If you will allow us to blow our horn, we’re very proud of the YouTube video done by Staples High School student and library volunteer Alex Genetti. Alex filmed our 10th annual crossword puzzle contested hosted by no other than Will Shortz and made a 5 minute charming video.
Many readers may remember the extraordinarily popular documentary about the world of crossword puzzle contestants Wordplay. If you enjoy movies about the world of contests, library staff suggests other films, some serious, some more lighthearted.
On a serious note, Quiz Show examines the scandal beneath the glittery façade of an early TV game show long before the host tried to prevent the hero of Slumdog Millionaire from winning through an accusation of cheating. Some movies are a bit serious, and a bit fun. Best in Show pokes fun at the dog show circuit, while still managing to capture the emotions of the owners, trainers and dogs. Some are silly and offer deep belly laughs such as Rat Race which finds a casino tycoon giving six very different contestants a chance to win 2 million to be the first to race from Las Vegas to New Mexico. The movie is reminiscent of It’s a Mad Mad World.
Dance contests are a popular topic for films since the beginning. The 1969 film,a grueling drama about contestants in a dance marathon, They Shoot Horses Don’t They brought bake the desperation of the depression.
The sixties were recaptured in both versions of Hairspray with very different actors playing the part of Edna Turnblad. Earlier on a much thinner John Travolta strutted his stuff in the ultimate 70s movie, Saturday Night Fever. And the ultimate bad/good boy, Patrick Swayze taught us all to rumba in Dirty Dancing currently replaying on Showtime. But like all the films in the library's collection, it is available to borrow from our collection at no cost.
