Jerry Rakow Movies

Searching for Bobby Fischer was inspired by the life of chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin, as written by his father Fred Waitzkin. Josh (Max Pomeranc) is a "regular kid" who begins evincing signs of being a genius at chess. His father (Joe Mantegna) encourages this, hoping that it won't fundamentally change his son's healthy outlook on life. But Josh is taken under the wing of cold-blooded chess instructor Bruce Pandolfini (Ben Kingsley), who indoctrinates the boy in the "Bobby Fischer" strategy. Unfortunately, Pandolfini emphasizes all of Fischer's negative traits, especially his contempt for his opponents. Josh is in danger throughout the film of sacrificing his essential decency, but in a rousing conclusion, the boy is able to successfully blend ruthless competition with good sportsmanship. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Joe (Carmine Capobianco) is a bartender and a psychotic killer who falls in love with the woman of his dreams in this horror comedy. Kate (Debi Thibeault) is a manicurist who shares Joe's penchant for committing gruesome murders. The two meet, fall in love, and make plans to combine forces in the murder of Nikki (Cecilia Wilde), a topless dancer in a local club. Stabbed repeatedly, the victim stays alive and spurts copious amounts of red corpuscles until Joe hits her in the head with a frying pan. When the garbage disposal breaks after being stuffed with too many body parts, the couple calls for the plumber Herman (Frank Stewart). Fortunately for Joe and Kate, Herman is a fellow psycho and cannibal who agrees to work for body parts. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide