Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Don’t be fooled into thinking that the three years it has taken for Lance Hammer’s Sundance darling Ballast to hit our screens is any indication of its quality. This airy, quiet meditation on the struggle of three people to transcend abject poverty and unexpected loss will likely play as too dialled-down for many tastes, but persevering with it will reveal a rare, peculiar mystical quality, as well as an unexpectedly rather involving family drama.
Not really at all a typical tale of loss, this is a grim, moody look at the discontent mustered by a man, Lawrence (Michael J. Smith Jr.), trying to cope with the recent suicide of his identical twin, Darius. Following a botched suicide attempt of his own, he reconnects with Darius’ estranged partner, Marlee (Tarra Riggs), and her son, Lawrence’s nephew, James (JimMyron Ross), as the three of them...
Don’t be fooled into thinking that the three years it has taken for Lance Hammer’s Sundance darling Ballast to hit our screens is any indication of its quality. This airy, quiet meditation on the struggle of three people to transcend abject poverty and unexpected loss will likely play as too dialled-down for many tastes, but persevering with it will reveal a rare, peculiar mystical quality, as well as an unexpectedly rather involving family drama.
Not really at all a typical tale of loss, this is a grim, moody look at the discontent mustered by a man, Lawrence (Michael J. Smith Jr.), trying to cope with the recent suicide of his identical twin, Darius. Following a botched suicide attempt of his own, he reconnects with Darius’ estranged partner, Marlee (Tarra Riggs), and her son, Lawrence’s nephew, James (JimMyron Ross), as the three of them...
- 3/20/2011
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
Submarine (15)
(Richard Ayoade, 2010, UK/Us) Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Noah Taylor. 97 mins
Ayoade evidently did his homework before stepping behind the camera, swotting up on everything from the French New Wave to The Graduate to Wes Anderson, but the result is a fresh and distinctly British-flavoured coming-of-ager, full of provincial frustrations and recognisable types. The story takes few risks – an intelligent Welsh schoolkid's quest for self-definition and sexual adventure – but Submarine works hard to earn our affections with a mix of sincerity, energy and impeccable comic timing.
You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (12A)
(Woody Allen, 2010, UK/Us) Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Gemma Jones. 98 mins
The ever-scrappier Allen observes life's frivolities with a bemused but cheerless eye in a London comedy whose great cast compensates for the fatalistic outlook.
Route Irish (15)
(Ken Loach, 2010, UK/Fra/Ita/Bel/Spa) Mark Womack, Andrea Lowe, John Bishop. 109 mins
Loach considers the physical...
(Richard Ayoade, 2010, UK/Us) Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Noah Taylor. 97 mins
Ayoade evidently did his homework before stepping behind the camera, swotting up on everything from the French New Wave to The Graduate to Wes Anderson, but the result is a fresh and distinctly British-flavoured coming-of-ager, full of provincial frustrations and recognisable types. The story takes few risks – an intelligent Welsh schoolkid's quest for self-definition and sexual adventure – but Submarine works hard to earn our affections with a mix of sincerity, energy and impeccable comic timing.
You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (12A)
(Woody Allen, 2010, UK/Us) Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Gemma Jones. 98 mins
The ever-scrappier Allen observes life's frivolities with a bemused but cheerless eye in a London comedy whose great cast compensates for the fatalistic outlook.
Route Irish (15)
(Ken Loach, 2010, UK/Fra/Ita/Bel/Spa) Mark Womack, Andrea Lowe, John Bishop. 109 mins
Loach considers the physical...
- 3/19/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Ballast ***
Stars: Michael J. Smith, Tarra Riggs, JimMyron Ross | Written and Directed by Lance Hammer
Set in the bleak expanse of a Mississippi delta township, Ballast follows three individuals thrown together following the death of a family member.
Single mother Marlee (Tarra Riggs) is struggling to keep her head above water, working long hours at a dead-end job in order to keep her 12-year-old son James (JimMyron Ross) in school. James has other ideas and, largely left to his own devices, he turns to delinquency, eventually falling in with the wrong crowd who know an easy target when they see one. When Marlee’s ex-husband’s kill himself, they’re reunited with his twin-brother Lawrence (Michael J. Smith), who spends most of his time in nearly mute depression, but conflict arises when old wounds are reopened and unresolved issues rise to the surface.
