Lords of Dogtown (2005)

Director:

Catherine Hardwicke

Writer (WGA):

Stacy Peralta (written by)

Release Date:

3 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

They came from nothing to change everything.

Plot:

The film follows the surf and skateboarding trends that originated in Venice, California during the 1970's.

Plot Keywords:

Surf | Swimming Pool | 1970s | Skateboarder | Skateboarding

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Emile Hirsch	...	Jay
Victor Rasuk	...	Tony Alva
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Philaine
John Robinson	...	Stacy
Michael Angarano	...	Sid
Nikki Reed	...	Kathy Alva
Johnny Knoxville	...	Topper Burks
Heath Ledger	...	Skip
Vincent Laresca	...	Chino
William Mapother	...	Donnie
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Mr. Alva
Brian Zarate	...	Montoya
Pablo Schreiber	...	Stecyk
Elden Henson	...	Billy Z
Mitch Hedberg	...	Urethane Wheels Guy

Also Known As:

American Knights (Philippines: English title)
Dogtown Boys (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for drug and alcohol content, sexuality, violence, language and reckless behavior - all involving teens.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Sweden:7 | Philippines:R-13 | Ireland:15A | USA:Unrated (unrated DVD version) | Brazil:16 | UK:15 (extended version) | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (cut version) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40754) | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | Czech Republic:U | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:12 | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Imperial Beach, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Many parts of the dilapidated pier set (e.g. the big dipper) were added using CGI to keep costs down. However, the derelict ferris wheel was real and had been purchased on eBay for a few thousand dollars.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The wide 7-ply laminate concave skateboard that Tyson the bulldog rides at the championship was not available in 1977. Laminate decks existed but they were flat and narrow. Skateboards in 1977 rarely exceeded 7-8 inches wide. Tysons board is obviously a 10 inch wide mid to late '80s pool/ramp model with wider trucks and "new school" wheels.

Quotes:

Jim 'Red Dog' Muir: Dude, What the hell are we supposed to do on this fricking table top?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dinner for Five: (#4.9)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Steppin' Razor

Excellent in style and soundtrack and average in everything else

'Lords of Dogtown' is far from being a complete fluke, miss and disappointment. I actually fairly enjoyed it until the very end, but it is shallow and empty in some aspects, and by that i mean story in particular. It had great potential but you just feel like it is missing a fairly big amount of drama in it, and that did not make me satisfied on that behalf. Style is great, unique, original, there are not many cheesy and corny scenes or clichés. Mid 70's soundtrack fits great in this movie which events take place also in mid 70's, every song for every scene made a pretty good fit in it. Acting was OK, some actors did better than others, Heath Ledger(Skip) was maybe the best of them all.

All in all you should definitely go see this movie, even if you are not a fan of skateboarding(which i am not), you could be pleasantly surprised cause this movie has some seriously highly entertaining style and music which make every scene worth watching.

7.5/10