The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a 2007 American documentary film about competitive gaming directed by Seth Gordon. It follows Steve Wiebe in his attempts to take the high score record for the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong from the previous holder, Billy Mitchell. The film premiered at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival and was released in U.S. theaters in August 2007. It received positive reviews.

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Summary[edit]

Walter Day is the founder of Twin Galaxies, an organization dedicated to tracking high scores in arcade games. Among the high-scoring players is restaurateur Billy Mitchell, who has held the high score for the 1981 game Donkey Kong since 2004.

In Redmond, Washington, out-of-work engineer Steve Wiebe has purchased a Donkey Kong cabinet to try to break the record. Using his mathematical knowledge to identify exploitable patterns in the game, Wiebe achieves a new record of 1,006,600 points – the first ever score over a million. He submits a tape to Twin Galaxies, which propels him to local celebrity in the Seattle area.

Mitchell and Twin Galaxies send two referees to investigate Wiebe's machine. They learn that the machine's circuit board was provided by Roy Shildt, a self-proclaimed fitness guru and pickup artist who claims the high score for Missile Command. Unbeknownst to Wiebe, Shildt and Mitchell have been at odds for years after Mitchell questioned Shildt's high score, causing Twin Galaxies to disqualify it. Twin Galaxies suspects that Shildt may have tampered with Wiebe's board, and does not recognize Wiebe's record.

Wiebe travels to a tournament at Funspot in Laconia, New Hampshire, to attempt a live high score for high-ranking Twin Galaxies members. Wiebe challenges Mitchell to a Donkey Kong competition, but Mitchell does not attend. Before a crowd, Wiebe sets a new high score of 985,600 and reaches the kill screen, ending the game. However, contrary to his statements that videotaped scores carry less validity than scores achieved in public, Mitchell sends a low-quality VHS to Funspot depicting himself achieving a higher score of 1,047,200 points. Twin Galaxies proclaims Mitchell the record holder.

Nine months later, Guinness World Records has decided to publish Twin Galaxies' records — including Mitchell's latest score – and hosts a tournament in Mitchell's hometown of Hollywood, Florida. Wiebe again challenges Mitchell to a public competition, but Mitchell refuses. Wiebe fails to surpass the record, but afterward, Day acknowledges Wiebe's integrity and invites him to submit taped scores. At home, Wiebe achieves a new record of 1,049,100 in his garage.

Appearances[edit]

King Kong Poker Dolny Kubin 3

• Steve Wiebe, the challenger
• Billy Mitchell, described in the film as 'the world's best gamer'
• Walter Day, the founder of Twin Galaxies
• Robert Mruczek, the chief referee of Twin Galaxies
• Brian Kuh, friend of Billy Mitchell and Donkey Kong player
• Steve Sanders, friend of Billy Mitchell and Donkey Kong player
• Dwayne Richard, classic gaming World Champion
• Roy Shildt (aka 'Mr. Awesome'), Billy Mitchell's 'nemesis'
• Greg Bond, Mappy champion
• Doris Self, previous holder of the Q*bert record and title of oldest game champion
• Wiebe Family

Release[edit]

The King of Kong premiered January 22, 2007, at the Slamdance Film Festival^[2] and has been shown at the Newport Beach Film Festival, the Seattle International Film Festival, the SXSW Film Festival, the TriBeCa Film Festival, the True/False Film Festival, the Aspen Comedy Festival, and the Fantasia Festival. The film opened in limited release in the United States on August 17, 2007 in five theaters, and by September 9, 2007, it had expanded to 39 theaters.^[3] The film's DVD release was on January 29, 2008.^{[citation needed]}

Reception[edit]

On Metacritic, The King of Kong has an average score of 83 out of 100, based on 23 reviews.^[4] On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 97% based on 101 reviews.^[5]

