Computer Chess (film)

Last updated
Computer Chess
Computer Chess.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Andrew Bujalski
Written byAndrew Bujalski
Produced byHouston King
Alex Lipschultz
StarringPatrick Riester
Wiley Wiggins
Myles Paige
Robin Schwartz
Gerald Peary
Gordon Kindlmann
Cinematography Matthias Grunsky
Edited byAndrew Bujalski
Distributed by Kino Lorber
Release dates
  • January 21, 2013 (2013-01-21)(Sundance)
  • July 17, 2013 (2013-07-17)(United States)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Computer Chess is a 2013 independent comedy-drama film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, and subsequently screened at such festivals as South by Southwest and the Maryland Film Festival.

Contents

It is Bujalski's second black-and-white film, and was shot with analog videocameras. It is more improvisatory than his previous films, with only an eight-page treatment for a script. Bujalski also cast nonprofessional actors who were knowledgeable in computer technology.

Plot summary

In 1980, an annual gathering of teams of idiosyncratic nerds compete in a nondescript California hotel to see which of their computer programs can best the others at computer chess. A grandmaster (Gerald Peary) presides as master of ceremonies with a videographer and microphone in tow. Clunky, primitive personal computers are carted from room to room. Bad haircuts, dorky shirts, "birth control glasses", and other social impedimenta are ubiquitous. Bull sessions on the dystopian possibilities of artificial intelligence are pursued. The Pentagon's interest in the goings-on is intimated. The only female geek (Robin Schwartz) in attendance is repeatedly hailed and “welcomed” by the MC.

Simultaneously at the same hotel, a human potential movement group (the “seekers”) has occasional run-ins with the geeks, generating awkward and humorous moments. A painfully shy young computer programmer (Patrick Riester) attracts the interest of a swinging older couple (Cyndi Williams and Chris Doubek). The twin threads of “spiritual” exploration and cybernetic innovation imply an unspoken and implicit hidden connection. In a startling scene, a prostitute — apparently solicited by the young programmer — reveals herself to be infinitely more than expected.

Cast

Reception

The movie has an approval rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "With its delightfully retro production design, Computer Chess is an inventive, intelligent, and humorous comedy that celebrates the eccentricity and uniqueness of its subject." [1] In The Village Voice , Aaron Hillis wrote that it was "the funniest, headiest, most playfully eccentric American indie of the year." [2] Mike D'Angelo of The A.V. Club raved that the film was "the year’s most singular and adventurous movie to date, to the point where it feels not so much original—a word that conveys a strong sense of craft—as it does “isolated,” as in a mutant strain of a virus. What's more, it's fun, generating pleasure not from canned jokes or clichéd plot twists but simply from a sense of unhindered freedom." [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Columbus (filmmaker)</span> American filmmaker (born 1958)

Chris Joseph Columbus is an American filmmaker. Born in Spangler, Pennsylvania, Columbus studied film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. After writing screenplays for several teen comedies in the mid-1980s, including Gremlins, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes, he made his directorial debut with a teen adventure, Adventures in Babysitting (1987). Columbus gained recognition soon after with the highly successful Christmas comedy Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Bujalski</span> American film director

Andrew Bujalski is an American film director, screenwriter and actor, who has been called the "godfather of mumblecore."

<i>The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell</i> 2006 film

The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell is a 2006 American science fiction comedy film directed by Jonny Gillette, written and co-directed by Kevin Wheatley, and produced by Jamie Bullock and Ryan Turi. It stars Wheatley and Bullock, amongst others.

Gerald Peary is an American film critic, filmmaker, editor of the University Press of Mississippi, and a former curator of the Harvard Film Archive.

<i>Filth and Wisdom</i> 2008 film by Madonna

Filth and Wisdom is a 2008 British comedy-drama film directed by Madonna, starring Eugene Hütz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure and Richard E. Grant. It was filmed on location in London, England, from 14 to 29 May 2007. Locations included two actual strip clubs in Hammersmith and Swiss Cottage; both owned by the Secrets Clubs chain. Additional scenes were shot in July 2007.

<i>The Cake Eaters</i> 2007 film by Mary Stuart Masterson

The Cake Eaters is a 2007 American independent drama film about two small-town families who must confront old issues with the return of one family's son. The film was directed by Mary Stuart Masterson, and stars Kristen Stewart, Aaron Stanford, Bruce Dern and Jayce Bartok. Stewart plays Georgia, a young girl with Friedreich's ataxia, a rare disease for which there is no cure.

<i>Brothers Justice</i> 2010 American film

Brother's Justice (The Attempted Making of) is a 2010 comedy film written by Dax Shepard. The film is a satirical mockumentary about Dax Shepard's transformation from comedian to a silver screen martial arts star. Shepard exploits any and all Hollywood connections on his quest to become the next Chuck Norris. The film represents the Hollywood film producing process.

