adamgehrke.com

Detained at Sing Sing prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Divine G (Colman Domingo), is a founding member of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, a program aimed at giving prisoners a positive, constructive, and safe place to heal and develop their sense of self and purpose. But, when newcomer Clarence (Clarence Maclin), joins the group, the program’s healing powers will be put to the test as they attempt to produce an original theater production of their own, developing trust and security are tall asks of the group, might it be too much? Written by John Richardson, Brent Buell, and Clint Bentley and Directed by Greg Kwedar, this film, based on true events, was shot on a tight schedule of about 18 days, and features a cast largely made up of actors who all came through the RTA program and have lived experience in the prison system; end result, a performance nothing short of magic. Every character feels real, relatable, and genuine creating an ensemble piece unlike anything we’ve seen in ages covering the emotional spectrum from absolute elation to complete devastation, it’s heartache and heartwarming, inspiring and re-assuring, a healing and transformative journey and we are invited in to the session. Note to cast and crew, start getting your suits fitted for the Oscars, this will definitely be in the discussion come awards season. Running one hour and forty five minutes, Sing Sing is rated R.

After a tragic run in with a tornado takes the lives of several school friends, budding meteorologist Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) opts for a desk job with the National Weather Service; but, when old classmate and friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos), shows up with a proposal to get Kate back out in the field, the prospect is enough to get her going again. As it turns out, staring down tornados is like riding a bike, but, now with newcomer and Youtube sensation Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) in the field, sussing out fortune hunters from do-gooders will take extra effort.Written by Mark L. Smith, Joseph Kosinski, and Michael Crichton and Directed by Lee Isaac Chung this summer blockbuster person vs. nature adventure is poised with big action, big destruction, and big budget flair delivering the goods in whirlwind fashion. And, while the overall plot and character outlines don’t challenge the expected, the end result is still fun to watch play out, and the ensemble sell the drama nicely. Meanwhile, for the meteorology buffs, nice surprise, the science behind the plot actually holds up for the most part. Bonus, With a concise runtime of one hour and 57 minutes not too much of your weekend will get sucked away. Worthy of the big screen for the rumble and terror Twisters is rated PG-13.

Following her love for cinema Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) finds herself in Hollywood, shy of her big dreams and working in porn; but, when a break comes as a starring role in Director Elizabeth Bender’s (Elizabeth Debicki) next film, it would seem her luck has changed. Meanwhile, the Hollywood Strangler has sights on Maxine and all of her friends. From hunted to hunter, Maxine is clearly a resourceful woman, and, given her dark past, who will survive the Hollywood grind is anyone’s guess. Written and Directed by Ti West, this is the third installment of the Maxine/Pearl trilogy, a series of highly stylized satirical, slasher, crime, drama pics centered around Mia Goth’s character. In this go round West and crew re-animate and embody the fun of the 80’s slasher flick with the formulaic panache, color, and nod to all slashers that have come before, in a word, it’s fun, and while perhaps not the zenith of the series as one might hope, for fans of the genre there’s plenty to chew on, squirm at, and laugh in disgust with, mission accomplished. The gods of Hollywood gore are clearly smiling upon this feature. With a brisk runtime of one hour and 44 minutes, MaXXXine makes sure to keep you wanting more. MaXXXine is rated R.