Director Lance Hammer, in his debut, has...
Stars: Michael J. Smith, Tarra Riggs, JimMyron Ross | Written and Directed by Lance Hammer
Set in the bleak expanse of a Mississippi delta township, Ballast follows three individuals thrown together following the death of a family member.
Single mother Marlee (Tarra Riggs) is struggling to keep her head above water, working long hours at a dead-end job in order to keep her 12-year-old son James (JimMyron Ross) in school. James has other ideas and, largely left to his own devices, he turns to delinquency, eventually falling in with the wrong crowd who know an easy target when they see one. When Marlee’s ex-husband’s kill himself, they’re reunited with his twin-brother Lawrence (Michael J. Smith), who spends most of his time in nearly mute depression, but conflict arises when old wounds are reopened and unresolved issues rise to the surface.
Director Lance Hammer, in his debut, has...
- 3/17/2011
- by Jez Sands
- Nerdly
There's little point in attempting to figure why Lance Hammer's "Ballast," the best American film of 2008, was whisked in and out of so few theaters so quickly, in contrast even to minimalist imports and special-interest video docs in the same span, and despite universal critical hosannas. Good films get tossed by the wayside all the time, particularly in the contemporary state of distribution, but the good news is that movies never truly disappear anymore, they just tumble into the digital slipstream and become universally available.
Hammer's uneasy, seething, oblique sojourn to the wintry Mississippi midlands is surely the best American "art film" about African-American life since Julie Dash's "Daughters of the Dust," except it might also be the only such film in 25 years. But "Ballast" is also a piece of work that stands outside social context -- it's as specific as a scar and as approachable as a blues growl.
Hammer's uneasy, seething, oblique sojourn to the wintry Mississippi midlands is surely the best American "art film" about African-American life since Julie Dash's "Daughters of the Dust," except it might also be the only such film in 25 years. But "Ballast" is also a piece of work that stands outside social context -- it's as specific as a scar and as approachable as a blues growl.
- 11/10/2009
- by Michael Atkinson
- ifc.com
JimMyron Ross as James and Micheal J. Smith Sr. as Lawrence in Ballast
Photo: Alluvial Film Company Ballast is a film without a flaw and this is in large part due to the fact debut feature writer/director Lance Hammer doesn't allow for one. Hammer, serving as his own editor, has cut together one of the leanest films I have ever seen and he leaves very little fat as I can't imagine a single moment of screen time is wasted. This is a film without a score and if something is seen on screen it exists either to move the story along or evoke some level of emotion or understanding to the viewer. This may seem like an obvious decision on the part of the director, but you tell me the last time you saw a movie with as tight as this without any fluff to be mentioned. Set in a Mississippi Delta township,...
Photo: Alluvial Film Company Ballast is a film without a flaw and this is in large part due to the fact debut feature writer/director Lance Hammer doesn't allow for one. Hammer, serving as his own editor, has cut together one of the leanest films I have ever seen and he leaves very little fat as I can't imagine a single moment of screen time is wasted. This is a film without a score and if something is seen on screen it exists either to move the story along or evoke some level of emotion or understanding to the viewer. This may seem like an obvious decision on the part of the director, but you tell me the last time you saw a movie with as tight as this without any fluff to be mentioned. Set in a Mississippi Delta township,...
