Greg Little Movies

America was once the world's leader in scientific and technological research, but at the dawn of the 21st Century, the nation's standing had begun to slip, and as cuts in school funding and a lack of emphasis on science under the George W. Bush administration took their toll, an international study revealed that students in 25 major nations consistently scored higher in math and science than their counterparts in the United States. As American schools strive to reprioritize science and math, the nationwide competition the Science Talent Search seeks to find and nurture the most promising science students in America's high schools. Offering a grand prize of $100,000, the Science Talent Search is the oldest and most prestigious competition of its kind in the United States, and filmmakers Tina DiFeliciantonio and Tom Shepard follow three gifted teens who have made it into the STS finals in the documentary Whiz Kids. Ana Cisneros attends a school in Long Island, New York with a primarily Latino and African-American student body, but while people of color have been poorly represented in the STS, ambitious Ana has become one of the top botany students in the state and is determined to prove the stereotypes are wrong. Harmain Khan is the son of a immigrant couple who came to New York City with almost nothing and sometimes were forced to survive on food stamps and by collecting bottles and cans. Harmain, has shown a striking talent in paleontology, and drives himself to achieve a success that has eluded most of his family. And Kelydra Welcker has won awards for her research into the effects of chemicals dumped into the rivers in her West Virginia community. But while Kelydra is convinced she's doing the right thing for her home town and the environment, her project threatens to shut down one of the county's largest employer -- the same company that provides her father a paycheck and pension. Whiz Kids received its premiere as a special preview at the 2009 Cinequest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When Rodney Bingenheimer was just a teenager -- a diminutive, long-haired kid who was picked on a lot -- his mother, a divorced autograph hound, dropped him off in front of the home of actress Connie Stevens and essentially said, "Good luck." Stevens was on location shooting a movie and Bingenheimer says he didn't see his mother again for five or six years after that. The Mayor of the Sunset Strip, a documentary by George Hickenlooper (Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse), tracks Bingenheimer's rise from the 1960s, when he was a groupie -- eventually landing his first show-business job as a double for Davy Jones on The Monkees -- through stints as a successful club owner and influential DJ to his current status as a fading musical icon. The film takes us from the innocent pop of Brian Wilson and Sonny & Cher through the raucous heyday of L.A.'s punk scene and beyond. Hickenlooper also delves into Bingenheimer's relationships, showing him mourning his neglectful and unbalanced, but beloved, mother and visiting with his father, who never attempted to make contact with Bingenheimer after his mother abandoned him. He also pines for a close friend, Camille Chancery, and helps out a seemingly hopeless middle-aged wannabe rock star, Ronald Vaughan. While Bingenheimer used his skills as a consummate hanger-on and his genuine enthusiasm for rock & roll to become a central figure in the L.A. music scene for a couple of decades and is lauded in the film for his good taste and good nature by celebrities from Cher to David Bowie to Gwen Stefani, his current life is shown to be somewhat sad and lonely. The Mayor of the Sunset Strip is chock full of cameos and features a star-studded soundtrack. It was shown at the 2003 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Dreamland is an appropriate title for a film that examines up close and personal that place where dreams are made and just as quickly broken -- the gambling world of Las Vegas. The documentary moves beyond the bright lights and neon glitz of the famous casino strip and into the dark and dingy neighborhood casinos that thrive in a city where compulsive gambling is every bit as addictive as a drug habit, and often seeks to escape the same symptoms of pain, loneliness, and unhappiness. Using interviews with patrons of these casinos and gambling halls, from middle-class retirees and blue collar workers to professional gamblers and casino dealers, director Lisanne Skyler provides a frank and honest look at the grim reality of an American pastime. ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide