Street Date: October 7

Official Synopsis:
An unsolved murder at Portland's infamous Paranoid Park brings detectives to a local high school, propelling a young skater into a moral dilemma where he must deal with the consequences of his own actions. As director of My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, To Die For and Elephant, Gus Van Sant has created some of the most memorable stories about youth ever committed to film. New York Press says Paranoid Park boasts "the coolest pop score since Pulp Fiction " and the film was shot by the acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love, The Quiet American). Paranoid Park also features a cast of hot newcomers including Gabe Nevins and "Gossip Girl's" Taylor Momsen.
  
Our Take:
Gus Van Sant is the definition of a polarizing filmmaker. Even when he’s making a Hollywood-type film he seems to divide audiences pretty evenly. This is especially so with his most recent output of works, which he refers to as his “Death Trilogy” (Gerry, Elephant, Last Days). These films push the limits of style over substance but manage to walk the line astutely, keeping themselves as high caliber pieces of art. For Paranoid Park Van Sant mixes the style he created for his latest three films with a bit more mainstream appeal thrown in for good measure, thus creating a hybrid of Hollywood and art.

This time around, Van Sant mixes in both professional and non-professional actors to tell the tale of a young high school skateboarder who accidentally causes the death of a security guard. This use of professional and amateur cast members has been the main complaint for most audiences when it’s come to Van Sant’s last few films. The acting is, at best, decent and the line readings sound like the first days of drama class in high school. It can be brutal, but for me it’s not so bad that it detracts all that much from the rest of the beautifully shot film.

What’s most interesting about Paranoid Park is the non-linear format Van Sant uses to tell the story. The story is conveyed to us through narration in the form of a letter. And since our narrator is just a kid trying to recall the events, we see the events in a skewed and out of sequence manner.

There are no special features included on this disc, which is more than a major bummer for me.

Gus Van Sant has only gotten more creative in his new style from Gerry to Elephant to Last Days, and now with Paranoid Park, although not as strong a film as some of its predecessors, he has once again upped the level and caliber of art in his filmmaking.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movie: A-
DVD: C

- Landen Chase Pelish
Staff Writer