- 12/21/2008
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
- Ballast might have lead the total number of nominations, but it is Frozen River who picked up a pair, including Gotham Awards’ top prize. Really? If I were a betting man I’d have guessed right in two categories (Breakthrough Director and Actor), guessed half right in one (Best Ensemble) and would have terribly been wrong but pleasantly surprised with the Best Documentary going to Trouble the Water, and finally I’d would have been wrong on guessing Best Feature, and as you can guess, I’m perplexed on how Courtney Hunt’s border crossing drama faired a better chance in a category that was loaded in quality features. Best FEATUREBallast - Lance Hammer, director; Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh, producers (Alluvial Film Company)Frozen River - Courtney Hunt, director; Heather Rae, Chip Hourihan, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman, director; Anthony Bregman, Charlie Kaufman, Spike Jonze,
- 12/3/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
The Film Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced this morning by Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh and there is a three-way tie at the top of the pack as Ballast, Frozen River and Rachel Getting Married each received six nominations each. All three films will compete in the Best Feature, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Screenplay categories. Also competing for feature will be Wendy and Lucy and The Wrestler which received two and three nominations respectively. Milk scored four nominations. What does any of this mean in terms of Oscar? Well, one thing you will notice come this Thursday when I present my latest predictions will be that I have corrected my accidental snub of Melissa Leo in Frozen River as she should have been on the list already in the Best Actress category and she will most likely find herself in the top five. I think this confirms...
- 12/2/2008
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
By Stephen Saito
Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh braved the early call time this morning in Los Angeles to announce this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards. The awards will take place on February 21st, and will be broadcast live and uncut on IFC at 5pm Et/2pm PT. Here are the nominees:
Best Feature
"Ballast"
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
"Frozen River"
Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae
"Rachel Getting Married"
Producers: Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt
"Wendy and Lucy"
Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani
"The Wrestler"
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
Best Director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"
Best First Feature
"Afterschool"
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond
"Medicine for Melancholy"
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber
"Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell
"Sleep Dealer"
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman
"Synechdoce, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
"In Search of a Midnight Kiss"
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy
"Prince of Broadway"
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean
"The Signal"
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh
"Take Out"
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou
"Turn the River"
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong
Best First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"
Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Best Female Lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"
Best Male Lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best Supporting Female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Supporting Male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"
Best Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crowley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"
Best Documentary
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World"
Director: Werner Herzog
"Man on Wire"
Director: James Marsh
"The Order of Myths"
Director: Margaret Brown
"Up the Yangtze"
Director: Yung Chang
Best Foreign Film
"The Class" (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet
"Gomorrah" (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone
"Hunger" (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
"Synecdoche, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams
Someone to Watch Award
Barry Jenkins, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Nina Paley, "Sita Sings the Blues"
Lynn Shelton, "My Effortless Brilliance"
Truer Than Fiction Award
Margaret Brown, "The Order of Myths"
Sacha Gervasi, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
Darius Marder, "Loot"
Producers Award
Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"
Jason Orans, "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish"
Heather Rae, "Frozen River" and "Ibid"...
Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh braved the early call time this morning in Los Angeles to announce this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards. The awards will take place on February 21st, and will be broadcast live and uncut on IFC at 5pm Et/2pm PT. Here are the nominees:
Best Feature
"Ballast"
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
"Frozen River"
Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae
"Rachel Getting Married"
Producers: Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt
"Wendy and Lucy"
Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani
"The Wrestler"
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
Best Director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"
Best First Feature
"Afterschool"
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond
"Medicine for Melancholy"
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber
"Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell
"Sleep Dealer"
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman
"Synechdoce, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
"In Search of a Midnight Kiss"
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy
"Prince of Broadway"
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean
"The Signal"
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh
"Take Out"
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou
"Turn the River"
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong
Best First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"
Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Best Female Lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"
Best Male Lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best Supporting Female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Supporting Male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"
Best Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crowley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"
Best Documentary
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World"
Director: Werner Herzog
"Man on Wire"
Director: James Marsh
"The Order of Myths"
Director: Margaret Brown
"Up the Yangtze"
Director: Yung Chang
Best Foreign Film
"The Class" (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet
"Gomorrah" (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone
"Hunger" (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
"Synecdoche, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams
Someone to Watch Award
Barry Jenkins, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Nina Paley, "Sita Sings the Blues"
Lynn Shelton, "My Effortless Brilliance"
Truer Than Fiction Award
Margaret Brown, "The Order of Myths"
Sacha Gervasi, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
Darius Marder, "Loot"
Producers Award
Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"
Jason Orans, "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish"
Heather Rae, "Frozen River" and "Ibid"...
