by Josh Sewell
Sing Sing
(Rated R for language throughout. Opens in select theaters on August 9.)
The premise: In this powerful drama, based on a true story, Divine G (Colman Domingo) has been imprisoned for many years at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit. Over time, he finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other inmates, including a hesitant newcomer (Clarence Maclin). The film also stars several formerly incarcerated actors who participated in the real-life version of the theatre program.
The verdict: Like the recent indie drama Ghostlight, which hit VOD last week, Sing Sing celebrates the transformative power of art – particularly how theater can allow stereotypically gruff, closed-off men to express their inner pain and find catharsis in an unexpected community. Where Sing Sing differs (aside from the fact that it’s a fact-based narrative) is that theater also provides its characters with an added sense of physical freedom in addition to the figurative emotional variety.
Director Greg Kwedar, working from a story he crafted with Clint Bentley, Maclin and the real Divine G, intentionally avoids the trauma porn usually found in movies about prison life. Sing Sing doesn’t pretend those awful elements don’t exist; instead, it chooses to focus mainly on the time these characters get to spend pretending to be other people who live somewhere else.
Domingo (as always) is incredible here, but also makes sure his co-stars get equal time to shine. And boy do they: aside from Oscar nominees Domingo and Paul Raci (phenomenal as the program’s director), the other actors play slightly fictionalized versions of themselves, drawing from actual experiences.
Although Sing Sing is only scheduled to play in a couple of Atlanta theaters, it’s the rare film that’s worth the drive to support. The heartwarming story is a lock for my Top 10 in December and is almost certainly going to be a player in the upcoming awards season.
Grade: A+
The Instigators
(Rated R for pervasive language and some violence. On Apple TV+ starting August 9.)
The premise: Rory (Matt Damon) and Cobby (Casey Affleck) are reluctant partners in a plot to rob Boston’s outgoing mayor (Ron Perlman) of his massive pile of corrupt cash. However, when the job goes south, the unlikely pair finds themselves on the run with Rory’s therapist (Hong Chau), trying in vain to avoid police and gangsters.
The verdict: This action comedy, which reunites Damon with his The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman, is your standard buddy cop movie, except with criminals. While the plot is a version of something audiences have seen a million times before, it coasts on the easygoing chemistry between Damon and Affleck (who co-wrote the screenplay with Chuck MacLean). The two are longtime friends and have starred in several other films together, so the camaraderie feels authentic rather than forced.
What’s more, because The Instigators was made with Apple money, it can afford a murderer’s row of character actors to show up in roles far beneath their station. Michael Stuhlbarg and Alfred Molina are terrific in their handful of scenes, while Paul Walter Hauser and Ving Rhames have even less screen time. Toby Jones is also fun in his role as the mayor’s oily henchman.
As it turns out, Apple TV+ is the ideal place for this flick. It’s slight enough that moviegoers might’ve felt shortchanged buying a ticket to see it in theaters. But as something to watch at home on laundry day? Perfect.
Grade: C+
Trap
(Rated PG-13 for some violent content and brief strong language. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: A father (Josh Hartnett) and his teen daughter (Ariel Donoghue) attend a pop concert, where he learns they’re at the center of an attempt to capture a brutal serial killer. There’s just one complication: the dad is the murderer they’re looking for and now he knows it.
The verdict: Because the latest from M. Night Shyamalan wasn’t screened for critics, my daughter and I caught a matinee last weekend and had a good time. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a gloriously dumb flick, but in the best way. Rather than a straight thriller like The Sixth Sense, the director’s most famous work, it’s a silly dark comedy closer in tone to his 2021 schlock-fest Old.
That riff on The Twilight Zone proved to be divisive and so is Trap. Those expecting a straightforward cat-and-mouse chase will be disappointed. However, Hartnett proves to be on the same wavelength as Shyamalan; he knows exactly what kind movie he’s in and crafts his performance accordingly. As such, it’s some of the finest work of his career – a bold claim considering he was in last year’s Best Picture winner Oppenheimer.
If viewers are willing to throw logic and realism out the window and embrace campiness, Trap is a fun watch. It’s got a clever premise, doesn’t wear out its welcome and teases a possible follow-up. Considering it’s doing relatively well at the box office, maybe that’ll happen. I know I’d be willing to check it out.
Grade: B-
Home Entertainment Spotlight
Babes
(Rated R for sexual material, language throughout and some drug use. Now available on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD.)
This comedy follows inseparable childhood best friends Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), who are now in dramatically divergent phases of adulthood. When carefree and single Eden decides to have a baby on her own after a one-night stand, their friendship faces its greatest challenge. From co-writers Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, directed by Pamela Adlon, Babes is a heartfelt story about the bonds of friendship, as well as the challenges of adulthood and becoming a parent. Bonus material includes deleted scenes and two behind-the-scenes featurettes.
