What To Watch This Weekend: 'Sinners,' 'The Ugly Stepsister' And More

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Horror movies dominate the new releases this weekend, featuring twin brothers and ugly stepsisters. Plus, a new war-themed series makes its streaming debut.

If you're in the mood for a genre-bending horror movie, look no further than "Sinners," in which Michael B. Jordan plays the role of two identical twins. The film will leave you breathless.

How about a Cinderella story with a shocking twist? "The Ugly Stepsister" retells the fairy tale, starring Lea Myren as a young woman in pursuit of beauty.

Finally, fans of war movies can check out the war-themed series "The Narrow Road to the Deep North," starring Jacob Elordi as an Australian doctor and prisoner of war.

Related:

What To Watch: 'Warfare,' 'G20,' And 'The Last of Us'

Check out what we thought of the three new releases below.

Movies And Shows Out This Weekend

“Sinners”

Michael B. Jordan, Saul Williams; directed by Ryan Coogler

Ryan Coogler, the auteur behind “Fruitvale,” “Black Panther” and “Creed,” augments his cinematic oeuvre with yet another engagingly piquant film — “Sinners,” a vampire movie whipped up in a concoction of genres, atmospheric variations and stupendous displays of stage craft.

Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both World War 1 veterans, who, after a job stint for Al Capone in Chicago, have finally returned home to Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1932 to set up a juke joint. Moments later, Smoke crosses paths with his jilted ex-lover Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who is in the throes of pain over their sudden breakup. Meanwhile, Stack reconnects with his old flame Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), who charms with a lovey-dovey affection toward him despite Stack's long absence.

As the brothers map out their big opening day, they begin to recruit a handful of performers, including the blues man Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) and the incredibly talented Sammie, a 19-year-old preacher’s son, who captivates with a soulful voice.

Unbeknownst to Smoke and Stack, the red-eyed vampire Remmick (Jack O’Connell) is already assembling a cabal of blood-sucking Irish party crashers to ruin the celebrations.

Coogler takes the time to develop the characters before unleashing the opening salvo and ultimately the bloodletting carnage. Expect a gore fest that is deftly done, shocking yet spellbinding.

Arguably his best yet, Coogler’s latest effort, both dazzles and jolts with a deep contemplation on cultural appropriation, music, faith and redemption. While the episodic peaks and valleys are uneven at times, the genre-bending movie is devilishly delightful and stunning, nevertheless.

To experience the ultimate escapism, audiences must see “Sinners” in theaters, as it was shot in IMAX.

“The Ugly Stepsister”

Lea Myren, Ane Dahl Torp, Thea Sofie Loch Næss; directed by Emilie Blichfeldt

“The Ugly Stepsister,” Norwegian writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt’s feature debut, posits a beauty-obsessed society, where outer beauty simply dictates the ebbs and flows of life, a shear madness presented with brutal honesty.

Enter Elvira (Lea Myren), a young woman who welcomes even the most extreme makeover in the pursuit of beauty. She obviously embraces the “no pain, no gain” mantra. Her broken teeth, broken nose and sloppy eyes must simply become perfect overnight.

Ane Dahl Torp plays the cruel Rebekka, who has recently married a presumably wealthy man living in the kingdom of Swedlandia. Upon his death, Rebekka discovers that he was not wealthy at all. She is now a widow who lives with her oldest daughter Elvira, her youngest daughter Alma (Flo Fagerli) along with her dead husband's daughter named Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Naess), who is quintessentially beautiful.

As they are financially strapped, Rebekka will stop at nothing to ensure that the geeky Elvira marry up into the higher echelons of society. Luckily, The Prince (Isac Calmroth) is holding a ball. Can Elvira be transformed into a goddess of beauty? It remains to be seen, but certainly, no stone shall remain unturned.

Blichfeldt shows all the transformations, reveling in grotesque distortions and gore fests. What emerges is a portrait of absurdities in a bloody retelling of the Cinderella story that might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

“The Narrow Road to the Deep North”

Jacob Elordi, Odessa Young, Ciarán Hinds; directed by Justin Kurzel

Australian auteur Justin Kurzel helms a war-themed series, “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” an adaptation of Richard Flanagan’s novel of the same title.

Unfolding in three timelines, the saga is told through the eyes of a mesmerizing central protagonist, Australian medical student Dorrigo Evans (Jacob Elordi), as he navigates the cruelty of war, life’s fragility, and the love he so desires.

Dorrigo, along with other soldiers, are forced to work on the Burma Railway in 1943. They are prisoners of war detained in a Japanese camp, where horrors committed in the prison grounds are rampant. Notably, in its entirety, the series aims to deliver a neutral stance regarding the two sides of the conflict. As to whether it succeeds or not, it is the crux of the question left for viewers to ponder.

The series also explores Dorrigo’s intricate relationships with women (Olivia DeJonge, Odessa Young, and Essie Davis) in his pursuit of love that seems to be impossible to conquer.

In the latter segments, Ciarán Hinds picks up the baton from Elordi to play Dorrigo’s older version. Both actors’ performances are outstanding, further elevating the series’ impassioned tone about the perils of war.

Finally, Kurzel eschews battlefield spectacles, paving a way to shine a light on the psychological scars of war.

(“The Narrow Road to the Deep North” is now available on Prime.)