It’s that time again, in which I return to my old stomping grounds, aka Washington State. To recharge those batteries, since mine are pine scented, to get away from the Big Apple when it’s stinkiest, even though summer in NYC’s been mild this year, and… to put the finishing touches on the 2014 Edition of Game Art/Chiptune/Indie Arcade/Drinkathon Seattle Special, which this time is named Fangamer [HEART] Attract Mode!
We’re a little over 48 hours way till showtime, though we’re also a little over 24 hours removed from… the final world premiere screening of Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie? It makes sense to have its final public showing before becoming available via VOD on September 2nd. But why am I even mentioning this? Because I honestly can’t think of a better way to introduce pictures taken at the NYC premier, earlier this month.
I wasn’t there myself, but FORT90.com’s ace photo Earl Madness, aka Joseph Micheal Baldovin was. And here’s what he witnessed, which not surprisingly, saw James Rolfe receiving a hero’s welcome…
Here’s the trailer for those who haven’t seen it. Anyhow, you’ll have to ask Earl Madness what he thought (and kicking myself for getting to do so myself; hey man, the weeks leading up to PAX Prime is always rough going, so please excuse me). Though I may as well share my thoughts on “the Nerd”; in the beginning, I wasn’t a fan.
Because the whole concept of an angry nerd makes my eyes roll and even my stomach roll, mostly due to the fact I’ve encountered way too many folks who are like that in real life. Hence why I never gave Rolfe’s videos a shot for the longest time. But I finally decided why the hell not, around the time I began taking my YouTube viewing seriously (i.e. subscribing to channels, as a replacement to regular cable). And next thing you know, I was hooked?
Rolfe made me realize that watching videos centered around a person playing and critiquing a game could be entertaining (I had mostly been exposed to piss poor copy cats beforehand), and it’s because of the Angry Video Game Nerd that I now spend a large portion of my viewing time on similar efforts, or at least the few good ones out there (most are still hot garbage, alas). Though, just to be clear, I only watch folks play old/obscure games, plus post production is an absolute must. Most livestreams either bore or annoy me to death, unless its fish playing Street Fighter.
Granted, I’m still not a fan of the toilet humor of the AVGN, but it is what it is. Now, does that mean I want to see the movie? Eh… I’m curious. At the very least, it is admittedly somewhat of a milestone; Rolfe did essentially revolutionize how video games are viewed on the internet, via hort films, so it is a big deal that it made the transition to the big screen. I ultimately fear something along the lines of the Mr. Show movie, or the Tim & Eric movie (i.e. something that work best in a short bursts, being painfully stretched out to a feature length).
I also feel bad that he was beaten to the punch, i.e. the plot point centering around those E.T. cartridges buried in a New Mexico landfill, by Microsoft of all folks (and I’d be so much more interested in the aforementioned documentary if it wasn’t just a vehicle to sell Xbox TV). Anyway, I’ll be missing tomorrow night’s final big screen appearance (which has been long sold out anyway) and instead may view it on my computer, where the Angry Video Game Nerd normally dwells.
Until then, here’s a brief interview that Earl Madness conducted before the NYC screening. Among the points touched upon: the long road leading up, the South Park-esque alternate version that the public will never see, what it’s like for a guy who has traditionally made YouTube vids all by himself to all of a sudden work with the large cast and crew that comes with “real movies”, and how many shirts the Nerd when through…
