Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Knights of the South Bronx Movie

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Finally I managed to search for this long-time chess movie for me to watch thanks to Gilachess. After watching Searching for Bobby Fischer aka Innocent Moves a few years back in Astro recommended by KLChing (1 of the webmaster for Gilachess.com), from there i searched for any chess movies and found Knights of the South Bronx. What's Knights of the South Bronx about? 

Knights of the South Bronx is a 2005 TV film about a teacher who helps students at a tough inner-city school to succeed by teaching them to play chess.

The movie is based on a true story. In it, whistle-blowing and a mid-life crisis combine to remove Richard Mason (played by Ted Danson) from his old life. He becomes a substitute teacher and is assigned to a fourth-grade class in a South Bronx school. In the class are students with parents who are drug addicts or in jail or just scrambling to pay the bills. Few of them see a purpose in school other than meeting society's requirements, and he struggles, mostly in vain, to reach them.

Then a student whose father is in jail sees Mason in the park playing a simultaneous exhibition, and beating fourteen opponents at once. He asks to learn the game. One thing leads to another, and soon the entire class is interested in the game. Mason convinces them that on the chessboard it doesn't matter how much money you have or what clothes you're wearing or where you come from, and that it's only the moves you make, then and there. The ending is perhaps somewhat predictable but still satisfying, as the class forms a team and goes off to compete in ever-larger tournaments.

Richard discovers a way to reach out to his skeptical students through the game of chess. Against all odds, he inspires his students to become champions, not only at chess, but in life!

Ted Danson gives a compelling performance in this heroic, heartwarming story based on true events co-staring Keke Palmer and Malcom David Kelley. Knights of the South Bronx proves that no matter who you are or where you come from, if you play like a winner, you can be a king!

Cast

  • Ted Danson - Mr. Richard Mason
  • Malcolm David Kelley - Jimmy Washington
  • Yves Michel-Beneche - MD Duprais
  • Keke Palmer - Kenya Russell
  • Yucini Diaz - Renee
  • Antonio Ortiz - Dawson
  • Nicholas Carpenter - Dawson's Opponent

Source: Wikipedia

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