Product Details

• Actors: Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, 2010 NCAA Tournament MVP Kyle Singler
• Directors: Adam Yauch
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, Enhanced, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Oscilloscope Pictures
• DVD Release Date: October 21, 2008
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001BXNB7O
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,684 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Gunnin' For That #1 Spot (Special 2 Disc Set)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It takes a while to hit its stride, but once that happens, Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s Gunnin' for That #1 Spot does a terrific job capturing the hustle and flow of basketball, the sport it depicts. "They’re gonna be millionaires in about five years," says the P.A. announcer (a hip and hilarious character known as Bobbito) of the players from around the country who come to compete in the first "Elite 24 High School All-American Game," held in ’06 in Harlem’s Rucker Park, home to countless playground legends. For some, including 2008 NBA first-round draft picks Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, and Jerryd Bayless, it happened a lot sooner than that; for others it won’t happened at all. But at the time, all the studs on the Blue and White teams had big-time hoop dreams, and the Rucker event was a chance to strut their stuff on a big stage. Problem is, it takes the better part of an hour to get to the actual game; profiles of the players, including visits to their home towns and interviews with friends, family, and others, are perfectly amiable but end up being rather monotonous (fewer than half are included in the documentary itself, with the others found on the second DVD, which is devoted entirely to bonus material). But when they finally hit the outdoor court, the doc starts to rock (never were a sport and a music style better matched than basketball and hip-hop, so it’s no surprise that Yauch’s use of tracks by Ludacris, Nas, Jay-Z, his own band, and many others, including Old Skool R&B stars like Kool and the Gang, is nigh on perfect). The game is by far the best part of the show, with great court-level fisheye shots and deft editing (including the use of slo-mo and sound effects); Bobbito is a hoot (a personal favorite among his nicknames: Kyle "Wireless" Singler), and it’s a close, exciting contest to boot. Among the other bonus material are deleted scenes, the players’ own home video footage of their trip to NYC, and even a section devoted to Beasley’s trash talk on the court. --Sam Graham

Product Description

GUNNIN FOR THAT 1 SPOT - DVD Movie

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jamin' Doc with Slamin' Music, October 15, 2008

By 

Berlinale (NYC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gunnin' For That #1 Spot (Special 2 Disc Set) (DVD)

Wow - Saw this at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC. Great characters, the b-ball scenes were so well blended with music from Jay-Z and NAS and others. A great Doc as well as a great sports flic.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I liked it, March 16, 2009

By 

Damian Webster - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gunnin' For That #1 Spot (Special 2 Disc Set) (DVD)

This movie was pretty cool. I liked how it showcased the backgrounds of several players, showing how hard they work to be as good as they are. My 8th graders can learn a thing or two on how to become a great player by watching some of the things these guys go through. The music was awesome. My wife was inspired as we have two daughters (2 and 5) who she would like to see play basketball. She was wondering if there's anything comparable for girls basketball?

The game itself was just okay. The guy kept saying "and they're playing defense" but the D was a joke, seriously save for a few swats and a couple steals. Blue was giving up the longball all day, no rotations to help, too much one on one. Still, you got guys who can't risk injury, guys trying to build a rep at the Rucker, so that's what you get. Could've done without so much slow motion in the game, and the triple replays. Some of it was done on to some mediocre plays, and some just lasted waaaay too long.

Overall it was a good watch. I'll be showing it to all my ball players and the kids I work with who play ball.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hip-Hop Real-Life Hoop Dreams of Prep Stars ..., November 19, 2008

By 

Kevin Quinley "GeezerJock" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gunnin' For That #1 Spot (Special 2 Disc Set) (DVD)

If you are a basketball player or fan, chances are you will enjoy "Gunnin' for that #1 Spot." This chronicles an elite group of 24 high school ballers who are invited to play an exhibition game in Harlem's famed Rucker Park.

All these kids are "beasts" in their respective orbits around the country, but here they get to test their mettle against other elite players. You learn the back-story on eight specific players, some of whom - like Kevin Love and Michael Beasley - have already jumped to the NBA after a one-year college "career." You also get some perspective on Rucker Park and its iconic status in American basketball.

The movie is not all hype job, though. It touches upon some darker issues in the scholastic hoop frenzy, such as:

* Elite players are scrutinized closely and often can't live just a normal life
* Some prep rating services are glorified cut and paste jobs, more concerned with generating subscription revenue than anything else
* Sneaker companies drilling down as far as promising 5th, 6th and 7th graders to "brand" their shoes and build brand loyalty
* College coaches who text players they have never met three times a day to say, "I love you and can't wait for you to come play here ..."
* The lack of loyalty among some players; to wit, in high school, Michael Beasley attended four different schools in four years.
* Concerns about whether perfecting highlight dunks on Sports Center may eclipse emphasis on other aspects of the game . (I'm not saying team defense is dead, but the final score of the exhibition game is something like 131-128 - judge for yourself.)

If you like hip-hop music and rap, you will also enjoy this movie!