In A Nutshell: Jeffrey Blitz’s acclaimed documentary following eight prodigious pre-teen talents entering into the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Why You May Have Missed It: Because it’s a documentary. About spelling.
Why Missing It Is Mad: Nearly all of the spellers Blitz zooms in on are fascinating characters in their own ways, but a few of them - in particular the gurning clown Harry Altman and insanely pressured Neil Kadakia - make for seriously compulsive watching.
What really gives the movie breadth, though, is the way it fuses tense contest footage with insights into the kids’ home lives, making Spellbound an intimate and refreshing study of how childhood academic success is measured and pursued in Western society today.
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Comments
Hadouken76
Dec 11th 2009, 15:39
id like to add that zatoichi, twilight samurai, dirty pretty things, in search of a midnight kiss, dead mans shoes to that list and even though it came out in 1998 i still think legend of 1900 is an underated gem
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sjsmith88
Dec 11th 2009, 18:28
I didn't miss You and Me and Everyone We Know, I caught it. Wish I hadn't. Following your 4-star review I had it in my head that I was in for a pleasant little indie. Instead it was your run-of-the-mill pretentious art-house rubbish. Dreadful.
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skinjob
Dec 12th 2009, 8:38
I'd like to add taxidermy - not a pleasant film to watch by any stretch of a twisted imagination but worth watching for the second and third acts on its own and the climactic scene is one that will stay wih me for a long time! if swallowed - do not induce vomiting!!
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namedropper
Dec 13th 2009, 14:24
We call them Neds and not Chavs up our way and I thought Sweet Sixteen was mainly set in Greenock and not the Port! Anyway I'd like to add Dear Frankie as a movie also set in the same area. Cracking performances from all concerned but especially the child playing Frankie. Will bring a tear to your eyes! Still hoping that Gerard Butler and Emily Mortimer will get together at some point!
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domduck
Dec 14th 2009, 11:21
The Year of the Dog should be in here - and Waitress. The perfect hangover double-bill.
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