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Released by: MVD Visual
Released on: 12/6/2011
Director: Michael W. Dean
Cast: Michael W. Dean, Neema Vedadi
Year: 2011
Purchase at Amazon
The Movie:
Guns and Weed: The Road to Freedom is a shot-on-the-cheap documentary of sorts about the Second Amendment and the war on drugs. More of an opinion piece than a thought-provoking argument, the director Michael W. Dean and the producer Neema Vedadi do a good job with making this entertaining viewing, even if it won't sway those who hate guns and hate pot to rethink their stand points.
Using sketch comedy, rapping, and interviews with those who share their opinions, as well as a pretty blonde shooting guns and reading cue cards in a news reporter manner, the two men put some data that is incredibly one-sided, but not without merit, in making their opinions heard. Some ideas thrown out there include the positive effects marijuana can have on some patients with issues such as multiple sclerosis, including the claim that no one has ever been documented as having overdosed on pot. The same can't be said for legal prescription drugs, alcohol, or hard drugs. Another pro-weed argument involves the overcrowded prison situation in the U.S., claiming that legalizing drugs would empty out the jails and prisons, as so many people are in there on drug charges (not just pot). Legalization of drugs would also put an end to the drug cartels and the violence that surrounds them. No facts or figures are provided to help substantiate the claim, which is one of the things that keeps this picture from being anything more than the shared opinion of the filmmakers and the interviewees. Visits to a medical marijuana dispensary and growing operations are also in the mix, but again, not really providing much by way of debated viewpoints.
Sprinkled in with all the pro-weed talk is the focus of the second amendment and the right to bear arms. Lots of guns get fired in this film and those who dislikes guns won't have an epiphany. They mainly talk of the benefits of being able to defend yourself and your family against those who would do you harm, and the words are backed up by some talking heads who, again, share the opinions of those who put this together.
Aside from the notion that the show is incredibly one-sided, the other beef with this is that the two topics, guns and weed, really don't seem to go together and as a result the picture feels a bit disjointed. The topic of one or the other gets rolling along and is interesting, then it randomly and abruptly switches to the other. A better approach may have been making a two parter, and perhaps an attempt to tie them together at the end. Instead what results is some short attention span viewing, which makes sense one can suppose if you consider that they are talking about dope. It does bugger up your attention span, or so it is said.
But even so, the movie is a fun watch. It's entertaining, and obviously the two men are passionate about their firearms and their wacky weed. These guys love them both. Expect to be entertained to some extent, but just don't come into this one expecting some intelligent debate for both sides of the two coins they chose to feature, because you won't get that. But you will get a couple of cute girls, one with guns, and one with weed and that's something, isn't it? Yes. Oh there are some real death photos used in a brief section, so be aware if that is upsetting to you.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The disc sports an aspect of 16:9 anamorphic widescreen which looks average. Just a guess here, but it probably wasn't recorded on top of the line equipment, but there's nothing to really mention, good or bad. The colors looks strong, and the detail is decent. No aliasing or artifacts were noticed and the disc seems clear of any troubles. The audio is a 2.0 Dolby track that does what it's supposed with no issues. The levels seem balance right and the voices are clear. There's only one extra: a featurette a little more than 18 minutes long of behind the scenes, extra footage, and a trailer.
The Final Word:
This is not high-caliber documentary film making, but it is a fun watch. The extras don't go overboard and make a nice little end piece to the feature.
