Good As Gold's August review before Telluride – Awardsdaily

The Venice and Telluride Film Festivals kick off next week. The season is starting to unfold quickly, so buckle up, baby.

Soon we will see the first reactions to films like Conclave, Nickel Boys, Joker: Folie à Deux, The Piano Lesson and many more.

With the start of the festival season, Greg Kwedars Singing Singing has emerged as one of the top contenders for Best Picture among the films already screened. Set in the titular maximum security prison in New York, the film stars Colman Domingo as John “Divine G” Whitfield, an inmate who runs the real-life theater program Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA). While Sing Sing has the oppressive atmosphere typical of prison films, it stands out for portraying its characters as real people who find redemption and growth. Through the efforts of the RTA, the film sheds light on the rehabilitation of these men by fostering community and offering a glimpse of escapism, restoring their self-esteem.

With Domingo as the headliner, Sing Sing features an exceptional ensemble cast, mostly made up of former RTA members playing themselves. Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin stands out as a violent inmate who, while still behind bars, tries to believe in the RTA program. His performance is a remarkable debut and ranks among the best in recent history.

But the real miracle is Colman Domingo. His development into one of the best actors of our time is undeniable. As Divine G, Domingo captures the essence of a man who is devoted to others. He listens carefully, cares genuinely, and guides the men in need around him with compassion. Despite the deep pain that surfaces through his expressive eyes, there is a gentle beauty in his art. That’s why it’s so devastatingly powerful when he finally reaches his breaking point, reminding us that even the hand that holds us up must be held.

Kwedar’s patient storytelling and character development create a deep connection with the audience. Sing Sing gradually gets under your skin and into your heart, becoming one of the most touching and empowering films of the year.

Similarly, Sing Sing pairs well with Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s Ghostlight, a quietly powerful film about art and community, and Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s documentary Daughtersnow streaming on Netflix.

The Date With Dad program — which began 12 years ago in Richmond, Virginia, and has since expanded to Washington, DC — pairs girls with their incarcerated fathers at a special father-daughter dance, providing a rare opportunity to reconnect and rebuild their relationship in person.

Daughters offers a moving look at the 10-week coaching program that fathers must complete before they can participate in the dance, and the profound impact of the event. Although the film occasionally glosses over the serious reasons for these men’s incarceration, it poignantly shows the impact of growing up without a father. It’s encouraging that such a program exists, but I couldn’t help but wonder how fathers feel with sons – how they feel about missing out on this opportunity, and if there are similar programs for them. And more importantly, how might sons benefit from such initiatives in the hope of breaking the cycle and avoiding the sins of their fathers?

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 93% of the prison population is male, and the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy reports that children of incarcerated parents are six to seven times more likely to end up in prison than their peers. I hope that something as powerful as The Date With Dad program featured in this touching documentary can be expanded to young boys to give them the same opportunity to rebuild relationships and perhaps change their futures.

The film I was most looking forward to this year was Fede Alvarez’ Alien: Romulus. The Alien series holds a very special place in my heart. Despite its ups and downs, I remain fascinated by HR Giger’s ingenious Xenomorph design, a creature as endlessly fascinating as anything you could ever imagine. From the ominous egg to the facehugger, chest-burster and queen, every fearsome feature, from its acidic blood to its second mouth, makes the Xenomorph a perfect antagonist.

When I heard that Romulus would be set between the cinematic masterpieces Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), I immediately thought of Hadley’s Hope, the doomed colony on

Instead, Alvarez went a different route, creating an original story centered around a new group of alien colonists working for Weyland-Yutani Corp, the shadowy corporation that pursues our heroes throughout the franchise. Romulus preserves Weyland-Yutani’s obsession with the Xenomorph – whether for profit, military supremacy, or the pursuit of immortality, the corporation remains as morally bankrupt as ever in its pursuit of the creature.

Cailee Spaeny plays Rain Carradine, a young woman trapped in a sunless mining colony who dreams of a way out. Along with a group of other refugees, she plans to hijack a decommissioned ship’s cryopod equipment and embark on a nine-year journey to Yvaga III. But there’s more to this ship than it seems, and we all know what happens next.

