Pinball: The Man Who Saved It - Movie Review

Cary Hardy·video·5m 54s·analyzed·Oct 18, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.014

TL;DR

Cary Hardy gives a positive review of 'Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game' documentary, praising its quality and broad appeal.

Summary

Cary Hardy reviews the documentary film 'Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game,' about Roger Sharpe and the overturning of New York City's 35-year pinball ban. Hardy praises the film's quality, acting (particularly Dennis Dice as older Roger Sharpe), humor, and appeal to both pinball enthusiasts and general audiences. He notes the film's limited distribution model (virtual ticket streaming with time limits) and expresses hope for wider availability on Blu-ray or major streaming platforms.

Key Claims

The film 'Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game' tells the story of Roger Sharpe overturning New York City's 35-year-old ban on pinball machines
high confidence · Cary Hardy, citing IMDb synopsis and film content
Dennis Dice plays the older version of Roger Sharpe and serves as narrator throughout the film
high confidence · Cary Hardy direct observation of the film
The film exceeded Hardy's expectations regarding acting quality and production value despite being an indie film with a small budget
high confidence · Cary Hardy personal review and assessment
The film was distributed via virtual ticket streaming with time-limited viewing windows
high confidence · Cary Hardy firsthand experience purchasing and watching the film
Roger Sharpe is known in the community for lengthy, meandering conversation and storytelling
high confidence · Cary Hardy observation of how the film humorously depicts this trait

Notable Quotes

“Honestly, this movie was surprisingly good. Now I say that because I guess whenever I knew what the movie was going to be about and how it was going to be a small indie movie I just kind of assumed that it was going to be a very small budget and I guess I was just expecting some poor acting and just you know all around just kind of like not impressive But honestly, the film exceeded my expectations.”
Cary Hardy @ ~2:30 — Hardy's core thesis about the film's unexpected quality and entertainment value
“What funny for those of us out there that have listened or been around Roger Sharpe and spoken to him and heard stories is that he tends to be very long and can usually go off and talk for a very long time and kind of go off subject And they poke fun at that a couple of times in this movie”
Cary Hardy @ ~4:45 — Reveals community awareness of Roger Sharpe's conversational style and the film's self-aware humor about it
“I strongly recommend this movie to all pinball enthusiasts, and I really think for you non-enthusiasts out there that you would enjoy the movie as well and learn a couple of things.”
Cary Hardy @ ~6:00 — Hardy's final recommendation positioning the film as accessible to both niche and mainstream audiences
“Pinball is merely sprinkled throughout of it and I think it great for enthusiasts as well as non”
Cary Hardy @ ~4:30 — Key observation that the film is not solely about pinball, broadening its appeal
“I'm hoping that maybe some sort of streaming service picks it up. Anyone. Amazon, Hulu, whatever. Because I would definitely like the masses out there to get a chance at watching this movie instead of it being a simple link on a website.”
Cary Hardy @ ~7:30 — Highlights distribution challenges and Hardy's desire for wider accessibility

Entities

Cary Hardyperson Roger SharpepersonDennis DicepersonBrian BattpersonPinball: The Man Who Saved the GameproductNew York City pinball banevent

Signals

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content_signal: Positive community reception of 'Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game' documentary from established pinball content creator; enthusiasm about film quality and broad appeal
high · Cary Hardy's detailed positive review, repeated recommendations, willingness to watch twice
?
historical_signal: Documentary film covering pivotal industry history (NYC pinball ban and Roger Sharpe's role in overturning it) with production quality and mainstream appeal aspirations
high · Film subject matter and Hardy's observation that it appeals to both enthusiasts and general audiences
?
community_signal: Documentary captures and humorously reflects back community knowledge of Roger Sharpe's well-known communication style and personality traits
high · Hardy's observation that the film pokes fun at Roger Sharpe's tendency to digress and go off-topic, a trait he notes is familiar to those who've known or heard from Sharpe
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market_signal: Limited distribution model (virtual ticket streaming with time windows) may be restricting audience reach for the documentary
high · Hardy's commentary on the temporary streaming availability and inability to purchase physical copies or access on major streaming platforms
?
product_launch: Documentary film release via limited-time virtual screening model; no Blu-ray or major streaming platform availability at time of Hardy's review
high · Hardy's firsthand account of purchasing a virtual ticket with limited viewing window and uncertainty about future distribution

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.018

0:00

So I watched the movie Pinball, the man who saved the game, the story about Roger Sharp, and now this is my spoiler-free review.

