King of Kong
What:
King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Where:
Kino Dendy, 45 Collins St, Melbourne
When:
Released February 28, but we have an advance screening...
Win:
Come see it with us this Mon Feb 11. We're having 6pm drinks for a 7pm screening. Unlike Billy, we will all be winners. To enter, email win@threethousand.com.au with the subject line ‘Chuck Norris sets a standard for me'
Watch the trailer:
Here
November 1982: LIFE magazine gathers together the best arcade game players for a tournament and a delightfully enthusiastic picture, cheerleaders and all. One of the teens was 17-year-old Billy Mitchell, considered the best gamer alive.
Present day: Billy Mitchell, now obviously a Chuck Norris fashion disciple, still desperately clings to his surviving Donkey Kong score and his reputation as a game Jedi.
Down-on-his-luck family man Steve Wiebe plays the same game in his garage - and we're shown his skill level through a clever montage drawing together the physics of games, music, baseball, and more. Has he beaten Billy Mitchell's last remaining world-record score?
With accusations of rigged electrics, glitch-scoring, and restraining orders, King Of Kong is a sporting drama for everyone who couldn't catch. It gets some ironic mileage out of the disjunction between middle-aged white guys and 80s power ballads, but it doesn't go for cheap laughs or lazy retro appeal. If you're of a certain age and a certain geeky persuasion, this film won't just pluck at your heartstrings - it'll make your hands itch.
(Want to prime yourself for the screening? Here's a free download of Steven Poole's excellent book Trigger Happy: The Inner Life Of Videogames. Enjoy.)
Format: Cinema
Mood: Nostalgic
Keywords: Film
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