Bobby Fischer Against the World (2011)

Chess legend Bobby Fischer's rise to the game's crest is tragically undergirded by his own unaddressed mental illness. This documentary juxtaposes Fischer's fame with his perceived antagonism by his handlers, the chess establishment, and ultimately by his own country.

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TRON: Legacy (2010)

Oh Tron. So unbelievable, but oh, so luminescent. Disney cashes in on 3D, Jeff Bridges popularity, and a cult classic by releasing this souped up version of a movie based on an arcade game.

Kevin Flynn's son enters the videogame a couple decades after his father disappeared only to find that the dominant microchip force is bad and is looking for a way out of the videogame world and into the real world where they can take over! Yikes!

Not a great film. Probably fun to watch on the big screen with glasses.

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The King of Kong (2007)

Certainly, when Donkey Kong emerged in arcades around the world, no one expected it to become the phenom that it was. And the possibility of a hotly contested world championship could not be predicted. This documentary takes a look at the top two Donkey Kong players and the back story of their achievements.

Twin Galaxies is an organization that tracks arcade game records. Its founder is Walter Day and he is given role of adjudicator. According to Twin Galaxies, the Donkey Kong champion is a pompous hot sauce magnate in Florida named Billy Mitchell. A regular family guy in Washington named Steve Wiebe decides to beat Billy Mitchell's record and does, following the normal protocol on Twin Galaxies' website. Twin Galaxies doesn't accept the record. A controversy is exposed.

The documentary does not begin too hopefully, but it builds into a magnificent story of triumph in the truest sense.

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Wordplay (2006)

Banking on the success of documentaries that surround contests (Spellbound, Mad Hot Ballroom and Murderball are a few), Wordplay carries viewers into an annual crossword puzzle contest. Who will win? The frequent winner? The one who almost won a few times? Or who would be the youngest crossword champ ever?

More than just the competition, which is fun to behold, we are taken behind the scenes of the New York Times Crossword Puzzle. Famous fans of the NYT puzzle (Bill Clinton, John Stewart and the Indigo Girls are among the most elite) also make their pitches for their favorite puzzle.

Overall, the flick isn't really affecting, just a glimpse into a niche of nerds.

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Nightwatch (1997)

I saw this tense thriller years ago and wondered why it never became as prolific as some of its counterparts in the genre did. After seeing it again, I guess it does contain some very disturbing material. It's still scary as heck!

Martin takes a night job to pay for his final semester of law school. He is a night watchman at a morgue at the height of a serial killer's rampage through the city. The killer targets prostitutes. While Martin becomes suspicious of his best friend who recently becomes more and more insensitive and daring, Martin himself becomes the focus of the investigation.

The film is a mystery and while we do find out who the killer is about half way through the story, it still manages to keep you guessing until the end. The acting in the film is quite good (for the genre) with big names like Ewan McGregor, Nick Nolte, Josh Brolin and Patricia Arquette.

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Shaun of the Dead (2004)

When people talk about zombie movies, I generally tune out. Most of these gore flicks are made to shock and glorify death. This one is different.

Shaun sells TVs and plays video games. His best friend lives with him and has generally dampened his social life - check that, his life since high school. When zombies begin spreading their destructive virus throughout London by biting people, Shaun decides that life is worth defending and so are the people he loves.

The film is essentially an allegory on today's entertainment generation and how they are apathetic towards the things that truly matter - including each other.

If you don't mind a bit of over the top gore, this film is a riot to watch while maintaining a genuinely sensitive story.

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Nóz w wodzie (1962)

Knife in the Water is one of Roman Polanski's early films before making his way Chinatown fame in the US. He takes his three characters onto a boat locking them into a unique paradigm of power and ego.

A couple pick up a hitchhiker on their way to their little sailboat and invite him to come along on an overnight excursion. On the boat, the captain asserts his power a little too much and the guest overdoes it trying to impress the mistress. Tension builds to climax - see title.

The outdoor camera work is fabulous considering it is shot on a boat. The acting is also very personal and natural.

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La Carrière de Suzanne (1963)

Suzanne's Career is another of Rohmer's short moral films. 

This time it's a pharmacy student in Paris named Bertrand who carries on a friendship with this friend's fling, Suzanne. His male friend is not a kind one and rather manipulative. They take advantage of her financial generosity while at the same time being quite annoyed with her. All the characters' lives take a turn in the end, giving Bertrand a new perspective on Suzanne and her motives.

The film is plenty full of tension and is not predictable in any way.

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The Luzhin Defence (2000)

Chess master Alexander Luzhin is staging a comeback at an international chess tournament in Italy. While there, he becomes enchanted by a German woman. His former teacher also seeks revenge on him through psychological terrorizing. The story is a bit incredulous, but Luzhin, played masterfully by John Turturro, draws immediate sympathy as the near autistic chess player.

It's a nice movie all around and we see hints of grace in the madness of it all.

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