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Press Start (film)
Encyclopedia
Press Start is a 2007
independent film
produced by Dark Maze Studios. It stars Joshua Stafford, Peter Davis
, Daniel Pesina
, and Carlos Pesina
. The film is a video game parody adventure comedy. It was released on DVD on September 25, 2007.
and Chicago, Illinois. Press Start is scored by American
video game music composer
Jake Kaufman
.
The two characters played by Daniel and Carlos Pesina in Press Start, Sasori and Lei-Gong, are pastiches of their respective characters in the original Mortal Kombat game, Scorpion
and Raiden
. A sequel, Press Start 2 Continue, was released in 2011.
and 16-bit
video games, but references more modern games as well. Games parodied range from Donkey Kong
to Halo
. The film also satirizes all aspects of gaming, including collectible card games, Saturday morning cartoons, comic books, and trends of turning games into breakfast cereals.
. The series was created and animated by screenwriter Kevin Folliard and produced by Press Start director Ed Glaser. The pilot episode was directed by Folliard, while the following episodes were directed by Glaser. Original music is composed by Jake Kaufman.
They premiered on April 28, 2006. Since, there's been a new episode on the last Friday of every following month. The episodes feature numerous visual gags and video game parodies.
The cartoons were created as a way to generate hype for the feature film by introducing people to the world, characters, and humor of Press Start. They are also noted by their lack of budget constraints allowing more artistic freedom to be taken with the action and effects than that seen in the feature film. Back story, inside jokes, and running gags are further flushed out in the animations than what could be used in the film.
A number of notable videogame voice actors have guest starred in the series as well, including Mortal Kombat
's John Turk
(who ironically took over the ninja roles portrayed by Pesina), and David Humphrey
, the original voice of Shadow the Hedgehog
.
The animations take place before the events of the movie, similar to two made-for-DVD animated prequels: Van Helsing: The London Assignment
and The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury
. The animations started out being nonlinear and do not progress after one another. Notably missing is the character of Zack Nimbus who, in terms of the film, has yet to be made aware of his destiny. However, on November 24, 2006 the shorts began a five part miniseries which would lead directly into the feature film.
The shorts have since been hosted on the comedy media website That Guy with the Glasses
, continuing new episodes now taking place after the film's conclusion, now known as Press Start Adventures. Count Vile is now depicted as being in Hell
, and the character Zack Nimbus appears, as well.
wrote that the film was "a surprisingly well-written parody of video game conventions". Movie Cynics makes note that if a filmmaker were to do everything possible to make a bad movie, Ed Glaser has succeeded and that Glaser has not only made a bad movie, but he has made an "awesomely bad movie" that is "that pokes fun at video games." And in its being so bad, the "end result was a film that is a quintessential awesomely bad movie that is full of videogame references and is fun from beginning to end."
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
produced by Dark Maze Studios. It stars Joshua Stafford, Peter Davis
Peter Davis (theater historian)
Peter A. Davis is an associate professor of theatre history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with specialties in early American theatre, Restoration theatre and Eighteenth Century cultural history. Additionally he is an avid mountain climber and has scaled six of the Seven...
, Daniel Pesina
Daniel Pesina
Daniel Pesina is a martial arts expert and a former employee of Midway. He is most recognized as the actor who played Johnny Cage and ninjas Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Reptile, Smoke, and Noob Saibot in Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II.Pesina was fired from Midway in 1994 for wearing Cage's costume in...
, and Carlos Pesina
Carlos Pesina
Carlos Pesina is a skilled martial artist and employee of NetherRealm Studios. He is most recognized as the actor who played Raiden in Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy...
. The film is a video game parody adventure comedy. It was released on DVD on September 25, 2007.
Production
The film was shot in ChampaignChampaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
and Chicago, Illinois. Press Start is scored by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
video game music composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Jake Kaufman
Jake Kaufman
Jacob "Jake" Kaufman is an American video game music composer. After starting out creating arrangements and remixes of video game soundtracks, he began his commercial composing career in 2000 with the score to a port of Q*Bert...
.
The two characters played by Daniel and Carlos Pesina in Press Start, Sasori and Lei-Gong, are pastiches of their respective characters in the original Mortal Kombat game, Scorpion
Scorpion (Mortal Kombat)
Scorpion is a recurring player and boss character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He has been a playable character in all the games, with the exception of the original version of Mortal Kombat 3.-In video games:...
and Raiden
Raiden (Mortal Kombat)
Raiden is a player character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. Raiden, also known as Lord Raiden, is a thunder god of the Mortal Kombat universe and protector of Earthrealm. He commands many supernatural abilities such as the ability to teleport, control over lightning, and flight...
. A sequel, Press Start 2 Continue, was released in 2011.
Focus
Press Start focuses its parodic tone primarily toward the era of 8-bit8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
and 16-bit
16-bit
-16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
video games, but references more modern games as well. Games parodied range from Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong (video game)
is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...
to Halo
Halo (video game series)
Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
. The film also satirizes all aspects of gaming, including collectible card games, Saturday morning cartoons, comic books, and trends of turning games into breakfast cereals.
