Another documentary I have seen and enjoyed recently is The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters. It’s a 2007 American film that follows middle school science teacher Steve Wiebe as he tries to take the world high score for the arcade game Donkey Kong from reigning champion and hot sauce kind Billy Mitchell. Even if you don’t have an interest in gaming, you’ll love this battle of the nerds.
It’s a classic tale of good vs. evil, with lots of laughs and plot twists. It leaves you hanging for more, and pondering whether you could be the next world champion in something… If only you put your life into it.
Last week I stayed at home on a Saturday night. I put my best leopard print PJs on, plumped my pillows and ordered a takeaway. Then, far from the sophistication of writing (my novel) and listening to Smog (so refined), I watched THIS:
My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Addictive, unashamedly host and funny, it’s the best documentary series I’ve seen in a while. And of course – those dresses!
I didn’t know anything about Irish travellers before, and this was a great insight into a culture completely different from mine. Someone has put most of the episodes screened thus far on Youtube , so you too can sit back, relax, and enjoy the mayhem of a gypsy wedding in their glory. If you have seen it, what did you think?
Exit Through The Gift Shop is an excellent film – full of charm, wit and talent. I definitely recommend you go see it. Be warned however, it may ruin the romantic fantasies you harbour of becoming a) a street artist, or b) a documentary maker, and possibly even c) a French vintage store owner.
Dinner with Murakami is a 2007 documentary directed by Yan Ting Yuen about the life and work of legendary Japanese author Haruki Murakami.
“Largely structured round Murakami’s enigmatic absence, the film dramatizes Murakami’s impact on his readers and takes the camera into the hinterland to determine what is “Murakamian” in the Japanese landscape. The resulting film has a beautiful sense of form and poetic structure.” [Indie Flick Pick]
In the film everybody from groupies who hang outside Murakami’s old jazz club to schoolchildren, share their piece on the publicity shy writer. Norwegian Wood has been likened to the Nippon equivalent of J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye; so it is unsurprising most Japanese people have a story to tell about their relationship with Murakami’s work.
I remember first watching the 1975 Grey Gardens cult documentary when I was 15. Edith Bouvier Beale and Edith “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale made such an impression. The film is mostly awash with eccentric style and dilapidated lives; but every so often you could see a touch of refinement flare in their eyes. It’s really worth watching, beyond being a study in human relationships; as many designers and photographers have used the film as a visual reference.
Of course, I’m mad about animals, but raccoons and cats become a little bit boring.
Now Jessica Lane and Drew Barrymore have starred in a 2009 telemovie based on the Edies’ lives. Reports say Barrymore really committed herself to this role – staying in character and withdrawing from family and friends.
Hello! My name is Amber Parkin. I'm a New Zealander living in London. I'm a writer obsessed with fondue, chesterfield sofas, vintage dresses, foxes, and 35mm.
