Jeffrey Blitz Movies

Americans spend $62 billion each year on lottery tickets, and every time someone buys one they likely imagine what their life would be like if they suddenly won a multi-million dollar prize. But the dream and the reality are often very different, and filmmaker Jeffrey Blitz offers a look into the lives of several folks who won big with unexpected results in this documentary. In Lucky, we meet Quang and Mai Dao, a couple from Vietnam who won over $22 million after settling in Nebraska, and have struggled to hold onto the values and work ethic that first brought them to the United States. Kristine and Steven White won a $110 million prize in the Pennsylvania lottery and found it seriously impacted their friendships and their identity, while they were also inundated with letters from strangers asking for a share of the money. William "Buddy" Post III won $16 million, but lost most of it through poor money management and was nearly killed by his own brother over a financial dispute. Robert Uomini still teaches math in California after winning $22 million though he can now indulge his passion for sports cars, and James Gatzke, who was near the end of his rope, got a second chance at life when an Illinois lottery ticket paid off to the tune of $5 and a half million. Lucky was an official selection at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Eight youngsters vie for one of the most hotly contested academic awards in the United States in this documentary. Every spring, the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee attracts students from all over the United States, and filmmaker Jeff Blitz follows eight promising entrants as they journey to Washington, D.C., in hopes of claiming the national championship and a 10,000-dollar prize. Neil Kadakia, from California, has spent months training for the event with the help of his parents, computer tutorials, and professional coaches. Angela Arenivar grew up in a small Texas town with her parents, who immigrated to America from Mexico; Angela's skills as a speller are self-taught, a remarkable achievement since her parents speak English only with great difficulty. Nupur Lala is determined to go to the finals in the 1999 competition, even though three boys from her Florida Junior High are determined to stop her. Ted Brigham grew up in a rural Missouri community where his intelligence has made him stick out like a sore thumb; both Ted and his teachers hope the National Spelling Bee will give him a chance to prove his gifts to his peers. Ashley White lives in a housing project in Washington, D.C., and has risen to the spelling championships largely through the help of her teachers and her own determination. April DeGideo comes from a low-income family in Pennsylvania and is determined to use the Spelling Bee as a stepping stone to a better life. Emily Stagg comes from a wealthy Connecticut family and manages to squeeze her study for the Spelling Bee in between riding lessons and practicing with her choral group. And Harry Altman, from New Jersey, wavers between joy and agony as he makes his way through the competition. Spellbound won the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2003 South by Southwest Film Festival, and received a nomination in the same category at the 2003 Academy Awards. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi