REVIEWS
"A gripping non-fiction thriller. Riveting... suspenseful, densely edited... an extraordinary and quietly disturbing film."
-David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter Read Article

"Brilliantly constructed and provocative film."  3 1/2 stars (out of 4)
-Peter Keough, The Boston Globe Read Article

Grade: A "The tale told in Point and Shoot is a virtual swashbuckler... a subtle, but nonetheless eloquent critique not just of one man's compulsions, but a culture's."
-John Anderson, Indiewire Read Article

"Both an affecting account of VanDyke’s existential pursuit of self-definition, and a visceral report on 'the most filmed war in history', it’s a dizzyingly brilliant work."
-Tom Howells, The Guardian Read Article

"A fascinating hall of mirrors... a triumph of editiing." 4 stars
-Norman Wilner, NOW Toronto Read Article

Grade: A "Curry succeeds in digging past that surface flash to ask the complex 'why?' questions we all want answered."
-Drew Lazor, Philadeplhia City Paper Read Article

"Absorbing, ingeniously crafted documentary... an invaluable street-level glimpse of the realities of war."
-Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post Read Article

"Director Marshall Curry’s phenomenal documentary...shrewdly melds his interview with VanDyke with his subject’s own footage to show how he became empowered. It is an exciting, worthwhile journey full of harrowing escapes and escapades."
-Gary M. Kramer, Salon.com Read Article

"In a cinema recently overrun with combat documentaries, Marshall Curry's 'Point and Shoot' manages a first. Here's a film that captures the romance of war amongst today's young. Want to know why young men from all over the world have flocked to fight for ISIS? 'Point and Shoot' explains it." 4 1/5 stars
-Roger Moore, Movie Nation Read Article

"Potent... An eye-opening tale... allowing viewers access not only to the mind of a revolutionary but of a revolution... It would be easy to see VanDyke's story as either youthful folly or noble idealism. But Curry and his subject don't settle on anything that simple, instead allowing the viewer to judge his actions--and how they might proceed under similar circumstances-- for themselves."
-Steven Zeitchik, Los Angeles Times Read Article

"Spellbinding... addresses such compelling issues as the impact of the camera on human behavior and identity."
-Lloyd Grove, The Daily Beast Read Article

"Marshall Curry’s riveting study of a momma’s boy turned freedom fighter never editorialises, leaving us to decide... As topical as it is haunting."
-Philip Kemp, Games Radar Read Article

"Riveting... Fascinating... Gripping... I reacted to him like I do every other reality star – openly. And as much as you hate to admit it, many of these camera hogs are irresistibly likeable. Such is the case with the handsome, charismatic VanDyke. You’re as full of him as he’s full of himself."
-Al Alexander, The Patriot Ledger Read Article

"A breathless, expertly woven compilation of the almost unbelievable life."
-Daniel Walber, NONFICS Read Article


DP/30: David Poland interviews Marshall Curry & Matthew VanDyke

"A rollicking ride... a jaw-dropping story."
-Matt Prigge, Metro Read Article

"Transformative in every sense of the word, a strangely inspiring tale that will leave you wanting to discuss it for hours... It is without a doubt my favorite [documentary] this year."
-David Costill, Cut Print Film Read Article

"A great story... fascinating, far reaching."
-Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer Read Article

"Editing is a standout, and Curry’s adept management and packaging of a wealth of material always impresses."
-Jay Weissberg, Variety

"Oscar-nominated documentarian Marshall Curry takes storytelling to the next level."
-Chris Knight, National Post Read Article

"Tremendously gripping and thought-provoking." 3 1/2 stars (out of 4)
-Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail Read Article

"It’s a remarkable story, and Curry has made a remarkable film."
-Gary M. Kramer, BOMB Magazine Read Article

"Point and Shoot is... at its heart, a wild and dangerous coming-of-age tale... The documentary, directed by Academy Award nominee Marshall Curry, soon reveals itself to be an expertly constructed bildungsroman... VanDyke’s footage is incredible... Curry has crafted an incredible tale of growth and transformation that is at once global and intensely personal."
-Michael Gaynor, Washingtonian Read Article

"Steeped in enough drama, action, and tragedy to put the most outlandish work of fiction to shame."
-Emma Diab, GALO Read Article

"Expert documentarian Marshall Curry helms this gripping portrait of Matt VanDyke... a first-person narrative of remarkable images and introspective questions."
-Jason Bailey, Flavorwire Read Article

"Gritty, engrossing..."
-Louise Adams, EDGE Media Network Read Article

"A film that raises fascinating questions about the idea of performance, toughness, and belonging."
-Alison Willmore, BuzzFeed Read Article

"A kind of Joseph Conrad story... humming with the thrill of exotic encounters in strange, scenically beautiful places and paths that lead to dark places...Handsomely captured, smoothly edited."
-Jeffrey Wells, Hollywood Elsewhere Read Article

"Point and Shoot, which took the top documentary prize at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, is more than compelling."
-Christina Cauterucci, Washington City Paper Read Article

"A compelling story that unfolds like a thriller... It is a multi-dimensional portrait of a unique man, it is a powerful story of war, and it is an important historical document."
-Joshua Handler, Roboapocalypse Read Article