Robert Wilonsky of the Village Voice called the film a 'miniature masterpiece'^[6] and in August 2007 said it was his favourite film of the year so far.^[7] Pete Vonder Haar of Film Threat gave the film five stars and said 'It’s not just one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen, it’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen'.^[8] Keith Phipps of The OnionAV Club gave the film an 'A-' and said it was 'a film about what it takes to make it in America.'^[9] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three out of four stars, writing: 'Who would have guessed that a documentary about gamers obsessed with scoring a world record at Donkey Kong would not only be roaringly funny but serve as a metaphor for the decline of Western civilization?'^[10]Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times similarly gave the film three out of four and called it 'a documentary that is beyond strange.'^[11] Critic Richard Roeper stated that the film 'deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary' in 2007 on At The Movies.^[12]

Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post wrote: 'Is there anything more tiresome than watching people play video games?' and 'The competition is so vicious because the stakes are so low.'^[13] Stephen Garrett of Time Out New York called it 'moderately entertaining and ultimately kind of pathetic' and felt the early-1980s arcade subculture is explored in greater depth in the documentary Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade.^[14]

The North Texas Film Critics Association named The King of Kong Best Documentary for 2007.^[15] The Boston Society of Film Critics named it the runner-up for Best Documentary Feature of 2007.^[16] It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature of 2007 by the Broadcast Film Critics Association.^[16] The film was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature by the Chicago Film Critics Association, but lost to Sicko.^[16] It appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007.^[17]

Emulation controversy[edit]

On February 2, 2018, Twin Galaxies member Jeremy Young filed a complaint regarding several of Mitchell's records.^[18] The validity of Mitchell's August 7, 2010, high score, set at Boomers-Grand Prix Arcade, could not be determined. The referee who allegedly witnessed and certified the record was gamer Todd Rogers, who appears in The King of Kong, and was himself exposed as having fabricated scores earlier in 2018.^[19]

On April 12, Twin Galaxies announced that Mitchell had used emulation software to achieve the Donkey Kong high score rather than an arcade machine; this is banned because it allows players to cheat in undetectable ways. Mitchell was stripped of his records and banned from submitting further scores, and Wiebe was recognized as the first person to score over a million points. Footage obtained from the Kong DVD's special features was cited by the investigative committee in their findings as having been instrumental in exposing Mitchell.^[20]

King Kong Poker Dolny Kubin 2017

Adaptations and sequels[edit]

In 2014, King of Kong: The Musical, which parodied the characters and events depicted in the documentary began its limited run.^[21]

A scripted film adaptation is also in the works. Director Seth Gordon has said that the movie might be a sequel instead of a remake, telling the story of how the documentary changed both men's lives, as well as their continuing rivalry.^[22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
2. ^The King of Kong - Slamdance Film Festival 2007. Slamdance.com. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
3. ^'The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) - Weekend Box Office'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
4. ^'King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, The (2007): Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
5. ^'The King Of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters'. Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
6. ^Robert Wilonsky (2007-08-14). 'Tracking Shots: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters'. Village Voice. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
7. ^'Ebert & Roeper - August 17, 2007 episode'. Ebert & Roeper. 2007-08-17. Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
8. ^Pete Vonder Haar (2007-08-18). 'THE KING OF KONG'. Film Threat. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
9. ^Keith Phipps (2007-08-17). 'The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters'. The OnionAV Club. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
10. ^Peter Travers (2007-08-07). 'The King of Kong : Review : Rolling Stone'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
11. ^Ebert, Roger. 'Review: 'THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS'.'Chicago Sun-Times, August 23, 2007. Retrieved: June 29, 2017.
12. ^'At the Movies- King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)'. YouTube. 2010-08-10. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
13. ^Ann Hornaday (2007-08-24). 'The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters'. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
14. ^Stephen Garrett (August 16–22, 2007). 'The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters'. Time Out New York Issue 620. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
15. ^Meyer, John P. (January 17, 2008). 'North Texas Film Critics Association picks the best of 2007'. Pegasus News. Dallas, TX. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
16. ^ ^abc'Metacritic: 2007 Film Awards & Nominations'. Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2007-12-31. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
17. ^'Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists'. Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2008-02-23. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
18. ^Alexandra, Heather (February 7, 2018). 'Billy Mitchell Breaks Silence About Donkey Kong High Score Controversy'. Kotaku.
19. ^Orland, Kyle (February 8, 2018). 'King of Kong star says 'original tape' will prove his disputed scores'. Ars Technica.
20. ^Crecente, Brian (April 12, 2018). 'Famed Donkey Kong Player Stripped of Title'. Variety.
21. ^'King of Kong the Musical'. www.kingofkongthemusical.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
22. ^'King of Kong' Movie Might Be a Sequel? Nathan Fillion vs Johnny Depp? JustPressPlay. August 27, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2018.

