Long before this season's big blockbuster release Minecraft, videogames have informed the art and culture of modern movies. Our latest repertory series Pictures of Pixels, which anticipates the April 4 release of Minecraft on IMAX, illustrates the lively and dynamic relationship between games, gamers, and an array of memorable cinematic achievements.
Two expert gamers duke it out for a record-breaking Donkey Kong score in Seth Gordon's acclaimed documentary, which transforms the insular world of 1980s arcade games and transforms it into a riveting sports movie. The drama revolves around Twin Galaxies, an organization run by the eccentric singer-songwriter Walter Day, which has tracked the top scores of arcade games for decades.
For years, the egomaniacal Billy Mitchell has maintained the top Donkey Kong score, but when a humble engineer from Redmon, Washington named Steve Wiebe steps up to challenge that legacy, Mitchell goes into survival mode. What follows is a thrilling and often hilarious David-and-Goliath saga that resurrects the blend of silliness and obsession that defined a generation reared on button-mashing pastimes.
https://southamptonplayhouse.com/film/the-king-of-kong
