REEL CRITICS:

“Vantage Point” is a riveting political thriller with all the mystery, suspense and plot twists of an Alfred Hitchcock classic on steroids.

A conspiracy to assassinate the American president at a summit conference in Spain is at the heart of the story.

The opening sequence shows multiple camera views of the event through a TV broadcast booth with Sigourney Weaver in charge.

The opening ends in a shocking scene that suddenly freezes on the screen.

The action then rewinds several minutes in time to repeat the events you just witnessed, but from a different vantage point, that of another participant.

This process is repeated in the manner of “Memento” to create several 10-minute mini-movies. Each segment is presented from another person’s perspective and reveals additional details of the conspiracy.

Dennis Quaid is excellent as a Secret Service agent whose fate is closely tied to the president, played by William Hurt.

Oscar winner Forest Whitaker plays a casual tourist who happens to be present when everything takes place.

All their lives intertwine in unexpected ways punctuated with wild action and car chases.

This is an intelligent and satisfying film that will please fans of “The Bourne Ultimatum” and other intense spy thrillers.

A film to rewind and revisit for nostalgia

“Be Kind Rewind” has a Capra-esque charm and lots of ingenuity as written and directed by Michel Gondry.

Mike (Mos Def) is a gentle clerk in a rundown video store owned by Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover), who has not yet made the switch to DVDs.

Faced with certain failure, Mr. Fletcher leaves on a mysterious trip and puts Mike in charge.

Through some bizarre events, Mike’s goofy buddy Jerry (the manic Jack Black) accidentally erases every videotape in the store.

In desperation, the two improvise a plan: re-shoot condensed versions on a camcorder using makeshift props and costumes, then pass them off as Swedish imports.

And they do, in hilariously cheesy fashion — everything from “Ghostbusters” to “Driving Miss Daisy” to “The Lion King.”

Their homemade movies become a huge hit with the neighborhood, and soon people are lining up around the block to request a “Sweded” film — or to star in one.

“Be Kind Rewind” fades a little toward the end, but there are plenty of moments to savor and watch again.

It’s a tribute to favorite movie memories, and to those times as kids when we would put on our own shows in the backyard with just some cardboard and blankets.

SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company. JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office.