Steve Pulaski It's the early 1970's in Santa Monica, California. Long, sun-bleached hair, bad-boy mentalities, and lawless behavior were things that attracted the girls, and daredevils seemingly lurked around every street-corner, boasting a life of dysfunctional mishaps and isolation. It is when a skateboard-designer named Skip Engblom was given polyurethane wheels for his boards that allowed a skateboarder to have the ability to "climb walls" and defy gravity did he get the bold idea that him and his surfer friends could revolutionize the activity, thus implementing a whole new kind of skating.The teens that pioneered this life were Skip (Heath Ledger), Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk), Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch). What assisted in their discoveries and possibilities was the ongoing drought that plagued most of the California area during the time, forcing nearby residencies to drain their pools. This led to the discovery that empty pools could be used as a good source of ramps and tricks. I believe it is a tradition that skateparks today have something like this on-location. Not only did the boys find popularity with the ladies, but were attracted to the business side of skating, where it is no longer innocuous riding, but an activity of skill and recklessness that only few are willing to pursue head-on.Lords of Dogtown explores this era in time, and pulls us along for a ride similar to what the protagonists in the film embarked on. The real Stacy Peralta penned the screenplay for the film and manages to give us a taste at what life was like during this time period.The two immediate things to laud about the film are its use of cinematography and extremely well-crafted soundtrack. The cinematography combines a high-contrast color scheme, complimented with grainy, documentary-like sequences of skating providing the viewer with a seemingly authentic experience. A wide variety of shots are utilized and explored, and we even get a nice look under the boards to examine the wheels doing what they do. Furthermore, the shot-variety is topped off with heavy-metal rock songs taken from all over the grid, again, giving the viewer a rather accurate depiction of the time period. This is one of those movies where the music adds a lot to the tonal aspect of the experience, and it helps out more than impressions would believe.We are given a cast of capable actors as well. Emile Hirsch, a talent still underrated and unsung to this day, gives a great performance as the reckless bad-boy, John Robinson, who I adored in Gus Van Sant's long forgotten Elephant, gives a performance of memorable status, and the same can be said for Victor Rasuk. Yet, the highlight here is inevitably Heath Ledger, giving a raw and realistic portrayal of a skateboarding prodigy. He was apparently drunk or under heavy substances during filming and I can say that this definitely helped the role - although it probably isn't recommended.The film was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who worked behind the camera for the excellent film, Thirteen, which centered around a good girl gone bad when she met an underprivileged friend at school. Nikki Reed, the supporting actress of that film, returns here in a rather underwritten role as one of the main love interests. Lords of Dogtown seems to have all the pieces here, but what it forgets is to build on the story lines of these kids and their friends. We get many sequences of hardcore skating, scenes of them running from police, and scenes of competition, but never do we get simple scenes of talking. Writer Stacy Peralta either figures that viewers have seen the documentary, Dogtown and Z-Boys, which serves as the pseudo-predecessor to this film or believes that teenagers and skaters aren't interested in healthy, descriptive monologues. Correct me if I'm wrong, for I'm not a skater, but aren't many skaters emphasizing that they are often misunderstood because of societal stereotypes and are repeatedly ostracized? Aren't they sometimes looked at as the scum and pariahs of their community? I believe that some monologues about acceptance and societal visions would've fit well in this film, yet, alas, there are very few.As for Dogtown and Z-Boys, I've read numerous times online that in order to fully appreciate this film, one must watch that one beforehand. Having not seen that at this point, I can still say I got enough enjoyment out of the film to warrant amusement and interest, but not a recommendation. The film's a bit indulgent and neglects to offer as much depth and structure as one would assume, with this being written by a skater portrayed in the film. With that being said, if one were to seek out a fictionalized account of a skater's trouble with society and social differences after an unexpected accident occurs, one could watch Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park, which illustrates this theme very carefully. I have just reviewed one marginally passable film and one of respectable quality. The choice is yours...Starring: Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch, John Robinson, Victor Rasuk, Michael Angarano, Johnny Knoxville, and Nikki Reed. Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke.

