Lords of Dogtown

Sometimes a group of individuals affect the world around them to the point that their due esteem is recognized by all. They are consequently honored with endless praise and countless retellings of their story. These are not those people, and this is not that movie.

Based on the story of a group of young surfers who find their land legs and accidentally create modern skateboarding, Lords of Dogtown follows the boys of the Zephyr Skate Team from the slums of Santa Monica to world fame and back.

Basically just one thing works for Dogtown. It's so freaking fun. First, it's skateboarding, and watching skateboarding is just a blast. It's as violent as the Coliseum and as graceful as ballet. Watching someone bail makes you squirm with excitement. And the only thing better than watching them bail, is seeing them land that asinine (from the Latin asinus) trick. Second, you can't beat the soundtrack. Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, Ted Nugent, Deep Purple, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, etc. Third the camera shots are magnificent. Fourth, is the acting. Ok, so overall it was just better than par, but Heath Ledger's loser shaman portrayal of Skip Engblom was priceless. His bucktoothed rendition seems over the top, until you hear Skip speak for himself. And lastly, this movie contains one of the top five cameos of all time. Now the cameo is a tricky thing. How do you make it just cheeky enough to let everyone know you can have a little fun, with out annoying the heck out of me (yes, of course moviemakers worry about annoying me. don't you know who I am?)? But when ???? ???? shows up as an ????????? who ???? ????? I about died.

If you're looking for a documentary on the history of skateboarding or a look into the minds of early skaters this isn't it. What you will find is a great summer-fun movie with tantalizing shots and soundtrack to knock your britches off. And if that's what it is, then it is great.

5 of 6 ruined swimming pools

If this selection interests you also check out: Dogtown and Z-Boys