SIFF 2007: The King of Kong
The King of Kong is the best film I’ve seen at SIFF 2007 so far. OK, so it’s only the fourth day, and I’ve been to five screenings so far. But this is one of those documentaries that you just cannot believe is true, because if you could make this up it wouldn’t be nearly as good. It’s not just the classic arcade thing that draws on your nostalgia, but it’s the good vs. evil and the spirit of fair competition that makes you root for the main character. It’s also very funny — watching these geeks talk about their passion is hilarious. The film has a perfect villain, and he continues to voluntarily supply unbelievable lines that you could not pay him to say. This film is precious. Not to trivilaize the hard work they put into making this, but the filmmakers were lucky to have found a story like this. And you’ll feel lucky to have seen it if you go. And I feel doubly lucky because POP has a DK arcade machine (my high score: measly 100,000+), and this movie is definitely going to affect my productivity in the weeks to come.
