Sugar - Movie Review

Sugar (R) 120 minutes B
A Baseball Story As American As French Toast

Starring Algenis Pérez Soto, Rayniel Rufino, Andre Holland, Michael Gaston, Jaime Tirelli, José Rijo, Ann Whitney, and Richard Bull

Growing up in a small poverty stricken village outside San Pedro de Macorís, Migel "Sugar" Santos seemed destined for baseball super stardom. At 19 years old he was called up from the Dominican Republic baseball academy (a Kansas City Royals affiliated baseball training camp) to pro baseball's minor league farm system. This was a huge step towards achieving his dream of playing in the major leagues and rescuing his family from destitution.

In the minors Sugar lands in Iowa to pitch for the Bridgetown Swing. He's a stranger in a strange land and the competition is fierce. At first he holds his own but as he adapts to American culture he can't seem to adapt to a pitching slump that makes him question himself and ultimately his life.

It all sounds so serious... and it is, but Sugar is a delicately made film full of introspection and questions. From the directing team of Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson - a film I highly recommend) they have succeeded once again in making a smart and engaging film. Some critics are calling this one of the best baseball films ever made; I'm not so sure, but it's definitely worth checking out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bonus DVD Review
Black Snake Moan (R) 115 minutes B-
Christina Ricci's sexiest film since (Woody Allen's) Anything Else

DVD Release Date - June 26, 2007
Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake, S. Epatha Merkerson, John Cothran Jr., David Banner, Michael Raymond-James, and Adriane Lenox

Back in the late 90's I had a celebrity crush on Christina Ricci, I've long since outgrown that crush but she's still very sexy. Never is this more evident than her portrayal of a troubled young woman named Rae. Rae is haunted by sexual, mental and physical abuse of her past, yet she seems less like a victim and more like a nymphomaniac. Leave it up to a hard livin bluesman (Samuel L. Jackson) to tie her down and tame her black snake moan.

This one is not for everyone but it had just enough weird sexual energy and savvy words ("just because I'm f*cked up doesn't mean I can't love you") to do it for me.