The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

[CheezeFlixz]

I wasn't sure if this is good movie (actually a documentary), because it was entertaining or a bad one because those in it were so pathetic.



This short (about 75 min.) documentary is about a guy that hold the high score for around 20 years on Donkey Kong and the guy obsessed with topping him and the rivalry between them. We're not talking 16 year old gamers, we're talking 30+ year old guys.

The record holder is Billy Mitchell who look exactly like a 1980 High School yearbook photo ...



... comes across as a arrogant, self centered, conceited butt wipe since he is the Donkey Kong champion .... dude it's a video game, it's Donkey Kong, you're nearly 40 .... grow the *%&$ up already.

This film is full of some of the geekiest folks I've ever seen, these folks are stuck in the 1980 arcade culture some of them likable and some of them seemingly still living in their mother's basement and Billy Mitchell who seem to think he's big man on campus at the local high school, even though he's a 40 something business owner.

But I enjoyed the film my wife and sat there laughing our butts off in 'disbelievement' that there were folk still living the arcade culture of the 1970's and 1980's some 20+ year later.

You'll also see Steve, hell bent on getting the top score, a 30 something school teacher with a wife and kids, and you'll meet Brian the "retired" 30 year old gamer who quit his banking job to play arcade game all the time, you'll meet the referee guy and his side kick that really take "sanctioned arcade gaming" to a new level.



With the exception of  Steve Wiebe (playing above) who actually had children, I believe the rest are all virgins ... doubt me? Watch the film. My wife thinks there virgins too, she said "OMG those guys need to get laid."

So anyway, I liked ... nay loved GALAGA ... but I knew when to quit, I knew when to walk away. I knew it was time to move on.

What more can I say, it was different and watchable.

So if you want a blast from the past and see some sub culture world of the geeks stuck in 1982 then watch this film.
I'm giving it 4 out of 5.

[indianasmith]

I'll admit to having been an arcade junkie in high school and college - with a high score of 2.5 MILLION on Gauntlet, set in 1989.  But I have long since moved on to the more emotionally and intellectually satisfying world of Bad Movies and PC gaming.  Now, if you'll excuse me, the Knights of Order are overrunning the Shivering Isles and Sheogorath needs my help!

[asimpson2006]

I happened to watch this a few months ago, one of the last films I rented from Netflix before I put my account on hold.  I really enjoyed the film, and the nerd in me really came to shine.  I love the old arcade games years ago and still do to this day.  I'm not as hardcore as some of the guys in the film were.  I'm not tempted to go for a world record in any game unless I know I have a chance to do it, which I know I don't. 

[Torgo]

**** out of ****.

Truth is almost always stranger than fiction. I also admit that this movie brought out my old hardcore gaming feelings from when I used to sometimes live in arcades back in the late 80's and early 90's.

The extras on the DVD are as good as the movie itself which is usually not heard of in the DVD age.


"BUY MY HOT SAUCE!!!!"

[CheezeFlixz]

I'll admit to having been an arcade junkie in high school and college

Yeah what? 20 years ago! I was too, in high school, collage and the military. Galaga, Tempest, Asteroids etc ... spent a fortune on them 25 cents at a time. I moved on, as most of us did.
You just have to watch this film, these guys are in there late 30's early 40's (our generation) and they are obsessed with it.  They analyze it, make charts and diagrams, clear templates over the screens to map moves. I'm not making that up ... it really kind of scary and sad.
You'd think they were planning a solo mission around the earth alone with nothing more than a swiss army knife, no they're playing Donkey Kong!

I mean I want to find a couple of decent arcade consoles for the game room that aren't 2000 miles away, but I'm not going to be planning on overthrowing the the current high score, who cares, I play, when I play for fun. Not to dethrone anyone ... although Billy, the styling hold over from 1981 does need his ass handed to him.

Watch it, you'll enjoy it and being somewhat amazed, saddened and confused at the same time.

One guy, Brain was running around the arcade like a 12 year old telling everybody a KILL SCREEN was coming up on a game and to come watch it ... he's 30! I'd never even heard of a "Kill screen" prior to this.

[indianasmith]

That is kind of sad.

[ghouck]

Lol, there's all kinds like that. In the town I grew up in, almost every guy was a gearhead. There is STILL a guy that drives his old Monte Carlo with a hoodscoop around like it was 1987 all over again. Another that does the same with his "General Lee" charger. The last time I was there, I saw a sign for a "Rubik's Cube" tournament, kinda pointless now that the Rubik's Cube comes with INSTRUCTIONS on how to solve it. No real genius necessary. 

I have to say, of all the classic arcade games, Donkey Kong is IMO the best, but there's a time to go find a girl, marry her, have some kids, and buy them a Wii so THEY can play the video games and take them more seriously than any normal adult would, which is to say, not too seriously. Reminds me of the older brother in "Napoleon Dynamite", living his life according to a 15-year old high school football 'career'.

Anyways, if you're looking for some nostalgia, there is some software called "Mame" (multiple arcade machine emulator), which allows you to play those old arcade games (some of the "roms", which is the game software, are free, some you must pay for, some unavailable legally). There are people that have made stand-up consoles with a PC at their core, that are set up to play hundreds of games. Seems like a cool project, they even have the capability to work a coin-box for realism. Seems kinda cool, but every time I get semi-seriously looking at it, the project suffers from "feature creep" until I give up. I juts can't see making one without Missile Command and Centipede, which require a trackball.

[Torgo]

There are people that have made stand-up consoles with a PC at their core, that are set up to play hundreds of games. Seems like a cool project, they even have the capability to work a coin-box for realism.

I have a friend that did just that.   He has one that has something like 1000 games on it, I wind up playing it quite a bit when I'm hanging out at his place with friends which annoys my friends.    

[Torgo]

[ghouck]

I'd never even heard of a "Kill screen" prior to this.

Neither had I, had to look that one up on the Wikipedia. My reaction is a resounding "BFD". I'm sure this seemed novel back then, but I'm sure anyone that used Windows 95 saw enough of Microsoft's version of "Kill Screen" that the impact is somewhat lost. .

[Ash]

I watched this the other night and was absolutely riveted!

Cheeze is right.  These guys are obsessed!  And yes, they probably are all virgins with the exceptions of Mitchell and Weibe.
Billy Mitchell came off as a total prick in this film.  An arrogant know-it-all who feels he can never be beat.
The filmmakers really did a good job painting him as the bad guy.

Want to know how far these guys will take their video game obsessions?
Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-RG9c3tk0A


And that guy who was obsessed with telling everybody about the "kill screen"...
I personally know a guy who behaves exactly like that.

Kill Screen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wY1dkCKZ7Q


Trust me guys...
You've gotta check out this film. 
I give it 4 out of 4 stars and a big 

[Nukie 2]

I didn't know hardcore gamers used the scientific method of research to play.

[BTM]

"I wanted the pretty girls to come up and say, 'Hi, I see you're good at Centipede."

Uh.. okay.

[HarlotBug3]

Anyone who has played video games for longer than was healthy will be astounded and perhaps even enthralled by this. One of the best docs I've ever seen.