Every week, Kristopher Pollard from Milwaukee Film and Radio Milwaukee’s Dori Zori talk about movies — because that’s what you do when you’re Cinebuds.
“Based on a true story” is a loaded phrase in the movie world. Generally speaking, you might as well translate it as, “We changed a bunch of stuff but won’t tell you what.” A quick glance at the credits for Sing Sing makes it immediately clear that audiences can trust this one a little more:
- Clarence Maclin as Clarence Maclin
- Sean San José as Sean San José
- David Giraudy as David Giraudy
- Patrick Griffin as Patrick Griffin
- Mosi Eagle as Mosi Eagle
- James Williams as James Williams
- Sean “Dino” Johnson as “Sean “Dino” Johnson
That’s something you don’t typically see outside of documentaries. To be clear, Sing Sing is not a documentary; it’s a dramatization about the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison in New York. Rather than filling the call sheet with recognizable names and faces, the decision makers involved with Sing Sing opted for the real thing: formerly incarcerated men who went through the RTA program.
As Kpolly outlines in his review of the movie, director Greg Kwedar didn’t stop there. The cinematography relied on natural light rather than carting in equipment. The actors had the freedom to let scenes develop naturally. The camera operators were told to adapt to those conversations vs. going in with a rigid plan.
Those decisions make the film more authentic. But how do they affect the entertainment value? Your answer is in the full episode, along with our hosts’ thoughts about the X-Men movies and how the decline of bowling leagues has something larger to say about the state of our country. No, seriously, that’s in there. Listen and enjoy.
