Josh Waitzkin is just a typical American boy interested in baseball when one day he challenges his father at chess and wins. Showing unusual precocity at the outdoor matches at Washington Square in New York City, he quickly makes friends with a hustler named Vinnie who teaches him speed chess. Josh’s parents hire a renowned chess coach, Bruce, who teaches Josh the usefulness of measured planning. Along the way Josh becomes tired of Bruce’s system and chess in general and purposely throws a match, leaving the prospects of winning a national championship in serious jeopardy.
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Tag Archives: english
The Blue Angel (1959) Edward Dmytryk, Curd Jürgens, May Britt, Theodore Bikel
Professor Immanuel Rath (Curt Jurgens)is a martinet botany professor at a German high school who finds post cards bearing the likeness of Lola-Lola (May Britt), “The Blue Angel”, in the possession of his pupils. He goes to the cafe where she is appearing to see if any of his pupils are there, and spots two of them. While chasing them, he encounters Lola-Lola and the troupe manager, Kiepert (Theodore Bikel.) He returns the next evening and becomes involved with Lola. His visit to the cafe, and the fact he spent the night with Lola, becomes common knowledge and he is forced to leave his school position. Despite the protests of his friends, he marries Lola, who is intrigued by the idea of being the wife of a professor. The intrigue doesn’t last long, as Rath is unable to get work because of his wife. He becomes a broken character, reduced to performing odd jobs around the troupe and living off the earnings of his wife.
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Gimme Shelter (1970) Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Documentary
In December of 1969, four months after Woodstock, the Rolling Stones and Jefferson Airplane gave a free concert in Northern California, east of Oakland at Altamont Speedway. About 300,000 people came, and the organizers put Hell’s Angels in charge of security around the stage. Armed with pool cues and knifes, Angels spent the concert beating up spectators, killing at least one. The film intercuts performances, violence, Grace Slick and Mick Jagger’s attempts to cool things down, close-ups of young listeners (dancing, drugged, or suffering Angel shock), and a look at the Stones later as they watch concert footage and reflect on what happened.
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Magique Emmanuelle / Emmanuelle’s Magic (1993) Francis Leroi, Marcela Walerstein, George Lazenby, Sylvia Kristel, Drama, Romance, Erotic
Young Emmanuelle and her friend Coco visit a friend whose sculptor husband is infatuated with one of his plaster creations. Emmanuelle uses her magic to get him interested again, jump starting their love life. Later, Emmanuelle, Coco and Coco’s sister, Paula, travel to a wedding in Africa. They miss their plane to Salima and have to travel by boat, where they all vie for the attention of a male passenger. After Paula misses her chance with him, she travels via rowboat to an African tribal village where her desires are fulfilled.
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Emmanuelle’s Revenge / La revanche d’Emmanuelle (1993) Francis Leroi, Marcela Walerstein, George Lazenby, Sylvia Kristel, Drama, Romance, Erotic
Sensual adventures in Africa and New Mexico for Emmanuelle as she learns a sexy secret of her good friend and former lover, Mario.
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Flirt (1995) Hal Hartley, Paul Austin, Robert John Burke, Martin Donovan, Drama, Romance
The same situation is played out in different cities (New York, Berlin and Tokyo). A lover has to choose whether to commit to a partner who is returning home. In each case there are other people involved, an ex-partner and someone else in a “permanent” relationship, what do they choose to do?
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Goin’ to Town (1935) Alexander Hall, Mae West, Paul Cavanagh, Gilbert Emery, Comedy, Musical
When her fiancée Buck Gonzales is killed, dance hall queen Cleo Borden inherits his wealth. Included are oil wells supervised by British engineer Carrington, whom Cleo sets out to win by becoming a “lady.” She races her horse in Buenos Aires, gains social position by loveless marriage to bankrupt Colton, and even sings in an opera. But when she meets Carrington again, he’s become the Earl of Stratton…
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The Gay Deception (1935) William Wyler, Francis Lederer, Frances Dee, Benita Hume, Comedy
Mirabel wins a $5,000 lottery which will enable her to live like a queen in New York. There she meets Sandro, a bellboy who is really a prince, so she does get to be a queen after all.
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You Can’t Take It with You (1938) Frank Capra, Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, Comedy, Drama, Romance
The stenographer Alice Sycamore is in love with her boss Tony Kirby, who is the vice-president of the powerful company owned by his greedy father Anthony P. Kirby. Kirby Sr. is dealing a monopoly in the trade of weapons, and needs to buy one last house in a twelve block area owned by Alice’s grandparent Martin Vanderhof. However, Martin is the patriarch of an anarchic and eccentric family where the members do not care for money but for having fun and making friends. When Tony proposes Alice, she states that it would be mandatory to introduce her simple and lunatic family to the snobbish Kirbys, and Tone decides to visit Alice with his parents one day before the scheduled. There is an inevitable clash of classes and lifestyles, the Kirbys spurn the Sycamores and Alice breaks with Tony, changing the lives of the Kirby family.
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Edward, My Son (1949) George Cukor, Spencer Tracy, Deborah Kerr, Ian Hunter, Drama
Arnold Boult is determined to make his son a success at all costs. He commits arson, causes two suicides, and bribes people. His wife, unable to leave him, becomes alcoholic and dies. His son is killed. After doing time in prison he searches for his illegitimate grandson.
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