And the story continues... The 2012 72-min documentary Ballplayer: Pelotero, directed by Guagua Productions (Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin & Jon Paley) and narrated by John Leguizamo, is set in the Dominican Republican, where some kids begin baseball training at a young age, in hopes that they make it to the big leagues and aid their families back home, where poverty is commonplace. A 2012 S&A year-end highlight, the feature doc is a revealing portrait of a side to the business of baseball that may seem like relatively inconsequential business as usual for the average fan here in the USA, but is a matter or survival for those really young men (16-year-olds) who dream of...
- 3/18/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Cine Latino covers, well, all things relating to Latino culture and the movies, every Friday. Dominicans are consistently overrepresented in the Major Leagues, and for the first time a compelling documentary captures the world of Major League Baseball training camps in the tiny island of the Dominican Republic. Ballplayer: Pelotero director's Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin and Jonathan Paley set out to answer what they thought would be a simple question: "Why are Dominicans so good at baseball?" But they soon realized that their simple question had a very complex answer that had to do more with a highly nuanced system struggling with its own identity. "The Dominican system is one of stark contradictions. It’s institutionalized yet independent...
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- 7/21/2012
- by Elisa Osegueda
- Movies.com
Searching For Sugar: New Baseball Doc Fails as Expose
There’s definitely nothing revolutionary about Ballplayer: Pelotero, the new documentary concerning the baseball industry in the Dominican Republic, detailing two stories that are meant to be representational for many young men growing up in a place that produces a fifth of all Us players in Major League Baseball (and in a nation 2% the size of the Us). It’s not hard to imagine that researching such skewed statistics unveils a bureaucratic machine that runs on blackmail, an unfair class system, and dirty money. What’s uncovered here is hardly shocking, provoking, or even gritty, and instead simply provides an exclusive look at an exploitative dynamic providing Americans with one of their many taken for granted entertainments. Three directors, Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin, and Jon Paley all take credit for this venture. John Leguizamo narrates.
Ballplayer: Pelotero follows two young...
There’s definitely nothing revolutionary about Ballplayer: Pelotero, the new documentary concerning the baseball industry in the Dominican Republic, detailing two stories that are meant to be representational for many young men growing up in a place that produces a fifth of all Us players in Major League Baseball (and in a nation 2% the size of the Us). It’s not hard to imagine that researching such skewed statistics unveils a bureaucratic machine that runs on blackmail, an unfair class system, and dirty money. What’s uncovered here is hardly shocking, provoking, or even gritty, and instead simply provides an exclusive look at an exploitative dynamic providing Americans with one of their many taken for granted entertainments. Three directors, Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin, and Jon Paley all take credit for this venture. John Leguizamo narrates.
Ballplayer: Pelotero follows two young...
- 7/12/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Scheduled for release this Friday, July 13, 2012, both theatrical and VOD, courtesy of Strand Releasing, is Ballplayer: Pelotero - a documentary film that provides a gritty and never before seen look inside the world of Major League Baseball (Mlb) training camps in the Dominican Republic. John Leguizamo narrates the tale, under the direction of Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin and Jon Paley; Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine executive produced. Ballplayer: Pelotero was an official selection of the Hamptons International Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival,...
- 7/10/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Title: Pelotero: Ballplayer Directors: Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin, Jon Paley Sports as a tool for upward social mobility is of course nothing new — in generations past, boxing was a big way out of miserable poverty, and followed in short order by baseball, football and basketball. As the world has grown smaller, however, enterprising clubs in various sports, seeking to better compete, have turned their attention abroad, with an eye on harvesting fresh young talent at less than premium prices. Nowhere is this truer than in baseball, as illustrated by the engaging new documentary “Pelotero: Ballplayer.” While it compares to just two percent of the total population of the United [ Read More ]...
- 7/10/2012
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
Although its population is just 2% the size of the Us’, the tiny, impoverished Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic accounts for a fifth of all the young men who go on to become Major League Baseball players. How such an astounding share of pro baseball players come from the Dr was what Jonathan Paley and his co-directors Ross Finkel and Trevor Martin set out to explore in Ballplayer: Pelotero. However, what they discovered was that, in addition to being a country ripe with baseball talent — one that the Mlb has spent considerable resources mining for the past 50 years — the Dominican Republic was a place where the dream of escaping poverty is often tied to being a part of a corrupt and demeaning system, one in which a very wealthy and powerful league may be using nefarious means to drive down the most talented players’ asking price and where these young...
- 6/28/2012
- by Brandon Harris
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Scheduled for release on July 13, 2012, both theatrical and VOD, courtesy of Strand Releasing, here's your first good look, via the film's first trailer, for Ballplayer: Pelotero - a documentary film that promises a gritty and never before seen look inside the world of Major League Baseball (Mlb) training camps in the Dominican Republic. John Leguizamo narrates the tale, under the direction of Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin and Jon Paley; Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine executive produced. Ballplayer: Pelotero was an official selection of the Hamptons International Film Festival, Santa Barbara...
- 6/14/2012
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
As announced yesterday, a release date for this compelling documentary feature that Vanessa profiled initially in January, has been officially set for July 13, 2012, both theatrical and VOD, courtesy of Strand Releasing. As a recap... titled Pelotero, the film is narrated by John Leguizamo, directed by Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin and Jon Paley, and executive produced by Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine; it's described as a gritty and never before seen look inside the world of Major League Baseball (Mlb) training camps in the Dominican Republic. Further... Miguel Angel and Jean Carlos are two of the top prospects and they are both about to turn 16, which...
- 6/14/2012
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
A release date for this compelling documentary feature that Vanessa profiled initially in January, has been officially set for July 13, 2012, both theatrical and VOD, courtesy of Strand Releasing. As a recap... titled Pelotero, the film is narrated by John Leguizamo, directed by Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin and Jon Paley, and executive produced by Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine; it's described as a gritty and never before seen look inside the world of Major League Baseball (Mlb) training camps in the Dominican Republic. Further... Miguel Angel and Jean Carlos are two of the top prospects and they are both about to turn 16, which means they can be signed to...
- 6/13/2012
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
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