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CHASING
GHOSTS
U.S.A., 2006, 90 Minutes, color
Director:
Lincoln Ruchti
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The last place you'd expect to find the
video-game capital of the world is Ottumwa,
Iowa--but in 1982, this tiny town's Twin Galaxies
arcade served as the shining beacon of pixilated
pop culture, attracting the best of the best in
the highly competitive world of arcade video
gaming.
It was no fluke that eccentric arcade owner
Walter Day became the official scorekeeper for
the video-gaming industry, a mammoth task that he
and head referee Robert Mruczek still oversee
today via the Twin Galaxies international
scoreboard. The arcade itself closed its doors in
1984, but not before Day gave some of the very
best players to ever wield a joystick their 15
minutes of fame. Officially recognized as the
"video game player of the century" is
Billy Mitchell, who in 1999 became the first and
only person to achieve a perfect score in the
game of Pac-Man (3,333,360, in case you are
wondering). He and other gaming superstars are an
arcade owner's worst nightmare, able to play for
hours, sometimes even days, on a single
quarter.
Culminating with the nationally televised 1982
Video Game World Championships, director Lincoln
Ruchti takes us on a wild ride through the lives
of the first arcade celebrities, resulting in an
eye-popping collage of retrogaming goodness.
While the perspective on video gaming that Ruchti
gives us is insightful, the colorful characters
that he unearths along the way are this film's
true treasure.— Adam Montgomery
Executive Producer : John Panichello
Producer : Michael Verrechia
Cinematographer : Lisa Wiegand
Editors : Eddie Brega, Lincoln Ruchti
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| Screening Times |
| Monday
, Jan 22 |
11:30 AM |
Prospector
Square Theatre |
CHASI22PD
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| Tuesday
, Jan 23 |
9:30 PM |
Holiday
Village Cinema IV |
CHASI234N
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| Thursday
, Jan 25 |
3:15 PM |
Holiday
Village Cinema III |
CHASI253A
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| Friday
, Jan 26 |
6:45 PM |
Broadway
Centre Cinemas V, SLC |
CHASI26BE
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| Saturday
, Jan 27 |
10:00 AM |
Holiday
Village Cinema IV |
CHASI274M
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| Director(s) Bios |
Lincoln
Ruchti
Arkansas native Lincoln Ruchti earned
dual degrees in English and
telecommunications at the University of
Florida and received his master's degree
in film production at Loyola Marymount
University in Los Angeles. Before Chasing
Ghosts, Ruchti directed of a number
of shorts, including Drum Major
Cunningham, Rest Home, and Upper
Deck. A casual gamer, Ruchti is
currently ranked 25th in the world for
the 1974 arcade classic Wheels. |
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| Film Contact |
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Winston
Emano
David Magdael & Associates, Inc. |
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(310)
739-0946
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| wemano@tcdm-associates.com |
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