Raindance screening: Gunnin' for That #1 Spot (UK Premiere) October 4, 2008

UK Premiere
Short Synopsis:

Beastie Boy Adam Yauch directs this stunning documentary, following eight high-school basketball players as they prepare for the first Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic game in Harlem.
Review:

Rucker Park is known across the United States as the the court at which the great basketball players of the next generation make their names known. It is the where the greatest talents, ones who are able to shatter the glass of the basketball backboard, meet and play ball; sponsorship is immaterial. "Gunnin' for That #1 Spot" follows the chosen young men, all from different walks of life, as they prepare for, what is often seen as, the major stepping stone towards superstardom.

Adam Yauch, of Beastie Boys fame, litters his documentary with interviews with the young players, their relatives and an array of experts whose testimony challenges the idealized view of celebrity and highlights both the advantages and disadvantages of mass media attention. One of the film's strengths is likeability of the boys around which it is based; the younger brother of one of these athletes, one whose mother passed when he was young and inspired him to dedicate himself completely to his passion, was asked who his favorite basketball player in the entire world, NBA included. He responded, completely earnest, "My brother".

Yauch indulge the spectacle of the tricks and skills done by these young men. The amateur film clips which punctuate the boys' talent injects the film with a degree of adrenaline. When the match is shown it is a exhilarating stunt-fest of cleverly accentuated absurdly over-the-top commentary and a whole mess of brilliant tunes. This is a treat for all.