Lords of Dogtown
Lords of Dogtown
PG-13 | 03 June 2005 (USA)
Lords of Dogtown Trailers

The radical true story behind three teenage surfers from Venice Beach, California, who took skateboarding to the extreme and changed the world of sports forever. Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva and Jay Adams are the Z-Boys, a bunch of nobodies until they create a new style of skateboarding that becomes a worldwide phenomenon. But when their hobby becomes a business, the success shreds their friendship.

Reviews
CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!
Flyerplesys Perfectly adorable
ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.
Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
DanielLowery96 Being a skateboarder myself, this movie resonates with me very deeply. This was the movie that got me into skateboarding in the first place, so it holds a very special place in my life. The movie is based on the real-life Zephyr Skateboard Team, consisted of skateboarders and surfers based in Venice, California during the 70's. Although the whole team is portrayed, the movie focuses on the lives of Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva and Jay Adams - their troubled rise to fame, their relationships to each other, and the secondary aspects of their lives.The movie is very well made, they managed to create a skateboarding movie that can appeal to both skateboarders and non-skaters, as there are enough skate scenes to catch the attention of the hardcore crowd, but the story in itself is good enough to hold the general public's attention. That it is a very good feat because it could have been a very goofy movie otherwise. Furthermore, the acting is generally good, the best performances in my opinion belonging to Emile Hirsch as Jay Adams and of course, Heath Ledger as Skip Engblom. Victor Rasuk as Tony Alva came across to me as a little bit forced. The Soundtrack in this movie is great also.Overall, this is a very good movie that appeals to everyone, and at the same time pays tribute to skateboarding's most iconic team. Plot: 5/5 Acting: 4/5 Soundtrack: 5/5Overall: 8/10
Tss5078 Lords of Dogtown is a film about the legendary Z-Boys, who are credited with the creation of modern day skateboarding. The film chronicles the height of their success in the late 70's and their struggles in creating and rising to the top of a whole new industry. The story is terrific, written by one of the actual Z-Boys, but the way it was filmed was problematic. The beginning of the film is very choppy and confusing, honestly it's difficult to know who is who and what's going on until about the half way point of the film. The Z-Boys are the basis and stars of the film, but it's Heath Ledger who steals the show. He really had a gift for picking up on every mannerism and movement a person makes. People who know his character, Skip, say it's scary how much like him Ledger was. He was a truly gifted actor who would have been a legend. As for the film, it was interesting and a lot of information about a sport I always liked but never really thought much about. It's a bit confusing and shot in a weird style, but overall it really was pretty good.
xlopez1723 Warning!! Some spoilers!! This is a great movie that chronicles the start of the legendary Z-boys, and their rise from teenagers to skateboarding legends. This film comes off as a more stylized, and personal version of a documentary. You get high octane filming sequences in some parts, and in others you get a grasp of the emotional turmoil that these teenagers went through during this time period. From a technological standpoint this film accomplishes many great things.The cinematography is great. There is this grainy high contrast view that you get of everything. It helps you immerse yourself into the diagesis. The high contrast makes it feel like its being shot by someone in that time period. The camera-work employed by Catherine Hardwicke can be sporadic during action scenes, as is her trademark with her movies. She uses many canted angles and dynamic shots. These work greatly with the action scenes, they help capture the motion of craziness that came from the lifestyle in the 1970's. When they bomb down Venice Hill, you watch the scene unfold from the point of view of the skateboard. It captures the speed and insanity of what they were doing at the time. The angles and shots from the movie all evoke the feeling of you actually being there and watching the Z-boys rip. Each Z-Boy had his own aspirations and his own demons. Jay was the live in the moment boy of the three. He was all about speed and living the life. The camera-work exaggerates this by being sporadic and shaky whenever it is focused on him. You begin to understand how his life is destroying itself with how crazy the camera-work becomes for him. Stacy was the responsible one the three. He was the stable Z-Boy. He held down a job, and became a very successful man. The camera shots on him and controlled and medium shots to close ups. There aren't dynamics the way they exist for Jay because Stacy was composed. Tony Alva was on of the godfathers of skateboarding. He paved the way, and absolutely destroyed contests during his prime. He is the alpha male, the competitor. The camera exemplifies this by shooting a lot of low shots with Tony. This helps to give him a larger than life personality. Each Z-Boy was very different, but they were bound by their insatiable love for skateboarding. The cinematography was different for each Z-Boy, but it was brought together when they hit the streets on skateboards. This is a great movie that gives a great view into the life of the Z-Boys. It shows their rise, the turmoil they faced, and it solidifies them as skateboarding Gods. Everyone will not enjoy this movie, but for skateboarding fans this movie is a glimpse into how it all began. It is an impeccable movie, and I highly recommend it for the average movie goer and skateboard enthusiast alike. It doesn't matter where you go as long as you remember where you started.
reneweddan I am not a fan of surfing or skateboarding (although learning to surf is on my bucket list), but I decided to watch this film due to some of the names on the cast list such as Emile Hirsch, Heath Ledger, and a small appearance by Jeremy Renner. (Heath Ledger... what talent!)The film begins as a surfing movie, then transitions into skateboarding, but the execution is amazing. I hardly watch movies without checking the time left, due to my incessant need to know everything, yet I didn't feel inclined to do so during this film. What that means is that the film has a perfect flow, it will keep you interested throughout the entire film.It's a fictionalized film of "The Z-Boys" and how they revolutionized the sport of skateboarding. The film has much to do with skateboarding, but the main scenes are coming-of-age related and it really shows the simplicity of life that we take advantage of. There's many things you can take from this film: from fame, fortune, and success to humbleness, health, and friendship.I thought this film would be a somewhat decent, but I was so wrong, it is an inspirational and interesting piece of art. I highly recommend this film if you have an open mind. If you aren't moved by the end, then you aren't human.