- 12/2/2008
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
With six nominations each, "Ballast," a drama about survival in the Mississippi Delta, "Frozen River," a portrait of two single moms on the Canadian border, and "Rachel Getting Married," the account of a dysfunctional family wedding, led the nominees for Film Independent's Spirit Awards, announced Tuesday morning.
All three films were nominated for best feature along "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler."
Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York," a twisty, M.C. Escher-like film, was singled out as the winner of the group's Robert Altman Award, give to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast. Kaufman will share the award with casting director Jeanne McCarthy and his actors Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams when the Spirit Awards are handed out Feb. 21.
"Synecdoche" also figure in the best first feature lineup, along with Antonio Campos' "Afterschool,...
All three films were nominated for best feature along "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler."
Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York," a twisty, M.C. Escher-like film, was singled out as the winner of the group's Robert Altman Award, give to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast. Kaufman will share the award with casting director Jeanne McCarthy and his actors Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams when the Spirit Awards are handed out Feb. 21.
"Synecdoche" also figure in the best first feature lineup, along with Antonio Campos' "Afterschool,...
- 12/2/2008
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Starring: Micheal J. Smith Sr., JimMyron Ross, Tarra Riggs, Johnny McPhail, Ventress Bonner. Director: Lance Hammer Release Date: October 2008 Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min. MPAA Rating: Not rated Distributors: Required Viewing, Seven Films “Ballast” may seem to be set in a place that welcomes turmoil and fragility. First glance at director Lance Hammer’s directorial debut and you may believe that his film takes place in a world that has gone astray. Sunny days don’t exist. Marshlands overtake fresh green grass. Broken down cars remained parked, never to be driven again. This is the Mississippi Delta, a vast, barren and vacuous land that only hinders good deeds. Signs of life can be found, but those lives are usually severed due to the lack of decency found in the lonely Delta. This little town inhabits a fragile, suicidal black man named Laurence, his struggling and financially strapped sister-in-law Marlee and her...
- 11/21/2008
- The Movie Fanatic
Ballast Directed by: Lance Hammer Cast: Michael J. Smith Sr., JimMyron Ross, Tarra Riggs Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins Rating: Not rated Plot: A man's sudden suicide affects the lives of the three people whom considered him a brother, husband, and an uncle. (For those who don't know, "ballast" is defined as dead weight that provides a certain degree of steadiness). Who’s It For? The dramatic film's pacing, abrupt editing, lack of soundtrack and general emptiness cater to the art-house crowd. Like other independent films, Ballast demands its viewers' patience and requires the watcher to voluntarily want to explore its subtexts. Expectations: Ballast had a lot of buzz at the Chicago International Film Festival. On top of that, it has already won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival, and is up for four nominations at the Gotham Independent Film Awards ... so yes, I was exicted.
- 10/31/2008
- The Scorecard Review
On Monday, October 20, Ifp has announced the contenders for the 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and Lance Hammer-directed drama "Ballast" has dominated the nomination list, taking in 4 separate nods. The movie, which has won the 2008 Sundance Film Festival's Dramatic Directing Award for Hammer, is nominated for Best Feature, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor and Best Ensemble Performance.
In the category of Best Feature, "Ballast" will be up against Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River", Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York", Thomas McCarthy's "The Visitor" and Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler". Meanwhile, for the Best Ensemble Performance category, the film's cast that include Micheal J. Smith Sr. will be competing with "Rachel Getting Married" ensemble led by Anne Hathaway, "Synecdoche" cast led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" ensemble, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, and "Visitor" cast led by Richard Jenkins.
Though garnering the most gongs for the 2008 Gotham Awards,...
In the category of Best Feature, "Ballast" will be up against Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River", Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York", Thomas McCarthy's "The Visitor" and Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler". Meanwhile, for the Best Ensemble Performance category, the film's cast that include Micheal J. Smith Sr. will be competing with "Rachel Getting Married" ensemble led by Anne Hathaway, "Synecdoche" cast led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" ensemble, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, and "Visitor" cast led by Richard Jenkins.
Though garnering the most gongs for the 2008 Gotham Awards,...
