SARCASTIGATE. » 2009 http://www.sarcastigate.com Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:14:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 Sarcastigate at the Movies: Ballast http://www.sarcastigate.com/2009/12/01/sarcastigate-at-the-movies-ballast/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.sarcastigate.com/2009/12/01/sarcastigate-at-the-movies-ballast/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:34:12 +0000 Robert http://www.sarcastigate.com/?p=1056 ballast03[1]

This one has me conflicted.  It’s beautiful.  It’s stark.  It’s well acted by a cast of Alabama locals that basically improvised the script.  The hand-held cameras do an unbelievable job of masking how much work must have gone into every shot.  It’s sad.  It’s so sad that it hits me RIGHT THERE.

Add up all of those and you’ll get a movie that I’ll love.  A movie that I’ll rave about and tell you to watch.  A movie I’ll sit through again just because the Blu-Ray copy looks so DAMN good for an indie film.

And then I’ll tell you that I won’t recommend this movie to you.  That I found myself just a little too bored for too much of this film.  Curious of where it was going but finding myself uncaring about where it could have ended up.  I didn’t predict any endings.  I didn’t call out any characters as “changed” or “fixed” or “better.”  I just watched it.  And it ended.  And that was that.  I went about my day much like the characters must have.  And therein lies the problem: it was just too much like real life.  Sure, Ebert loved it.  Sure, critics raved about it.  Sure, it wasn’t at all about MY life…  but it was about real life and the way we all spend so much time finding ways to struggle.  And, in the end, it was so beautiful, and so sad, and so “life-like” that I just wanted to get back to life.  Take from that what you will.

Ballast, 2009

5/10 (but as close to a perfect 5/10 as you will ever find.)

-------------- This post originally appeared on the authors site: www.sarcastigate.com, natch. ]]> http://www.sarcastigate.com/2009/12/01/sarcastigate-at-the-movies-ballast/feed/ 0 Sarcastigate at the Movies: Sugar http://www.sarcastigate.com/2009/08/10/sarcastigate-at-the-movies-sugar/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.sarcastigate.com/2009/08/10/sarcastigate-at-the-movies-sugar/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:46:04 +0000 Robert http://www.sarcastigate.com/?p=1005 sugar_iw1

Probably one of the best movies I have seen so far this year.  Yes, it’s about baseball.  No, that doesn’t make it any less beautiful, touching or genuine.  It’s shot really well by the pair that made Half Nelson.  It has a breakout performance from a former dominican baseball player that has never acted before.  It was a summer night well spent.

It even gets bonus points for making you think the emotional climax was going to be a montage with the Buckley cover of Hallelujah.  I laughed when it flipped it on me.

Rating: 9.5/10

-------------- This post originally appeared on the authors site: www.sarcastigate.com, natch. ]]> http://www.sarcastigate.com/2009/08/10/sarcastigate-at-the-movies-sugar/feed/ 0 Sarcastigate at The Movies: The Girlfriend Experience http://www.sarcastigate.com/2009/05/12/sarcastigate-at-the-movies-the-girlfriend-experience/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://www.sarcastigate.com/2009/05/12/sarcastigate-at-the-movies-the-girlfriend-experience/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 02:30:54 +0000 Robert http://www.sarcastigate.com/?p=980 2009_the_girlfriend_experience_0041

Soderbergh > Soderbergh

Economy Allegory > Economy Apathy

Freedom Tickler > The Moldy Peaches

Grey > Blue

Rating: 9.2/10

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