I have to admit that I don't understand what makes these people so driven to conquer this game and go down in the history books for being so great at it. It was casual curiosity that made me watch this. But I was surprised by how interested I became. Billy Mitchell is the reigning Donkey Kong champion, and classic video game legend, and Steve Wiebe has been chasing the record. You may not understand the obsession but you find yourself enthralled in the drama and rooting for these guys (well, one of them anyway). As the documentary goes along there develops a good guy and a bad guy. There is the drama of the taint of cheating and the possibility of conspiracies and the emotions of a lifetime of striving and falling just short so many times. There is a cast of quirky supporting characters on one side or the other, some conflicted and some just interested observers but all woven into the surprisingly complex and intense world of competitive gaming.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Snow White and the Huntsman
(2012)
I wouldn't waste my time
15 April 2013
So
this movie has action, fights, cool monsters and a cute huntsman. But it still managed to be rather a bust. It pretty much lost me before I even got through the rather lengthy introduction to the story and then never really did anything to get me back. The people weren't interesting enough and the plot not compelling enough to get me to really care about anyone. Snow White is locked up all her life but within hours of getting out is sword fighting with the best of them. And I don't know whose idea it was for Charlize Theron to do whatever she was doing with her voice but it was not a good idea. I don't know what it was supposed to be and I just found it annoying and distracting. And the big climatic scene at the end wasn't climatic and the big dramatic line that was delivered wasn't dramatic and left me waiting for something else that just never came. Not one of my favorites.
Not worth the time spent watching it.
26 December 2012
Since it is based on a comic book I expected there to be things that were slightly over the top with a plot that would probably not be acceptable anywhere else. So I was not disappointed with any of that, even though there was plenty. There was a lot of action with fire, gunfights and explosions. There were a few witty lines and some good effects and times of comic book fun. But I hate the way it was shot. There was some split screen stuff I didn't like, and the picture would jump around in a way I found unpleasant, some fast camera moves that didn't make things easier to follow, and several shots that you could tell were there simply for the 3D effect and I hate when a film does that (and I saw it in 2D so the shots were even worse.) If you are a huge Ghost Rider fan or in love with Nicholas Cage go ahead and see this one, just don't expect too much. If you are neither of those I wouldn't bother.
Journey to Promethea
(2010 TV Movie)
Nothing good here at all
3 July 2012
It was rather amazing how bad this was. It starts with a little set up of the prophecy and then you watch three groups of people wander around in the forest badly delivering poorly written and sometime completely nonsensical lines and then getting into poorly choreographed and boring sword fights. Add to that a thin unoriginal plot, some really bad affects and costumes that look like they were cobbled together from what they could find in their closets and you have something not worth watching. The quality of the acting, writing and film itself suggest that a bunch of friends walked into the local woods with a video camera. Billy Zane tried but he had nothing at all to work with.
Troll Hunter
(2010)
Three students think they are making a documentary about a bear poacher only to find that he is not hunting bears, but trolls.
2 July 2012
I'm not a fan of movies that use the 'found footage' format. Where you have supposedly real footage shot by an amateur or film crew or something. And this is one of those. So you have all the odd camera movements and shots of the ground and bad sound quality that comes with that. It can also be a bit boring at times and is very slow to get started. I do like the story though. It is a fun concept and it is interesting to hear the troll facts (about the different kinds, how to kill them, how to contain them etc.) and the characters are pretty good too. And I like how they did the trolls themselves and that you got to see the trolls in more than just a blurry spot as the camera flashes by. There is some action as they run for their lives and fight trolls and some tense moments as you wonder if they will survive but there is a lot of footage of the forest and footage of interviews with people so it does slow down a lot at times. I liked it but I wouldn't say it was great. And definitely not for someone who wants a non-stop action sort of movie.
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