Review of Computer Chess (2013) by Gregory F — 16 Jul 2013
By far the most impressive aspect of writer-director Andrew Bujalski's new film Computer Chess is the dedication and care with which it crafts an immaculate depiction of the early 1980s nerd culture.
The film premiered at Sundance's experimental Next sidebar, and once it starts rolling it's easy to see why. Shot in black and white on a vintage Sony AVC-3260 video camera, the film immediately drops viewers smack dab into the decade.
It's all there, from monstrous computer equipment, to period-appropriate hair and clothes. A "mumblecore" mockumentary, another one of Computer Chess's big successes comes in the form of a cast of pros and non-pros who do an excellent job at delivering the clumsy, stumbling dialogue that characterizes the genre, and really Bujalski's filmography at large.
This film surely won't be to everyone's taste, but for Bujalski loyalists and the cinephile alike, it can't be missed.
This review of Computer Chess (2013) was written by Gregory F on 16 Jul 2013.
Computer Chess has generally received positive reviews.
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