Critical Thinking (film)

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Movie
Original title Critical Thinking
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2020
length 117 minutes
Rod
Director John Leguizamo
script Ditto Montiel
production Jason Mandl ,
Scott M. Rosenfelt
music Chris Hajian
camera Zach Zamboni
cut Jamie Kirkpatrick
occupation

Critical Thinking is a John Leguizamo film drama set to be released in the United States on September 4, 2020. The film tells the true story of a teacher and his students from Miami Jackson High School who he led to victory at the US National Chess Championships.

action

Mario Martinez worked as a teacher at a high school in Miami, one of the poorest schools in Dade County, in the late 1990s, and the behavior of his students during class is often unacceptable. Conversely, the school system is not made for these young people from mostly broken families, because they believe they know and know everything that is needed in this city to make ends meet.

After one of the students loses his life in the street fighting, Martinez decides to help his students out of this spiral of street crime and teaches them to play chess . He tries to show them that the power of critical thinking can save not only their kings, but their lives as well.

His students Ito and Sedrick in particular prove to be extremely talented, but the redhead Gil also has some clever traits ready. And then there is Marcel Martinez, the son of Cuban immigrants, who is new to the class and can hardly speak English, but who proves himself to be a chess genius and inspires all his teammates with his game. Martinez's goal is to train her up to the National Chess Championship.

background

History teacher Mario Martinez, who gave chess lessons to his students at Miami Jackson High, acted as an advisor for the film. One of his students, 17-year-old Marcel Martinez, was able to play against two opponents at the same time, according to memory, without looking at the chessboard. Other of his students at the 1998 Championships were 18-year-old Gilberto Luna and Sedrick Roundtree and the then 19-year-old Guillermo Rios.

production

Jorge Lendeborg Jr. plays the talented student Ito

The Colombian-American actor and comedian John Leguizamo , who can also be seen in the lead role of the teacher Mario Martinez, makes his directorial debut with Critical Thinking . The script was written by Dito Montiel .

Jorge Lendeborg Jr. plays the student Ito Paniagua. Corwin C. Tuggles plays Sedrick Roundtree, Michael Kenneth Williams, his father. Will Hochman plays the student Gilbert 'Gil' Luna, Jeffry Batista his student Marcel Martinez. The official movie poster shows Batista in the role of Marcel Martinez, who is thinking about a chess problem with his eyes closed.

Filming began in November 2018 and took place in Miami and in Hialeah and the Hialeah Park Studios there. Zach Zamboni acted as cameraman .

The film was due to premiere in the Narrative Spotlight section at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2020 . A few days before the start of the festival, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was postponed to an unknown time, including the presentation of the film. Nevertheless, it was made available online to a specialist audience. The film is scheduled to be released in the USA on September 4, 2020.

reception

Tim Grierson from screendaily.com emphasizes the self-confident young cast in his review, above all Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Corwin C. Tuggles in the roles of the students Ito Paniagua and Sedrick Roundtree, who have a lot of sensitivity for the roles. Critical thinking , however, tends to simplify the problems faced by real members of the 1998 chess team so that they feel like general growing up problems. Still, the thought-provoking tenor of the film should not be underestimated: "This team competes against opponents who are often white and privileged, and Critical Thinking consistently challenges the audience to reconsider the racism and everyday disadvantage that the poorer communities experience in the USA. "

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Amanda M. Sink: Critical Thinking. SXSW 2020 Film Review. In: thehollywoodoutsider.com, March 22, 2020.
  2. ↑ a b Critical Thinking. In: sxsw.com. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ a b c d e Tim Grierson: 'Critical Thinking': Review. In: screendaily.com, March 14, 2020.
  4. ↑ https://moviesandshakers.com/critical-thinking/
  5. ↑ Jessica Lipscomb: John Leguizamo's New Chess Movie Is "a Love Letter to Miami Jackson Senior High". In: miaminewtimes.com, December 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Geoffrey Tomb: School's Chess Prodigy: A masterful Teammate. In: The Miami Herald, February 27, 1998.
  7. ↑ https://hialeahparkstudios.com/blog/critical-thinking-feature-film-with-john-leguizamo-looking-for-hialeah-talent
  8. ↑ https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/john-leguizamos-new-chess-movie-is-a-love-letter-to-miami-jackson-senior-high-10957513
  9. ^ John Leguizamo's 'Critical Thinking' Open Casting Call. In: projectcasting.com, November 18, 2018.
  10. ↑ Neha Aziz: SXSW Film Festival Announces 2020 Features, Episodic Premieres and Opening Night Film The King of Staten Island. In: sxsw.com, January 15, 2020.
  11. ↑ Ben Sisario and Julia Jacobs: South by Southwest Is Canceled as Coronavirus Fears Scuttle Festival. In: The New York Times, March 6, 2020.