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Nice effects though.

Boring

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I enjoy all kinds of documentaries about school age kids and how they can pull themselves above their family situations through talent, perseverance and hard work. Here we look at a Brooklyn public school, Intermediate School (I.S.) 318, where about 2/3 of the students are from families living at or below the poverty level. Many are first generation Americans. But the great thing is they don't know what their limitations might be, they are able to dream and succeed regardless of where their parents are on the social or economic ladder.The documentary covers the years 2008 through 2012, and has to deal with the reduced budgets resulting from the economic downturn of 2009 and following years. At I.S 318 is a fine chess program for students, in fact the school has won over 20 national championships, the most of any I.S. in the country. The documentary follows the team and several of its members, with snippets from their school life and their home life.Back in the early 1970s when Bobby Fischer was winning the world chess championship I, like many other Americans, became keenly interested in chess. In fact I can recall playing chess with co-workers almost every day at lunch for a few weeks, and I learned enough to know how difficult it is to play well. These kids at I.S 318 are remarkable, in that they accept the discipline and hard work necessary to get there. They may not make a living at it but mastering chess sets them up to master almost anything they choose to follow in life.My favorite was Rochelle , a young black girl who was the top player at I.S. 318 when she left that school after the 8th grade. She set a goal to become the first female Chess Master of her ethnic origin, and while she hasn't reached that goal yet, won the National Competition to earn a full ride scholarship to University of Texas.Plus, as a footnote to the documentary, I.S. 318 in 2012 became the first ever Intermediate school to win the National High School Championship.A superb documentary on a superb program and a superb group of kids.

Brooklyn Castle takes a fascinating look at the success of I318 School in Brooklyn - a middle school that has consistently produced chess champions.It asks how and why and also looks at the wider general issue of how funding is slashing such programs. As with any documentary connecting with both the subject and its protagonists is vital - and here that works - 12 years olds are notorious for being either extrovert to the point of annoying or introvert to the point of silence - but here the balance is just the right side of cool - and it's easy to be swept up in the tales.It works best when showing the tournaments and the chess, and really while the parents' interviews are OK they're not adding to the tale that much. BC is slightly long and more editing would have helped a lot - at times your attention wanders, but it is saved by a very strong story.In addition, there are moments which are wholly captivating - and lift the film - this is a film which does inspire, and makes us believe that great teachers and good teaching can give kids who are otherwise likely to be forgotten a real chance in life.

Fantastic, inspirational, warm-hearted true story--a can't miss documentary. Goes on a little longer than it probably should, but watching the improbable story unfold is unquestionably captivating."Brooklyn Castle" is a documentary about I.S. 318 - an inner-city school where more than 65 percent of students are from homes with incomes below the federal poverty level - that also happens to have the best junior high school chess team in the country. Chess has transformed the school from "school in need of improvement" in 2003, to one of New York City's best. But a series of recession-driven pubic school budget cuts now threaten to undermine those hard-won successes.The second act of the film loses its sense of direction, but finds its footing again in the third act when the focus is on the kids and the intense competition of the tournaments. If you feel that the country's educational system is in a perpetual downward spiral, and no one really cares, be sure to give it a watch. It's sure to give you at least some hope for our nation's future.

Brooklyn Castle was extremely well-received at its World Premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. This film shows how students who are often written off as low achievers can be inspired and empowered to succeed. I.S. 318 in Brooklyn has been building teams that win national chess championships and by doing so empowering students to learn and to succeed against very long odds. This inspiring film focuses in on a few students and shows their struggles and their successes. These students take us into their lives and show us how chess has changed them and given them opportunities that they never knew existed before. Chess provides them an avenue to success where they can go as far as their minds can take them. The film is powerful antidote to all of the negative attacks that we hear about teachers and public education (in films such as "Waiting for Superman" which placed the blame for educational problems on the Teachers Unions). This shows that students succeed when they are empowered by excellent teachers. One creative aspect of this school is that chess is offered to the students as an elective course instead of just an extra-curricular activity.Despite all of their successes they face even greater challenges from budget cuts that threaten their opportunities to travel to tournaments and compete. Education and the opportunity to achieve should be a right of all American students, not a privilege of the well-to-do. This film should be widely viewed by all those here in Texas and around the country that are seeking to balance budgets on the backs of American schoolchildren. We need to invest in the minds of our children if we expect them to be able to compete in a global economy. Chess is an excellent avenue that can be used to grow young minds. Bravo to I.S. 318 and to the filmmakers of Brooklyn Castle who have shown us the successes being achieved at one school. This film needs to be widely viewed by the general public and most especially by our educators and our political leaders.