Spellbound
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Movie Reviews of Spellbound
Movie Review: it makes spelling fun (or, at least watching it fun)
Summary: 5 Stars
A film by Jeffrey Blitz"Spellbound" is an Academy Award nominated film (Best Documentary) that focuses on eight children who are competing in the 1999 National Spelling Bee. We are given a look at the kids as they prepare for the Regional Spelling Bee. Each kid wins the regional and goes on to the National Bee. The first half of the movie is introduction. We are given a fairly in depth look into the lives of each of the eight kids: Harry Altman, Angela Arenivar, Ted Brigham, April DeGideo, Neil Kadakia, Nupur Lala, Emily Stagg, and Ashley White. This opening part shows how each child (the child must be in eighth grade or below, and be younger than 16 years of age) prepared for the spelling bees, what they study, and what their lives are like. Some of the kids are more interesting than others. I know that is a bad thing to say about real children, but I think it is valid when we talk about the movie. After the segments on five kids I start wondering when the actually Spelling Bee will begin and how many kids are left to introduce. I understand that this is necessary because this distinguishes them from the other children participating in the Bee.
Halfway through the movie we get to the National Spelling Bee. We follow each of the kids through the opening rounds and while we do see the other kids in the Bee, the most time is spent on our eight subjects. As we move into higher rounds, some of the subjects miss a word and are eliminated. After each elimination we hear the responses from the parents and the contestant and without exception they are positive responses. There is joy as the kids do well and they is disappointment when one is eliminated (I had a couple of favorites throughout the movie), but by the end this documentary made me care about an event that I would never have given a second thought to.
Since I am somewhat bookish, I loved this documentary. It was fascinating, interesting, and presented a well told story of the National Spelling Bee. "Spellbound" is an absolutely terrific documentary and is well worth your time to watch.
Movie Review: s-p-e-l-l-b-i-n-d-i-ng....
Summary: 5 Stars
If I am going to come away with anything from this intelligent, engaging little film, it's that spelling bees are aired on ESPN for a damned good reason. It truly is a competitive test of endurance, placed on the heads and shoulders of very young, ambitious kids. You will walk away with a new feeling of respect for those young ladies and gentlemen who have the guts and minds that get them up on that stage, in front of a crowd of hundreds (and countless thousands who are watching them on television) go for the goal.
"Spellbound" is alternately entertaining and poignant. We see a fascinating cross-section of young people, all with their eyes on the same end result: to be come the National Spelling Bee Champion. We follow a young girl of Mexican ancestry, growing up on a farm with her Mexico-born parents, for whom she is their treasure. This girl is bright, and has the opportunity to strive for something they could never take part in in the United States, with their limited knowledge of the English language. We see a young Indian boy, whose father is so determined that his son to win, that if he misses one word out of one hundred, he says, "Pretty good" and even has a group of people praying for his son, back home in his native town. If his son wins, he will pay money to build a temple for them. It goes without saying that this young man lives with unfathomable pressure to live up to his father's expectations. We also see people who come from great privilige, like a young girl who spends all of her time reading the dictionary, and even brought her au pair out to see her compete. These are, obviously, only a small cross-section of examples of the young people represented in the film.
You will find yourself thoroughly engaged in the dramas, the laughter and the tears presented in this wonderful story. Highly reccomended.....
Movie Review: Spellbinding
Summary: 5 Stars
A bunch of kids competing to be the best spellers in the world... To some it may sound like a boring premise, but to me this is one of the stand-out films of the last couple of years. Why?Like a chess tournament, a billiard tournament, or some other highly specialized sport, spelling tournaments are not just a contest, but the culmination of years of training that have been dedicated to a very unique talent. However you slice it, the ability to spell thousands of words correctly is more than just neat ability, it is a rare gift that can take countless hours of work to perfect.
This wonderful film takes you into the minds and hearts of one year's worth of the best child spellers in the United States. Some of them are poor, some of them are rich. Some of them serious, some of them are silly. But all of them are intriguing, and you are sure to find yourself rooting for one of them to win (that is, if you don't know the outcome already).
There are countless great moments in this short movie, from the image of a dictionary that has been literally SHREDDED from use, to the loveable Harry asking if he can eat the microphone, from the girl asking if Corollary has anything to do with a Corolla, to nail-biting moments when you KNOW that the kids have no idea if they are spelling the word right or not.
But the ultimate reason why I love this movie is the insight and inspiration it gives as you see how all kinds of kids from all kinds of backgrounds give their all in order to become the best that they possibly can, and show their talent to the world. I'll never forget what that little girl from Washington D.C. said to the cameraman "My life is like a movie...I have trials and tribulations, and eventually I overcome."
We should all have such a spirit. This is a GREAT movie. And it's not BASED on a true story, it IS a true story.
Movie Review: The Buzz of Competition
Summary: 5 Stars
Directed by Jeff Blitz, this documentary focuses on eight participants in the 1999 Scripps Howard National Spelling contest. Although their names will mean nothing to you until after you have seen the film, you may wish to have the information for future reference: Harry Altman (New Jersey), Angela Arenivar (Texas), Ted Brigham (Missouri), April DeGideo (Pennsylvania), Neil Kadakia (California), Nupur Lala (Florida), Emily Stagg (Connecticut), and Ashley White (Washington, DC). Annually, about 9-million schoolchildren participate in first-round competition. Eventually, 249 regional champions travel to Washington (DC) for the national championship. That seems like an unwieldy number until you observe how quickly a contestant can be eliminated by one incorrect letter. The tension builds rapidly and compellingly as each of the aforementioned is eliminated until....Frankly, although I had read some favorable reviews of this film, I did not anticipate how engaging the contestants would prove to be, how amusing the film sometimes is but also how poignant and even (almost) painful, and how effectively this film illustrates cultural, racial, and socio-economic diversity in the United States. For me, the production values have a certain innocence (if that's the correct word) which is so appropriate to the contestants as they courageously step forth and do their best. True, only one national champion emerges but as I observed the emergence of that champion, I was reminded of all the hours I have spent in years past as a volunteer in various Special Olympics track and field competitions. Neither the adults nor the participants ever thought in terms of "winners" and "losers." Nor should those who see this film. Truth may not always be stranger than fiction but, as this film clearly demonstrates, it has more credibility.
Movie Review: Kan Ewe Spel As Gud As Thees Keds?
Summary: 5 Stars
A giant stage. A microphone. A man with excellent pronounication. And over two hundred nervous spellers. This is the setting for the new documentary just released on DVD, "Spellbound". And the results are almost as perfect as winner of that year's National Spelling Bee.In this documentary, we trace the lives of eight spellers from around the United States. What's presented to us is a great cross section of America, as seen through the eyes of some of our best and brighest students. What's remarkable about each of these kids is that they are totally ordinary kids, and come across as such in the film. A girl from Spanish speaking parents, another girl from Washington DC, a boy who has a world of tutors at his beckoning, all of them prove compelling. Yet you find yourself rooting for your favorites during the Spelling Bee.
What amazes me, and I didn't learn this until watching this DVD with the commentary track, is this is a first time film for the film maker, Jeffrey Blitz. It seems like a perfect marriage of material and film maker. You would not have guessed that after watching this brilliant film!
What transpires over the course of this documentary is that you realize you aren't just watching a Spelling Bee, but you are witnessing the best part of the country we call America; that anyone, with hard work and determination, can pull themselves up to the highest point and soar with the eagles. And by the end of the film, it simply doesn't matter who win the bee, because by then, you are cheering for ALL the kids.
Don't miss this gem.