External links[edit]

• The King of Kong on IMDb
• The King of Kong at AllMovie
• The King of Kong at Rotten Tomatoes
• The King of Kong at Metacritic
• The King of Kong at Box Office Mojo
• The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters at slamdance.com
• Trailer at Apple.com
• King of Kong at DVDtalk.com
• Steve Wiebe tells movie goers not to talk during the movie on YouTube
• In depth article/interview from Ignore Magazine at the Wayback Machine (archived February 16, 2009)

If you followed PokerStars Women in June, you know that there was a lot of news. Big news. Celina Lin made history in Macau, and more women made huge strides in Las Vegas. We're going to try to summarize it here for those who missed some of it, as well as for those who need a reminder of what a historic month it really was.

Women's Tuesday

First, let's list the winners and final tablists of the $11 Women's Tuesday 6-max NLHE tournaments in June. The weekly $1K guarantee continues to draw players from around the world:

June 5
Players: 110
Prize pool: $1,100
Paid: 18

1st: chelle_can (Canada) - $286.00
2nd: HUSTLheR0 (Canada) - $192.50
3rd: SpringSmile (Latvia) - $143.00
4th: lianalu (Canada) - $93.50
5th: Anais2136 (Mexico) - $71.50
6th: AMN77 (Russia) - $49.50

June 12
Players: 101
Prize pool: $1,010
Paid: 18

1st: BrujitaFina (Columbia) - $262.63
2nd: ChristinMari (Netherlands) - $176.75
3rd: koanju (Hungary) - $131.30
4th: aldram (Sweden) - $85.85
5th: Daya (Estonia) - $65.65
6th: dank555 (Poland) - $45.45

June 19
Players: 104
Prize pool: $1,040
Paid: 18

1st: LeSenorita88 (Germany) - $270.40
2nd: marinutsa1 (Romania) - $182.00
3rd: mikrh23 (Greece) - $135.20
4th: Princesa (Argentina) - $88.40
5th: Ania_Iris (Poland) - $67.60
6th: HeavenKQ (Sweden) - $46.80

June 26
Players: 106
Prize pool: $1,060
Paid: 18

1st: VikaLeto (Russia) - $275.60
2nd: rrweedrr (Switzerland) - $185.50
3rd: asenna60 (UK) - $137.80
4th: CrazyKluv (Belarus) - $90.10
5th: vugugu (Lithuania) - $68.90
6th: Aluunka (Czech Republic) - $47.70

The second place finisher on June 5 was HUSTLheR0, and you might recognize her name from women's tournaments or the Women's Poker League. Zinzi de Silva is a Toronto native who plays on PokerStars as HUSTLheR0.

She first took an interest in poker when in Las Vegas with university friend goleafsgo7, at which point she met Thuy Doan. They became fast friends and Thuy saw poker potential in Zinzi, so they corresponded. Thuy then passed away last year. 'As when someone young and amazing passes before their time, it causes one to reflect,' said Zinzi. 'Thuy's death definitely made me reconsider the fragility of time and led me to commit myself to put more effort into poker and put in 'werrrk' when I could. Within 30 days of my revelation, through Stars' fantastic satellite system, I found myself to the left and then the right of Queen of the Vic, Vicky Coren, playing my first $1K live event. Since then, I've been very disciplined at learning more each day about the game.'

