Searching For Bobby Fischer

Searching for Bobby Fischer is a 1993 Drama starring Jo Mategna, Lawrence Fishburne, and  Ben Kingsley.

Plot: Based on a true story, a father (Mategna) discovers his young son is a chess prodigy.  Seeking to help him reach his full potential, the Dad hires a crusty, stern chess instructor (Kingsley) and begins to enter him into various chess tournaments.  The pressure soon gets to the young boy, who starts to feel chess isn't all that much fun anymore, and his Dad has to figure out what being a Father really means.

My Take:  It had been many years since I last saw this movie, but it holds up surprisingly well over time.  The acting is top-notch, and the writing produces a very engaging, thoughtful film.  You don't have to be knowledgeable about chess to enjoy it, but you'll probably want to pick up the game afterwards.  Ultimately, the core of this movie is a father-son relationship story that is beautifully written and well-executed.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Image
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 2008 independent musical comedy starring Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion.  This is a Joss Whedon project. Plot: Harris is Dr. Horrible, a wannabe evil "super-villain", who is juggling two lives: trying to earn membership in the Evil League of Evil by doing dastardly deeds, and also trying to get the love of his life to even notice him.  Fillion plays Captain Hammer, Dr. Evil's nemesis. My Take: Conceived and produced during the writer's strike of 2008 and originally shown in pieces on the internet, Dr. Horrible shows once again how truly artful and imaginative and AWESOME that Whedon is.  Not only is it funny and sweet, but the music and the singing are so amazing that I actually bought the soundtrack.  This is a really fun, short film to watch, and I would encourage anyone who likes good things to watch this.
Read more

I Have Never Forgotten You

I Have Never Forgotten You is a 2006 documentary. Plot:  Simon Wiesenthal was a Jew living in Nazi Germany before the Second World War.  Imprisoned by the Nazis, Wiesenthal lost dozens of family members and friends in the Holocaust.  After being liberated by the Americans, Wiesenthal volunteered to help them track down and charge Nazi leaders/officers with war crimes.  Wiesenthal evntually was able to help in the apprehension of over 1,000 Nazi war criminals. My take:  This is basically a biography of the life and work of controversial Jewish Nazi Hunter, Simon Wiesenthal.  A very powerful, moving documentary highlighting the cruelty of the Nazis and why many Jews fought for years to capture and imprison their former torturers.
Read more

Ken Burns' America: Empire Of The Air

Empire Of The Air is a Ken Burns historical documentary made in 1991. Plot: The history of radio is shown from the discovery of the inventions that made radio so innovative to the development of television.  The major inventions, the men who invented them, and the importance of radio in American culture are profiled in this documentary. My Take: I had never heard of Howard Armstrong, and that's a shame.  There are other men profiled who had roles in the development of radio as an entertainment and communication medium.  However, I had no idea that the the history of radio was such a soap opera.  It's a compelling tale, and it's a part of American history that is highly representative of both the brilliance and greed of those that make history.
Read more