ercles on 14/1/2009 at 18:39
Yeah King of Kong was a sublime documentary, its got some of the best characters in any film, fiction or no. As far as Billy goes, I thought even though he was probably played up a bit the guy clearly was still a prick.
Angel Dust on 14/1/2009 at 23:26
Quote Posted by snauty
the Ed Harris directed movie also starring Viggo.
You mean "Appaloosa"? I'm looking forward to that one too.
Can't believe I forgot 'The King of Kong'. I pretty much second everything Scots said and while I have seen better documentaries, I haven't seen many as purely entertaining as this one. Nice work in explaining the mechanics and key levels in the game so that certain moments of gameplay turned into epic struggles. I would tense up noticeably every time Steve was doing the spring levels.
While Billy is most definitely an ego-centric wanker, even without all the manipulation on the filmmakers part there is no denying Billy's uncomfortable look near the end when he is sitting next to his mate who is talking up Steve, he did in fact 'man up' later and play a live game of DK, breaking Steve's record.
Thirith on 15/1/2009 at 08:12
Quote Posted by Angel Dust
You mean "Appaloosa"? I'm looking forward to that one too.
That film was definitely okay and pleasant enough but massively underwhelming. My major thought throughout was, "Why oh why didn't they donate the money used to make this film to the people who made
Deadwood so they could do the TV movies completing the story?"
Mazian on 16/1/2009 at 06:02
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
Personal highlight was Billy looking so stabbed in the back when Sanders effectively says that his orginal tape being thrown out was bullshit since he was such a person of integrity and talent.
Second next highlight was Captain Awesome and wishing he HAD bashed the living fuck out of Billy.
While Billy seemed like a grand-standing prick (sending a
tape of himself breaking one million on the day Steve breaks his live record [and not allowing Steve to see it]? Classy.), I found myself hating Billy's self-appointed protege (retired banker Brian Kuh) a lot more. The way he tried to mess with Steve's head while he was playing by hovering around him and inviting a large crowd to watch him play really pissed me off.
My two favorite moments concern him:
-Brian, during Steve's first live record-setting play, saying that Steve was on a roll but that "anything could happen" and right then you can hear the level-completed music behind him and he's forced to reaffirm how well Steve's doing.
-The pained look on Brian's face when he addresses the camera after Steve gets to DK's kill screen (after previously mentioning how he wanted to be the first to get to the DK kill screen at Funspot).
Ostriig on 16/1/2009 at 15:55
Quote Posted by Ulukai
Honorable Mentions[...]
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - Overall, they laid the message on a bit thick, I think, but interesting perspective with a suitably harrowing, if somewhat predictable, ending.
This. Yeah, sometimes "laid on thick" does fit the bill, but it has its moments. In my opinion, the high point was a particular bit of the boy's conversation with Pavel, when the old man's bandaging his knee. To those who haven't seen it and want to, don't worry, I haven't spoiled anything.
ZymeAddict - Maybe a case of critics just being overly anal about it? 'Cause at least the ~2500 who voted on IMDB don't seem to hold such a bad impression of it, giving it a 7.9 average. At any rate, if you've got the time, might be worth giving it a try.
snauty on 20/1/2009 at 18:27
Quote Posted by Angel Dust
You mean "Appaloosa"? I'm looking forward to that one too.
Yes. Got high hopes. What could go wrong with Harris & Mortensen atop two mighty steeds reinstating the good in town?
Morte on 22/1/2009 at 19:00
I never know by which release dates I'm supposed to order movies, but if The Wrestler counts as 2008, it's neck and neck with Wall-E for best movie of the year. Wall-E would probably win because it's sweet and funny and I want to see it again, which is something I probably won't do for a good while with The Wrestler, even though it's far more consistent in its quality.
Because man, what a downer. It's an utterly unflinching portrait of a wreck of man, and Rourke, combined with the Aronofsky's direction sells you on every moment, even the ones where the script misfires. And the low-end "extreme" wrestling bout is about the most horrifying piece of violence I've seen in a long time, not just because of the gore and how authentic it feels, but for what it says about those characters.
Scots Taffer on 27/1/2009 at 22:57
I hope that scene you mentioned isn't a climactic spoiler one. :(
Stitch on 28/1/2009 at 00:55
no shit, what the fuck was that
Morte on 28/1/2009 at 06:21
It's in the first act, relax peeps I'm not that cruel.
