This movie is about hope. It paints a picture of young kids growing up in an incredibly harsh environment (the film goes out of its way to portray Venice of the early 70s in practically post-apocalyptic images) who see in the concrete wasteland nothing but ocean waves of endless promise. They craft, as artists, a new ballet amidst the rubble. They are obsessed with skating the perfect run, not necessarily to be better than their friends, but just for the sake of perfection. In this pursuit of perfection, I see hope. I see a vision of a recreated world where there are no barriers based on class or empty swimming pools surrounded by fences and patrolled by police. But theres also an irony in the hope, in that the Zephyr boys have an exclusivity about them--they are fiercely elite in their rejection of conventionality.

The story of one of the top two skateboarders, Jay Adams, provides the heart to this film. His story provides a balance to the narrative of corporate greed, which ultimately destroyed the Zephyr team (but which also made the film possible and the story relevent). He is shown as a very young and, though violent and utterly contemptous, innocent boy oozing with natural talent. Hes interviewed several times as an adult who, we find out, is doing time for heroin-related charges in Hawaii. Next to the brilliance of the Jay Adams the boy, in Jay Adams the man we see a dark shell of regret and pain. His fellow riders lament the fact that Jays life is so tragic and unfair--theres a sense of complete injustice "he should have had it all" "Jays had the hardest life of anyone I know whos still alive" "you only get one shot at this...once its gone its gone." So within this movie about beauty and hope, we meet Jay Adams and see tragedy and injustice. Theres an absolutely beautiful and haunting scene at the end of the Jay Adams excurses in which the beautiful young Jay, maybe 12 years old, with long sun-bleached hair, is skating in an empty pool and falls on his way down one side. His board continues through the bottom of the pool, up the other side, and straight up into the air about 10 or 15 feet. The scene is in slow motion and freezes the board mid-air. Then, theres a fade to a still of Jay at about 25 years old holding a picture of himself as a cute, innocent boy of about 7. Then another fade to Jay as a hard, broken man in his 30s, with a crew but, what seems to be a black eye and bruised nose, and tattoos running up his throat. Eyes like empty holes. This is the filmmakers art at its finest. A scene like this says so much more than words ever could.

Some of the reviews on this film have complained that the film was too short--that it left too many questions unanswered. I couldnt disagree more. This film is all about the questions, not the answers. As a Christian, I see this film as a commentary on humanity and our longing for beauty--our hope for a future that includes a recreated world where architecture is no longer purely utilitarian, where there are no longer divisions between north Malibu and the southern beaches. Where everyone has access to a perfect wave. A future in which greed no longer robs us of our innocence, and Jay Adams is once again that strikingly charismatic and beautiful blond-headed boy writing profound poetry with his skateboard, poetry that destroys the walls of violence and drugs and elitism, that opens his soul to ours and ours to him. In the words of U2, a future "where the streets have no name." Our souls groan for a better place, and this film captures that emotion as well as any Ive ever seen. This is an amazing film!

Overall its still a good film (in a flashy "video" sorta way!)...

The Dogtown themes remind me of "Style Wars," about late 70s/early 80s 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 70s 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 Alvas ascendancy was a gain.

Overall, Dogtown is a unique "one of." That said, I prefer the 80s themed documentary "Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator." (Its technically more formal and linear.) Take the preference with a grain of salt... Im a product of the 80s.

P.S.
Jay Adams isnt dead and writes excellent editorials for a skate mag...

This film narrated by Sean Penn interviews the members of the Zephyr Surf Shop skateboarding team from the 70s. Sean Penn does an excellent job as voice over and the teammates and shop owners are very honest and forthright in sharing the evolution through the skateboarding where they were first seen, to the urban guerilla boarding in empty swimming pools, to skateboard stardom, and finally to grown-ups.

Many reviewers mention the braggadocio of the participants since the director was also a Z-Boy. Also many complained that they were just a bunch of skateboarders. But I didnt view it that way at all. I found their reporting to be very balanced and in fact, I thought the director somewhat downplayed his stature in the skateboarding world vs. say, Tony Alva. Also as a former skateboarder of a previous generation, I found it absolutely fascinating watching the evolution of the sport. Whether true or not, following that evolution to airborne makes fascinating history. Now, skateboard/wakeboard/surfing/in-line skating have merged into extreme sports. Did these guys invent it? Of course not. But they were substantial in its evolution.

My wife who has never lived outside Southeast US viewed this also and while the subject matter was not familiar, she found it interesting. I recommend this for people wanting to study 70s culture, Southern California or pop culture.

