Review of Gunnin' for That #1 Spot (2008) by Allan B — 22 Nov 2008

When I read New York Magazine's recommendation of Gunnin' as their top pick of the 300+ flicks at TriBeCa Film Festival, I took a couple days off from work just to check it out. It turned out to be a magical trip. The audience at Tribeca talked to the screen the way any good congregation does on a Sunday morning. Neal Usatin, the film?s lead editor, got a particularly good reception when his credit floated on a ball across the screen. (Makes me think I should keep my eyes on his work.) I loved it so much I went back to NYC for its theatrical premier, just down the street from the Rucker in Harlem, to see how it had been tweaked. And I?m not even a basketball fan.

This film fits the way I think. It?s fast, and like good comedic timing, presents the player?s stories in a way that left me wanting more -- if I?m interested, I?ll look it up. The imagery goes from Redacted-style website searches, to fisheye trips over and through NYC, VHS-quality home video, to YouTube footage and HD slow-mo. It?s like every photographic and film experiment ever discovered, sampled and flashed before my eyes. On that level, it?s like the ultimate style collage.

I bought an educational license and showed it to my high school varsity basketball team. They rolled at Bobbito?s nicknames (Shampoo!) the way only those who live it know how it sounds. In fact, they loved the soundtrack so much, I?m buying a copy so they can warm-up to it.

The stand-outs in my book are the bird?s-eye, fisheye tour of New York to the smooth sounds of ?Let?s Do it Again? (on loop). The lens makes Manhattan seem like it?s half the world. I love chapter 16?s fisheye tour at ground-level; especially when the beat hits on the pigeon and taxi moving in opposite directions. Chapters like this in a movie make for perfect party background pieces. I show them to my friends who don?t have time to see the whole movie, but know a good visual over a beat.

You could rent it, but this is also a great example of the artistry of packaging. It?s a stand-out example of graphic design gone fine art. From the paper and ink choices, to the colors and the trading cards. (Would have been cooler if they?d been actual cards. Maybe an add-on purchase soon?), this is one of those instant classics that deserves to be in any film-lovers permanent collection.