Lords of Dogtown

Lords of Dogtown is a film about the legendary Z-Boys, who are credited with the creation of modern day skateboarding. The film chronicles the height of their success in the late 70's and their struggles in creating and rising to the top of a whole new industry. The story is terrific, written by one of the actual Z-Boys, but the way it was filmed was problematic. The beginning of the film is very choppy and confusing, honestly it's difficult to know who is who and what's going on until about the half way point of the film. The Z-Boys are the basis and stars of the film, but it's Heath Ledger who steals the show. He really had a gift for picking up on every mannerism and movement a person makes. People who know his character, Skip, say it's scary how much like him Ledger was. He was a truly gifted actor who would have been a legend. As for the film, it was interesting and a lot of information about a sport I always liked but never really thought much about. It's a bit confusing and shot in a weird style, but overall it really was pretty good.

LORDS OF DOGTOWN is like two movies in one. Sadly, one is by the book Hollywood melodrama of rise and fall. You've seen it a million times in mediocre music, film and theater tales. BUT, the second film is a gritty lovely celebration of skateboarding anchored by pretty amazing performances by Emile Hirsch and John Robinson who you just want to wrap your arms around and kiss. Finally caught up with this uneven work that may just haunt me in the future.