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Fraülein.
GreenCine Daily —
... in Slant. "Like the upcoming Ballast, Fraulein almost entirely shuns backstory, coloring around the lives of its characters with ostentatious style (in this case, fuzzy-wuzzy visual vibes and music tailored to each character's generation) and hoping audiences won't mind filling in the blanks." ...
El Guapo's 2008 October Preview!!
Latino Review —
... porno to try and pay their bills. I know a ton of people will go and see this, and I'm sure there are some really funny scenes, but Kevin Smith to me is a one trick pony so I'm not going to rush right out to see this one unless I have to. So is that it, because this took me forever to do. Son of a bitch, there's more????? These other films are also hitting theaters in October. Click each poster to check out their official website (if available). [image] [image] [image] [image] October 10th [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] ...
Ballast.
GreenCine Daily —
"There isn't much talk and not a drop of cynicism in Ballast, Lance Hammer's austerely elegant, emotionally unadorned riff on life and death in the Mississippi Delta," writes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times. "Shot with a sure hand and a cast of unknowns, the film doesn't so much tell a story as develop a tone and root around a place that, despite the intimate camerawork, remains shrouded in ambiguity. Mr Hammer puts in the time, but never asserts that he knows this world and his black characters from the inside out, a wise ...
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Oct. 3
Cinematical —
... life and death among the lower classes on the Mississippi Delta. What they're saying: Cinematical's James Rocchi praised the film at Sundance (and interviewed the writer/director, Lance Hammer, here). At Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of the critics agree with The Rocch. It won prizes for its directing and cinematography at Sundance, too. Where it's playing: New York City (Film Forum). More info: The official site says it will expand to "select cities" in two weeks. ...
Lance Hammer: "Achieving Truth"
GreenCine —
... films. His feature film debut as a writer and director might be seen as an aesthetic laying down of a gauntlet: art thrives best when developed far from any Hollywood departments. Written, cast, set and shot in a wintery Mississippi Delta locale, Ballast emerged from its premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival with top awards for Hammer's direction and ...
Interview. Lance Hammer.
GreenCine Daily —
... films. His feature film debut as a writer and director might be seen as an aesthetic laying down of a gauntlet: art thrives best when developed far from any Hollywood departments. Written, cast, set and shot in a wintery Mississippi Delta locale, Ballast emerged from its premiere at the 2008 ...
LANCE HAMMER BLOGS BALLAST
Filmmaker Magazine —
[image] In addition to making a great film (and shouldn't that be enough?), Ballast director Lance Hammer has energized the growing DIY distribution community by turning down an industry deal and releasing his Sundance-winning feature himself. But it's one thing for all of us to applaud what Hammer has done; it's another to support him -- and the filmmakers who follow in his wake -- by going out and seeing his film. It's a great movie, and if you live in New York and haven't seen it, I recommend heading down to the Film Forum this weekend. Below is the first of several blog posts Hammer ...
HND@Grassroots: Season 2, Episode 4 (22), "A Whiff of Whiteness"
The House Next Door —
... Our first episode sans both John and Vadim (don't fret THE FUTURIST! and friends, they'll be back next round) features House contributors Steven Boone and Lauren Wissot on the weighty subject of Ballast and the nutritive effects of ...
BALLAST—The SF360 Interview With Lance Hammer
The Evening Class —
... Lance Hammer's debut feature, Ballast—now playing in San Francisco—premiered at January's Sundance Film Festival to resounding critical fanfare, winning prizes for best director and cinematography. It followed with awards in Buenos Aires, Boston and the 51st San Francisco International Film Festival, where I had the opportunity to sit down with producer-director-writer Lance Hammer to discuss the film's impressive structure. Since our conversation, Hammer's film has been navigating the hazardous waters of distribution and has—as Anthony ...
Taking It Home: Ballast
Getafilm —
... There's something that concerns me about the reaction to Ballast, however, and it has to do with the praise I just awarded it. At the screening I attended, a majority of the questions for Lance Hammer were in regard to the aesthetics of the film, or to his screenwriting process, or to the experience of the actors involved. In other words, it seemed few people were interested in the story or the themes or the lesson (if there is an identifiable one) or even the history of the Delta. Granted, I saw it at the Walker Art Center so the ...
Film Fan Fridays for Friday November 21, 2008
Movie Moxie —
... Screening Cubers Documentary on the World Rubik's Cube Championship Saturday November 23, 2008 at 3pm at The Royal in Toronto, Ontario, Canada See trailer on the Official Film Site Friday November 21, 2008 Releases Ballast Writer/Dir: Lance Hammer - feature film directorial debut Cast: JimMyron Ross, Michael J. Smith Sr., Tarra Riggs, USA Limited Release Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer Spoiler free until halfway point Bolt ...
Spirit Awards. Nominations.
GreenCine Daily —
"Ballast, Frozen River and Rachel Getting Married led the field with six nominations each at the 2009 Film Independent's 24th Annual Spirit Awards," report Erin Maxwell and Michael Jones for Variety. "All three are in the running for best feature, best director and best female lead for actresses Anne Hathaway, Melissa Leo and Tarra Riggs."
Here's the full list; the awards ceremony's set for February 21, 2009, three days before Oscar Night. ...
2008 Gotham Awards & 2009 Spirit Nominations Announced
The Screengrab —
... A Theater Near You, taken by Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues. But, even better, Oscar's laid-back, pot-smoking kid sister, the Spirit Awards, announced nominations for the ceremony that will take place live on the IFC Channel at 5PM EST on February 21st, 2009 (and will hopefully not have Rainn Wilson as host again). Mmm...plaudits! THE 2009 SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS
Best Feature
"Ballast" Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
"Frozen ...
Ballast (2008)
Film Intuition: The Trailer & Photo Gallery —
Visit the Official Website Theatrical Trailer Text Copyright © 2008, Film Intuition. All Rights ...
Review: Ballast
Row Three —
... trivial scenes. Hammer has edited the film into a lean 96 minutes in which every minute builds the character and story. Though only a blip in the release schedule, a film that came and went with little fanfare, I have no doubt that Ballast will one day be looked at as a masterpiece; a film rich in texture and emotion, a slice of life that transcends its characters, place and time to speak volumes about the human condition. Click “play” to see the trailer: Links: IMDb profile Official Site Flixster Profile for Ballast Interview with Lance Hammer ...