kandsmith3 Listen - I'm an "old lady" who has absolutely NOTHING to do with boarding! And I loved this movie! Only saw it in 2010 - after Heath's death - but it's timeless. Call it a docudrama or whatever....Peralta did a great job telling the story and keeping more real than just skateboarders entertained & learning. My kid's a biker, and like I said I'm an old woman - but I SO enjoyed watching this story of skateboarding's beginning told through the lives of a bunch of street kids. I would love to know more about this same group in their recent lives! Life's about the rides AND the journey! Good job, Peralta! Good job actors! Hope Jay & Tommy are well!

Baron Ronan Doyle The kind of person not even remotely enticed by the idea of a film about skateboarding, Lords of Dogtown was something I lazily opted to watch on television because of a name: Emile Hirsch in this case.Exploring the shift in early-70s California from surfboards to skateboards, Lords of Dogtown follows primarily three young characters associated with the sport's beginnings. Recruited by local surf/skate shop owner Skip to his new team, the trio—along with others—begin to ascend the ranks and eventually find themselves besieged by offers from other, more financially appealing teams.The opening credit sequence of Lords of Dogtown bears that most unfortunate of addendums: based on a true story. Such real life ensemble dramas are as rocky a territory as one can encounter in script terms, often only worthy of attention by those already interested in the subject matter. Such was my feeling as I began to watch this, the film focused, as you may well argue it should be, upon the skateboarding itself. Flittering glimpses of human drama are seen at various points: the splitting up of Jay's mother and her boyfriend; the relationship between Stacy and his girlfriend. These are mostly superfluous and perfunctory; surface skimming of something from which you feel the film could, and should, make more. This aside, the humour is plentiful, laughter making its presence felt regularly and appropriately. Be it the casual dismissiveness of Skip to his inner-ear-problem-besotted volunteer employee Sid, the scenes of manic teenage activity, or the athletic alacrity with which the characters throw themselves around the screen, the entertainment value is consistent for all. Problematic are the less friendly aspects of the team's wildness, such insignificant instances as their theft of an old man's hat and shouting vulgarities at nearby septuagenarians a deterrent factor in getting to like the characters. Nevertheless, they are at least partially endearing, their ascension an enjoyable spectacle. The film bears nothing of technical noteworthiness, save for some interesting shots from between the skateboard wheels as its respective riders take it for a test drive. An interesting concept, and one which perhaps might have benefited from some additional exploration. Hirsch's performance, it being my reason for sitting before the film, is amiable and solid, though undeniably outweighed by that of Ledger. An odd character is created between Ledger's drunken rants, meddlesome mischief, and disorganised handling of something which explodes beyond what he ever thought it might. Oddly handled to say the least, the performance elevates a background character to the foreground, bringing us to wonder what ever did become of Skip when the ending gives us—in rather frustrating text-over-still-image format we've seen so oft before—the future of these characters.Despite portraying a subject in which I couldn't be less interested, Lords of Dogtown manages to keep things entertaining for most of its running time. Though it touches lightly upon a number of subjects without ever exploring any of them particularly deeply, the central and simple friendship story at its heart is sufficient to warrant its watching, being as it is more the kind of thing you watch when it happens to come on than one you actively seek out.

Darrin While fast-paced, this film was nothing more than "Jack-Ass" with a Classic Rock soundtrack! LOL! Therein lies the problem with making a film about skateboarding (like golf - I never understood the fascination with it) - 90% of the film has an endless stream of skateboard stunts. While the filmmaker tried to shed some light on their personal lives, the characters still came across as one-dimensional hooligans. The documentary, "Dogtown & Z-boys" was far more interesting. The filmmaker should have built an inner story, as was done in the film, "Gleaming The Cube." All in all: great music, great skateboard stunts, mediocre film.