Alien: Romulus relies heavily on nostalgia and tips its hat to its six predecessors throughout. While it doesn’t go into the narrative territory I was hoping for, it does add a compelling chapter to the saga, with Spaeny’s Rain emerging as a new daredevil, alongside standout character Andy, played by David Jonsson. Spaeny, who made waves last year in Priscilla and starred in Alex Garland’s Civil War earlier this year, continues her rise as a breakout actress. Jonsson, who fans will recognize from HBO’s Industry and Rye Lane, delivers a fresh and dynamic performance, making her the film’s big discovery.

Galo Olivares’ cinematography is stunning, using light and shadow to create moments of eerie beauty. Combined with Naaman Marshall’s carefully crafted set design, Alvarez and his team masterfully capture the mood and atmosphere of the original classic.

Romulus is full of tension and fear that will send chills and goosebumps down your spine. The film pays tribute to the franchise’s legacy through its use of special effects on the creatures, which are, as always, beautifully terrifying. While it doesn’t quite reach the scale and urgency of the first two films, it remains an entertaining addition that delivers terror and nostalgia in equal measure.

And then there is M. Night Shyamalan’s Catchstarring Josh Hartnett as a father who takes his daughter to a concert only to discover that the FBI is using the event to catch a serial killer. The trailer suggested an entertaining cat-and-mouse thriller, but Trap ultimately depends on how far you’re willing to stretch your skepticism.

What some people find entertaining about Trap, I found flippant and ineffective. The script is a mess. It relies on typical cliches, presents characters making predictable decisions and delivering cliched dialogue, all with a tongue-in-cheek attitude, as if we should just sit back and go along with the nonsense.

Another problematic aspect of the film is the excessive amount of time devoted to concert scenes featuring M. Night’s daughter Saleka Shyamalan. One or two songs would have been enough, but it felt like we were seeing her entire discography. I would be curious to see how long the concert footage is in total, but that’s a task for someone brave enough to rewatch this film.

I always hear fans of trap praising the ironic humor and claiming that’s why the film works so well. But my mother always reminded me of the proverbial lesson: two wrongs don’t make a right. And an intentionally bad movie is still just a bad movie.

New trailers

The room next door – Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film has a teaser and it’s the most Almodóvarian thing you’ve ever seen. I’m all in. I expect Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton to be in the mix all season.

Saturday night – Jason Reitman’s film covers the 90 minutes leading up to the premiere of Saturday Night Live in 1975. A great cast stars in a story that I’m surprised hasn’t been told. Looks like a return to form for Reitman.

Oscar prediction updates

Picture

Conclave (Focus Functions)
Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
Sing-Sing (A24)
Emilia Perez (Netflix)
Lightning (Apple Original Movies)
Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros.)
Nickel Boys (Amazon MGM/Orion)
Joker: Folie à Deux (Warner Bros.)
Anora (Neon)
A Complete Stranger (Searchlight Pictures)

director

Ridley Scott (Gladiator II)
Edward Berger (Conclave)
Steve McQueen (Lightning)
Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part 2)
Jacques Audiard (Emilia Perez)

Main actor

Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)
Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)
Joaquin Phoenix (Joker: Folie à Deux)
Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)
Paul Mescal (Gladiator II)

Lead actress

Amy Adams (Night Slut)
Mikey Madison (Anora)
Karla Sofia Gascon (Emilia Perez)
Lady Gaga (Joker: Folie à Deux)
Angelina Jolie (Mary)

Supporting Actor

Samuel L. Jackson (The Piano Lesson)
Kieran Culkin (a real nuisance)
Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing)
Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)
John Lithgow (Conclave)

Supporting Actress

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys)
Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Perez)
Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson)
Tilda Swinton (The Next Room)
Carrie Coon (His three daughters)

Adapted screenplay

Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar (Sing Sing)
Peter Straughan (Conclave)
RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes (Nickel Boys)
Pedro Almodóvar, Sigrid Nunez (The Room Next Door)
Jay Cocks, James Mangold (a complete unknown)

Original screenplay

Steve McQueen (Lightning)
Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Nicolas Livecchi (Emilia Perez)
Sean Baker (Anora)
Jesse Eisenberg (a real nuisance)
Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)