(you strategize and kill monsters in a
fantasy world, usually connected to a whole network of other players) and don’t
expect to learn much from the latest geekumentary,
. This
Dutch film by Jose de Putter takes a cue from the insightful and popular
(a movie where two guys vie for the best Donkey King score)
and tells a story about two of the best
players who are stars
on the professional circuit. Sky (his computer name) is a Chinese kid who came
from humble origins and was regularly beaten by his parents for refusing to
give up video games. Grubby is a quiet Dutch guy who chooses to play the evil
characters because they are more interesting. MadFrog is a retired master who
seems haunted by his former life. This film is quite arty and cinematic but
somehow this doesn’t work for the subject matter – shots of typing fingers and
intense eyes don’t really explain what’s going on in the game or why it is so
compelling for the players or the thousands of fans who pack convention halls
to see the masters square off against each other. This is really interesting
material but by the end of the film it isn’t clear what makes this game so
addictive or who the master gamers really are.

. It starts with silent movies days
when newspapers simply produced a summary, to the 1970s when film criticism was
an important affair and rival critics courted acolytes to bolster their own
theories. This is really an introduction to the topic but pleasant and
informative. I knew only one story from the heyday of film crit (the
controversy over violence and humour in
, from the
great book
) and this actually comes up in the
film as a turning point. There is a funny interview with a critic for hire attending
a press junket; he and journalists like him are the ones who work for a papers
and radio stations no one has ever heard of and come up with the glowing quotes
for every terrible new film. There are some hokey moments here but it’s not a
waste of time.