
Photo © Sony Pictures
One of Them Days film still
Keke Palmer and SZA in 'One of Them Days'
Last Shadow at First Light
(IndiePix DVD/Digital)
Teenage Ami senses her mother’s presence, wandering through her dreams and as a mute apparition. Her mother died in a tsunami, everyone says, but Ami isn’t sure. Singapore director Nicole Midori Woodford’s Last Shadow at First Light (2023) is moody with a measured pace, pregnant with uncomfortable silences. It’s a ghost story but many of the ghosts are from Ami’s family’s past, especially her parents’ troubled marriage. The cinematography is lovely, whether sea or city, daydreams or freeways at night. (David Luhrssen)
One of Them Days
(In Theaters Jan. 17)
Desperate times call for desperate measures in this comedy featuring best friends trying to stave off eviction. Roommates Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) are dead broke when they learn that Alyssa’s boyfriend blew their rent money. With one woman unemployed and the other barely working, they’ll be homeless unless they can scrape $1500 dollars together by 6 p.m. Donating blood, harvesting pricey sneakers from an electrified power line and seeking to borrow from sharky storefront lenders, are among the strategies the friends employ. The result of Columbia Pictures’ mission to foster minority projects, the film marks director Lawrence Lamont's feature debut from a screenplay by Syreeta Singleton. Also starring are Maude Apatow, Katt Williams and Joshua Neal. The film’s adult-oriented content is part of Sony’s effort to resurrect a once lucrative genre—the R-rated comedy. (Lisa Miller)
Sing Sing
(In Theaters Jan. 17)
Mirroring actual events, writer-director Greg Kwedar documents the effects of a prison theatrical arts program. In upstate New York’s maximum-security Sing Sing, a handful of prisoners put on productions by and for the incarcerated. Colman Domingo portrays Divine G, a decades-long inmate, who, along with buddy Mike Mike (Sean San José), finds purpose in the endeavor. The pair see something special in aggressive Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin (playing himself), who is intrigued, but struggles with letting his guard down to fully tap into his creativity. Giving Clarence encouragement, Divine G becomes a friend and mentor. Among the theatrical challenges are the inmates’ need to maintain “good behavior” as a condition of receiving this privilege. The script’s authentic characters are highly praised, as is the film’s perspective on its unusual milieu. (Lisa Miller)
Wolf Man
(In Theaters Jan. 17)
After Blake (Christopher Abbott) inherits an Oregon home in the remote wilderness, he and wife Charlotte (Julia Garner), along with daughter Ginger (Matlida Firth), pack up their SUV and head there for family time. Upon arrival, Blake is bitten by a strange beast. The family locks themselves inside the home where Blake quickly deteriorates during a ghoulish transformation. While waiting for help to arrive, Charlotte wrestles with unthinkable choices. Director Leigh Whannell was inspired by David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of The Fly, stating the film treated Jeff Goldblume’s transformation like an unstoppable disease. It also relied heavily on practical make up effects, a fit for Wolf Man’s $7-million-dollar shoestring budget. Using practical effects allows Whannell to create a monster that remains recognizable as a husband and father. Tense pacing and the spooky location complete the director’s vision. (Lisa Miller)