Tuesday, April 29, 2008

SF Notes: Sight & Sound, Mar 2008

Soul Food movies?

Report on Sundance by Tom Charity; "The high-profile disappointments came thick and fast: Mark Pellington's egregious HENRY POOLE IS HERE found God in a waterstain...."

Other films of interest

Report on Sundance by Tom Charity; "Jonathan Levine's THE WACKNESS is a superior example...of the quirky, dysfunctional family/coming-of-age comedy with which Sundance has become synonymous.... Two dramatic competition entries stood out in sharp relief from the rest. BALLAST and SUGAR both draw inspiration from European realist cinema - the Dardennes and Ken Loach - to focus on marginalised figures coping with the prospect of continued poverty and struggle. SUGAR is no more a conventional sports movie than HALF NELSON was a typical tribute to an inspirational teacher. Young Dominican hopeful Miguel Santo is brought to the US for a tryout with the (fictional) Kansas City Knights, an induction that involves a spell in the minor leagues in rural Iowa. Even tempo and quiet observational style... BALLAST is even better. Explores the after-effects of the death of a storekeeper on his twin brother, who ran the store with him, his estranged wife and teenage son. The movie is constantly unexpected, starting with its pared-down dialogue and tight, Bressonian performance.... "


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