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Studio: FilmBuffYear: 2010
Cast:
Director: Keven McAlester
Release Date: August 03, 2010
Rating: Not Rated for (brief mild language)
Run Time: 01h:28m:15s
Genre(s): documentary "You play the game for the experiences that you will go through, not where it's going to end up." - Scott Corum
I have officially grown tired of documentaries about fantasy gamers and/or LARPers, and this is only the third one I've seen. Movie Grade: C+
DVD Grade: B-
After having helmed the very cool Roky Erikson doc You're Gonna Miss Me in 2005, documentarian Keven McAlester stepped away from the world of hallucinogens and rock music world and into the equally weird realm of dark elves and game masters in the 2008 release The Dungeon Masters, now seeing the light of day courtesy of FilmBuff.
This is a doc that could be lumped into the "let's look at the oddballs who play these weirdo games, only let's make it serious and depressing" genre, an engrossing but ultimately pointless exploration of the lives of three individuals belly deep into Dungeons & Dragons. It's ultimately irrelevant that McAlester's three subjects play D&D, because as he dips into the often sad state of affairs of their personal lives it becomes apparent that these could easily be stamp collectors, crafters or homebrewers. I'm pretty sure every hobby is full of kooks (self-anointed or otherwise), so to single out D&D'ers just didn't sit right with me.
I get that some may consider it fun to poke at costume-wearing GenCon types with a stick, but when you put a face and name to them then it almost seems like bullying.
The drama on display is mostly of the sad sack variety, with McAlester poking his camera into the homes of three diverse yet similar "game masters" as personal dreams and relationships are stretched and prodded seemingly for our perusal. Why? I have no idea, really. The three - Richard, Scott and Elizabeth - all seem nice enough, but I found myself squirming a bit at the unnecessary bluntness of some of the revelations that were trotted out.
Their game-playing - and the undeniable geek love they all have for it - is just a convenient shelf for McAlester to start with, and as the doc progresses the focus becomes the personal lives of quasi-nudist Richard, wannabe author Scott and romantically adrift Elizabeth. D&D at that point is just a curious side-note, one that only seems to be there so cameras can get closeups of all those multi-sided dice and costumed diehards.
I'm all about quirky, lovable oddballs. That's what I wanted out of this doc; show me their immersion in the multi-facted nuttiness of the gaming world - one that's fairly alien to me - but leave out the stuff about uncomfortable family reunions or catastrophic home lives. That's base level reality show fodder, and it seems that McAlester is throwing the Elven baby out with ye old bathwater by concentrating his efforts less on D&D and more on who these people are and what they want out of life.
I'm sure there's a frustrated novelist in a lot of us, but damn if I want to see guy contort himself to his emotional limits as McAlester's cameras follow him on his attempts to finish and then sell his sci-fi tale. And that's only a bit of the iceberg, folks.
I suppose this all could have been much worse, as I guess McAlester could have gone right for the jugular and mercilessly mocked these folks, what with the serious talk of a "sphere of annihilation" and a look at the innerworkings of a puppet ministry. Instead, he opts for socially awkward drama of the personal variety, delving into broken dreams that I don't feel should have been any of my business under the guise of entertainment.
On the upside, the soundtrack features music by Guided By Voices and The Feelies, and an original score from Blonde Redhead which makes the pain go down a little easier.
IMAGE/AUDIO
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is a bit dull, with soft edges and a palette that is a wee bit drab. The good news is that as a low-budget doc this one looks as fine as it needs to, and the 2.0 stereo mix delivers clear voice quality for the duration.
EXTRAS
A trailer and two blocks of assorted unused footage (one is referred to as "outtakes", the other as "not outtakes, exactly") is included. It's here we learn about Scot's magnetic groin and a bubbly gamer that I wish would have more screen time in the finished doc.
Keywords: dungeons & dragons, documentary, keven mcalester
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