The Queen’s Gambit

[peter912]

I think that the ending was kind of silly. Who is going to jump out of a car on the way to the airport and miss their flight, unless of course they want to stay where they are. This is highly unlikely, because I don't think that too many Americans were choosing to live in the Soviet Union, at the time that the movie was supposed to be taking place. Other than that I thought that the movie , or should I say mini series ,was excellent, one of the best I have seen in a long time.

[Stirchley]

Rather good. Would have been just as good in 6 rather than 7 episodes as the pace was somewhat glacial.

I have zero interest in chess, but found it to be an absorbing topic.

Anya Taylor-Joy made the entire thing for me. The camera loves her face.

Hair & makeup were gorgeous. Ditto the costumes. Anya wore wigs, but they were almost indiscernible. She’s a beautiful woman with a lovely figure.

The child who played her at 9 years old is also a terrific actress.

68917

[Torgo]

I love it too. My favorite TV series of the year is still Unorthodox, which is also on Netflix, but this one is a close second. How refreshing it is to watch a TV series with a female lead in this day and age where she's not raped or sexually assaulted and that has no toxic men. Sure, she has sex, but it's consensual.

[Stirchley]

⬆️ Unorthodox is terrific.

[pahaK]

I already rated this to Television Tab, but I guess I can repeat here that it's really good. I gave it 4/5, and you all know how stingy I am.

[Stirchley]

I already rated this to Television Tab, but I guess I can repeat here that it's really good. I gave it 4/5, and you all know how stingy I am.

I knew I had read something about it here, but, as it’s not strictly television, I couldn’t find your review.

[rambond]

Out of topic, but I still don t know if stirchley is a man or a woman, however i quite enjoy reading him/ her s comments

[AgrippinaX]

I’ve heard mixed things about The Queen’s Gambit. Been told storyline is very predictable and that turns people off.

[Stirchley]

Out of topic, but I still don t know if stirchley is a man or a woman, however i quite enjoy reading him/ her s comments

Thanks. Female.

I’ve heard mixed things about The Queen’s Gambit. Been told storyline is very predictable and that turns people off.

Maybe a little predictable, but the journey to the conclusion is very enjoyable.

[AgrippinaX]

Maybe a little predictable, but the journey to the conclusion is very enjoyable.

Oh, I don’t think ‘predictable’ is a bad thing. I’ll get to it soon.

[ynwtf]

For me, the final two episodes were weaker than the earlier ones, but the series over all was enjoyable. The first 5 minutes of episode 1 were Phantom Thread gorgeous. I think the only reasons the two episodes were "weak" for me include maybe running a bit too long (compress the last three down to two maybe?), the last few plot points were predictable (if not unnecessarily heavy-handed in one or two, and borderline gimmicky in one visual effects motif by the end) as noted in earlier posts and that stood out in contrast to how well much of the series was handled, and general balance in that the opening of the series was so well done, the closure felt underwhelming by comparison.

I guess that reads pretty damning, but I really did enjoy the show.

[AgrippinaX]

I guess that reads pretty damning, but I really did enjoy the show.

It kind of does! But I’ve noticed I can sometimes even describe my all-time favourite films in a damning manner. Still unsure if I’ll watch this, frustratingly.

[ynwtf]

It kind of does! But I’ve noticed I can sometimes even describe my all-time favourite films in a damning manner. Still unsure if I’ll watch this, frustratingly.

please do. or at the very least watch the first episode? you will know quickly if you are attracted to it. i tend to be kind of harsh with work that i enjoy most. the bar is higher by its own internal standards and so i respond to it (whatever it is, be it movie, music, art, etc.) on that level. things i would pick at here are things that i would likely overlook anywhere else, so take my criticisms in scale. and the few criticisms that i listed were only noticeable in contrast to how good so much it was, which isn't a bad thing at all.

[Stirchley]

For me, the final two episodes were weaker than the earlier ones, but the series over all was enjoyable.

To reiterate what I said in my OP, the series would have worked just as well with 6 episodes rather than 7.

There’s so much junk around, I enjoyed seeing a mini-series of this quality.

[bergmann]

Die Serie ist wirklich sehr gut. Ich stimme Ihnen zu, der Anfang war spannender als das Ende. Aber ich bin aufgeregt wegen der Hauptfigur Beth, ich mochte diese Schauspielerin wirklich.
"Queen's Gambit" ist keine Schachserie. In dieser Serie geht es darum, wie schwierig es ist, ein Genie zu sein, und darum, dass die wichtigsten Schlachten manchmal von uns selbst geführt werden.

[peter912]

Die Serie ist wirklich sehr gut. Ich stimme Ihnen zu, der Anfang war spannender als das Ende. Aber ich bin aufgeregt wegen der Hauptfigur Beth, ich mochte diese Schauspielerin wirklich.
"Queen's Gambit" ist keine Schachserie. In dieser Serie geht es darum, wie schwierig es ist, ein Genie zu sein, und darum, dass die wichtigsten Schlachten manchmal von uns selbst geführt werden.


