I went into this film to support its writer, director and editor, Rob Imbs. I certainly did not know what to expect because I wanted to go in cold, with no expectations or knowledge of the plot/story. What I got was a very professional film from beginning to end with a quite engaging and entertaining story. This film, made for a mere $30K from an independent film- maker, looks like any Hollywood or Weinstein production. From the opening credits to the fun outtakes over the end credits, you would never know it wasn't made for ten times that amount. Except for the presence of unknown actors, this could pass muster at any cinema in the country, maybe the world.
The plot had me interested even though the world of gaming and fantasy playing cards are not something I know anything about. The visuals and dialogue made it pretty clear to a person like me what was going on without talking down to the audience.
We start with a story of two young boys, Bryan and Scott, who spend their adolescent years playing popular video games from 20 years ago. Their skill level is so high, they actually play nationwide with others, and they win three tournaments in the US and Bryan gets his face on magazines, alas, without Scott. Fast forward to today and they are young adults working at a tech support facility owned by Bryan's father. Bryan, frustrated and older, is now reflecting on his past glory and convinces Scott that they are wasting time gaming with friends every evening and should, instead, go back on the circuit once again. Scott reluctantly agrees and they seek out the best of the best to have a new four-man team built from scratch.
The story includes Bryan's hot, blonde, smart, co-worker girlfriend, Natalie who is tired of Bryan spending more time gaming than with her. Scott, meanwhile, who is a heavy-ish nerd with no confidence, packing a constant face full of stubble, has eyes for a new co-worker, Kim, who seems to also like flirting back at him. Also Bryan's dad, who is getting fed up with Bryan's lackadaisical attitude towards his real-life daily work duties, decides he is ready to retire and sell the company.
The writing, direction and editing is superb from Imbs. I watch a lot of films and I was floored that this was made by an old friend of mine with whom I used to discuss movies. There are a handful of references to some other classic movies from the past 40 years and it was fun to find them and count them. In short, you may never have the opportunity to see this anytime soon, but it will hold up for quite a few decades and you will just have to catch up with it. You will be amazed that this is an early effort from a new-comer who will definitely be dazzling us with his work in the future. Good luck, Rob!
The plot had me interested even though the world of gaming and fantasy playing cards are not something I know anything about. The visuals and dialogue made it pretty clear to a person like me what was going on without talking down to the audience.
We start with a story of two young boys, Bryan and Scott, who spend their adolescent years playing popular video games from 20 years ago. Their skill level is so high, they actually play nationwide with others, and they win three tournaments in the US and Bryan gets his face on magazines, alas, without Scott. Fast forward to today and they are young adults working at a tech support facility owned by Bryan's father. Bryan, frustrated and older, is now reflecting on his past glory and convinces Scott that they are wasting time gaming with friends every evening and should, instead, go back on the circuit once again. Scott reluctantly agrees and they seek out the best of the best to have a new four-man team built from scratch.
The story includes Bryan's hot, blonde, smart, co-worker girlfriend, Natalie who is tired of Bryan spending more time gaming than with her. Scott, meanwhile, who is a heavy-ish nerd with no confidence, packing a constant face full of stubble, has eyes for a new co-worker, Kim, who seems to also like flirting back at him. Also Bryan's dad, who is getting fed up with Bryan's lackadaisical attitude towards his real-life daily work duties, decides he is ready to retire and sell the company.
The writing, direction and editing is superb from Imbs. I watch a lot of films and I was floored that this was made by an old friend of mine with whom I used to discuss movies. There are a handful of references to some other classic movies from the past 40 years and it was fun to find them and count them. In short, you may never have the opportunity to see this anytime soon, but it will hold up for quite a few decades and you will just have to catch up with it. You will be amazed that this is an early effort from a new-comer who will definitely be dazzling us with his work in the future. Good luck, Rob!