=^..^=

In my mispent youth, I lived about 20 miles south of Dogtown & idolized Tony Alva. I had his magazine shots covering my walls; I memorized every issue of Skateboarder when it arrived in my mailbox. I also spent every available moment gonzoing the local hilly streets with my friends. As soon as I was old enough to get my own place, where did I move to? You guessed it, Dogtown. I dont talk much about those days now, or at least I didnt until DOGTOWN & Z-BOYS came out.

This movie is wonderful. It really captures what that time felt like, when skateboarding was still closely allied to surfing & just finding its own identity. The archival footage is amazing, especially the P.O.P. sequence, & the early shots of the Z-Boys at Paul Revere & Bellagio. The editing is brilliant, & the music rocks! What is truly remarkable is that it manages to make skateboarding accessible & enjoyable to those who never participated, such as my husband. Hes just as blown away at some of the footage as I was.

The DVD transfer is great. Its nice to be able to slow down some of the sections, or freeze a frame to get a better look, or just repeat your fave sections over & over again. The voice-over commentary by Peralta on the bonus track adds many anecdotes that had to be left out of the film, as well as giving credit to many of the people who contributed footage the documentary relies heavily on. Theres also an additional, uncut film of todays Tony A during a pool session, which is nice to see.

The only reason this film doesnt get 5 stars is because of some of the people it left out. Wheres Tom Inouye, of the notorious Inouyes Pool Service? When it came to outlaw pool-finding, Tom was the man! Laura Thornhill was probably the only other hard-core girl who got attention at the time; shes completely unmentioned. Although Stacy Peralta gets his props for modesty, he sometimes errs on the side of being TOO modest; there was a spectacular Arizona Pipe session I recall that goes unmentioned, one that Stacy made history at. It would have been nice to see some of that footage too.

All in all, Dogtown & Z-Boys cant be beat if you remember those days. If youre at the age where all this is new to you, its a great way to learn where all those moves youre busting came from.

Now to dig out some OPs & Vans, & Ill be stylin again...

In my mispent youth, I lived about 20 miles south of Dogtown & idolized Tony Alva. I had his magazine shots covering my walls; I memorized every issue of Skateboarder when it arrived in my mailbox. I also spent every available moment gonzoing the local hilly streets with my friends. As soon as I was old enough to get my own place, where did I move to? You guessed it, Dogtown. I dont talk much about those days now, or at least I didnt until DOGTOWN & Z-BOYS came out.

This movie is wonderful. It really captures what that time felt like, when skateboarding was still closely allied to surfing & just finding its own identity. The archival footage is amazing, especially the P.O.P. sequence, & the early shots of the Z-Boys at Paul Revere & Bellagio. The editing is brilliant, & the music rocks! What is truly remarkable is that it manages to make skateboarding accessible & enjoyable to those who never participated, such as my husband. Hes just as blown away at some of the footage as I was.

The DVD transfer is great. Its nice to be able to slow down some of the sections, or freeze a frame to get a better look, or just repeat your fave sections over & over again. The voice-over commentary by Peralta on the bonus track adds many anecdotes that had to be left out of the film, as well as giving credit to many of the people who contributed footage the documentary relies heavily on. Theres also an additional, uncut film of todays Tony A during a pool session, which is nice to see.

The only reason this film doesnt get 5 stars is because of some of the people it left out. Wheres Tom Inouye, of the notorious Inouyes Pool Service? When it came to outlaw pool-finding, Tom was the man! Laura Thornhill was probably the only other hard-core girl who got attention at the time; shes completely unmentioned. Although Stacy Peralta gets his props for modesty, he sometimes errs on the side of being TOO modest; there was a spectacular Arizona Pipe session I recall that goes unmentioned, one that Stacy made history at. It would have been nice to see some of that footage too.

All in all, Dogtown & Z-Boys cant be beat if you remember those days. If youre at the age where all this is new to you, its a great way to learn where all those moves youre busting came from.

Now to dig out some OPs & Vans, & Ill be stylin again...

Surprisingly, I found the documentary to be entertaining, informative and definitely interesting. Its a very unique look into a group of unsung heros who unintentionally gave birth to a new sport and a worldwide counter-culture that has undoubtedly influenced several generations. This documentary is not just for skaters; anyone interested in the forgotten but influential events in history would like this film.

What these guys did in the world of early skateboarding is on the same level as the way the Fosbury Flop changed the high-jump in track and field, but even bigger because it was part of a cutural revolution that gave rise to a whole new genre of sport. Once the cat was out of the bag, the world could never go back. Equally important was the early promotion of the sport and the lifestyle, of which the writer/director was an early pioneer. He was also a member of the Z-boys, which provides a perspective that no one else could deliver. He personally knows all the early superstars of the sport and the guys behind the scenes, which seems to make those interviewed very candid and open.

