The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

Kill Screen comming up

This has to be one of if not the best documentary for 2007.

I can not begin to describe how much my friends and I laughed while watching this documentary.

Firstly you do not need to know anything about games, this isn't about the actual games themselves anyone can enjoy this.

The premise is this Billy Mitchell set a Donkey Kong high score record in 1982 which wasn't beaten for 20 or so years, enter the underdog Steve Wiebe who simply picked Donkey Kong on a whim to try to get a high score in his spare time.
He tirelessly practices and video tapes his winning score only to be investigated and denied his record.

This is where the controversy heats up and a series of competitions follow to find the ultimate winner with twist and turns allong the way.

You will cheer for the underdog, you will boo the top dog and you will get a glimpse into unique world of retro gaming.

Absolute must buy. October 2, 2008

Please insert 1 token...

Let me first say this. This documentary is really good. I thought it was gonna be more funny than it was (though it IS funny), but it really does capture your attention.

Back in the 80's, TIME magazine had an article about some of the best players of video games in America. Centipede, Joust, Pac-Man...all the greats were there. And Donkey Kong. One of the hardest games ever made. And Billy Walsh was the King of that barrel throwing ape. He destroyed the scoreboards with a score of 800k+. Over 300K from 2nd place. It was ridiculous. The man had been on top of that game since 1986.

And then comes along a Steve Weibe who caught a slight case of the OCD (heh). Steve beats the score, but it's a taped score, so the judges that take in tapes at Twin Galaxies, aren't to sure if this wasn't a hoax or a trick or just downright cheating.

Now this is where I begin to say "Holy Crap... these nerds are ruthless!" Supposedly this one guy self nicknamed "Mr. Awesome" has the top score for missile command but Twin Galaxies won't give him credit for it. So he is at war basically with Billy Walsh. So he helped out Steve with a card for his Donkey Kong machine, which made the Twin Galaxy officials think it's a rigged board. I was seriously sitting on my couch laughing out how almost fake this is...but it's all true.

So to prove his worth Steve plays live and once again breaks the record all the while having a lackey (yes...a dang lackey who thinks he's a protégé) of Billy Walsh standing behind him making comments and you just KNOW he's trying to get under Steve's skin. I even caught myself saying out loud to the TV to 'STFU MAN!' Then there is scandal after scandal. Tapes. No Show's. The Guinness Book of World Records. Good vs Evil.
ALL OVER A TOP SCORE OF A DONKEY KONG GAME!

For a moment I thought I was watching a highschool girl chick flick because in one scene Steve shows up to a restaurant owned by Billy Walsh and some of the gaming dudes there were saying stuff "omg...I can't believe he's here. He just invited himself here." Seriously guys? It's a public restaurant. Not your D&D JOLT infused gaming nights in your mom's basement.

I highly recommend this documentary for a rent. Even if you are not a gamer this is still a lot of fun to watch.
September 12, 2008

An incredibly compelling film

The King of Kong does the amazing feat of creating a fascinating film about competing for high scores in a retro video game. More than a study of a subculture - a benevolent study at that, when it would be so easy to poke fun at its subjects - it is a classic David vs. Goliath story, an incredibly likable family man who has always come up second challenging the arrogant, self-righteous champion. And that champion, Billy Mitchell, is so easy to loathe, comparing himself to Joan of Ark and constantly referencing his winning nature, that half the fun of this movie is simultaneously laughing at him and despising him.

It's clear who to root for here - and I know that there's some controversy surrounding this, Mitchell fans saying that the documentary doesn't properly tell the truth, making Wiebe (our David) look better and Mitchell look worse, and perhaps that's true. But other than that it's a very well made movie that is incredibly enjoyable. September 11, 2008

Steve Wiebe is The Man!

I was told by a friend who's movie opinion I usually trust to watch this movie so I did, albeit reluctantly. I mean seriously a movie about Donkey Kong records? Who gives a monkey butt, right? Well, watching the delusion that some of these record holders have and the lengths sham officiating orgs like "Twin Galaxies" will go to to keep people they want on top and keep others down is enthralling. Let's just say that Steve Wiebe is the King of Kong and more. HE's cool. Twin Galaxies is a self-serving sham. August 21, 2008

Pushes all the buttons

Admit it -- a film about two guys locked in a titanic stuggle to become the world champion of Donkey Kong just invites parody. This battle of the geekoids -- new against old, cocky champion against hopeful challenger -- is worthy of a smarmy Hollywood farce. But the charcters that director Seth Gordon has captured in "The King of Kong" are very real and very commited to their hobby. The craf involved in the story is a matter of smart editing, not of clever writing.

When it came to enjoying this film, it didn't hurt that my family lives within easy driving of Weirs Beach, NH, where some of the action in this film takes place. We visited Funspot just last weekend, and saw the very machines recorded in the film. The place is real, the competitors are real and the competition is real. It's hard to imagine a more fascinating battle, with more different competitors. Champion Bobby Mithell has held the Donkey Kong title since 1982. He has parlayed his notoriety into a successful hot sauce business. With his BeeGee's era beard and blow-dried do, he clearly thinks more than a little about himself. His competitor, Steve Wiebe, is a schlumpy Seattle dad and science teacher -- the kind of guy with lot of talent who has never quite hit the big time in spite of his enormous ambitions to succeed. He finally finds his niche in playing Donkey Kong. Buying his own game, he maps the game's dozens of screens, mastering moves that he hopes will give him the success that has always just barely eluded him. Though their sympathies are clearly with Wiebe, the filmmakers never let on how the contest will come out until the end.

Congratulations to the makers of "The King of Kong" for letting this small, strange demimonde of players, wannabes and self-styled referees speak for itself. A wonderful achievement of the documentary form, with a little help from some very out-there characters. Bravo. Ding! Flash! Bonk! August 15, 2008

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