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"Dogtown and Z-Boys"

Directed by Stacy Peralta.
Written by Stacy Peralta and Craig Stecyk.
Release Year:  2001 
Review Date:  5/7/02 

Folks--

Let me keep this as simple as possible.  I had dinner with some peeps after seeing the skater documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys” on Sunday night, and one of the guys who came along summed this experience up best.

I don’t like skateboarding.  I’ve never done it in my life.  Further, I don’t know anything about it that isn’t related to the Tony Hawk series of video games.  “Vert” is a color to me.  I swim in pools, and I’ve never considered another use for them.  I don’t like 70s rock.  Besides one album by Jimi Hendrix, don’t own any.  Don’t want any more.  Don’t know a damned thing about surfing.  I know exactly one guy who surfs regularly (my man Angus), and before I moved to San Francisco I knew NO ONE that surfed.  I’m from New York.  Upstate.  Couldn’t pick out Dogtown, Santa Monica, POP or “the end of Route 66” if my life depended on it.  Although my language is colorful, you’ll never regularly catch me saying “gnarly”, “rad”, “big air”, or “shredded.”

But, despite all of those things, “Dogtown and Z-Boys” made me nostalgic.  Yes, I just said that.

See this movie right now.  Second-best 2002 release that I’ve seen this year, after “Y Tu Mama Tambien.”  Like a fire-and-forget missile, just go see it and call me Daddy later.  Or maybe, BIG Daddy...

Rating:  Opening Weekend

 

Comments?  Drop me a line at justin@bellviewmovies.com.

 

Bellview Rating System:

"Opening Weekend":  This is the highest rating a movie can receive.  Reserved for movies that exhibit the highest level of acting, plot, character development, setting...or Salma Hayek.  Not necessarily in that order. 

"$X.XX Show":  This price changes each year due to the inflation of movie prices; currently, it is the $9.50 Show.  While not technically perfect, this is a movie that will still entertain you at a very high level.  "Undercover Brother" falls into this category; it's no "Casablanca", but you'll have a great time watching.  The $9.50 Show won't win any Oscars, but you'll be quoting lines from the thing for ages (see "Office Space"). 

"Matinee":  An average movie that merits no more than a $6.50 viewing at your local theater.  Seeing it for less than $9.50 will make you feel a lot better about yourself.  A movie like "Blue Crush" fits this category; you leave the theater saying "That wasn't too bad...man, did you see that Lakers game last night?" 

"Rental":  This rating indicates a movie that you see in the previews and say to your friend, "I'll be sure to miss that one."  Mostly forgettable, you couldn't lose too much by going to Hollywood Video and paying $3 to watch it with your sig other, but you would only do that if the video store was out of copies of "Ronin."  If you can, see this movie for free.  This is what your TV Guide would give "one and a half stars." 

"Hard Vice":  This rating is the bottom of the barrel.  A movie that only six other human beings have witnessed, this is the worst movie I have ever seen.  A Shannon Tweed "thriller," it is so bad as to be funny during almost every one of its 84 minutes, and includes the worst ending ever put into a movie.  Marginally worse than "Cabin Boy", "The Avengers" or "Leonard, Part 6", this rating means that you should avoid this movie at all costs, or no costs, EVEN IF YOU CAN SEE IT FOR FREE!  (Warning:  strong profanity will be used in all reviews of "Hard Vice"-rated movies.)