Pinball documentary

drwicket

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So I just got done watching "Tilt: The battle to save Pinball". Are there any other good pinball movies / ducumentary out there? I found a trailer for "Special When Lit" Has anyone watched this and if so is it any good?
 
"Special When Lit" is one I just watched. I am an arcade guy but after watching that, I want a freaking pinball machine! I thought it was really good and the characters in it are awesome.
 
Special When Lit is only about $10 bucks on iTunes if I recall correctly. Great Flick. Tilt: Battle.... is good too, as mentioned. You can also checkout the Pinball 101 and coming soon Pinball 102 vids for more great and interesting use of cameras on a pin playfield and instruction. Also the ''Pinball Collector'' series from the same guys.
 
I got mine from their website, but I think you can also get it from Amazon(with free shipping). I also gotta recommend "Life After Death 3: Warehouse Raid" from Rob and Steve of the Silverball Podcast and Popbumper.com. It is a pretty cool documentation of a warehouse raid, and more importantly, what do you do with the 16-plus pinball machines you just bought. It also has some pretty cool footage of Gene Cunningham's collection including Rob playing the cancelled Pinball2000 game Wizard Blocks.
 
pinball passion is also good. it has some good interviews with Alvin gottlieb and other old school designers as well as steve ritchie and pat lawler.
 

Good call. I'm a bit miffed at the producers of Special When Lit. They rationed this movie over the course of several years, not letting many people see it, and by the time it was widely available, it was way late after the fact. As far as I know they wouldn't even screen it at the pinball shows. I see no reason to give them money when it's more like they exploited the pinball community than support or promote it.
 
With Special When Lit they were taking it to every film festival they could in the hopes of securing a big distribution deal. I don't think they were holding back just to be jerks. And just because I don't like something doesn't mean I am now justified in stealing it. Seriously people, totally lame.
 
With Special When Lit they were taking it to every film festival they could in the hopes of securing a big distribution deal. I don't think they were holding back just to be jerks. And just because I don't like something doesn't mean I am now justified in stealing it. Seriously people, totally lame.

Yea, I know they were milking it to get some awards and stuff, but they snubbed the pinball community in the process and wouldn't even screen it at the pinball shows - I took offense to that. Plus, many of us wanted to buy the movie, and they kept promising to make it available for more than a year. It was frustrating. If you create something about a community, and then deny that community the right to see it, that's going to tick the community off.

EDIT: I just got finished watching the movie. Now I understand why these producers kind of diss'd the pinball community when distributing the movie. The movie basically makes fun of pinball enthusiasts as some kind of geeky, anti-social group of outcasts. There are lots of scenes where it seems they're very subtly being amused AT someone instead of with them... images of weird and eccentric collectors (like the guy with his stomach sticking out from under his shirt), the pingeek waxing about what a great businessman he is (cut to a mostly empty room of people falling asleep at his presentation), a scene where one guy tells a really bad joke and then beams about how funny he thinks it is. A very odd movie that you can tell was made from the "outside" looking in. Still entertaining and lots of great images and interviews. But I don't think it paints the most flattering picture of the community. It's like most of us are crazy cat ladies, but with pinball machines. Maybe that is the case? But I know a lot of pretty normal people who like to collect pinball games whose house doesn't look like it should be feature on an episode of Hoarders. You wouldn't know it from watching "Special When Lit" though.
 
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EDIT: I just got finished watching the movie. Now I understand why these producers kind of diss'd the pinball community when distributing the movie. The movie basically makes fun of pinball enthusiasts as some kind of geeky, anti-social group of outcasts. There are lots of scenes where it seems they're very subtly being amused AT someone instead of with them... images of weird and eccentric collectors (like the guy with his stomach sticking out from under his shirt), the pingeek waxing about what a great businessman he is (cut to a mostly empty room of people falling asleep at his presentation), a scene where one guy tells a really bad joke and then beams about how funny he thinks it is. A very odd movie that you can tell was made from the "outside" looking in. Still entertaining and lots of great images and interviews. But I don't think it paints the most flattering picture of the community. It's like most of us are crazy cat ladies, but with pinball machines. Maybe that is the case? But I know a lot of pretty normal people who like to collect pinball games whose house doesn't look like it should be feature on an episode of Hoarders. You wouldn't know it from watching "Special When Lit" though.