Now I am still trying to figure out how to translate this into English. Maybe another member here at movieforums who is more knowledgeable than me in such matters could do this. Thank-you in advance and yes I did use google to do it on my own but it didn't work out, sorry.

[pahaK]

Now I am still trying to figure out how to translate this into English. Maybe another member here at movieforums who is more knowledgeable than me in such matters could do this. Thank-you in advance and yes I did use google to do it on my own but it didn't work out, sorry.

Google translate does a very good job with this text:

The show is really very good. I agree with you, the beginning was more exciting than the end. But I'm excited about the main character Beth, I really liked this actress.
"Queen's Gambit" is not a chess series. This series is about how difficult it is to be a genius and how the most important battles are sometimes fought by ourselves.

All you need to do is a Google search for "translate" and copy the text. It even knows it's German.

[peter912]

Google translate does a very good job with this text:



All you need to do is a Google search for "translate" and copy the text. It even knows it's German.


Thank-you

[Stirchley]

I think that the ending was kind of silly. Who is going to jump out of a car on the way to the airport and miss their flight, unless of course they want to stay where they are.

That’s a very good reason to miss a flight. But the ending was ambivalent. She may have caught a later flight. She could do whatever she liked.

Now I am still trying to figure out how to translate this into English.

The onus is on the poster to translate his post into English. Not on us.

[Inmyseat]

Finished it last night, well done indeed!

[brandon77]

the ending is really not clear, she got out of the car, played with the seniors and then what?

[peter912]

That's what I mean, she is going to miss her flight back to the U.S. What is going through her head at the end of the movie ?

[baleclone]

Do you think there would be a season 2?

[peter912]

Do you think there would be a season 2?




Yes I do. They did season 1 with plans to do another season as well, at least I think that they planned it that way.

[Stirchley]

Yes I do. They did season 1 with plans to do another season as well, at least I think that they planned it that way.

Limited series. No further season is scheduled.

[peter912]

Netflix only planned for it to be a one season series, however the show was such a huge success for Netflix ,that it will be hard for them to ignore.So it is up to Netflix whether or not to make a second series.

[Gideon58]

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-004M5jQBjLs/X2zTAhD7MaI/AAAAAAACfvk/ErSEvSJNbqgD8i0yT1b0Whq8ngPOpkNbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/the-queens-gambit-full-promo-promotional-poster-release-date-announcement.jpg

A friend of mine had been raving about this Netflix mini-series for months and then Anya Taylor-Joy won a Golden Globe for her work, so I finally just finished watching episode 1 of this enigmatic mini-series about a young woman named Beth Harmon who becomes a champion chess player during the 1960;s. The first episode covers Beth's parentless upbringing in a strict orphanage. This episode was a sterling exercise in the art of exposition and seems to be trying to establish several things about this girl Beth. The episode establishes in stylish fashion that Beth is a drug addict, that she hates to lose, and has some serious issues with the concepts of authority and religion. How important these thing continue to be in the story remains to be seen, but it made for a fascinating first hour that makes me want to continue watching. Scott Frank's direction is crisp, the writing is smart, and there's some really wonderfully camerawork...love the upside down chessboard in Beth's mind that is always a game in session. The initial scenes of her learning the game with the creepy custodian literally had the hair on the back of my neck standing up and the look on her face when the custodian won one of her pieces for the first time and took it off the board was genuinely terrifying. Looking forward to see where this goes.

[Stirchley]

Could have sworn this has been discussed in another thread. But I don’t know where.

[John McClane]

It starts out good and then meanders into a snoozefest. At least that's what I thought. It is still better than most series at the moment, though. So it's got that going for it.

[Austruck]

I enjoyed most of it, although some of the hallucinatory aspects later in the show were a bit "off" for me. Still, so well done and extremely captivating... which is surprising for a show about chess players. :D

And like Stirchley, I thought there had to already be a thread here about this show. It was a huge hit when it first showed up last year.

[Wyldesyde19]

I watched a few episodes, because Chess interests me greatly. I don’t have the mind or patience for it, but I love watching this commentator on YouTube that breaks down famous matches and such.

One thing that bothered me in the series was how often these matches ended in “check mate” when quite often, one person ends up resigning or playing to a draw.

Taylor-Joy is great in it. She gives Harmon a certain aloofness. If you haven’t seen her in Emma, yet, I highly recommend.

[Stirchley]

And like Stirchley, I thought there had to already be a thread here about this show. It was a huge hit when it first showed up last year.

Duh! Guess whose thread it was? :rolleyes:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=62714&highlight=Queen%92s+Gambit

And someone else also started a thread.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=62605&highlight=Queen%92s+Gambit

[Austruck]

Clearly we need Yoda to merge these threads! :D

[Yoda]

Done. :up:

[Gideon58]

Would love to pose a question for those who have watched the entire series already. I was curious as to whether you think this series is going to be less interesting to people like myself who don't play chess or is it worth watching whether you play chess or not?

