360 Video Magazine presents The Standard
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: B- Main Program: B-
Accompanying an awful cycle of bad feature films on street
car racing and culture that is the worse trend in recent cinema (think Driven,
The Fast & Furious films, Biker Boyz and the especially
dreadful Torque) and you get the real life equivalent on special
interest DVDs. 360 Video Magazine
is now in its 10th issue and The Standard continues to show
the lifestyle of souped-up eco-cars and the women, money and other “party”
accoutrements that go with it. The
twist here is that it comes from a Japanese American perspective.
What happens by default is that a rarely seen portrait of
Japanese American life emerges where we see these usually invisible from the
media young adults doing what everyone else their age might do in partying and
having what they see as fun. They would
say that it is not a big deal and that (in politically correct by default form)
that the writer was making too big a deal out of nothing. In real life, the invisibility is an
institutionalized racism problem in mass media and ignoring it will not make it
go away.
Also, this is far more interesting than the films that
think they are capturing this lifestyle, because there are no stupid
narratives, laughable violence, melodrama, or clichés and (yes) stereotypes
about this or any lifestyle involving unempowered youth. Sure, this is ultimately a party DVD, but it
is also a better reflection of those involved than a bad movie, as they are the
ones in control of showing what is going on.
The full frame NTSC video is recent and looks good, but
still cannot overcome the amateur circumstances of which it is shot, even when
the women are taped so very carefully in parts. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has Pro Logic surrounds and is not
bad. The extras include sections on the
lady models (mostly Asian and often stunning) and a stills section accompanied
by a Rap song, almost equaling the main program content and expanding the
“party” factor that makes a DVD like this exits to begin with. They may not be for everybody, but the 360VM
series is one of the better series of its kind, because while the party goes
on, the producers stay in control enough to capture it.
- Nicholas Sheffo
