Two young misfits head for New York City to celebrate their idol and muse, Stevie Nicks, at The Night of 1,000 Stevies. Along the road, in order for them to escape their painful pasts, they... See full summary »
A documentary on a chorus of senior citizens from Massachusetts who cover songs by Jimi Hendrix, Coldplay, Sonic Youth, and other unexpected musicians.
Aspiring rock musician Neal Downs manages a cereal bar. Stylish Miss Pussy Katz is the creator of radically-themed art clothing. When the cereal bar, brings in an offbeat crew of locals, ... See full summary »
Director:
Michael Lehmann
Stars:
Aaron Stanford,
Zooey Deschanel,
Christopher Lloyd
The classic board game, Scrabble, has been popular for decades. In addition, there are fanatics who devote heart and soul to this game to the expense of everything else. This film profiles a group of these enthusiasts as they converge for a Scrabble convention where the word game is almost a bloodsport. Written by
Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)
The last line in the credits reads "This film is rated 1900" - a reference to the National Scrabble Association rating system (1700 and above is considered an expert rating; typically only elite players get to 1900 and up). See more »
Extremely well-paced flick with excellent climax (unlike many meandering documentaries) it is much like an adult "Spellbound." Much like that movie, these people are fascinating characters more than anything else, and in many instances scrabble takes a backseat to the force of their personalities. It focuses on four masters competing in the days leading up to the Nationals - between the egos involved, the inter-personal problems and competition anxiety there is a ton of pathos and conflict that is also reminiscent of Fred Wiseman's early documentaries. I agree there could have been more focus on the nitty-gritty of specific matches or more information on strategy, but I think I (and others) would have gotten bored watching too much actual scrabble play.
If you like documentaries at all, this comes highly recommended, it is very well edited and maintains interest the whole time.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Extremely well-paced flick with excellent climax (unlike many meandering documentaries) it is much like an adult "Spellbound." Much like that movie, these people are fascinating characters more than anything else, and in many instances scrabble takes a backseat to the force of their personalities. It focuses on four masters competing in the days leading up to the Nationals - between the egos involved, the inter-personal problems and competition anxiety there is a ton of pathos and conflict that is also reminiscent of Fred Wiseman's early documentaries. I agree there could have been more focus on the nitty-gritty of specific matches or more information on strategy, but I think I (and others) would have gotten bored watching too much actual scrabble play.
If you like documentaries at all, this comes highly recommended, it is very well edited and maintains interest the whole time.