Knuckleball (2018 film)

Last updated
Knuckleball
Knuckleball (2018) Film Poster.jpg
Directed byMichael Peterson
Written byKevin Cockle
Michael Peterson
Jordan Scott (story editor)
Produced byJulian Black Antelope
Kurtis David Harder
Lars Lehmann
Michael Peterson
Laurie Venning
Starring
CinematographyJon Thomas
Edited byRob Grant
Glenn Sakatch
Music byDavid Arcus
Michelle Osis
Production
company
775 Media Corp
Distributed by Freestyle Digital Media
Front Row Filmed Entertainment
Release date
Running time
89 minutes
Country Canada
Language English

Knuckleball is a 2018 Canadian thriller film written, directed and co-produced by Michael Peterson. The movie was released on March 3, 2018, at the Cinequest Film & VR Festival.

Contents

Premise

Henry, a 12-year-old boy, discovers his family's dark legacy when his mysterious grandfather suddenly dies leaving him alone on an isolated farm.

Cast

Release

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Knuckleball has an approval rating of 83% based on 24 reviews. [1] On Metacritic, another review aggregator which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [2] Brad Wheeler from The Globe and Mail gave the movie 3 out of 4 starts, writing: "The Canadian-made creep-fest begins laboriously as co-writer/director Michael Peterson figures out how to rid the plot of any phones. (Every thrill-maker filmmaker has to deal with that pesky issue, but Peterson’s methods are slower than a Macaulay Culkin growth-spurt.) Otherwise, Knuckleball does not flutter" [3]

Dennis Harvey, writing for Variety , stated: "Michael Peterson effectively earns suspension of disbelief with stark atmospherics, solid performances and a persuasive escalation of panic." [4] Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times called Knuckleball "effective" and said: "This is a tautly constructed exercise in suspense, set among striking-looking snowbound fields and farmhouses. It’s a vivid slice-of-life, even before the literal slicing begins." [5]

Accolades

Knuckleball won the 2019 AMPIA Awards in the category of "Best Screenwriter (Drama over 30 minutes)" [6] and was nominated for the same award in the categories of "Best Dramatic Feature" and "Best Director (Drama over 30 minutes)" [7]

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References

  1. "Knuckleball". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on 2019-05-23. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  2. "Knuckleball (2018)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  3. Wheeler, Brad. "Review: Knuckleball is lean, mean and eerie". The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  4. Harvey, Dennis. "Film Review: 'Knuckleball'". Variety. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  5. Murray, Noel. "Review: Slow to take flight, thriller 'Knuckleball' proves effective". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  6. "The 2019Alberta Film and Television Awards Winners" (PDF). ampia.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  7. "The 2019Alberta Film and Television Awards Finalists" (PDF). ampia.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.