- 10/21/2008
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
- The Ifp announced the nominees for the 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and not surprisingly, it is Lance Hammer’s Ballast that came out on top with four noms: Best Feature, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor and Best Ensemble Performance. Hammer’s eloquent rendering of a fractured family tree is such a solid film that we can expect a repeat pattern in nominations for the Indie Spirit Awards. While nominations in many of the categories hold up well (Best Ensemble and both Breakthrough categories), it is the Best Feature category’s exclusion of Antonio Campos’ Afterschool and Ramin Bahrani’s Chop Shop and the inclusion of The Visitor and Frozen River that makes me wonder if the four person nominating committee had a different mandate for their selection process. While McCarthy’s film certainly has a collection of strong moments and Frozen River counts on a fine white-trash perf from Leo,
- 10/20/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
An austere and grim portrait of a dysfunctional family in rural Mississippi, "Ballast" sounds like one of those snoozers for which the Sundance Film Festival is famous.
But while this challenging drama - which won the top prize at this year's Sundance - will never cross over to multiplex audiences, it's impossible to write off Lance Hammer's directing debut as navel-gazing pretentiousness - or, worse, a white director portraying black characters in a condescending manner.
Achieving an impressive level of performance from nonprofessional actors, Hammer opens with a neighbor discovering the heavyset Lawrence (Micheal J.
But while this challenging drama - which won the top prize at this year's Sundance - will never cross over to multiplex audiences, it's impossible to write off Lance Hammer's directing debut as navel-gazing pretentiousness - or, worse, a white director portraying black characters in a condescending manner.
Achieving an impressive level of performance from nonprofessional actors, Hammer opens with a neighbor discovering the heavyset Lawrence (Micheal J.
- 10/1/2008
- by By LOU LUMENICK
- NYPost.com
- Every now and then a film comes along and gets at a certain universal truth in an obscure time and place. The Mississippi Delta isn’t really what comes to mind when picturing the mid-west: it’s dreary, rainy and the racial clash is extremely tight. But Lance Hammer’s directorial debut manages achieve a level of humanity that’s both touching and warm. It’s easy for films to be overly comic or dramatic, but films that get at the truth of human existence are rare. Ballast was filmed throughout the Mississippi Delta utilizing non-actors and natural light. The film was picked up after smashing reviews from Sundance by IFC. But recently Hammer bought his film back and is distributing it himself. The film is about the effect of suicide on an already broken family and how a mother, son and uncle all come together under extreme circumstances.
- 9/30/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
By Neil Pedley
At the multiplex this week, we have some pre-Halloween gothic fancy, films about the two things guaranteed to start a fight in any elevator . religion and politics . and a little music from Nick and Norah and Jonathan Demme's infinite playlists.
"Allah Made Me Funny"
When Albert Brooks went looking for comedy in the Muslim world, he perhaps didn't consider that it was alive and well inside our shores. Filmmaker Andrea Kalin picked up her camera and hit the road with Muslim American stand-up comics Azhar Usman, Mo Amer and Preacher Moss, who started the tour in 2004 to combat the negative stereotypes associated with their faith by sharing their unique brand of humor. The film intersperses their routines with personal vignettes that show how the comedians employ laughter as a tool of information to entertain, to educate and to show that a good mother-in-law gag simply knows no boundaries.
At the multiplex this week, we have some pre-Halloween gothic fancy, films about the two things guaranteed to start a fight in any elevator . religion and politics . and a little music from Nick and Norah and Jonathan Demme's infinite playlists.
"Allah Made Me Funny"
When Albert Brooks went looking for comedy in the Muslim world, he perhaps didn't consider that it was alive and well inside our shores. Filmmaker Andrea Kalin picked up her camera and hit the road with Muslim American stand-up comics Azhar Usman, Mo Amer and Preacher Moss, who started the tour in 2004 to combat the negative stereotypes associated with their faith by sharing their unique brand of humor. The film intersperses their routines with personal vignettes that show how the comedians employ laughter as a tool of information to entertain, to educate and to show that a good mother-in-law gag simply knows no boundaries.
- 9/29/2008
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
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