You will not be dissatisfied with this film, even if you know nothing about skateboarding or have bo interest in it.

Surprisingly, I found the documentary to be entertaining, informative and definitely interesting. Its a very unique look into a group of unsung heros who unintentionally gave birth to a new sport and a worldwide counter-culture that has undoubtedly influenced several generations. This documentary is not just for skaters; anyone interested in the forgotten but influential events in history would like this film.

What these guys did in the world of early skateboarding is on the same level as the way the Fosbury Flop changed the high-jump in track and field, but even bigger because it was part of a cutural revolution that gave rise to a whole new genre of sport. Once the cat was out of the bag, the world could never go back. Equally important was the early promotion of the sport and the lifestyle, of which the writer/director was an early pioneer. He was also a member of the Z-boys, which provides a perspective that no one else could deliver. He personally knows all the early superstars of the sport and the guys behind the scenes, which seems to make those interviewed very candid and open.

You will not be dissatisfied with this film, even if you know nothing about skateboarding or have bo interest in it.

An absolutely fabulous documentary on the So. Cal. skateboarding scene in the 70s. Even if you dont skateboard, the stories on these athletes are riveting...in particular Jay Adams.

I cant say enough about the music in this movie. Great songs, one and all. Every song clicked perfectly with what was going on visually at the time.

Very impressive directorial work by Stacy Peralta.

One moment they are lauding themselves for being loners, then they are celebrating themselves for signing contracts and offering themselves up for money. The soundtrack, although quite good, is anachronistic with the time period and furthers the fact that this is a silly attempt to make more money off something that they once held to be so pure.

This movie was nauseatingly contrived and offensively commercial. It was quite good when it ended

Spearheaded by the unbelievable skating prowess of Tony Alva, Jay Adams, and Stacy Peralta (who also serves as director here), the Zephyr Team would go on to revolutionize the world of skateboarding in only a few short years, and bring what was once a passing trend into a national, and inevitably commercialized obsession.

"Dogtown and Z-Boys" passionately chronicles the skyrocket rise and subsequent fame of the Zephyr Team, particularly Alva and Adams with remarkable freshness and purpose. Rare and raw footage and pictures of the infamous Z-Boys blazing the asphalt and riding the dry-bone swimming pools of the early 70s is art in itself creating gripping visual moments set against a
soundtrack courtesey of Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Blue Oyster Cult, and Led Zeppelin, just to name a few. In any case, its hardcore...a hardcore documentary experience that effortlessly recaptures a fleeting moment in history that will never be repeated, when a group of no-account skateboard outlaws rewrote the rules of the game and changed the way the skateboard was ridden forever.

Clever, engaging, and purposeful in its storytelling, "Dogtown and Z-Boys" is a fascinating documentary, and certainly worth checking out.

Dogtown and Z-Boys is a documentary and it deals with how they got started in skating (and surfing, because it is relevant to the skating) and about the impact that they had in the skate world. The Z-Boys created new moves that would set the standard for what it means to skate. They began by using what they did in surfing and emulated top surfers, but when California had a huge drought, they started skating in dried out pools (often without permission). This led to the beginnings of vert skating, and had the Z-Boys not skated in pools, perhaps the style of skating today would not even exist (vert ramps did not exist when the Z-Boys were skating pools). They were testing the limits of what was possible in skating and with each passing day they discovered that more and more was possible. The Z-Boys made it to the top of the skating world, and they inspired new generations of skaters. This is their story.

I had never heard of the Z-Boys until this documentary came out and the most I knew of skating was that I couldnt skate, and whatever I learned from the Tony Hawk video games. It would be hard to believe the influence that these skaters had on the skate world if not for todays influential skaters (Hawk, Burnquist, etc) also talking about how they were influenced by the Z-Boys. This is a must watch for any fan of skateboarding at all.

Bravo.

"Dogtown And Z-Boys" is a thoroughly engaging, well-produced film which recalls the dim, pre-punk origins of the skateboarding scene that came out of LA in the 1970s and has grabbed hold of antisocial daredevil types across the world ever since. I was transfixed by this film, from beginning to end, and found there wasnt a dull moment or false note in the entire production. I should hasten to add that I have never been much of a skateboarding fan; when I moved to Berkeley in the mid-1980s, skateboarding was already firmly identified with punk rock rebelliousness, with swarms of leather- and denim-clad losers barrelling down the sidewalks at top speed, tediously intent on messing with the minds of all the uptight squares who dared to be less cool than they were. As a punk rock fan who prefers walking to knocking others off the sidewalk, I intensely dislike the culture of show-offy, in-your-face self-centeredness and machismo that skateboarders have adopted; in the 1990s, when the scene went mainstream and became commercialized as an "extreme" sport, it became even that much more tedious and trivial. But this film shows where it all started, with a motley bunch of scruffy teenage Santa Monica beach bums who took the elegance and attitude of the worlds best surfers and adapted it to the humble (and then quite primitive) skateboard. The documentary appealed to me both aesthetically and personally -- the Dog Town skateboarders were all undeniably hella cool, and their story is pretty amazing. Also, I remember having the same sort of restlessness and rebelliousness during the post-hippie, pre-punk years of my adolescence, and watching the old footage of the Dog Town crew, I was powerfully reminded of my own proud years as a 1970s juvenile delinquent. The films tone rang true, which isnt surprising since it was produced by guys who were part of the original Z-Boys clique. Its a captivating, funny, stylish and very creative film, which exhalts a sexy urban subculture without exploiting its subjects or leaving out any members of the audience who might not skate themselves. Great soundtrack, too. A+ all the way around.