0:14

What's up guys and welcome back to my channel where I talk and do everything pinball, so if that sounds interesting to you, then hit that subscribe button down below. According to the IMDB page, this is the synopsis of the movie. The story of Roger Sharp, the young Midwesterner who overturned New York City's 35-year-old ban on pinball machines. That's it. That is what you get with the IMDb. Now, I say spoiler-free, but it's a given what his history is. Him being in the courtroom, playing the game, calling the shot, and making the shot to make sure that pinball is saved. So, aside from that portion of it, I do want to let you know that there is another portion of this movie which I find just as entertaining. And that is his journey to get to that point. How and why he was chosen to be the person to play in that courtroom that day. And honestly, this movie was surprisingly good. Now I say that because I guess whenever I knew what the movie was going to be about and how it was going to be a small indie movie I just kind of assumed that it was going to be a very small budget and I guess I was just expecting some poor acting and just you know all around just kind of like not impressive But honestly, the film exceeded my expectations. when it comes to the actors all of them did great and especially Dennis Buscaris and I thought that was an excellent pick as the older version of Roger Sharp who is also the narrator during the entirety of the film so I think he did a very good impression of Roger throughout the movie I thought that was a lot of good funny parts in there and I like how they definitely are very aware that a lot of us know that that's not Roger Sharp so at one point they kind of like again I'm not going to spoil it for you but there's certain portions where they are very aware that this is not Roger Sharp kind of thing. Brian Batt also played in this I really enjoyed him in the show Mad Men so to see him in here was also nice. A couple of things to note about this movie is that it is not entirely about pinball so those of you that are not completely enthusiastic about pinball should find it as an entertaining story as well. Pinball is merely sprinkled throughout of it and I think it great for enthusiasts as well as non And what funny for those of us out there that have listened or been around Roger Sharp and spoken to him and heard stories is that he tends to be very long and can usually go off and talk for a very long time and kind of go off subject And they poke fun at that a couple of times in this movie because that's what it seems like they're doing. and so I guess the directors have to kind of like, and stop, and like, so are we going to get back to the pinball and kind of get him back on topic? So I think poking fun of that was pretty funny. There's also a couple of times in the movie where they actually throw a little bit of education out there for those of you out there that are very unfamiliar with pinball machines, why they do what they do, and the way the tilt mechanism works, stuff like that. There's just a couple of times, but it's in there. I laughed quite a bit in this movie. It was actually pretty damn humorous. I strongly recommend this movie to all pinball enthusiasts, and I really think for you non-enthusiasts out there that you would enjoy the movie as well and learn a couple of things. Now, sadly, if you are unaware of the fact that you were only able to stream this movie for a certain amount of time via a particular website, I will still put a link in the description down below But you're gonna go to it and you're not gonna be able to view it Basically you would pay for a virtual ticket to watch it and you had so many days to be able to watch it So I think it was like and I paid the and I was able to watch the movie I watched it almost twice I went through it a couple of times on the second time around just to see if I caught certain little Easter eggs and stuff like that. So aside from the streaming online, I do not know how you're going to be able to watch this movie at this time. I'm hoping that it comes out on Blu-ray and if it does, I will own it. but I'm hoping that maybe some sort of streaming service picks it up. Anyone. Amazon, Hulu, whatever. Because I would definitely like the masses out there to get a chance at watching this movie instead of it being a simple link on a website. So that's pretty much it. If and when you can, watch this movie. Have you already seen the movie? If you have, let me know what you think about it in the comments down below. Thumbs up, subscribe button, ding my dong, That way you can be notified of whenever I upload something for your viewing pleasure. And until next time, guys, peace out.