How is it I forgot to post about two recent documentaries that take a look at the awkward side of life? I must be missing my SNES or sumtin. So I gots to talk about some wiideo games for a bit.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters was quite celebrated I think, because it was a documentary that looked at the real life story of one man’s fight to break into the world of competitive retro gaming. Lolwut was my first reaction when my friend told me about this absurd premise for a movie months back. I dutifully went and procured a copy and watched the film, which I think is remarkable in many ways.

First off, its a documentary, meaning there’s like zero actors, which means that all the outlandish characters in the film are real. Like the dude that reviews new gaming record claims, spending hours watching someone else play or the referee dude or the granny that plays Q*Bert. The two main characters in the film also play out like the best “hero” and “villain” of any flick I’ve seen for a long long time.

Steve Wiebe is the pretender to the throne of Donkey Kong champion. He got laid off work and became a stay at home dad whilst his wife made the dough. So in his spare time, whilst taking care of the kids, he delved into Donkey Kong. He recorded himself playing the game till the point where he beat the 1,000,000 point mark, which is a big deal cos its like a marathon event and requires like a lotta tapes or something. At the point where he’s about to break the record, his son actually comes up to ask him for something but brushes him off instead.

Billy Mitchell probably needs Paul Mitchell in his life to tame his mane but he’s the villain of the piece. He’s brash, flamboyant and arrogant. The anti-Wiebe, who’s comparatively mild-mannered and calm. Mitchell owns his own restaurant, which is strangely named Rickey’s World Famous Restaurant, where he peddles Rickey’s World Famous Hot Sauce. He wears loud shirts and ties emblazoned with American flags and shittalks like the best. As he puts it, “Billy Mitchell always has a plan”. He’d been the Donkey Kong record holder for a long time until Wiebe popped from outta nowhere.

There’s in fact, a whole organization designed to cater for dedicated hardcore gamers like Wiebe and Mitchell, who devote their lives to their fave video games. Twin Galaxies was founded by Walter Day, who is typically seen in his referee suit. He was the guy that became like the scorekeeper for competitive retro gaming. Which is why there’s such a big deal, cos world records of old school games are on the line.

You probably couldn’t script this one better. The story really wrote itself. The amount of details that add dramatic tension to it all is just simply amazing. You’re going to root for Wiebe. You’re going to hate Mitchell. You’re going to snigger at a whole lot of people. They are all REAL. There’s plenty of ego, geekdom, tempers, drama and a bucketload of intellect on display. These people may be nerdy. They may dedicate themselves to something “silly” but they are the best at what they do. Walter Day, in particular, strikes me as a guy who knows where its at. Director Seth Gordon really lets the film play itself out quite beautifully and at the end, really touching. I shed a tear. Truth.

By the way, if you think all this is absurd, try playing Donkey Kong once in your life. Shit is mad hard. Check da trailer below.