Michel Gondry, the French visionary behind dream-logic films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, wrote and directed Be Kind Rewind (2008, PG-13), a buddy romp starring Jack Black and Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) as two hapless video store employees who must recreate big-budget films when they accidentally demagnetize all the VHS tapes at the store where they work. Elroy Fletcher owns the ratty and declining Be Kind Rewind video store in Passaic N.J.. When he leaves town to research how other video stores are staying in business, he puts Mike in charge, warning him not to let his addled friend Jerry come around. Jerry is obsessed with conspiracies, and accidentally magnetizes himself while trying to disable an electrical substation. When he comes by the store, he accidentally erases all the tapes – just as Miss Falewicz is on her way in to rent Ghostbusters. Mike and Jerry grab the videocamera and quickly film their own one-take, zero-budget recreation of Ghostbusters to rent to Miss Falewicz, and before long they find themselves creating their own versions of more blockbusters to meet customer demand. The homemade versions prove even more…