people- Penn does this film right, a great depiction of what it used to be like in the dayZ of old.

Word, Cab

"Dogtown" follows the rise of local youth, hanging around the beach of Santa Monica in the 70s. Around that time, once prospered amusement park by the seaside had been long deserted, and the seaside area had become a place for local surfers. They made the rule of "only locals" which means, you cannot mess around the place, just coming from outside the town.

And after their dangerously exciting surfing in the sea (among the ruined piles), they spent time doing another thing: skateboarding. While doing that for fun, they gradually developed the style, making it their own. Finally, taking advantage of unused swimming pools (that means, trespassing, of course), the boys (though, actually, the original members include a girl) went on to set a new style, using the edge of the pool, which, according to the film, led to todays vertical ride of skateboarding. They become famous; they become cultural icons. (One of them appears as a cameo in original TV series "Charlies Angels" as, who else, a skateboarder; this brief scene is also included in the film.) In short, they set the style.

You must face it; the film sounds like self-advertizing at times. But still, "Z-Boys" gives very interesting information on skateboarding, which by the end of the 20th century has become one of the independent category of sports (you will see, for instance, the difference between skateboarding in Jan and Dean era, and the Boys own style). The original skatebording footages are also noteworthy, which, with all its faded color and shaky camerawork, telescope the free spirits of the 70s into the exciting moments of their skateboarding practice or contests.

The film is also unusual in that the director himself appears before the camera, giving his own interview of the film. This kind of attitude would invite criticism of the films taking unbalanced view. But they somehow get away with it, probably because it is clear that they love the sports, and really want to say something about it.

"Dogtown and Z-Boys" lets you look at the world of street culture of the 70s West Coast in a quite unique way, and anyone who is interested in this sort of thing should watch it, whether or not he/she has ever experienced skateboarding. The film ends with the reports of the original members life today, many of whom seem to have settled down, and leading a family life. That is most interesting, you might say.

Sean Penn (who was one of the fans of the "Boys") provides narration, but I wish he too gave his own account of the boys. And it seems some part of the film is missing -- I want to know whether or not they ever got injured; what they were doing in the 80s and 90s, and so on, but perhaps it is not our business after all. Still, I enjoyed watching the film.

True, the movie is self-congratulatory and "gee, werent we cool", but lets face it, these guys *were* pretty friggin cool, check out any of the fish-eyed Tony Alva photos from the 70s, 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 youve never skated in your life which is a testament to the power of this film.

This film is well put together without seeming so. Im amazed at some of the footage recovered like the surfing at the graveyard of the POP pier-yikes! Ive never seen that in all the surfing documentaries. They do a nice job too of spending just the right amount of time presenting a bit of history of Venice, Dogtown, the Zephyr shop and skateboarding without ever losing the tempo of the film. The interviews interspersed throughout are great and feel casual and if you think they are "chest-beating" over their part in skateboard history remember that they DID win contests, they WERE in the mags and they DID crash pools, which I think is so funny. Maybe they too are nostalgic for those days and like anybody who recalls their wild teenage years things always look a bit larger than life. Wentzle Rumls interviews are priceless.

And the music. The directors commentary will help you appreciate how hard it is to get music you listened to and paid for years ago for your film. They were so lucky-the bios on Peralta, Adams and Alva are so much fun to watch and driven by Hendrix, Allman Brothers and Zeppelin in a way perfectly timed and suited to each Z-Boy. This, I think, is the reason its so easy to watch over and over again. Even Tony Alva was quoted in Stecyks book as saying, "When I skate its toward the Nugent, Hendrix, Zeppelin style." You gotta love it-everyone wanted to be a rock star.

Peralta and his friends have much to be proud of here. If this is perceived as a paean to his group of radical little rats then so be it. Of course extreme sports today make these guys back then look like amateurs but I doubt many others could glean so many photographs and home foot