Film Review: Lords of Dogtown – Worth it.
Our movie man Benny went to check out the remake of the classic Z-boys fliek – his take is pretty generous and it sounds like it’s worth watching – let us know what you think!
LORDS OF DOGTOWN
The deal:
Lords of Dogtown takes you on a journey to the rough streets of Venice, California, in the 70s where a couple of teenagers flipped the world of skateboarding on its head. The film…
is based on the lives of the renowned Z-Boys who were responsible for a dramatic shift in street styles when they brought their slick surfing tricks to the pavement.
Initially the Z-Boys (Zephyr Skateboarding Team) were started by surf shop owner Skip Engblom when he saw the potential of some of the kids who used to hang out at his shop. However, as he exploited them, other opportunities beckoned and the team eventually broke up, which is essentially the path the film takes us on.
The script by Stacy Peralta, who used to be one of the Z-boys is pretty good, great storyline and developing characters that one can relate to. All this is captured in an exceptional manner by Director Catherine Hardwicke, who manages to both grip and pain you at the same time.
The good stuff:
The film is great in all areas but a couple of things that you cannot miss are the score, which has some great oldies in it, the camera techniques, art direction and the wardrobes are really cool as well.
What really stood out in the film is the acting of Emile Hirsch who stars as Jay Adams, the trouble maker, which manages to bring a very sad but balanced human connection to the film.
The bad stuff:
There is nothing really bad about this film, it really does well in all areas – the only thing I might change is the rating. I don’t think it suited for kids under the age of sixteen as they are influenced much more by their peers and in a way some of the rebellious actions in the film might be seen as “cool” actions to young kids.
The ending is also a bit too sudden and it had a touch of the Hollywood sparkle to spice it up, but that’s just me&
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, John Robinson, Michael Angarano, Nikki Reed, Heath Ledger
Running Time: 102 minutes
