Issue 24: Sing Sing
Currently on G, Ke, AI, and Key Lime.
📝 Reviewing: Sing Sing (2024)
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
In 2017, I went through a broken engagement, got a DUI, and turned 30 surrounded by people I didn’t care to be surrounded by. It was then that I made the conscious decision to audit my circle and find an environment of creative, inspiring, and motivating people.
I achieved this by injecting myself into the Denver art community, going to as many art shows as possible, meeting local artists, and reinventing myself by answering the question, “Are you an artist?” with “Yes.” What I learned is that when you pretend to be the person you want to be, eventually you don’t have to pretend anymore. That audit, reinvention, and act of courage resulted in a personal journey of discovery, acceptance, expression, and healing.
This brings me to the upcoming film, Sing Sing, which is based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at the Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison in New York. The film stars recent Oscar-winner Colman Domingo as Divine G, a man wrongfully imprisoned, who finds purpose through participating in a theater group with other incarcerated men. The group overcomes struggle and tragedy, banding together to perform an original production. The result is a performance that showcases the transformative power of art and resilience, offering them a chance to feel human again, even in inhumane conditions.
The biggest surprise is that the cast is primarily comprised of real-life formerly incarcerated actors. Knowing these actors were real alumni of the rehab program was already touching, but seeing the end-credits clips of their original performances from the program was utterly heartwarming. Art is important. Art is empowering. Art is healing. Sing Sing opens in wide release on August 9th.
🎧 Listening To: Armchair Expert with Ke Huy Quan
To this day, I'm very grateful to the American government at that time who allowed us into this country. And everything that's happened since.
My favorite event of the year is going to the Sie FilmCenter to watch the Oscars streamed on the big screen in a theater full of other film nuts like me. There are always oohs, aahs, cheers, and jeers. But in 2023, it was a theater full of sobbing viewers as Ke Huy Quan delivered his acceptance speech for his Best Supporting Actor role in Everything Everywhere All At Once.
If you aren’t familiar with Ke’s story, he fled Vietnam with his family at the age of seven, settled in a Hong Kong refugee camp, and then immigrated to the United States. He found early success in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies at a young age before experiencing a long gap in his acting career.
In a recent episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Quan talks about struggling to find his identity, his determination to rediscover success in the industry, and the importance of representation and diversity in Hollywood. This episode of Armchair Expert is available to stream on Spotify.
📺 Watching: Inside Mark Zuckerberg's AI Era
A core part of our philosophy is we don’t believe there’s going to be one AI to rule them all. Our vision is that there’s going to be millions or billions of models out there.
There’s no denying that AI is dramatically shaping how people work and communicate, now and in the future. Recently, Mark Zuckerberg sat down with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang to discuss Meta’s shift in focus from the metaverse to AI, the importance of open-source AI models, and his personal evolution as a husband and father while leading a trillion-dollar company. Inside Mark Zuckerberg's AI Era is available to watch on YouTube.
👷♂️ Working On: Key Lime
It's worth a shot, for the smoothie.
An issue hasn’t hit your inbox in a while because I’M WORKING ON A MOVIE! Written, directed, and starring my pal Justin Heinz, Key Lime is about two bumbling yet well-meaning guys, Brett and Jared, who find themselves on a mission to help their friend, Roni, fulfill her dream of starting a smoothie business. While Roni’s passion ignites a spark in her friends, their venture turns when they stumble upon a tantalizing clue about the elusive recipe for the world-famous Mr. Lime Cereal. This secret ingredient could catapult their smoothies to legendary status.
Key Lime is an indie dark-comedy that reminds us that sometimes the most delicious victories come from the craziest adventures. We’re aiming for a local premiere in Denver later this year.
Thanks for being here.
— Justin