Mississippi lacked infrastructure such as the soundstages he needed. Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy said the attention "Sinners" had brought could help revive his majority Black town of about 14,000, where 40% live under the poverty line. He hoped to capitalize on Clarksdale's status as a cultural capital by expanding performance and educational opportunities. Coogler saw a future for Clarksdale because of the entrepreneurial spirit that led residents to reach out for Thursday's screening, and its cultural resources. "The thing that you guys have is a thing that can't be taught," he said.
