Home Media Magazine - January 5, 2009 - (Page 15) www.homemediamagazine.com REVIEWS I KEITH Prebook 1/6; Street 2/3 Image, Drama, $27.98 DVD. Stars Jesse McCartney, Elisabeth Harnois. I BUSTIN’ DOWN THE DOOR Street 1/13 Universal/Screen Media, Documentary, B.O. $0.11 million, $24.98 DVD, NR. Narrated by Edward Norton. I n the mid-1970s, a group of surf-crazed young men from South Africa and Australia fled to Hawaii’s North Shore to ride the world’s best waves. Their arrival and subsequent success led to the start of professional surfing, which is chronicled in Bustin’ Down the Door, a fine documentary narrated by Edward Norton. The movie traces the younger days of several surfing pioneers, most notably Shaun Tomson, Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, and Mark Richards. Brazen, competitive, and in love with the fledgling sport, these kids’ zeal and revolutionary moves (breathtakingly captured via old photographs and film footage) captures the attention of the surfing press. Prize money follows but so does resentment from the natives over the newcomers’ bold proclamations and lack of respect. The resentment takes a frightening turn, courtesy of a squadron of heritage-loving goons known as the Black Shorts. Fortunately, peace is (barely) maintained, allowing for surfing to become a sport that makes plenty of money and has its share of recognizable faces (Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton). Once one gets past the surfing jargon, recollections from the prominent figures of the events chronicled highlight surfing’s hard-scrabble past. “If you got free equipment, that was the ultimate,” Peter Townend recalls of the pro tour’s early days. Equally suited for the pop-culturally curious and die-hard surfing fans, Bustin’ Down the Door uncovers an entertaining, neglected backstory of a sport whose history is still in its infancy. Extras on the DVD include deleted scenes and interviews from the Santa Barbara Film Festival. – Pete Croatto S Q U I C K TAK E A Helping Hand isk Away Concepts Jan. 13 offers two new entries into the field of do-it-yourself videos: Fire Safety in the Home ($25.99) and Quick Clean Video ($48.99). These aren’t extravagant productions but are effective in achieving their goal. The eight-minute Fire Safety video guides families through various steps in preparing for a potential house fire. Since W actual firefighting officials provide the instruction, the lessons are good and make this the kind of video one might find in a classroom or public safety display. The Quick Clean video offers 25minutes worth of tips on how to effectively and quickly clean a bathroom, kitchen or living room. Both videos are distributed by Victory Multimedia. – John Latchem enior year in high school can be a trying time, with hormones, applying to college, scholarships and parental expectations colliding — often within preconceived stereotypes. Enter Keith (teen pop star McCartney in his first feature film), a mysterious and frequently truant boy partnered with smart and popular Natalie (Harnois) in a chemistry class (a common thread in recent teen films, see Twilight) she must do well in to maintain a Duke-bound G.P.A. While Natalie stresses about lab notes, a relationship with a handsome Italian classmate and maintaining her state tennis ranking, Keith loves his dated yellow truck and an indifferent approach to school and life that borders on boorish. “We’re here in a yellow truck, a road ahead of us and nothing but opportunities,” Keith tells Natalie one day after school. His penchant of answering a question with questions only compounds Natalie’s frustration. As happens in many love stories, however, opposites invariably attract, and Natalie falls for the outsider whose quirky idea of a bowling date involves depositing monogrammed 16-pound balls on people’s doorsteps. “You don’t care what people think, you’re just you,” she remarks. Of course there is a pragmatic reason to Keith’s capricious nature, which, thankfully, has nothing to do with vampires or a fixation on graphic novels. Director Todd Kessler’s first foray into nonchildren’s fare (he is co-creator of the popular “Blue’s Clues” franchise) works in large part due to a believable script and cast — notably McCartney, who appears eager and capable of shedding his Teen Choice Awards days. – Erik Gruenwedel to examine herself and her world through art ooze from every pore and extend from music to poetry, painting and photography. She’s a force of nature. She’s also very aware of being appreciated in her own lifetime, unlike many of her heroes. Vignettes of Smith and company at home and on the road are spliced among performance clips. She reminisces about family members and collaborations with artists whose names highlight the eras: Allan Ginsburg, Robert Mapplethorpe, Billy Crystal. She even plays a casual duet with playwright and actor Sam Shepard. The film closely reflects Smith’s life and work as an existential celebration of chaos. Anything that doesn’t serve art or family gets little of her attention. Music and art are both tethers to reality and expressions of life that make it survivable and worth living. Fans will be delighted with the insider access and the insights into Patti Smith’s work. Those who don’t know her work will get a stunning introduction. – Holly J. Wagner January 5–11, 2009 Home Media Magazine 15 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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