<i>The Comedy</i> (film) 2012 American film

The Comedy is a 2012 American drama film co-written, co-edited, and directed by Rick Alverson, and starring Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, James Murphy, and Gregg Turkington. The film was executive produced by David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, Jody Hill, Darius Van Arman, and Larry Fessenden.

<i>The Congress</i> (2013 film) 2013 film by Ari Folman

The Congress is a 2013 English-language French live-action/animated science-fiction drama film written and directed by Ari Folman, based on Stanisław Lem's 1971 Polish science-fiction novel The Futurological Congress. It stars Robin Wright as a fictionalized version of herself who agrees to have a film studio use a digital clone of her in any film they want. The Congress then flashes forward twenty years later to her travels in the studio's animated utopia world, where anyone can become an avatar of themselves, but are required to use hallucinogenic drugs to enter a mutable illusory state. The Congress premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2013. Independent film distributor Drafthouse Films announced, along with Films We Like In Toronto, their co-acquisition of the North American rights to the film and a US theatrical and VOD/digital release planned for 2014.

<i>Stranger by the Lake</i> 2013 film by Alain Guiraudie

Stranger by the Lake is a 2013 French erotic thriller drama film written and directed by Alain Guiraudie. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where Guiraudie won the award for Best Director. The film also won the Queer Palm award, and was mentioned on multiple top-ten lists of the best films of 2014.

<i>The Internets Own Boy</i> 2014 American film

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz is a 2014 American biographical documentary film about Aaron Swartz written, directed, and produced by Brian Knappenberger. The film premiered in the US Documentary Competition program category at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014.

<i>Results</i> (film) 2015 American film

Results is a 2015 indie romantic comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. The film stars Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Brooklyn Decker, Anthony Michael Hall, and Constance Zimmer.

<i>Addicted to Fresno</i> 2015 film by Jamie Babbit

Addicted to Fresno is a 2015 American dark comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit and written by Karey Dornetto. The film stars Natasha Lyonne and Judy Greer as two sisters that find themselves in trouble after housekeeper Shannon Jackson (Greer) accidentally kills a guest at the hotel employing her and younger sister Martha (Lyonne). The film had its world premiere on March 14, 2015, at South by Southwest. It was released in the United States on September 1, 2015, through video on demand, and was given a limited theatrical release on October 2, 2015, by Gravitas Ventures.

<i>Mistaken for Strangers</i> (film) 2013 American film

Mistaken for Strangers is a 2013 documentary film featuring the American indie rock band The National. The film is directed by Tom Berninger, brother of lead singer Matt Berninger, and premiered April 17, 2013 at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.

<i>Operator</i> (2016 film) 2016 American film

Operator is a 2016 American comedy-drama film directed by Logan Kibens from a screenplay by Sharon Greene and Logan Kibens. It stars Martin Starr as Joe, a programmer and obsessive self-quantifier, and Mae Whitman as Emily, a budding comedy performer, who are a happily married couple until they decide to use one another in their work. Nat Faxon, Cameron Esposito, Retta, and Christine Lahti co-star. The film had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival on March 12, 2016 and was released by The Orchard on November 8, 2016.

<i>The Wall</i> (2017 film) 2017 film by Doug Liman

The Wall is a 2017 American war thriller film directed by Doug Liman and written by Dwain Worrell. The film follows two American soldiers trapped by an Iraqi sniper. Produced by Amazon Studios, it was released on May 12, 2017, by Roadside Attractions. The film received mixed reviews from critics and audiences and grossed $4.5 million against a $3 million budget.

<i>Literally, Right Before Aaron</i> 2017 American film

Literally, Right Before Aaron is a 2017 American comedy film written and directed by Ryan Eggold. The film stars Justin Long, Cobie Smulders, Ryan Hansen, John Cho, Kristen Schaal, Dana Delany, Peter Gallagher, Lea Thompson and Luis Guzmán. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22, 2017. The film was released on September 29, 2017, by Screen Media Films.

How to Seduce Difficult Women is a 2009 American romantic comedy film written, directed, and produced by Richard Temtchine. The film stars Louis-Do de Lencquesaing and Stéphanie Szostak. It revolves around a writer who decides to take on ten relationship-challenged men to help them learn the art of seduction.

<i>Inside the Rain</i> 2019 American film

Inside the Rain is a 2019 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by and starring Aaron Fisher. It is Fisher's feature directorial debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Hillis</span> American film critic

Aaron Hillis is an American writer, film critic, director, film festival programmer, and curator.

References

  1. "Computer Chess". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  2. Aaron Hillis (2013-07-17). "Computer Chess Is the Funniest and Headiest American Indie of the Year". Village Voice. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  3. "Computer Chess". www.avclub.com. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
Awards
Preceded by Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winner
2013
Succeeded by