There’s nothing I enjoy watching quite so much as someone else getting excited about something they love — and then taking things too far. Lucky for me, there are plenty of documentaries out there to fulfill my craving, as obsessives and collectors are easy to film and usually more than happy to sit down for interviews about their awesome hobby (which just happens to be dominating their lives to an unusual and unhealthy degree). Here are some of my favorite portraits of obsession.
Confessions of a Superhero
A beautifully-done, sort of heartbreaking documentary about the folks who dress up like superheroes and stand on Hollywood Blvd. posing for pictures and working for tips. Most of them do it for the money, but Superman — aka Christopher Lloyd Dennis, son of actress Sandy Dennis — does it for love, and some (most) would say obsession. His apartment is a shrine to all things Superman, and he’s a walking encyclopedia of Superman trivia. Here’s a short scene of Dennis getting into costume:
The King of Kong
I never knew people took — and still take — arcade video games so seriously. This is a portrait of true obsession, through the lens of the two world’s two best Donkey Kong players, each vying to be Number One.
Cinemania
Okay, I lied before. This is a portrait of true obsession — a klatch of movie-lovers in New York City who seem to do nothing but go to see films. Can you imagine watching 6 or 7 movies in one day — every day? “Film is a substitute for life,” one of them admits. “Film is a form of living.” A fascinating film that will make almost any movie addict feel better about their habit by comparison.
Piece by Piece
A fascinating short film about the world’s best Rubik’s Cubers: “Over three decades after the invention of the Rubik’s Cube, filmmaker Sachi Schuricht details the art of so-called “speedcubing” with this short documentary that introduces the creators of the renowned speedcubing algorithm before visiting a competition in which Rubik’s Cube fans from all walks of life attempt to solve the popular puzzle while blindfolded, and others race to match the like colors with only one hand.” Just watching them solve their cubes makes you dizzy. The film isn’t available online, but can be seen on the venerable video magazine Wholphin, edition number 5.
Here are a few of the world’s top-ranked “speedcubers” doing their thing. And if you think this is impressive, note the fact that they’re cubing after having had a few drinks at a party. That’s right: drunken cubing.
Vernon, Florida
Errol Morris’ early documentary masterpiece Vernon, Florida is mostly just a portrait of weirdos (who live in a small town in northern Florida), but there’s one fellow in particular whom Morris interviews, a turkey hunter, who is almost literally incapable of talking about anything other than turkeys and turkey hunting. He is, in a word, obsessed.
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This actually reminds me of the post featuring the mythbuster’s obsession with the Dodo replica and the Maltese Falcon.
Great stuff.
Recaptcha: premium. hearings
Hmm…
posted by ACute Angle on 1-15-2009 at 12:54 pm
As soon as I read the first two sentences, the first thought that came to mind was Cinemania. I truly believe that some of the people featured are mentally ill, or at least a little unbalanced. A couple more good docs about obsession:
Word Wars (about Maalox-swilling competitive Scrabble players)
Bingo! The Documentary
Air Guitar Nation (yes, there is an Air Guitar world championship)
Darkon (inside the strange world of live action role playing)
Project Grizzly (possibly the weirdest of all – a bear attack survivor sets about building an indestructible suit that will allow him to safely observe bears)
I love documentaries about unusual people doing unusual things. I’ve seen tons and my Netflix queue is full of them.
posted by dying alive on 1-15-2009 at 1:13 pm
I really want to see that Donkey Kong movie. It looks amazing! And I’m so gratified to know that the average game lasts less than a minute. It makes me feel much better about my lackluster skills.
posted by Chelsea on 1-15-2009 at 1:15 pm
The King of Kong is an amazing and truly excellent documentary. I heartily recommend it to literally anyone. It has a great story, plenty of suspense, humor, Donkey Kong, what more could you ask for? I might also point out that it is available to watch instantly on your computer or Xbox 360 for those of you flossers who are Netflix subscribers. Definitely check it out, even if you know nothing about arcade games, you won’t regret it.
posted by Kyle G on 1-15-2009 at 1:35 pm
I LOVED King of Kong. I’m definitely going to
Another great one to check out is “I Think We’re Alone Now.” It’s about people that are obssessed with Tiffany to the extent that one of them (a male) is getting plastic surgery to look like her.
ha!
recaptcha: female curious
posted by nikki on 1-15-2009 at 1:39 pm
I love these type of movies and will be picking up Cinemania ASAP. Here are a few more.
Spellbound – about national spelling bee contestants
Wordplay – about the world’s top crossword puzzlers and people who make crosswords
Grizzly Man – about a man who dedicated his life to studying grizzlies
American Movie – about an independent film maker and his attempt to make a movie
posted by Chris on 1-15-2009 at 2:01 pm
Oh man, Vernon, Florida. Remember when we rented it on VHS, and the VHS shell had broken, so they’d taken out the tape from the original shell and put it in a new shell, minus the last minute or so, and then charged a $100 deposit for the privilege of renting it? Man, those were the days.
Actually, it’s kind of appropriate, given how crazy the movie is.
posted by Chris Higgins on 1-15-2009 at 2:02 pm
I almost forgot:
The League of Ordinary Gentleman – Looks at the revival of the Professional Bowlers Association and the lives of professional bowlers
posted by Chris on 1-15-2009 at 2:06 pm
I watched king of kong recently as well, and while I enjoyed it, I couldn’t help but get over how the director painted things in black and white/good and bad – Steve Weibe was the quintessential good guy, and Billy Mitchell was the quintessential bad guy. For example, they spent a good amount of time on Steve and his family – his wife and 2 adolecent daughters – and made him out to be an all around great dad/family guy. In contrast, they almost exclusively showed Billy Mitchell alone (his wife was in a few shots, but I don’t think she talked much, and it seemed to me they were making her out to be the quiet, obedient wife-type), while in reality, he has a wife and kids as well, and by all accounts, he’s quite the family man himself.
but, even so, I’m still rooting for Steve Weibe! :D
posted by Clotho on 1-15-2009 at 2:10 pm
Man, I need to get a copy of “Vernon, Florida”.
“… and then he double gobbled.”
posted by Stuart on 1-15-2009 at 2:33 pm
One of my favorite movies in college was “Trekkies,” a documentary about…well, Trekkies. It’s fantastic.
PBS did two episodes (short documentaries?) called “Standard of Perfection.” One was about people who show cats, and the other was about people who show cattle. They’re not obsessed, per se, but they’re pretty darn close. Both episodes were eerily like Christopher Guest’s “Best in Show,” except they’re real. And just as funny.
posted by meg on 1-15-2009 at 3:02 pm