Rating: 
Summary: A Documentary that Defies Gravity!!!
Review: Being a fan and student of everything and anything, that has to do with the 1970s, this Sean Penn narrated documentry, "Dogtown and Z-Boys" came highly recommended to me from a number of people.The film turned out to be much more than just a piece about '70s Southern California nostalgia. Instead it is a fascinating story about how a group of kids from a low income, L.A. neighborhood graduated from surfing to skateboarding and became the legendary Zephyrs(or Z-Boys) skateboarding team.Using urban guerilla tactics, they created a style and attitude, that revolutionized the sport and made it, what it is today.The film shows how many of these kids (including Tony Alva) went on to a superstar status within the sport. Director, Stacy Peralta has done a wonderful job of telling this story, through the use of recent interviews, beautiful still photography and tons of actual archival footage from that period. You will be amazed as you watch the film footage of these skateboarders as they seem to defy both physics and gravity in an aggressive style that is like poetry in motion.Also, listen for a great classic rock soundtrack (everything from Jimi Hendrix to Pink Floyd to Black Sabbath) that recalls the era. This is a fascinating documentary, which I highly recommend!
Rating: 
Summary: Poetry in Motion
Review: This movie is a love letter to a sport that to those of us who've never skated, helped us understand the passion these people feel for it. With it's absolutely breath-taking visuals, very artistic still photography, and killer sound track, who could resist but be a bit envious of these sunshine golden-boys and their awesome talent? Learning the history behind each person's humble beginnings, and how their passion for a fading trend, helped launch a counter-culture extreme sport is exhilirating to watch. I have a lot of skater friends, and none of them are getting any younger, knees have been ravaged and bones are weary. This film allows those folks, who grew up in this era, and equally loved to skate, relive the reasons that drew them to skating in the first place. To see someone's eyes light up, and catch a glimpse of the sparkle in them, that this awesome sport incites is really beautiful to behold. And the movie definately shows we "non-skaters" why these guys have so much love for their boards! The movie truly is a work of art, beautifully filmed, with actual footage from the era, still photograghy that any world-reknowned photgragher would envy....watching it will make you want to go and grab a board and at least TRY and feel the love!! I just had tickets to Tony Hawk's Boom-Boom Huck Jam exhibition, and seeing this film, showed me he may be the Michael Jordan of the skate world, but he is simply carrying the torch, in a sport where it's founding fathers were all plain old kids from middle-class neighborhoods, who loved something enough, to help turn the sport into what it is today!!!! A MUST see movie!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not great
Review: it's an intresting compelling story about the history of skateboards
Rating:
Summary: entertaining film for experts and novices alike
Review: Somebody commented that this movie would bore anyone who wasn't a skater. No way! I live in Canada, touched a board a couple of times and had no idea who dogtown or the z-boys were, but I loved this movie. The editing is wonderful, stylish without being too self indulgent, and the soundtrack is perfect. I never realised how beautiful skateboarding was to watch, I think because these guys really approached more like a cross between surfing and figure skating, it was more of an art than about tricks and getting vertical, as it seems today.True, the movie is self-congratulatory and "gee, weren't we cool", but lets face it, these guys *were* pretty friggin cool, check out any of the fish-eyed Tony Alva photos from the 70's, that guy makes rock stars look like dorks, he had style ... The story is also pretty riveting, and the fact that there was so much footage from the time is great (vertical skateboarding was made for photography, you suspend yourself at rediculous angles for a split second, just long enough to take a shot). This movie will pump you up and make you want to go carve some pools, even if you've never skated in your life which is a testament to the power of this film.
Rating:
Summary: Coulda been longer though...
Review: I have to say this movie was quite enjoyable...and that's an understatement. I enjoyed the "punk" editing, the cool photos, and especially the soundtrack (soundtrack shoulda had all the songs!). I wished the documentary dug a little deeper into the crew's backgrounds though (i.e. family life, school [some dropped out of high school], drug use, aftermath of the '70's skateboard craze, etc.). It left me hangin' a bit; so many unanswered questions. I wanted the "low-down"! Too many skeletons I guess...all style, less substance. Overall it's still a good film (in a flashy "video" sorta way!)...
Rating:
Summary: Coulda been longer though...
Review: I have to say this movie was quite enjoyable...and that's an understatement. I enjoyed the "punk" editing, the cool photos, and especially the soundtrack (soundtrack shoulda had all the songs!). I wished the documentary dug a little deeper into the crew's backgrounds though (i.e. family life, school [some dropped out of high school], drug use, aftermath of the '70's skateboard craze, etc.). It left me hangin' a bit; so many unanswered questions. I wanted the "low-down"! Too many skeletons I guess...all style, less substance. Overall it's still a good film (in a flashy "video" sorta way!)...
Rating:
Summary: Should've been longer...
Review: I have to say this movie was quite enjoyable...and that's an understatement. I enjoyed the "punk-aesthetic" of the editing, the cool photos, and especially the soundtrack. I wished the documentary dug a little deeper into the crew's backgrounds though (i.e. family life, school [some dropped out of high school], drug use, aftermath of the '70's skateboard craze, etc.). It left me hangin' a bit; so many unanswered questions. Too many skeletons I guess... I wanted the "low-down". Overall it's still a good film (in a flashy "video" sorta way!)...
Rating:
Summary: Beach Boys go Punk
Review: Style-wise, the documentary footage was too cut up and special effected for my taste. Granted, film footage from the 70's is minimal, and lots of still pictures had to be weaved in. It shouldn't be Ken Burns slow, but the fast cuts seem very MTV 90's or 00's... while the scene and music are perfectly 70's. Sean Penn's narration is a great coup - the perfect actor for this. At one point, Penn got stuck half way through a word, stopped, cleared his throat, repeated the word, and kept going. I love that no one said "do it again"... a punk aesthetic. The Dogtown themes remind me of "Style Wars," about late 70's/early 80's New York City kids using graffiti, breakin', and rap to turn their environment into "art." (Authorities often called it "crime.") Dogtown (South Santa Monica/Venice) Z-Boys use their resources - athleticism, style, mental hunger, and physical environment - to create a new attitude... that fed/feeds energy to the world. As a Pasadena grandma would say, "Not too shabby!.... Uh... What the %@# happened to my pool!" With so many 70's skaters covered in the film (by design - to show the scene), few of the individual stories carry much weight. Jay Adams' story was most interesting: He was the youngest and brightest skater, but at some point took a walk on the too wild side for too long. Adams' not lasting with the pro scene is portrayed as big a loss for skateboarding as Alva's ascendancy was a gain. Overall, Dogtown is a unique "one of." That said, I prefer the 80's themed documentary "Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator." (It's technically more formal and linear.) Take the preference with a grain of salt... I'm a product of the 80's.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: This is a great movie for anyone who in interested in skateboarding or even any sports at all. This movie keeps you interested every second and when you watch you'll see.
Rating:
Summary: inspiring!!
Review: it's an awesome film. i randomly picked it up from a video store and decided to try it out. it was one of the best films/documentaries i have ever seen. the cuts and compositions of the film was original and entertaining. the content of the film, which was about how z-boys revolutionalized the skateboarding world by introducing vertical wall/pool riding + how they came to where they were, was inspiring.
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