COMPUTER CHESS – The SLIFF 2013 Review

Let’s all hop in the cinematic time machine and journey back many, many years ago to the very dawn of, not civilization, but computers. So, we’re talking the early 1980’s or so in Andrew Bujalski’s COMPUTER CHESS. The film itself feels like it was unearthed from, not a time machine, but a time capsule. Bujalski has made this film look as though it was shot in that time period using a crude black and white home videotaping system -in use then. The film’s title pretty much sums up the plot. A competition amongst computer programmers takes
over an airport chain motel over a long Summer weekend. Each team or company believes that they have perfected the software that enables computers to play chess. After the computers have played each other, the winner will face off against a human chess player (the film’s egocentric narrator and tour guide). Speaking of egos, there’s plenty on display as the tech wizards are swept up in the race for first prize along with big corporate bucks. But things don’t go smoothly for everyone. One contestant doesn’t have a room (the front desk has no
reservation), so he spends his off hours begging to sleep on the floors of occupied rooms or catching a quick nap in the stairwells or hallways (which are often filled with roaming cats). And the motel is also playing host to a couples encounter/seminar. One of those couples is a randy middle-aged man and wife eager to deflower one of the geeks as he pushes his computer (they’re about the size of a piano) from one room to another. Oh, did I mention that one of the chess teams includes a lady (quite a big deal in the day)? COMPUTER CHESS is a whimsical, nostalgic look back at polyester clothes, bad facial hair, and awkward scientists full of low-tech charm.

COMPUTER CHESS screens at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre on Saturday, November 16 at 6:30 PM as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival

For ticket information, visit Cinema St. Louis’ site HERE

http://www.cinemastlouis.org/computer-chess