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BROOKLYN CASTLEMovie Reviews
Documentary about I.S. 318, a school with the nation's highest ranked junior-high chess team and the students who succeed at the game despite personal struggles and poverty. Cast:Elizabeth Vicary, John Galvin, Fred Rubino, Rochelle Ballantyne, Justus, Alexis, Patrick, PoboDirector:Katie DellamaggioreRelease Date:October 19, 2012DVD Release:June 4, 2013From:Producers Distribution AgencyRating:PGLength:1 hr 39 min
Brooklyn Castle, Very Good Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Brooklyn Castle played in key cities to very good reviews. • Andrew O'Hehir wrote for Salon, "...may well be the most optimistic, inspiring and downright thrilling movie released all year... depicts I.S. 318 as a vibrant, hopeful microcosm of urban America..." More Reviews Below...
Kayla Webley, Time: VERY GOOD "Beyond telling the touching stories of these unlikely champions, the film serves to raise a battle cry for funding for after-school programs."(See all of Kayla Webley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 10/19/12
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...inspiring.... All you have is your mind as it tries to find its way through the infinite better than your opponent can."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 470 words, 11/02/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...irresistible... unabashedly and somewhat overexcitedly a feature-length mash note to its young subjects. Yet why not?... deeply satisfying..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 728 words, 10/19/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...a can't-miss film that doesn't.... a wonderful documentary that manages to be more moving and heartening than you expect. Which is saying a lot."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 10/26/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...marvelous.... It's not a metaphor for life; it's life itself, revealed in all its options. I don't know diddly about chess, and I still loved it."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 11/02/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...inspiring.... All you have is your mind as it tries to find its way through the infinite better than your opponent can."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 470 words, 11/02/12
Michelle Orange, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...explores the question of how and why certain kids succeed... We also gain a sense of how chess helps academically challenged kids find a way into their own brains."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 10/17/12
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the kind of uplifting exploration of kids rising above that inspires as it follows a handful of kids, some prodigies, some struggling just to win a game."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 122 words, 05/04/12
Kate Taylor, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "Working-class children, many from single-parent homes or recent immigrant families, are being urged up the American ladder in a novel and encouraging way..."(See all of Kate Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 120 words, 05/04/12
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The kids' passion for the game is palpable.... You'll be rooting for them in the gruelling competitions. And you'll wish you'd had a teacher like coach Ms. Vicary."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 103 words, 04/26/12
KEY CITIES (7 Reviews)
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...enlightening, inspiring and expertly crafted... One of the film's great assets is how closely Dellamaggiore appears to follow her subjects."(See all of Stephanie Merry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 11/02/12
Kristin Tillotson, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an ode to the triumph and despair of competitions... Dellamaggiore clearly adores her subjects -- maybe a bit too much -- but so what? You will, too."(See all of Kristin Tillotson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 280 words, 11/02/12
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...easily checkmates your inner cynic.... You might hope for a bit more depth on the kids Dellamaggiore profiles, but the film is well made and genuinely inspirational."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 360 words, 11/16/12
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...immensely moving.... focuses on the individual stories of compelling kids and the budget woes in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis..."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 11/02/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...budget cuts keep coming and the questions linger: Where is money being better spent? What greater potential is being unlocked?"(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 03/01/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Michelle Orange, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...explores the question of how and why certain kids succeed... We also gain a sense of how chess helps academically challenged kids find a way into their own brains."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 10/17/12
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "And the Intermediate School 318 team? A delightfully motley, vulnerable, multicultural bunch, whose addiction to chess has allowed them higher aspirations..."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 107 words, 11/15/12
Alison Willmore, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...starts off as a chronicle of the scholastic chess year, but becomes a compelling plea on behalf of the importance of afterschool programs."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 10/18/12
Kalvin Henely, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Katie Dellamaggiore gets just barely deep enough beneath the surface of most of the young players' lives to show the extent of the role chess has in their development..."(See all of Kalvin Henely's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 531 words, 10/18/12
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The kids' passion for the game is palpable.... You'll be rooting for them in the gruelling competitions. And you'll wish you'd had a teacher like coach Ms. Vicary."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 103 words, 04/26/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...irresistible... unabashedly and somewhat overexcitedly a feature-length mash note to its young subjects. Yet why not?... deeply satisfying..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 728 words, 10/19/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...a can't-miss film that doesn't.... a wonderful documentary that manages to be more moving and heartening than you expect. Which is saying a lot."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 10/26/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: OUTSTANDING "...may well be the most optimistic, inspiring and downright thrilling movie released all year... depicts I.S. 318 as a vibrant, hopeful microcosm of urban America..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,064 words, 10/17/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Joe Leydon, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "...irresistibly uplifting.... conceivably could generate attention (and debate) in non-entertainment press coverage of school-budget debates across the country..."(See all of Joe Leydon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 627 words, 03/18/12
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "None of the individual storylines has a broad enough dramatic sweep to stick with viewers for long, but their cumulative optimism ensures a warm mood..."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 432 words, 10/18/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...a can't-miss film that doesn't.... a wonderful documentary that manages to be more moving and heartening than you expect. Which is saying a lot."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 10/26/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...irresistible... unabashedly and somewhat overexcitedly a feature-length mash note to its young subjects. Yet why not?... deeply satisfying..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 728 words, 10/19/12
10.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Brooklyn Castle's reviews are separated by an average 10.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Brooklyn Castle (26 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Brooklyn Castle's reviews cover 41.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 9,638 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 371 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 5 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Brooklyn Castle's reviews on average broke 5 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Brooklyn Castle's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Brooklyn Castle (26 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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