Sing Sing

no witty commentary here (as the inmates lament, comedy is hard)--if you liked this, check out caged by the new jersey prison theater cooperative and/or the sentences that create us by pen america. also, tear down walls even if you do trust the process

Insistently precious in a way that fell a little flat for me. Very wholesome, but too aware of its own good naturedness to feel completely sincere. Performances are strong across the board, even when blocking and shot choices are not (the latter frequently veering on claustrophobic, and occasionally geographically confusing); I hope Clarence Maclin gets some love this awards season.

"Brother, we here to become human again." I have no basis of reference for the prison experience, but MAN does that line ever hit hard. I had hefty hopes and anticipation coming into this. I enjoyed it immensely and respect it even more for the real-world foundation of its story. Domingo is quickly ascending my list of favorite performers (though the whole ensemble shines), and the way this handles male bonding really resonated with me. Gets better as it progresses and the intensity picks up.

Moma contenders 2024

This is a real special film, but maybe too special. It’s too in love with its own magic. The prisoners are, by virtue of their humanity, these saintly figures, bathed in soft, natural light, carried by strings on the soundtrack and the poetry of the Bard’s plays. Colman Domingo’s perfect professional characterization is at odds with the passionate amateur actors around him, and yet in his face is all you need to know about transcendence.

More than a movie!!! Admirable Reconstruction of true Melo-Drama!!! Influential and Sensational!!! Free your mind to be FREE!!!

I'm not super into live theatre so the bits with that aren't especially interesting to me, but that's a me issue. It uses its subject matter to tell a very warm tale about helping locked up people feel human again, and believe me, the emotional beats hit hard. Pacing's a little off and there were about 3 times when it could have ended. Domingo is great but Maclin deserves a lot of credit too, since his character is arguably more complex. But that's splitting hairs.

Colman Domingo is mesmerizing, and though it often drags, this is very rewarding cinema.

Interesting. Such good reviews i thought it would avoid cliche, which it surprisingly doesn't, but still good. It's a true story so perhaps it's not cliche. Maclin is incredible and Domingo, but you're expecting the latter. Sometimes obvious but still lovely cinematography

Just beautiful. I felt so lucky to get to watch this on the big screen with my Mom. The story, acting, cinematography, score, - everything - fit right into place and made this an incredible film to watch. The majority of the ‘cast’ playing as themselves was the icing on the cake at the end.

Well-done and heartfelt, from top to bottom, with good writing, cinematography, and performances all around. A large array of emotions and topics covered. Hopefulness and not giving up take center stage, but masculinity, vulnerability, expectations and friendships are all a huge part too, and the prison setting and reality-basis make for a good backdrop for these to shine through.