Reznet

'Vantage Point' Disappoints, 'Be Kind Rewind' Worth a Second Look

By Nancy Kelsey

I almost always judge a movie by its cover, or rather its trailer.

But I got quite a surprise with two films in theatres now.

“Vantage Point” does not deliver on the intelligent plot it boasts to have while “Be Kind Rewind” was surprisingly witty.

“Vantage Point” is the story of the attempted assassination of the U.S. president in Spain by terrorists told from the perspectives of five different people.

First we follow the character of a news anchor, played by Zoe Saldana, who is broadcasting live when the president is shot. After the shots send the crowd of supporters and protesters into chaos, two explosions erupt nearby.

Dennis Quaid, who plays a secret service agent wounded and traumatized by having to take a bullet from the president at a previous event, also provides a glimpse into the events of the day. Through his dedication to protecting the president, the plot begins to unravel and we learn about the many unexpected people behind the assassination attempt.

Forrest Whitaker, Matthew Fox and Sigourney Weaver deliver believable performances enhancing a climactic film. Fox’s acting is particularly notable because he exerts an intensity that proves how far he has come since the days of “Party of Five.”

This film had me shaking my leg in anticipation of what would happen next right up until the end when I sat back in disappointment. Just as the terrorists’ plan to kidnap the president seems successful, the most ridiculous and unbelievable act throws them off course. Without spoiling the movie, let’s just say terrorists who had been killing indiscriminately throughout the movie thwart their own plans by suddenly avoiding the killing of a complete stranger.

Though this plot is unique, its ending — which crucially needed to be smooth and logical to seal the deal — did not deliver. And it was not able to save this movie from being average.

With that, I give “Vantage Point” two frybreads out of reznet’s highest rating of four.

In a much lighter plot, actors Jack Black and Mos Def turn what could easily become a silly story into one that is clever and fun.

In “Be Kind Rewind,” Mos Def plays an employee named Mike at a video store owned by Danny Glover’s character, Mr. Fletcher.

With the rise of the DVD, Mr. Fletcher is not able to make the money necessary to save his building from being condemned and converted into new condominiums.

So as Mr. Fletcher sets out to learn the secrets of a changing video store industry, he leaves Mike to tend to the store. What he doesn’t know is that soon Mike’s best friend, named Jerry and played by Black, will turn one of his stupid ideas into a death sentence for all of the store’s videos.

After getting shocked and becoming a conductor of abnormal amounts of electricity, Jerry turns all of the stores videos blank.

In an effort not to disappoint Mr. Fletcher, Mike and Jerry begin recreating movies by “sweding” them, or acting them out themselves with makeshift props. This starts to bring in the big cash that the two hope will save the video store.

My favorite of these re-creations is that of "Ghostbusters," which uses green and red garland on a fish line as the rays from infamous proton packs. Adding to that is the comedic simplicity of capturing the memorable walk of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man with actual marshmallows and then setting him on fire.
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Soon, though, Sigourney Weaver, as a movie studio representative, finds out about their endeavor and shuts them down taking all of their money.

In one last attempt to save the store, the community watches its last “sweded” video, telling the story of a neighborhood legend.

This movie was an unexpected delight worthy of three frybreads.

Nancy Kelsey, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, is studying journalism at the University of Nebraska graduate school in Lincoln. She is a graduate of the Freedom Forum's American Indian Journalism Institute. She interned as a reporter at The Seattle Times last summer. Next summer she'll report for The Associated Press in Boston.