Comments on: Searching For Bobby Fischer (1993) http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/ Film reviews and commentary tonight, before I forget tomorrow Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:15:00 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Carl Odom http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/comment-page-1/#comment-5934 Carl Odom Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:58:38 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/#comment-5934 Does anybody know if Michael Niernberg died of cancer before age 20? No info anywhere. carleodo@gmail.com Does anybody know if Michael Niernberg died of cancer before age 20?

No info anywhere.

carleodo@gmail.com

]]> By: christian http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/comment-page-1/#comment-4802 christian Sat, 10 May 2008 08:42:57 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/#comment-4802 SKIDOO; CATCH-22; THE MUPPET MOVIE; WHAT'S UP DOC; MY COUSIN VINNY; A BEAUTIFUL MIND..he's all over the map. SKIDOO; CATCH-22; THE MUPPET MOVIE; WHAT’S UP DOC; MY COUSIN VINNY; A BEAUTIFUL MIND..he’s all over the map.

]]> By: Joe Valdez http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/comment-page-1/#comment-4799 Joe Valdez Fri, 09 May 2008 20:32:07 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/#comment-4799 Chuck: Thanks for your terrific seven-word summary of this movie. I haven't seen <em>King of the Hill</em> in years, but would have to move Max Pomeranc's performance to the top of great child performances in recent memory. What makes it special is that he was a chess player - not a wannabe child star - and I can't recall seeing him promoted on talk shows or pushed by his stage parents into the media. He just played the lead in this film and like Bobby Fischer, disappeared. Pat: This flick came out during the reign of Quentin Tarantino and its sentimentality didn't rate it very high with the hip crowd, I guess. I would imagine that reviews written in retrospect might appreciate the film a lot more for what it is: intelligent, understated, compassionate. Like you, I've always been a fan of it. You must be proud of your son. Thanks for commenting! AR: Hmmm. "Well Crafted and Not Dumb" would make a great series to write, particularly if it covered Hollywood films of the last decade or so. Conventional wisdom still dictates that nothing great has come out of Hollywood since the late '70s. Christian: The only movie I can recall of the top of my head that Austin Pendelton has appeared in was <em>2 Days In The Valley</em>. He's like M. Emmet Walsh or Harry Dean Stanton though. Once you see his face, you recognize him immediately. Chuck: Thanks for your terrific seven-word summary of this movie. I haven’t seen King of the Hill in years, but would have to move Max Pomeranc’s performance to the top of great child performances in recent memory. What makes it special is that he was a chess player – not a wannabe child star – and I can’t recall seeing him promoted on talk shows or pushed by his stage parents into the media. He just played the lead in this film and like Bobby Fischer, disappeared.

Pat: This flick came out during the reign of Quentin Tarantino and its sentimentality didn’t rate it very high with the hip crowd, I guess. I would imagine that reviews written in retrospect might appreciate the film a lot more for what it is: intelligent, understated, compassionate. Like you, I’ve always been a fan of it. You must be proud of your son. Thanks for commenting!

AR: Hmmm. “Well Crafted and Not Dumb” would make a great series to write, particularly if it covered Hollywood films of the last decade or so. Conventional wisdom still dictates that nothing great has come out of Hollywood since the late ’70s.

Christian: The only movie I can recall of the top of my head that Austin Pendelton has appeared in was 2 Days In The Valley. He’s like M. Emmet Walsh or Harry Dean Stanton though. Once you see his face, you recognize him immediately.

]]> By: christian http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/comment-page-1/#comment-4798 christian Fri, 09 May 2008 19:48:29 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/#comment-4798 When I interviewed Austin Pendleton for SHOCK CINEMA, he had fond regards for this film, which I still haven't seen... When I interviewed Austin Pendleton for SHOCK CINEMA, he had fond regards for this film, which I still haven’t seen…

]]> By: AR http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/comment-page-1/#comment-4797 AR Fri, 09 May 2008 16:27:08 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/#comment-4797 I remember seeing this around the time it came out on video or cable. I haven't seen it since, but at the time I thought it was pretty good, and based on my memory, I would agree w/your assessment. It's well crafted and not dumb, rare thing in Hollywood films these days. I remember seeing this around the time it came out on video or cable. I haven’t seen it since, but at the time I thought it was pretty good, and based on my memory, I would agree w/your assessment. It’s well crafted and not dumb, rare thing in Hollywood films these days.

]]> By: Piper http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/comment-page-1/#comment-4787 Piper Thu, 08 May 2008 19:28:03 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/#comment-4787 Interesting, Both quotes you picked up seem to almost apologize for liking the movie. Or they want to like the movie but can't get up the gumption to admit it. I have always enjoyed this movie very much. It begins to explore the different levels that a simple game of chess can possess. My 10 year old plays in a chess club and has played in chess tournaments and it's a testament to what an amazing game chess is that it is studied so much and by such a wide age group. I think people want the movie to be about more or do more and I'm not sure that it's supposed to. I have heard that Josh burned out pretty young and then went on to study Martial Arts. Evidently he has written a book about that. Interesting,

Both quotes you picked up seem to almost apologize for liking the movie. Or they want to like the movie but can’t get up the gumption to admit it.

I have always enjoyed this movie very much. It begins to explore the different levels that a simple game of chess can possess. My 10 year old plays in a chess club and has played in chess tournaments and it’s a testament to what an amazing game chess is that it is studied so much and by such a wide age group. I think people want the movie to be about more or do more and I’m not sure that it’s supposed to.

I have heard that Josh burned out pretty young and then went on to study Martial Arts. Evidently he has written a book about that.

]]> By: Chuck http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/comment-page-1/#comment-4781 Chuck Thu, 08 May 2008 12:44:48 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2008/05/06/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993/#comment-4781 I've always loved this picture. It's humane, confident, controlled, and very moving. Nice to see Mantegna play against his Mamet image too and Pomeranc has to be one of the, along with Jesse Bradford in Soderbergh's woefully underseen King of the Hill(though he's older) and Lucas Black in Sling Blade, one of the great young performances of the 1990s. Why do only the bad child actors get the attention usually? I’ve always loved this picture. It’s humane, confident, controlled, and very moving. Nice to see Mantegna play against his Mamet image too and Pomeranc has to be one of the, along with Jesse Bradford in Soderbergh’s woefully underseen King of the Hill(though he’s older) and Lucas Black in Sling Blade, one of the great young performances of the 1990s. Why do only the bad child actors get the attention usually?

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