August 2007

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

  • Title: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
  • IMDb: link

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Here we examine video games and the people who play them, not just for fun, but for recognition, glory, and world records; this is the subject of an outstanding documentary, with perhaps the best title of any film released this year (and the rest of the film ain’t too shabby either).

Director Seth Gordon paints us a surprisingly complex tale of two very different men.  Billy Mitchell is the king of his universe, the world record holder for Donkey Kong, who once played the first perfect game ever recorded on Pac Man, owns his own company, and is a longtime friend and contributor to Walter Day, the founder of Twin Galaxies (an organization which tracks video game records).

Mitchell was once named “the greatest video-game player of all time” and “Gamer of the Century.”  Confident and arrogant to a fault he is the undisputed master of his domain.

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The 11th Hour Approaches

  • Title: The 11th Hour
  • IMDb: link

The 11th Hour

Well, it’s not An Inconvenient Truth (read the review), let’s get that out of the way first.  This new documentary on the increasing problems with the environment doesn’t have the jau de vive, the heart, or the spirit of Al Gore’s documentary from last year.  Though it may not live up to the Gore standard there is plenty to watch (especially in the film’s second half) and more than a little to discuss.

The documentary focuses our attention on the changing climate of the Earth due to a variety of factors including global warming, pollution, over population, and man’s destructive effect on the environment.  Leonardo DiCaprio narrates the film which is filled with interviews from scientists from many fields and countries including Stephen Hawking.

The documentary breaks down into two parts.  The first showcases the increasing dangers and causes and foretells of a dangerous and disastrous future if real change isn’t embraced soon.  This part of the film comes dangerously close to the scare tactics many wanted to, falsely, lay at the feet of An Inconvenient Truth.  This first section of the film comes off as part lecture and part blame instead of the imploring and instruction Al Gore utilized to much better effect.

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Balls of Fury Sure, but Where’s the Heart?

  • Title: Balls of Fury
  • IMDb: link

“Ping-pong isn’t played for trophies; it’s played in dark alleys for hard cash and ugly women.”
 

Balls of Fury

Years ago Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler) blew his chance at the 1988 Olympic Games.  Not a washed-up has-been and punchline Fogler is offered a chance by FBI Agent Ernie Rodriquez (George Lopez) to return to glory and avenge the death of his father (Robert Patrick) by entering a secret underground tournament held by the man responsible, the crime lord Feng (Christoper Walken).

The film is filled with predictable dumb and gross-out humor and cheesy cliched training scenes involving a blind ping-pong master (James Hong) and his sexy niece (Maggie Q).  And you know it’s not a comedy without a suppository joke and male sex slaves!  *Sigh*

The acting is okay, at times, and Fogler comes off as a poor man’s Jack Black.  Walken is back to his silly over-the-top performance he gives in films like these, and Maggie Q looks good in short-shorts and Aisha Tyler spends the movie in a leather dominatrix outfit.  Yes, pre-teen males are obviously the target audience here.

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5 Questions with Steve Sanders

We sat down with Steve Sanders, a longtime friend to Bill Mitchell, and once the unofficial world record holder for Donkey Kong, Joust and Pac Man.  We discussed Donkey Kong, Bill Mitchell, Steve Wiebe, and this outstanding little documentary called The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.  Here’s what we found…

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
N/A

Steve Sanders back in 1982
a former King of Kong

1. How did you become involved in the film?

When the documentarians were looking into the history of competitive gaming they started out with Twin Galaxies in Ottumwa, Iowa.  I’ve been involved there since 1982.  I had the unofficial Donkey Kong record in 1982 and the Kansas City Star did an article called “The King of Kong” about me holding the unofficial record.  I also did a book for Bantam Books around that time entitled The Video Master’s Guide to Donkey Kong.  I am thinking about writing and updating a new version for the Wii with some minor changes.

2. You are a friend of Bill Mitchell.  For those who haven’t seen the film, can you explain how you and Billy met?

Bantam Books told me to contact Walter Day of Twin Galaxies late February 1982 and learned I had the highest scores for Donkey Kong and Pac Man.  Shortly after I learned about Bill Mitchell.  We first spoke to each other in May or June of 1982 and hit it off right away and became quick friends even after the negative things which happened later on, which I brought on myself.  I have been a friend of Bill Mitchell’s for years and I know the feeling is mutual.

3. Has Bill seen the film?  How do you think he like how he comes off on screen?

As far as I know Bill has not seen the film.  I have seen the film twice.  It’s hard to describe Bill to other people.  Recently the best metaphor to use for Billy is the “poppa bear.”  All the people in Twin Galaxies are in the bear’s den.  If you are a bear in the bear’s den he’s your provider and protector and you love him.  And when someone from outside comes in you don’t know them or respect them and you distrust them.  When I found out people on the outside don’t perceive him as I do I was shocked.  He can come across as very aggressive as he protects the integrity of classic arcade games.

4. Do you still play video games?

I had basically put them aside for 20 years.  I have never spent time on any of those new consoles like the XBox or Playstation.  When the documentarians came around they encouraged me to start playing again.  Now I own a Donkey Kong, Ms Pac Man and Joust arcade game.  I don’t play as much as I used to, but recently I set the third highest Joust record in the world, a world record I used to own, and I sure would like to have the world record.  I played doubles with the guy I have been competing with and we obtained the world record for doubles on Joust.

5. What message would you like people to take away from the film?

I think the message of the film is the classic human struggle.  Obviously there’s no question that Steve Wiebe is the protagonist, the underdog, the good everyman who is trying to achieve notoriety and fame.  Just as many humans are trying to become great at something.  Versus the antagonist, which is Bill Mitchell, who has the notoriety and fame that Steve is trying to achieve.  On one level it’s about Donkey Kong, which I’m sure most people would probably not be that interested in.  On another level it touches those classic themes.  It’s about us, ti’s about me, it’s about you, it’s about life.  The movie makers were terrific and I think this film will launch all of their careers.  The director Seth Gordon has already signed on to do a major motion picture with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.  When I first heard the idea I thought, it’s a documentary about video games; it will be lucky to make cable TV.  But I have been amazed and gratified to see how critics are uniformly praising the film.  I’m not sure the film has brought in new people to Twin Galaxies, except one thing I am certain of – there are more people who are now more aware.

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Movie News

It seems like sequels and remakes are clogging up the mega-plex.  Well, here comes another one.  Disney announced a new Witch Mountain (based in part on the 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain and its many sequels) which will star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kyra Sedgwick.  Enjoy this trailer for 1978’s Return from Witch Mountain with Christopher Lee and Bette Davis.  Larger trailer available in the Full Diagnosis.

Witch Mountain
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