j&j2
05-16-2007, 02:33 PM
WWII internment fuels 'Pastime'
A moving, heartfelt drama, "American Pastime" uses the iconic sport of baseball (and to a lesser extent, jazz) to illustrate both the frustration and humiliation experienced by Japanese Americans during their internment in World War II, as well as an expression of their patriotism and heroism.
Set at Topaz Relocation Center near Abraham, Utah, the film focuses on two families on opposite sides of the fence dealing with the sacrifices and prejudices triggered by the war effort.
Director Desmond Nakano, who co-wrote the script with Tony Kayden, does a fine job in evoking the events and era and in guiding his actors through emotion-filled scenes. However, much of the plot revolving around a climactic baseball game is trite and detracts from the overall drama.
Gary Cole stars as a camp guard and over-the-hill minor league catcher who still nurses autumnal hopes of a wartime call-up by the New York Yankees. Young Aaron Yoo, as a sax-blowing diamond prodigy, and Sarah Drew, as Cole's daughter, are charming in their star-crossed lovers' romance.
— Kevin Crust
"American Pastime." MPAA rating: Unrated. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes. Exclusively at Laemmle's Grande, 345 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A.
http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-capsules11may11,0,4058821.story
A moving, heartfelt drama, "American Pastime" uses the iconic sport of baseball (and to a lesser extent, jazz) to illustrate both the frustration and humiliation experienced by Japanese Americans during their internment in World War II, as well as an expression of their patriotism and heroism.
Set at Topaz Relocation Center near Abraham, Utah, the film focuses on two families on opposite sides of the fence dealing with the sacrifices and prejudices triggered by the war effort.
Director Desmond Nakano, who co-wrote the script with Tony Kayden, does a fine job in evoking the events and era and in guiding his actors through emotion-filled scenes. However, much of the plot revolving around a climactic baseball game is trite and detracts from the overall drama.
Gary Cole stars as a camp guard and over-the-hill minor league catcher who still nurses autumnal hopes of a wartime call-up by the New York Yankees. Young Aaron Yoo, as a sax-blowing diamond prodigy, and Sarah Drew, as Cole's daughter, are charming in their star-crossed lovers' romance.
— Kevin Crust
"American Pastime." MPAA rating: Unrated. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes. Exclusively at Laemmle's Grande, 345 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A.
http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-capsules11may11,0,4058821.story