Much of her grown has come through online play. 'As I'm in the infancy/childhood development stages of being a decent poker player, PS Women tournaments provide a fantastic ground to build a bankroll while being in a competitive environment. The buy-ins are affordable, and the female-only environment I find very supportive.'

Despite her success so far, she is humble and seeks nothing less than becoming Number One. 'I think that mindset is a driving factor in why my results are consistently getting better,' Zinzi admitted. 'My drive and focus on winning has increased my appetite for learning optimal strategy and analyzing what I am doing wrong.'

Zinzi continues to play live and online. Her proudest poker accomplishment to date was winning an annual poker tournament at the university where she worked, becoming the first woman - and woman of color - to do so in the 200-plus-player field full of champions and grinders. But in her sights is the Women's Sunday, which she aims to win in the near future. Taking her game to the next level is her driving force, so keep an eye on HUSTLheR0. She's got her eyes on the prize.

Women's Sunday

As the month presented one opportunity after another in the $55 Women's Sunday tournaments, players returned each week with more determination. And in the middle of it all, Half Price Sunday offered women the chance to play their favorite event for half the usual price, which brought an entirely new set of players into action.

June 3
Players: 215
Prize pool: $10,750
Winner: Monkey877 (Slovakia) - $2,198.48

June 10
Players: 215
Prize pool: $10,750
Winner: donotXme (Netherlands) - $2,029.56 (part of two-way deal with stefy811)

June 17 (Half Price Sunday)
Players: 583
Prize pool: $14,575
Winner: ttoblass (Russia) - $2,733.13

June 24
Players: 206
Prize pool: $10,300
Winner: Asteisa (Lithuania) - $2,106.35

The June 3rd Women's Sunday winner is a 42-year-old resident of Dolny Kubin, Slovakia. Perla started playing poker 2.5 years ago with her husband and adult daughters. The family affair led to a desire for Perla to compare her skills to other female players on PokerStars. She started with open MTTs and added the Women's Sunday to her list of goals.

Perla told us that her Women's Sunday tournament on June 3 started normally, with her initial intent to get into the money. She did that and made the final table, then on to heads-up with borileave, who had the chip lead. 'I knew she was very aggressive because I played with her at the same table for quite a long time,' Perla recalled. 'My idea was to beat her with her style, playing aggressively and not allowing her to see the flop. My idea was 100%, as we saw the flop only in the last hand of the tournament.'

And when she caught the three on the turn of that final board to win? 'Satisfaction!' she said. And she wasn't done. She qualified for EPT Barcelona on June 17, starting with a €4.40 qualifier, winning a €530 ticket, then the final prize package. 'So I want to say that now I am satisfied, too, with my online poker results.'

See you in Barcelona, Perla!

Women Win All Over the World

Smack dab in the middle of June, history was made in Macau. Team PokerStars Pro Celina Lin fought through a six-hour heads-up match at the Macau Poker Cup's Red Dragon Main Event to win her second title. It was a huge accomplishment for her as a woman but moreover as a professional player, as no other player of either gender had accomplished such a feat.

The following day in Las Vegas, the WSOP saw Allyn Jaffrey Shulman win a WSOP bracelet in an open-gender field, courtesy of the Seniors NLHE Championship. Her win was a sweet one as well.

Team PokerStars Pros were enjoying their time in Las Vegas as well, and a prop bet led to Team Pro Liv Boeree picking a costume for fellow Pro Vanessa Rousso to wear to the WSOP for a day. It was a roach outfit, but she took her end of the bet in good spirits.

And if anyone thought June was jam-packed with excitement, they were unprepared for July, which already started with this amazing win from Team Pro Vanessa Selbst. But that's July news, so we'll have more on her historic victory in next month's recap. Stay tuned!

For all information pertaining to PokerStars Women, visit our website and links here.