Hacker Cinema
Computer Chess
2013 · Film · 91 min
Directed by Andrew Bujalski
At the American Computer Chess Convention, enthusiasts gather to pit their programs against other computer chess programs and human players in a tournament for a grand prize of $7500.
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12 comments on Hacker News
Collie Ryan is mine. She did three albums in the 1970s and then basically disappeared. I became aware of her through the use of her (amazing) song "It's Gonna Rain" which was featured on the soundtrack of Computer Chess (2013), a very weird (but good) film that seems to be about a computer chess tournament in the 1980s but gets weirder.
https://www.spinmagazine.com/2013/07/collie-ryan-its-gonna-rain-computer-chess-andrew-bujalski-stream/
Computer Chess (2013) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2007360/
I found the original “Indie Game: The Movie” very personally inspiring, the sequel less so. It’s a documentary about a number of indie game developers working really hard and risking it all to make it. The passion these people are pouring into their games is palpable.
“Mr. Robot” is great if you don’t mind it’s overdramatized dystopian atmosphere. Probably one of the most realistic use of computers in a TV show. It has ups and downs, some of its best and worst episodes are in its final season, it’s a pretty interesting roller coaster.
“Computer Chess” is a weird black and white fictional movie about people trying to build the best Chess AI in the 80s. I really enjoyed it. Does a great job capturing the vibe of the era.
Also refer to the movie "Computer Chess" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Chess_%28film%29
Thanks for posting. As an avid player, it's fascinating to read how much foresight these thinkers had in 1950. Today, programs stronger than any human can be downloaded from the app store for free and take up a relatively small amount of space. Humbling and inspiring. For anyone who enjoyed this read I recommend watching the movie "computer chess" as soon as possible!
I'd like to agree with you, but the easier than pirating part of your comment only seems to apply if you're from the US (correct me, if it's available in other countries). I'd really like to pay, but it seems I have to resort to other sources.
Besides other, admittedly far from mainstream movies did this a lot better - "Sleepwalk with me" or last years highly praised "Computer Chess" offered a DRM-free, 1080p download and a streaming option, both without region-lock and for a reasonable price. Still an exception unfortunately.
For a different spin on films about chess-playing computers, check out Computer Chess, a mumblecore mockumentary about a 1980s computer chess tournament:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2007360/
Absolutely, in addition to independent artists and bands found on Bandcamp & Co. it's also very easy to buy DRM-free lossless music by signed and more popular artists. Boomkat, Qobuz, HDTracks, you name it. These days I really can't complain about quality music buying and streaming options.
With movies and TV on the other hand, you're right as well. It's a mess - even more so as a non-american. Even independent creators are doing it wrong: Tried buying the movie/documentary Teenage the other day - no download/buy option, instead screening in a handful of US cities. Good luck getting my money with that approach.
However there are also good examples like Computer Chess or Sleepwalk With Me, which let you buy a DRM-free download.
this is true :) technically I haven't seen 70% of movies that were released this year.
Will update the above comment once I've seen Computer Chess, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Computer chess was good, but not for everyone. First off, I had to turn subtitles on for this movie. Not because of foreign languages, but because this film belongs to the so called "mumblecore" genre and literally sounds like it. It is also filmed with low quality equipment. The acting is also quite bad.
"Computer Chess" is best enjoyed for its few insightful and smart moments. Ive never seen a movie that got the programming subculture so right. The characters have some insights that make you wonder if they would not have been prophets had they been around during that period. However at times the heavy metaphor borders on pretentiousness. But cut em some slack.
In short: don't expect an enthralling movie experience, this is not a popcorn muncher. I wouldn't watch this movie with my mom, it could be interesting to some people, but for most I have the feeling it would be extremely painful.
I would argue that Her is the best movie this year about technology. It shows how HUGE the impact on relationships could be without ever focusing on the technology itself.
I'll have to watch Computer Chess and compare.
I also dealt with RED very early on, the post was a nightmare and still isn't as smooth as it could be. But the dark footage was mainly the fault of film trained DPs who were used to underexposing and pushing during transfer (hence the noise). I was amazed when we'd get footage from Academy award winning DPs that looked awful, then get footage from DPs who had never shot much film, but tons of HD. They understood you didn't underexpose but expose to the right, bringing it right up to the edge before it blows out, that's when the footage looks great. The guys used to film were shooting with a tool they didn't know how to use, hardly the fault RED when the video guys were killing it (don't use a light meter, use a waveform and histogram). And the footage coming out LOG shouldn't have saturated colors, it's supposed to look muddy (have film transferred flat and you'll have the same result). That gives all the power to the colorist as far as the final grade as opposed to DPs locking in a look (another major reason that Hollywood DPs hated digital, it was taking away much of their power). RED was ground breaking and had a huge affect on the market, although, for my 2¢, the Canon 5D has had a bigger impact overall (with an image that's much worse than RED).
And RED fans are fanatical. Take the biggest mac fanboy and cross him with a Patriots fan, that might get you close. There is also a very vocal group of RED haters who spew bs for no apparent reason. The cameras should be the tools, not the owners.
Full disclosure: I've never owned a RED, but spent quite a bit of time in post with the footage (worked post on some of the first major commercials shot with the RED) and used it to shoot some of my own work. I've owned a 5D since it's release and have Blackmagic Pocket and 4K on order to finally replace it. I learned on film, spent a decade as a news photog shooting betacam before moving to post for features and commercials (nuke/flame and fcp/avid). I prefer working with the Alexa when at all possible, but that can increase the budget considerably (at least for me as i know plenty of great DPs that own REDs).
And imho, the most beautiful film release this year was Upstream Color, which was shot on a Panasonic GH-2, current retail for that camera is about $1000. And the most daring was a tie between Computer Chess which was shot on 80's era tube cameras and the experimental narrative Escape from Tomorrow shot on Canon 5D/7D at Disney World without Disney's permission.