"Part Boyhood (2014) and part Full Metal Jacket (1987), this extraordinary coming-of-age documentary follows a boy’s harrowing journey to manhood... Point and Shoot will leave you humbled and inspired, and is a fascinating commentary on the meaning of manhood, proving oneself by going out in the world isolated from family support, and finding ones identity through the power of images and associations with the people and cultures that become a part of our life."
-JP, My Film Journal Read Article

"The incredible documentary Point and Shoot... asks quite boldly: Can we become the idealized image we had of ourselves? The answers as Matthew discovers and filmmaker Marshall Curry reveals are both staggering and thought-provoking."
-Gary M. Kramer, Film International Read Article

"[Curry's] right on target in his handling of VanDyke's story and the film is a bull's eye."
-Jennifer Merin, About.com Read Article

"It's the stuff of which hugely compelling documentaries are made... Definitely one we're likely to be hearing about for some time to come." One of the Most Anticipated Films of the Tribeca Film Festival.
-Indiewire Read Article

"Curry turns Point and Shoot from merely a gripping, taut bildungsroman into a smart treatise on the preening fabrications of society today– Instagram and Snapchat turning us all into photographers and filmmakers, telling stories about ourselves as we see ourselves living them."
-Adrian Lee, Maclean's Read Article

"A thought-provoking look at a meek life that veered in unpredictable directions."
-Colin Covert, StarTribune Read Article

"Edited from almost 200 hours of footage by director Marshall Curry, VanDyke's story is a white-knuckle ride comprised of first-person footage intercut with interviews that lets viewers see the war from VanDyke's point of view."
-Chris Schulz, The New Zealand Herald Read Article

Grade: A "Winner of Best Documentary Feature at the festival, Point and Shoot is an exciting tale of self-discovery that examines Matthew Van Dyke’s “crash course in manhood” and how young people craft their image through self-documentation."
-Rachel Kolb, JustPressPlay Read Article

"Marshall Curry's Point and Shoot, which won the Best Documentary Feature prize, thoughtfully and wittily re-uses the amateur footage of Matthew VanDyke, ... to tell a reflexive story about representation and reality."
-Pat Aufderheide, Documentary.org Read Article

Winner: Best Documentary "An unsettlingly ambivalent and often darkly amusing portrait of a generation hellbent on documenting itself."
-World Documentary Jury, Tribeca Film Festival Read Article

"Some of the most powerful footage you'll see all year. Understandably, Point and Shoot won the award for Best Documentary at Tribeca this year."
-Christopher Campbell, Movies.com Read Article

"His insights into the nature of war and how people act in front of the camera are fascinating..."
-Michael Thomas, Digital Journal Read Article

"Point and Shoot truly shines ... in its exploration of the war VanDyke wages with himself."
-Andrew Zaleski, Baltimore City Paper Read Article

"A brilliant journal of how VanDyke molted the skins of his 27-year-old youth and grew into the  more open, flexible and risk-taking persona who is swept up in the tide of times in Libya."
-Carole Di Tosti, Blogcritics Read Article

"Point and Shoot is a masterful piece of documentary film-making... skilfully raising many issues whilst allowing the story to be told using humour, compassion and subtlety. It’s films like this which make documentaries such a powerful medium."
-Rob Aldam, Backseat Mafia Read Article

"A fascinating documentary."
-Robert Horton, The Herald Read Article

“Director Marshall Curry has an eye for mavericks (Street Fight, If a Tree Falls), but he’s really landed one here: Matthew VanDyke, an American who struck out to see the world on his motorcycle, and ended up joining the Libyan rebel army. I’m hoping for action as well as an honest depiction of humanity. Hands down, this is the documentary I want to see most in 2014.” 
-Tom Roston, DocSoup Read Article

One of Seven of the Best Films at Tribeca.  "Director Marshall Curry makes movies about seemingly small stories that turn out to be bigger stories... And now he gives us the story of Matthew VanDyke...  VanDyke makes a fascinating guide to his own adventures."   
-Bilge Ebiri, Vulture.com Read Article

Top 15 Favorite Films at Little Rock Film Festival. "Two-time Oscar nominee Marshall Curry... created a film that would seriously challenge anything Hollywood could come up with."
-Tim Basham, Paste Magazine Read Article

"Expert documentarian Marshall Curry (Street Fight, Racing Dreams) helms this gripping portrait of Matt VanDyke, an OCD adrenaline junkie, raised on action movies and “Choose Your Own Adventure” books...[A] thoughtful portrait of the true nature of war, which Curry drafts as a first-person narrative, filled with remarkable images and introspective questions." One of ten "Must See" films at Tribeca.
-Jason Bailey, Flavorwire Read Article

"If you haven’t heard of documentarian Marshall Curry yet, you need to get acquainted with his filmography. The New Jersey native’s first film, 2006’s Street Fight (about Cory Booker), received a Best Documentary Oscar nod; his sophomore feature, Racing Dreams, was cruelly snubbed by the Academy; and his third doc, the eco-flick If A Tree Falls, received a Best Documentary Oscar nod as well. His latest doc is Point and Shoot, and tells the real-life story of Matthew VanDyke, a Baltimore native who, after graduating college, found himself at the front lines of the 2011 Libyan revolution embedded in the rebel army against Qaddafi—a post that lands him in solitary confinement for six horrifying months."
-Marlow Stern, Daily Beast Read Article


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