Ballast

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a man (Michael J. Smith Sr.) loses his brother to suicide, the teenage boy who has been robbing him for drug money (JimMyron Ross) moves in next door, and their relationship grows in new and unexpected ways.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Michael J. Smith Sr., JimMyron Ross, Tarra Riggs, Johnny McPhail

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. To the sophisticated movie goer this methodical and subtle arthouse film will be seen as a rare gem. But it's not for the short of attention span or those who don't have the patience to chip all the carbon off a diamond in the rough.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Only if you're incredibly sick and twisted. And I mean in that serial killer way.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Maybe afterwards, when you go home and think about how messed up life is for poor people in this country... And, not to be a downer, but the way things are going, we'll probably all be living like these folks soon enough, so it might do you good to see this film so as to mentally prepare yourself for what's to come.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: At Sundance it won Directing and Cinematography, and was nominated for the Grand Jury Award.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: This group of non-professionals brings an authenticity that is often missing from professional actors' performance. There is no glitz, no glamor, just a few meaningless people saying so much, with so little.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Blatantly independent, but really interesting. Little, subtle, visual touches all throughout, make this teency-tiny little film a shining example of how to tell stories without using words.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Itttttt iiiiiiiis reallllllllllly sllllllllllowwwww pppppppaced. And don't expect a self-explanatory ending. You will need to think about what the ending means, or if it means anything at all.

Back To Top

Charlie Bartlett

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After getting kicked out of every private school in town, Charlie Bartlett is forced to go to public school, where he tries to gain popularity by doling out therapeutic advice and perscription meds to the other kids.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, Kat Dennings, Tyler Hilton, Mark Rendall, Megan Park

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. While it comes close to being a modern day Ferris Bueller, the main character only has half the charisma and the story only has a fourth of the heart.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A:The other people in the theater laughed more than I did. There were two or three really good lines.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A:If it does, you have Robert Downey Jr. and his mind blowing acting to thank.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It would be a good candidate for a Clio (advertising) Award, because it does a great job of conveying the message that prescription Ritalin is fun for all ages. I might even go so far as to speculate that they paid for product placement... Oh, and did you know that it makes high school girls take their tops off?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Robert Downey Jr. is amazing and complex in a role that lesser actors would have phoned in. Kat Dennings is so real looking and acting that you sometimes forget she's an actress. Anton Yelchin has some good scenes and some great moments, but at times there is a depth lacking in his eyes.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Jon Poll's directorial debut is at once commercial and arthouse, seemlessly walking the line between creativity and mainstream accessibility.

Q: How is the story/script?

A:This was a very hot script when it went to market. Gustin Nash's writing became the standard for what a teen movie should read like (until Diablo Cody of Juno-fame dethroned him this year). I have read the script and seen the movie, and while I give him credit for writing characters that may feel real to today's kids, the heart is missing from this story. I was never bored, but I never felt completely engaged either.

Back To Top