SPELLBOUND

Started by godardian, May 23, 2003, 04:26:08 PM

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godardian

Has anyone seen the spelling bee documentary? Is it as worthwhile as the overwhelming chorus of critics has made it out to be?
""Money doesn't come into it. It never has. I do what I do because it's all that I am." - Morrissey

"Lacan stressed more and more in his work the power and organizing principle of the symbolic, understood as the networks, social, cultural, and linguistic, into which a child is born. These precede the birth of a child, which is why Lacan can say that language is there from before the actual moment of birth. It is there in the social structures which are at play in the family and, of course, in the ideals, goals, and histories of the parents. This world of language can hardly be grasped by the newborn and yet it will act on the whole of the child's existence."

Stay informed on protecting your freedom of speech and civil rights.

Raikus

It's thrilling. T-H-R-I-L-L-I-N-G. Thrilling.

Well, maybe not. But funny.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free, silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands, with all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves, let me forget about today until tomorrow.

MacGuffin

Quote from: In the Matrix Revolutions Trailer thread, DirkMost midleading thread title ever.

I vote for this one, being a Hitchcock lover and all.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

godardian

Quote from: MacGuffin
Quote from: In the Matrix Revolutions Trailer thread, DirkMost midleading thread title ever.

I vote for this one, being a Hitchcock lover and all.

Sorry... I can't help that they named the movie the exact same thing!

Speaking of Spellbound, you might wanna check out the new item I started in David Lynch today...
""Money doesn't come into it. It never has. I do what I do because it's all that I am." - Morrissey

"Lacan stressed more and more in his work the power and organizing principle of the symbolic, understood as the networks, social, cultural, and linguistic, into which a child is born. These precede the birth of a child, which is why Lacan can say that language is there from before the actual moment of birth. It is there in the social structures which are at play in the family and, of course, in the ideals, goals, and histories of the parents. This world of language can hardly be grasped by the newborn and yet it will act on the whole of the child's existence."

Stay informed on protecting your freedom of speech and civil rights.

SoNowThen

So, okay, I saw Spellbound last night. Delightful little documentary. I had a lot of fun. It's nice to see a bunch of bright kids who are close to their parents, working hard to try and achieve something. Maybe the next generation of families isn't such a lost cause after all. Also, it's nice to see a doc that doesn't have an agenda, past just showing the story unfold. The only bad thing about it is that it's shot in shit-hole video, so of course a lot of it is blown out in high-light or sunlight areas, and that can get distracting. But the sound is decent, it has an enjoyable score, and most of all, the kids are a hoot to watch. And the parents, even though they have their quirks, certainly seem to love and support their kids.

Yeah, folks, try and see this one. It's good for a night of light entertainment, and will put a smile on your face. Oh, and it will also leave you feeling a little stupid, as these 11-13 year old kids can spell words you've never heard of in your life.

:-D  :-D  :-D
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

Sal

I wouldn't say the movie was completely agenda-free, since the american dream was a huge part of the people's stories and it went out of its way to convey that.  But it was a great doc.  The characters were interesting, sometimes their parents even moreso.  I was rooting for certain characters to win too, so the film was very engaging.

SoNowThen

I don't know if the American Dream is so much an agenda as it is a Theme/Image/Controlling Idea.

But yeah, I rooted for that girl with the Mexican dad who couldn't speak English. I dunno why, maybe the filmmakers treated her with more care than the rest, but there was something prevailingly nice about her, y'know?
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

Sal

Yeah.  It's definitely a theme.  The only reason I'd suggest it as an agenda is how it was treated.  I thought the filmmaker really pushed it, to make sure we understood.   Instead of an undercurrent, it felt more intentional and forceful.  Not that it's a detriment to the story.  It gives it weight and really puts things on the line, both for the people involved and the audience.  We want to see each one of them win, because they all deserve it for their work and commitment, and it just makes that elimination process is even more grueling to watch.

pete

I'm so glad someone else also picked up on the american dream thing.  I thought it was kinda annoying, and I very agree that it's more forced than a simple undercurrent.
if it really is an undercurrent then it probably woulda played more like an Errol Morris documentary like Vernon Florida or Gates of Heaven or something, where you can just feel the undercurrent without all the characters articulating "well I think this is the American dream because..." every 15 minutes.  Plus the mention of American dream is so out of context--they weren't talking about America when bringing it up nor were they around anything that would inspire them to say so.  if they were talking about the nature of the spelling bee contest as an american dream then how come there are no more discussions of the other qualities of the spelling bee?  and how come the point is drilled in over and over again via the editing every 10-15 minutes or so?  I think the filmmaker, during the interview, makes a point of asking all the subjects whether or not spelling bee is american and makes sure that it is included in the final cut.  it is a very concious effort, so conscious that even I can feel it.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

ono

Finally got to see this.  Great film.  Four-star documentary that yeah, as others have said, will put a smile on your face.  The characters were depicted as human, flawed, real, and there was no real bias towards any certain character as far as I could tell.  I loved how the flaws were kept in.  So many distinct personalities.  The zany, hyperactive boy really kept cracking everyone up.  Forget his name.  Its amazing how they condenses so many stories into such a short time.  Apparently they had to cut five stories to do so.  This is worth the rental if you haven't seen it yet (whenever it manages to make its way to DVD).  **** (9/10)

Weak2ndAct

I thought the dvd was due in February?  There is a 'where are they now?' featurette, which I'm sure will be great.

Anyway, yeah, I'm hopelessly in love with Spellbound.  It's funny-- the whole thing seems like an Alexander Payne movie to me.  Or at least made Payne movies seems less overtly-stylized and more realistic.  Middle-America is terrifying and wonderful.