Entertainment
Sinners' Success Is A Condemnation Of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
Ryan Coogler’s period vampire movie Sinners made Oscars history with a record 16 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and nominations in three of the four acting categories. It has also been nominated for or won top awards from nearly every industry organization in the United States and abroad. It has drawn a lot of buzz since its release, and now that the Oscars are almost here, you should know if it was worth all the hype.
Michael B. Jordan plays Smoke and Stack, twins returning to their 1930s Mississippi home after a long absence. They plan to open a “juke joint,” a blues club for black people in the segregated South. They buy an old lumber mill, enlist their cousin Sammy and a bunch of friends to help run the place, and are all set for a night of partying. But when Sammy’s musical talents attract the attention of an ancient vampire and his newly minted minions, the mill becomes a prison of human carnage.
Sinners Detractors Call It A Tarantino Knockoff
A lot of people critical of the movie’s nominations have said that it’s basically From Dusk Till Dawn, but many vampire movies are going to have similarities. In this case, it’s probably the brothers and the enclosed location that remind so many people of the Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriguez collaboration.
I think the movie has a lot more in common with The Lost Boys: two brothers that don’t belong to the mainstream being offered a chance to make a mainstream of their own with a new family. The vampire in Sinners is not a vicious killer but a lonely old soul looking for a collective and “finding” it by making one of his own.
Michael B. Jordan Does Double Duty And Earns His Nomination
Michael B. Jordan shines as twins Smoke and Stack, two different personalities with a conflicted past and a plan to change their community. Jordan switches between these characters very well, definitely worthy of his Oscar nomination, and maybe even more so because he had more to do in this film than the other actors with the nod, who only had one character to play.
Fellow nominee Delroy Lindo is heartbreaking as Delta Slim, a drunken pianist who is a staple of the Black community in this rural Southern town. Best Supporting Actress, Wunmi Mosaku, plays the very intriguing Annie, whose introduction to the movie serves as a beacon to the audience that the supernatural is already alive and well in this world. She is the closest parallel to the plot of From Dusk Til Dawn, filling in for Harvey Keitel’s “mean m-f’ing servant of God” with herbal magic and traditional African charms.
A Place That Feels Real And Authentic
Another major area in which Sinners shines is the establishment of its setting. The town, the slaughterhouse, and the fields all have an authenticity to them that draws you into their Depression-era world. No stone is left unturned: vehicles were chosen with care, costumes and hair were given close attention. Interior and exterior sets show no sign of divergence. The production design, costumes, hair, and makeup were all noticed by the Academy, with good reason.
The most important element of a story about music as a superpower is the music itself. Composer Ludwig Göransson received two nominations, one for Best Original Score and one alongside Raphael Saddiq for the song “I Lied to You,” the incredible arrangement performed by Sammy that draws the vampires to the joint.
Aesthetically, this is the weakest scene in the film because it relies heavily on imagery that echoes through time and calls upon the heritages of everyone in the place, and the movie’s only anachronism made the scene both a little silly and amazingly intense. The message is clear: music is timeless, universal, and consolidating.
There are a few categories that I’m not sure it will win, such as editing and cinematography; not that these things were bad, but I haven’t seen enough of the other nominees to fairly compare them. Based only on its own merits, these technical achievements were outstanding.
Why Sinners’ Success Is A Condemnation Of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey
Some complaints about the movie’s Oscar nominations claim that it is only up for so many awards because of its attention to race, both onscreen and behind the scenes. It’s true that much of the production was led by Black and Asian people, with writer-director Ryan Coogler of Black Panther fame, leading the way with his Filipino wife at his side.
That’s actually part of why this movie does deserve so many awards, though: this is a quality original film that is Black-cast and Black-led, evidence that such things exist, and that there is no reason for gratuitous inclusion in existing properties, like Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The work put into this movie earned its acclaim organically.
The movie’s Oscars fate will be decided on March 15, 2026, on ABC and Hulu. Does it live up to the hype? To me, it does, but judge for yourself, because Sinners is streaming free to subscribers on HBO Max.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Bubbly.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
PERKY
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Hurdle Word 2 hint
To accumulate.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
AMASS
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Hurdle Word 3 hint
A kink.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
CRICK
Hurdle Word 4 hint
A beer.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
LAGER
Final Hurdle hint
Harmony.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
AMITY
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for May 9, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you have a green thumb.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Garden varieties
The words are related to plants.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe garden crops.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Spring Veggie.
NYT Strands word list for May 9
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Asparagus
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Artichoke
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Onion
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Lettuce
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Radish
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Spring Veggie
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you have great style.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
A soft fabric.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter S.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
SATIN
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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