Home Media Magazine - June 29 - July 5, 2008 - (Page 30)

REVIEWS I VANTAGE POINT Street 7/1 Sony Pictures, Thriller, B.O. $72.3 million, $28.96 DVD, $34.95 two-DVD set, $38.96 Blu-ray, $24.94 UMD, ‘PG-13’ for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language. Stars Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Sigourney Weaver, Forest Whitaker, William Hurt. Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com here’s something amusing about watching actors describe a mediocre film as if it’s the most profound experience of their careers. You have to wonder if they truly believe that or if they’re just playing nice for the DVD production crew until they can get to the bank to cash their checks. For the Vantage Point behind-the-scenes featurettes, they ruminate about the nature of perspective and the interesting dynamic inherent in such a storytelling device. In doing so, they overlook what the film really is. The story begins in Spain with a news crew covering the president’s arrival at an anti-terror summit. As he steps forward to T address the crowd, the president is shot, and in the ensuing chaos the venue is bombed. The film then zips back and forth through various incidents leading to and surrounding the assassination attempt, examining the same half-hour period from the perspective of many different characters, presenting one story, rewinding, and starting again from a different point of view. Like any mystery-thriller, the film holds back just enough information from the audience to build tension, gradually revealing new facts to paint the bigger picture. It’s more gimmick than substance. The script twists and turns to fill story holes with new contrivances, leaving viewers waiting for a shocking twist that never materializes. The plot threads converge without much resolution or explanation, and the film just kind of ends when it needs to. In perusing the featurettes on the DVD, it’s clear the creative team behind the film had conceived a deeper story than that conveyed by the finished product. Director Pete Travis has assembled a cast of good actors who do their best with a screenplay that seems unsure of itself. The powerhouse cast certainly will draw curious viewers. Vantage Point may offer enough action and intrigue to please fans of shows such as “24,” which involve characters speeding from one plot point to the next amid shifting allegiances. Anyone enticed by the prospect of the advertised portable digital copy should be advised the download function is not compatible with Mac computers. – John Latchem I CHOP SHOP Street 7/8 Koch Lorber, Drama, B.O. $0.1 million, $26.98 DVD, NR. Stars Alejandro Polanco, Isamar Gonzales. I 305 Street 7/8 Allumination, Comedy, $29.98 DVD, ‘PG-13’ for some crude humor, comic violence and language. Stars Tim Larson, Brandon Tyra, David Schultz, Sunny Peabody, Ed Portillo. as the world crying out for another 300 spoof? Apparently, Meet the Spartans and National Lampoon’s 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Wallace Leonidas aren’t enough. Hence, 305. It all started when twin brothers David and Daniel Holechek enlisted some friends to spoof the blockbuster film adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300. They loaded their short, The 305, onto YouTube, it became an Internet phenomenon, and the group was commissioned to make a major motion picture — or at least a DVD release. W The plot follows five Spartans who were assigned to guard the secret goat path instead of heading to Thermopylae. At the first sign of trouble, they turned tail and became a laughing stock among the rest of the Spartan army. Armed with a sharpened carrot and a rolling pin, they must now redeem themselves. Frankly, with character names like Shazaam and Testicleese, does it really matter what the movie is about? It makes Meet the Spartans look like Gladiator. Unfortunately, like many big-screen “Saturday Night Live”-type efforts, this is one skit that just goes on too long. Fans of It’s Pat! and Night at the Roxbury might make it through the movie’s 85-minute runtime. All others can just check out the original short, which can be found online or as one of the DVD’s few extras. – Rachel Cericola n Chop Shop, filmmaker Ramin Bahrani reveals the underbelly of New York City’s Iron Triangle, the slum next to Shea Stadium that houses junkyards and chop shops. With the cheering crowd and glowing bright lights of the stadium constantly in the background, Bahrani centers on the life of 12-yearold Ale (Alejandro Polanco) unfolding in the shadows. Ale is a boy who must fend for himself but soon takes on the responsibility of finding shelter and income for himself and his older sister. An Iron Triangle garage-owner offers Ale employment off the books as well as a free place to live. Ale works as a chop shop apprentice while supplementing his income with candy and DVD sales on the G-train as well as the occasional stolen hubcap. He gets his sister a job at the lunch truck, but she supplements their income selling more than food to men. The siblings dream of starting their own business, but harsh realities combined with Ale’s naiveté thwart their dreams from ever being reached. The Iron Triangle offers a loose support network, but the local band of pirates is just as likely to cheat Ale and his sister as it is to protect them. Ale’s story is one of survival, and his determinism and energy is what pushes the movie forward. As commuter trains streak by in the background and the lights of the stadium burn bright in the distance, it’s clear that this is a snapshot of American life that most will never witness or even notice. And in turn, Ale doesn’t pay any mind to the stadium-goers; all he sees is the potential income that their hubcaps and purses might bring him. Those who enjoyed City of God and Raising Victor Vargas will enjoy the gritty reality of Chop Shop. The characters are played by real people, not actors, and their first names are even used for the characters’ names. This film could easily be mistaken for a documentary; Bahrani repositions the stadium lights to illuminate the Iron Triangle and crafts Ale’s story to show us how the other half lives. – Amanda McCorquodale I 30 Home Media Magazine June 29–July 5, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - June 29 - July 5, 2008

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