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DVD Lords of Dogtown - Unrated Extended Cut
Lords of Dogtown captures the sheer kinetic joy of skateboarding like no other movie (except, perhaps, Dogtown and Z Boys, a documentary about the very skateboarders this movie depicts). Set in the mid-1970s in Venice, CA--a.k.a. Dogtown--the movie starts with three young aspiring surfers turned skateboarders: Stacy (John Robinson, Elephant), Jay (Emile Hirsch, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys), and Tony (Victor Rasuk, Raising Victor Vargas). When alpha-stoner Skip (Heath Ledger, A Knight's Tale) recognizes the potential of skateboarding as a new sport, his surf shop becomes the center of the boys' universe. They swiftly rise as skateboarding stars and find their brotherhood threatened by sex, money, fame, and ego--it's a common enough story, but director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen) has a gift for capturing the raw messiness of life. Lords of Dogtown seems to unfold haphazardly, yet every scene moves the increasingly dizzy rise (or fall) of each skater forward with headlong momentum. The excellent cast includes Rebecca De Mornay (Risky Business), Johnny Knoxville (Jackass: The Movie), and Nikki Reed (Thirteen). Lords of Dogtown, written by skater Stacy Peralta (and based on his own life), both celebrates the excitement of testosterone-fueled recklessness and quietly reflects on the cost of getting what you want. --Bret Fetzer
Review(s): DVD Lords of Dogtown - Unrated Extended Cut
The trailers for this movie were misleading...
Dogtown and Z-Boys was a hugely successful documentary chronicling a group of wild skateboarders in Venice Beach, California in 1970s. Naturally, Hollywood got interested and wanted to make a fictional version (because hey, no one watches docs, right?) with Fred Dirst (of Limp Bizkit fame) directing and David Fincher producing. Fortunately, someone came to their senses and Dirst was out with Fincher taking over but the budget for his vision was too large. So, the studio opted for a low budget take with independent film darling Catherine Hardwicke, fresh from the success of Thirteen, taking over as director. In an effort to keep it real, Stacy Peralta, who made the Z-Boys doc, wrote the screenplay for Lords of Dogtown and worked closely with Hardwicke in order to remain true to what he and his friends went through all those years ago.
Thankfully, the film's producers didn't raid the WB cabinet for the young cast. Instead, they got Hirsch (from The Girl Next Door), Victor Rasuk (from indie fave Raising Victor Vargas) and John Robinson (from Gus Van Sant's Elephant) who have some actual acting chops but not a high enough profile so as to distract. They disappear into their roles as does, surprisingly, high profile actor, Heath Ledger. He does an excellent job of becoming his character, one of the Zephyr skate shop owners who is a burnt out drunk but has vision and tries to protect his team of young skaters.
The trailers for this movie totally misrepresented it as an over-processed, heavily-edited piece of lunchmeat. Instead, Lords of Dogtown perfectly evokes the times it depicts with unerring authenticity. It portrays skaters as they were back then - stylish and below the radar, just before the sport took off to the wildly popular institution that it is now.
Lords of Dogtown shows how fame eventually broke up the Z-Boys. It was inevitable. These kids came from nothing and were suddenly thrust into the spotlight and thrown all kinds of money at them. Alva and Peralta became hugely popular and went corporate, constantly competing with each other while Adams stayed true to his roots and walked away from it all because he was in it for the love of skating and the thrill of the ride. This film will bring back a lot of memories for people who grew up and skated during these years, making this movie more than just a simple retread of the Z-Boys documentary.
There is an audio commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke and actors John Robinson, Victor Rasuk and Emile Hirsch. The actors dish all kinds of good anecdotes about filming in this engaging and informative track.
Also included is an additional commentary with original Z-Boys Stacy Peralta and Tony Alva. The movie is clearly a trip down memory lane for these guys as they share all sorts of memories and stories from that time in their lives. This is a laid-back, engaging track by guys who were actually there back in the day.
"The Making of Lords of Dogtown" is a 30 minute look at how this film came together. Best of all, we get to see footage of the three lead actors learning how to surf and skate. They spent over two months training before filming any scenes.
"Dogtown Cameos" showcases all the real people from back in the day that Hardwicke snuck into the backgrounds of scenes or even gave speaking parts. This featurette identifies where they are in the movie, who they are and then lets them talk about their experiences back then and now.
There are nine deleted and extended scenes totaling 19 minutes. This includes more footage of the Zephyr shop and additional bits of Sid and Stacy's home lives.
Also included are seven featurettes that provide additional insights into the filmmaking process, including many of the scrapes and spills the cast and their stunt doubles endured. There is more excellent skating footage that was cut out and make-up tests for the cast and their stunt doubles.
"Gag Reel" features standard footage of the cast goofing around on set.
There are "Storyboard Comparisons" for three scenes from the movie. They cut back and forth from the drawings to the finished product so you can see how close they resemble each other.
Finally, there is a music video for "Nervous Breakdown" by Rise Against that features the band playing with clips from the movie included.
Nice Try
I really like the story. I was a skater so it is interesting to see from a historical standpoint. The script may have not been that bad. The problem is the characters seem like they are overacting. The director didn't make it feel real to me. If you are under 20, you may like it alot more than if you are a little older. Even though, they are obviously really trying hard to capture the spirit of these kids, the film comes off too contrived. Maybe, worth seeing though. 2 1/2 stars.
I guess you had to be there
Growing up in California in the 70s, I read Surfer and Skateboarder magazine, surfed a little, skateboarded a little, and skiied a lot. I dated guys just like Jay and Skip, and was friends was guys just like Stacy and Tony. As a girl, I was always trying to keep up with the guys, whether skiing, skating, or whatever. I loved this film because it brought back a ton of memories of high school for me (not necessarily of school itself, but of the extracurricular activities). Looking at the reviews, it seems like the West Coast reviewers get his film, and the non-West Coasters don't, which is understandable cuz I guess you had to be there.
Related DVD's Lords of Dogtown - Unrated Extended Cut
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