Review of Dogtown and Z-Boys (2002) by Paul N — 11 Jan 2009

I have to confess, I'm not a fan of skating or surfing in the least, but this is a fine, fast-moving documentary on the golden age of skateboarding culture, from the point of view of someone who not only was there, but a major participant.

Peralta proves to be a pretty good filmmaker, keeping things tight, rolling along and using music beautifully, but his proximity to the events lends a certain bias toward its participants, as you would expect.

However, that proximity also gives the film an affection for its subjects which is touching, not to mention access to a staggering amount of archival footage of the Z-Boys in action. Not my cup of tea, but nicely done.