Point and Shoot (film)

Point and Shoot is a 2014 documentary film written and directed by Marshall Curry. It was produced by Marshall Curry, Elizabeth Martin and Matthew VanDyke.^[1]

Point and Shoot
Promotional poster for Point and Shoot
Directed by	Marshall Curry
Written by	Marshall Curry
Produced by	Marshall Curry Elizabeth Martin Matthew VanDyke
Cinematography	Alan Jacobsen Matthew VanDyke
Edited by	Marshall Curry
Music by	James Baxter
Animation by	Joe Posner
Production companies	Marshall Curry Productions LLC ITVS BBC Cinereach
Distributed by	The Orchard
Release dates	April 18, 2014 (2014-04-18) (Tribeca Film Festival) October 31, 2014 (2014-10-31) (United States)
Running time	82 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Synopsis

Point and Shoot tells the story of Matthew VanDyke, a sheltered 26-year-old who left his Baltimore home and set off on a self-described "crash course in manhood."^[2] While on a 35,000-mile motorcycle trip through Northern Africa and the Middle East, he struck up an unlikely friendship with a Libyan hippie. When revolution broke out in Libya, VanDyke decided to join his friend in the fight against dictator Muammar Gaddafi. With a gun in one hand and a camera in the other, VanDyke joined and documented the war until he was captured by Gaddafi forces and held for six months in solitary confinement.

Release

The film was acquired by theatrical distributors The Orchard^[3][4] and was released in theaters on October 31, 2014.^[5]

Reception

The film has a 74% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Thrilling and thought-provoking, Point and Shoot captures one man's fascinating — if troublingly narcissistic — 'crash course in manhood.'"^[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[7]

In The Washington Post, Ann Hornaday described the film as an "absorbing, ingeniously crafted documentary" that gives the viewer a "street-level glimpse of the realities of war."^[8] Stephen Holden wrote in The New York Times that the film suggests "the addictive rush of battlefield adventure is hard-wired into the male psyche."^[9] Peter Bradshaw criticized the film in The Guardian, stating that the movie focusses on VanDyke himself and fails to explore the wider geopolitical context of the Libyan conflict.^[10]

Awards

• Tribeca Film Festival, Best Documentary Feature (winner)^[11][12][13]
• Independent Film Festival of Boston, Special Jury Prize (winner)^[14][15]
• Little Rock Film Festival, Special Jury Prize: Extraordinary Courage in Filmmaking - Matthew VanDyke (winner)^[16]
• Emmy Award, Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction (nominee)^[17]
• Gotham Independent Film Awards, Best Documentary (nominee)^[18]
• International Documentary Association, Best Documentary (nominee)^[19]
• Cinema Eye Honors, Outstanding Achievement in Editing (nominee)^[20]

See also

• The Motorcycle Diaries (film)
• Long Way Down
• Long Way Round

References

1. RogerEbert.com
2. POV|PBS
3. "Marshall Curry's Tribeca-Winning Doc 'Point and Shoot' Goes to The Orchard". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
4. Bernstein, Paula (6 August 2014). "The Orchard Acquires Academy Award-Nominated Director Marshall Curry's 'Point and Shoot'". Indiewire. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
5. "See The Film". Point and Shoot Official Website. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
6. "Point and Shoot (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
7. "Point and Shoot Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
8. Ann Hornaday (25 November 2014). "'Point and Shoot' review: Matthew VanDyke's story takes twists and turns".
9. Stephen Holden (31 October 2014). "Look! I'm Just Like Lawrence of Arabia". New York Times.
10. Peter Bradshaw (16 January 2015). "Point and Shoot review – a very selfie adventure". The Guardian.
11. O'Connell, Max (24 April 2014). "2014 Tribeca Film Festival Winners Include 'Zero Motivation,' 'Point and Shoot' and more". Indiewire. Indiewire. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
12. Cox, Gordon (24 April 2014). "Tribeca Film Festival: Israeli Film 'Zero Motivation' Scores Two Awards". Variety. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
13. Salovaara, Sarah (25 April 2014). "2014 Tribeca Film Festival Winners". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
14. "IFFBoston '14 Jury Award Winners Announced". lonelyreviewer.com/. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
15. Malcuit, Caitlin. "IFF Boston Winners Announced". thebackstagebeat.com. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
16. Stephenson, Will (19 May 2014). "Little Rock Film Festival Awards Roundup". Arkansas Times. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
17. Pillitteri, Paul. "Nominees for the 37th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards Announced". emmyonline.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
18. Cox, Gordon (23 October 2014). "Gotham Award Nominations: 'Boyhood' Scores Four (FULL LIST)". Variety. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
19. Thompson, Anne (29 October 2014). "International Documentary Association Nominations Impact the Oscar Shortlist". Indiewire. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
20. Pond, Steve (12 November 2014). "'Citizenfour' Leads Cinema Eye Honors Nominations". The Wrap. Retrieved 13 January 2015.

External links

• Official Website
• Point and Shoot at IMDb
• Point and Shoot at Rotten Tomatoes
• Point and Shoot at Metacritic