Award-winning 2009 live-action comedy short, following a nerdy 12-year-old who, in an attempt to one-up the neighborhood bullies, turns himself into a real-life 1980's video game hero.
This movie contains examples of:
- Always Save the Girl: Played with. Spud knows the street is watching when he rescues Daisy.
- Amazing Technicolor World: Owing to its video-game theme, the film has a very saturated color palette.
- Anger Born of Worry: Spud's parents, after he pulls some rather creepy stunts with Barbie dolls.
- Character Level: The film revolves around the idea that the childhood social order is a game of one-upsmanship.
- Color Motif: Spud's colors are neon orange and primary blue.
- '80s Hair: Lots of it. The film is set in 1988.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Spud is at a loss what to do about his image until he glances over at his Legend of Zelda calendar.
- Fisheye Lens: Wide angle shots with exaggerated perspective are part of this film's style.
- Hollywood Darkness: Invoked deliberately as part of the film's style. Night scenes are robin's-egg blue.
- Large Ham: Tina, the valley-girl waitress at Pizza N' More.
- Lens Flare: Used stylistically in a number of scenes.
- Meaningful Name: According to Spud, the "biggest douche in town" is one Eric Massengill.
- Nerd Action Hero: Spud at least thinks he's this.
- Nostalgia Filter: If you grew up in the '80s you'll recognize a lot of the cultural artifacts strewn about the film.
- Pyromaniac: Spud steals his dad's New Year's Eve fireworks stash to give his sister's Barbie a Viking Funeral.
- Shout-Out: Real-life Donkey Kong champion Billy Mitchell gets one, as do an assortment of 1980's cultural icons.
- Widescreen Shot: A lot of them in the first act, often used with forced perspective to emphasize Spud's sense of feeling small.