Synopsis
Press Start tells the story of a suburban youth in a videogame world who discovers his adventurous, if berserk, destiny when he's recruited by an ill-tempered ninja and a tough-as-nails space soldier to save the world from a tyrannical, but comically insecure, sorcerer..Cast
- Joshua Stafford as Zack Nimbus
- Peter A. DavisPeter Davis (theater historian)Peter A. Davis is an associate professor of theatre history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with specialties in early American theatre, Restoration theatre and Eighteenth Century cultural history. Additionally he is an avid mountain climber and has scaled six of the Seven...
as Count Nefarious Vile - Daniel PesinaDaniel PesinaDaniel Pesina is a martial arts expert and a former employee of Midway. He is most recognized as the actor who played Johnny Cage and ninjas Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Reptile, Smoke, and Noob Saibot in Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II.Pesina was fired from Midway in 1994 for wearing Cage's costume in...
as Sasori - Carlos PesinaCarlos PesinaCarlos Pesina is a skilled martial artist and employee of NetherRealm Studios. He is most recognized as the actor who played Raiden in Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy...
as Lei Gong - Lauren Chambers as Sam
- Al Morrison as Lin-Ku
- J.W. Morrissette as Johnson
- Andy Dallas as Shopkeeper
- Michael Kleppin as G. Fourman
- Ben McDuffee as Telegram Man
- J.R. Thomas as Uncle Lou
- Meagan Benz as Zippy (voice)
- Jane F. Cox as Life Lady
- Arin Hanson as Forest Guardian (voice)
- Jennifer Zahn as Villager
Bonus Levels/Adventures
While in production and post-production, a series of web shorts called Press Start: Bonus Levels (known as Press Start Adventures following the movie's release) were released on the film's website and NewgroundsNewgrounds
Newgrounds is an American entertainment and social media website. Founded on July 6, 1995 by Tom Fulp, the site primarily hosts Adobe Flash animations and games, but also features a music-oriented page, along with an art portal...
. The series was created and animated by screenwriter Kevin Folliard and produced by Press Start director Ed Glaser. The pilot episode was directed by Folliard, while the following episodes were directed by Glaser. Original music is composed by Jake Kaufman.
They premiered on April 28, 2006. Since, there's been a new episode on the last Friday of every following month. The episodes feature numerous visual gags and video game parodies.
The cartoons were created as a way to generate hype for the feature film by introducing people to the world, characters, and humor of Press Start. They are also noted by their lack of budget constraints allowing more artistic freedom to be taken with the action and effects than that seen in the feature film. Back story, inside jokes, and running gags are further flushed out in the animations than what could be used in the film.
A number of notable videogame voice actors have guest starred in the series as well, including Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat (series)
Mortal Kombat, commonly abbreviated MK, is a science fantasy series of fighting games created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The first four renditions and their updates were developed by Midway Games and initially released on arcade machines. The arcade titles were later picked up by Acclaim...
's John Turk
John Turk
John Turk is an American model, bodybuilder, personal trainer, former Chicago police officer, and actor.He has three siblings...
(who ironically took over the ninja roles portrayed by Pesina), and David Humphrey
David Humphrey
David Humphrey is an American actor that played Frankie in the play of Forever Plaid. He is best known for being the original voice of Shadow the Hedgehog in the Sonic games. He also played Thomas Jefferson in the play of 1776. He was succeeded by Jason Anthony Griffith...
, the original voice of Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow the Hedgehog
is a character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Shadow is an artificially-created life form. His trademark hover shoes propel him at extreme speeds that rival those of Sonic, and with a Chaos Emerald he has the ability to distort time and space using "Chaos Control." Often referred to as being...
.
The animations take place before the events of the movie, similar to two made-for-DVD animated prequels: Van Helsing: The London Assignment
Van Helsing: The London Assignment
Van Helsing: The London Assignment is a 2004 animated film by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. It features the voices of Hugh Jackman, Robbie Coltrane and David Wenham.-Plot:...
and The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury is a 2004 made-for-DVD animated movie. It was directed by the Korean-American animator Peter Chung, and features Vin Diesel reprising his role of Richard B. Riddick.-Plot:...
. The animations started out being nonlinear and do not progress after one another. Notably missing is the character of Zack Nimbus who, in terms of the film, has yet to be made aware of his destiny. However, on November 24, 2006 the shorts began a five part miniseries which would lead directly into the feature film.
The shorts have since been hosted on the comedy media website That Guy with the Glasses
That Guy with the Glasses
That Guy with the Glasses is a website that mostly showcases satirical reviews of movies and video games. It primarily stars Chicago native Douglas Darien "Doug" Walker as "That Guy with the Glasses". The founder and administrator of the site is Michael Michaud, CEO of the parent company Channel...
, continuing new episodes now taking place after the film's conclusion, now known as Press Start Adventures. Count Vile is now depicted as being in Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, and the character Zack Nimbus appears, as well.
Critical reception
PC GamerPC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
wrote that the film was "a surprisingly well-written parody of video game conventions". Movie Cynics makes note that if a filmmaker were to do everything possible to make a bad movie, Ed Glaser has succeeded and that Glaser has not only made a bad movie, but he has made an "awesomely bad movie" that is "that pokes fun at video games." And in its being so bad, the "end result was a film that is a quintessential awesomely bad movie that is full of videogame references and is fun from beginning to end."