Just finished watching this dvd documentary and it was fantastic. I can’t remember such a great bad guy in a long time. Billy is an absolute PRICK!! My hat goes off to him.
Anyway for those who don’t know about this kick ass film here’s the lowdown…
Synopsis: “There’s more drama in this small documentary than in most serious Oscar contenders. A marriage is on the line, integrity is tested, and friendships falter–all in the name of a video game called DONKEY KONG. THE KING OF KONG may inspire both tears and frustrated sighs, but it’s most remarkable for its humor. In the same vein as WORDPLAY and SPELLBOUND, this is a hilarious documentary that enlightens as it entertains. Billy Mitchell is a towering figure in the world of classic video games such as DONKEY KONG and PAC-MAN. He has held records in several games, and his high score in DONKEY KONG (considered the toughest of the old titans) has been unbeaten for decades. But newcomer Steve Wiebe finds purpose in the game after losing his job, and discovers his natural aptitude at the game. The amiable Steve is just as likely to win the “nice guy of the year” award as he is to best Billy’s record, and this film casts him as a classic hero that viewers love to root for. While Steve is an audience favorite, Billy is a Machiavellian mastermind that rivals any villain from a narrative film. Even though some might argue that the Super Bowl or NCAA tournament is more important, the competition in THE KING OF KONG rivals the most exciting in sports. Thanks to the film’s wonderful characters, it’s easy to get involved in the drama. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and the people who populate THE KING OF KONG are as fascinating as any screenwriter’s creation.”
This flick was fucking awesome, because anyone who’s ever played a game of Donkey Kong in an arcade knows that it is probably the most demonically hard game ever put to PCB. I salute these guys for lasting any longer than a minute, much less breaking the fucking game like that.
Also, Billy is the nerdy Snidely Whiplash.
Favorite moment: the challenger sitting on his ass playing DK when his kid is in the bathroom, screaming something along the lines of “STOP PLAYING DONKEY KONG AND COME WIPE MY BUTT!”
If you liked the movie (and I don’t see any reason why anyone wouldn’t), then you owe it to yourself to check out the Onion’s interview with Billy Mitchell:
Good movie, if not a little surreal. Saw it last year, and it’s amazing to me that such a film could exist so many years later. It definitely gave me solace hearing these guys claim DK as the hardest arcade game, only because I sucked so bad at it! I’ve definitley gotten better in the MAME era, but I can never get those quarters back…[mad]
This was on Sundance a few months back! made me sad really how some of these guys have wasted their lives and still act is if they are cool…
Late,
grmpysmrf
That dude that was the champion holder was such a douche in that movie and his fuckingn fan club that ran that video game score site pissed me off… and the ref with his whole star wars comarison speech “these aren’t the droids your looking for” made me want to hit the screen…talk about a little biased favoritism… but i mean, his claim to fame is selling hot sauce based on a donkey kong score. so karma works fine
now if they made a movie about the kind of marble madness i’d be really impressed.