[Stirchley]

⬆️ Chess is completely beyond my comprehension. Having said this, I loved the series. What made it for me was Anya Taylor-Joy. Charismatic young woman.

[Gideon58]

Just finished ep 2...I was surprised that what happened at the end of ep 1 with the pills wasn't addressed at all, but also found it a little coincidental that Beth's adopted mother, Mrs. Wheatley was addicted to the same pills...and how about that Mrs. Wheatley? What a hot mess her character was, could have had her own mini-series...Marielle Heller was superb in this role. Another thing I'm really enjoying about this show is the incredible attention to period details...the costumes, the vehicles, the settings, color schemes, loved that store where Beth bought the cigarettes and the color schemes in the Wheatley home. One fear I had about diving into this mini-series has been put to rest...one doesn't have to play chess to enjoy what's going on here. Understanding of what's going on is effectively provided through camerawork and the facial expressions of the players as well as the spectators, which can only be credited to expert direction. Beth Harmon is a fascinating character though and can't wait to see what happen next.

[Stirchley]

Marielle Heller was superb in this role.

She really was.

[Gideon58]

Just wrapped ep 3...my first thought when Beth agreed to make Alma her agent was that it had disaster written all over it, but I think I understand why she did it, even though Alma doesn't know anything about chess and doesn't care to. She just seems to see Beth as a mal ticket. Loved that scene in the hotel room with Townes. I think this was the first scene since the show began where I saw Beth smile. The chemistry between Beth and Townes was off the charts, even though it was impljed that he was homosexual. Her analysis of her loss to Benny was surprisingly obsessive and I was genuinely frightened at what her reaction would be to her first loss. The show seems to be driving home the point that in the 1960's chess was a man's game, so why was it that every time she arrived at a tournament, everyone had to introduce themselves to her. I'm also waiting for a connection between Beth's passion for chess and her passion for those green pills.

[Gideon58]

Just watched ep 4 and I knew that the relationship between Beth and her mother had to come to a head but it certainly didn't happen in the way I expected. Am glad that Beth has stayed connected to the twins and that Townes is still on her mind. Loved the match with the young boy fascinated with American drive in movies, he seemed to be a male version of Beth. Am loving Beth's complete disdain of convention...loved when she went swimming in the hotel pool while it was raining. Scott Frank's crisp direction continues to be the standout element here, making up for some mysteries in the writing, most notably the connection between Beth's passion for chess and her passion for drugs and alcohol, which still seem to be like two different stories.

[Gideon58]

Just finished episode 5 and loved watching the vast differences between Beth's relationship with Beltik and her relationship with Benny. Even though he never admits it outright, Beltik's attraction to Beth was overshadowed by the beating his ego took by realizing she is a better chess player than he is, but with Beth and Benny, it was pure and unbridled sexual tension that came through in their mutual obsession of the game. I'm also getting really frustrated with the fact that they keep showing Beth doing all this drinking but never experiencing any symptoms of drinking...she doesn't even seem to get drunk, it obviously doesn't affect her game. I don't understand why they spend so much time showing her drink and she seems to be immune to it.

[Gideon58]

Just finished ep 6 and after five episodes, we finally got to see Beth actually get drunk and some of its minor consequences. Anya Taylor-Joy played the drunk scenes so effectively because, IMO, she played the drunk scenes the way drunk scenes should be played...the most effective way to play a drunk scene is by trying to hide the fact that you're drunk and Anya did this brilliantly. Oddly, the rest of this episode felt like so much filler, like the writers weren't sure where they wanted to go with the story at the end of episode 5. The chemistry between Beth and Benny was off the charts and it's too bad it ended the way it did. The sudden re-appearance of her adopted father wanting the house back seemed to come out of nowhere and I don't think the re-appearance of her orphanage pal Jolene just as her descent into real alcoholism begins is a coincidence. Can't believe there's only one episode left, curious to see how they wrap this up.

[Gideon58]

The final episode started off oddly, but the ending was riveting if a bit predictable. The appearance of adult Jolene was pretty pointless except that it got her to the janitor's shrine...the only moment I recall seeing any real emotion from Beth. I loved that Townes, Benny, and the rest of her former opponents re-appeared to help her beat the Russian. Even though I know nothing about chess, I found this show fascinating and I think Scott Frank is a director to watch.

[Redapplecigz]

I love it too. My favorite TV series of the year is still Unorthodox, which is also on Netflix, but this one is a close second. How refreshing it is to watch a TV series with a female lead in this day and age where she's not raped or sexually assaulted and that has no toxic men. Sure, she has sex, but it's consensual.

Anya Joy-Taylor is a very sexy woman . Could watch her in anything