So after seeing this movie, I have to say I'm very glad I didn't spend a penny on it. It seems to mostly make fun of the hobby and those that enjoy it. But I digress... there are some incredibly funny scenes in the movie...

Yup, and the above is the main reason I don't have a lot of love for SWL. I know a few people in the film and from talking with them it's clear the film crew wanted who they filmed to look as bad as possible.

My guess is they were trying to outdo King of Kong. But the difference is that King of Kong still made you like Steve Weibe and creates a character we can all identify with. SWL just misfired in this regard.

I mentioned all this when I first saw it last May and everyone said I had no sense of humor. I guess it takes people awhile to realize they're not laughing with you, but at you.
 
Stealing 1's and 0's? What am I taking from whom? Would not have bought it to begin with.

Yes, and if I stick a gun under someone's nose and take their money I'm just stealing a random collection of atomic particles. Please.
 
Yup, and the above is the main reason I don't have a lot of love for SWL. I know a few people in the film and from talking with them it's clear the film crew wanted who they filmed to look as bad as possible.

My guess is they were trying to outdo King of Kong. But the difference is that King of Kong still made you like Steve Weibe and creates a character we can all identify with. SWL just misfired in this regard.

I mentioned all this when I first saw it last May and everyone said I had no sense of humor. I guess it takes people awhile to realize they're not laughing with you, but at you.

I completely agree. If you feel empathy for how some of the people in the movie were exploited unbeknowst to them, even though the scenes are funny, there's still something sad about it. I think King of Kong was a much better movie because it actually had a kind of plot running through it. This movie seems to center around a bunch of short clips showcasing how weird, egocentric, obsessive-compulsive and clueless enthusiasts seem to be.

I mean, there's a clip of Jim Shelberg of Pingame Journal *yawning*. That's it. Like, hey, let's toss this in there of the guy yawning. Let's show Roger Sharp acting like a cross between Karate Kid and a Yoga instructor while playing pinball. Why not talk about the amazing shot Roger made to prove pinball was a game of skill? That's a legendary story. But no... just weird stuff. Steve Richie waxing poetically about pinball as a metaphor for life? Oh puh-leeze. When they interviewed the ex-pinball champ, they used this weird low angle and played creepy music behind him... the movie mocks all these people, like they're adorable retards.
 
Just watched it and overall I thought it was pretty good. Yeah, there are a couple odd characters but if you've been into any hobby you know there are always odd characters. And honestly... they usually make the hobby more fun. :D

Thanks for the SWL post! :beerchug:
 
I do agree with the whole exploitation thing, but mostly I thought it was boring as hell. I lost interest about 1/2 way through and it finished while I was doing other things.
 
Just watched it and overall I thought it was pretty good. Yeah, there are a couple odd characters but if you've been into any hobby you know there are always odd characters. And honestly... they usually make the hobby more fun. :D

Thanks for the SWL post! :beerchug:

I kept waiting for the movie to turn around at the end and make all those goofy characters more endearing, kind of like how Top Gear will talk trash about all the problems with a car, and then at the end go, "..but with as many things that are wrong with the Mercedes XR8, it's still brilliant!" But that didn't happen. At the end it was like, "So pinball is probably going to die.. meh..." close credits... What??

A good example of how the producers of the movie had a total lack of respect for the people involved can be illustrated during the lengthy sequence where they talk about pinball tournaments and players...there was virtually no footage of actual pinball playing, showing great shots, etc. It was all video of people writhing around the machine like someone with Spina Bifada. And it's obvious they went out of their way to feature the most goofy people in pinball, they focused on the weirdest looking, least articulate professional players, while largely ignoring well-spoken people like Bowen Kerins and higher-ranked players. The movie IMO almost came off like a hit piece.
 
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after reading all these comments.....and still not owning the movie but looking forward to getting it. i wouldnt care if they are making fun of pinball collectors or not.....and who cares if they didnt show the movie and put it off for a year......life goes on....i still wake up and do other normal things.....i didnt even hear of the movie till after it was available...

but bottom line......my friend ron shuster is in the movie....and i have bought games from him......and i believe if someone i know is in lets say a movie.....i would definetly buy one and support it..


i wouldnt care who makes fun of me or anyone into the hobby for collecting pinball machines and buying and selling them...but hows that old saying go....."laughing all the way to the bank"
 
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