(Rated R for language throughout. Opens in select theaters on August 9.)
The premise: In this powerful drama, based on a true story, Divine G (Colman Domingo) has been imprisoned for many years at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit. Over time, he finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other inmates, including a hesitant newcomer (Clarence Maclin). The film also stars several formerly incarcerated actors who participated in the real-life version of the theatre program.
The verdict: Like the recent indie drama Ghostlight, which hit VOD last week, Sing Sing celebrates the transformative power of art – particularly how theater can allow stereotypically gruff, closed-off men to express their inner pain and find catharsis in an unexpected community. Where Sing Sing differs (aside from the fact that it’s a fact-based narrative) is that theater also provides its characters with an added sense of physical freedom in addition to the figurative emotional variety.
Director Greg Kwedar, working from a story he crafted with Clint Bentley, Maclin and the real Divine G, intentionally avoids the trauma porn usually found in movies about prison life. Sing Sing doesn’t pretend those awful elements don’t exist; instead, it chooses to focus mainly on the time these characters get to spend pretending to be other people who live somewhere else.
Domingo (as always) is incredible here, but also makes sure his co-stars get equal time to shine. And boy do they: aside from Oscar nominees Domingo and Paul Raci (phenomenal as the program’s director), the other actors play slightly fictionalized versions of themselves, drawing from actual experiences.
Although Sing Sing is only scheduled to play in a couple of Atlanta theaters, it’s the rare film that’s worth the drive to support. The heartwarming story is a lock for my Top 10 in December and is almost certainly going to be a player in the upcoming awards season.
Grade: A+
(Rated R for pervasive language and some violence. On Apple TV+ starting August 9.)
The premise: Rory (Matt Damon) and Cobby (Casey Affleck) are reluctant partners in a plot to rob Boston’s outgoing mayor (Ron Perlman) of his massive pile of corrupt cash. However, when the job goes south, the unlikely pair finds themselves on the run with Rory’s therapist (Hong Chau), trying in vain to avoid police and gangsters.
The verdict: This action comedy, which reunites Damon with his The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman, is your standard buddy cop movie, except with criminals. While the plot is a version of something audiences have seen a million times before, it coasts on the easygoing chemistry between Damon and Affleck (who co-wrote the screenplay with Chuck MacLean). The two are longtime friends and have starred in several other films together, so the camaraderie feels authentic rather than forced.
What’s more, because The Instigators was made with Apple money, it can afford a murderer’s row of character actors to show up in roles far beneath their station. Michael Stuhlbarg and Alfred Molina are terrific in their handful of scenes, while Paul Walter Hauser and Ving Rhames have even less screen time. Toby Jones is also fun in his role as the mayor’s oily henchman.
As it turns out, Apple TV+ is the ideal place for this flick. It’s slight enough that moviegoers might’ve felt shortchanged buying a ticket to see it in theaters. But as something to watch at home on laundry day? Perfect.
Grade: C+
(Rated PG-13 for some violent content and brief strong language. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: A father (Josh Hartnett) and his teen daughter (Ariel Donoghue) attend a pop concert, where he learns they’re at the center of an attempt to capture a brutal serial killer. There’s just one complication: the dad is the murderer they’re looking for and now he knows it.
The verdict: Because the latest from M. Night Shyamalan wasn’t screened for critics, my daughter and I caught a matinee last weekend and had a good time. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a gloriously dumb flick, but in the best way. Rather than a straight thriller like The Sixth Sense, the director’s most famous work, it’s a silly dark comedy closer in tone to his 2021 schlock-fest Old.
That riff on The Twilight Zone proved to be divisive and so is Trap. Those expecting a straightforward cat-and-mouse chase will be disappointed. However, Hartnett proves to be on the same wavelength as Shyamalan; he knows exactly what kind movie he’s in and crafts his performance accordingly. As such, it’s some of the finest work of his career – a bold claim considering he was in last year’s Best Picture winner Oppenheimer.
If viewers are willing to throw logic and realism out the window and embrace campiness, Trap is a fun watch. It’s got a clever premise, doesn’t wear out its welcome and teases a possible follow-up. Considering it’s doing relatively well at the box office, maybe that’ll happen. I know I’d be willing to check it out.
Grade: B-
Home Entertainment Spotlight
(Rated R for sexual material, language throughout and some drug use. Now available on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD.)
This comedy follows inseparable childhood best friends Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), who are now in dramatically divergent phases of adulthood. When carefree and single Eden decides to have a baby on her own after a one-night stand, their friendship faces its greatest challenge. From co-writers Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, directed by Pamela Adlon, Babes is a heartfelt story about the bonds of friendship, as well as the challenges of adulthood and becoming a parent. Bonus material includes deleted scenes and two behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com
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