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Insight (1960)
An Orthodox Jew's view on Insight
I always enjoyed watching this show on Sunday mornings before my parents got up, and I had to get ready for Hebrew School. Yup, that's right, Hebrew School. You see, I'm an observant Jew, and yet I thoroughly enjoyed watching Insight. True, not all the Christological messages resonated with me, but even as a kid I was savvy enough to ignore them (pretty much ignored the priest at the end, too, who kind of gave me an unsettling feeling because it really yelled "This is a Christian Show!" at me). But the universal messages (caring for your fellow man, honesty, morality, etc.) were really great. As were the actors. I said to myself, "Hey, these guys are big name stars. If they want to appear on this low-budget show, it must really speak to them." But they never reined in their acting chops.
If this show was intended to evangelize, well, then I guess it didn't work on me ;-) But aside from that score, great job, guys!
Word Wars (2004)
Best Scrabble® Documentary to date
This film is without a doubt the best Scrabble® Documentary film yet made. The story follows the efforts of four very different top-level Scrabble® players in their attempt to win the title of 2002 National Scrabble Champion. The directors highlight the disparate backgrounds and approaches to the game of the four principles, from the Tai Chi of 3 time champion Joe Edley to the mind-enhancing pharmaceuticals of Matt Graham. The film uses engaging graphics to explain how Scrabble® is played at the pro-level, and to highlight brilliant plays and anagrams. The audience gets a chance to "play along" with many plays of the main characters and many others on the tournament circuit. In addition, the story takes a foray into the subculture of "the parkies", the serious Scrabble®-playing denizens of Washington Square Park, NYC, and the history of the controversy that created the two dictionaries in use for Scrabble® today, one for the tournament players, and one for the general public.
By focusing on the people and not history of the game, Word Wars shows the tournament Scrabble® scene at its most human.