Skip to main content

LORDS OF DOGTOWN Blu-ray Review

Image
By
Following Films


LORDS OF DOGTOWN tells the unbelievable but true story of three teenagers from California who took skateboarding to heights that hadn't previously been imagined and changed the sports world forever. Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk) and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild) are the Z-Boys, a bunch of nobodies until they join board designer Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight) to create a new style of skateboarding that becomes a worldwide phenomenon. But when their hobby becomes a business, the success shreds their friendship.

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Twilight) and featuring an all-star cast including Michael Angarano, Nikki Reed, Rebecca De Mornay, Johnny Knoxville, America Ferrera, and Mitch Hedberg. The stand out performance in the film comes from Heath Ledger. I'm not sure if his turn as Skip can fully be appreciated without seeing the man himself. Once you dig into the special features it becomes clear that Heath Ledger was doing more than just an impersonation, he was channeling the very essence of one the most important but unknown figures in sports history. LORDS OF DOGTOWN stands as one of the finest performances from an actor who left us far too soon. He was just getting started and watching him in this film is a bittersweet experience.  

Catherine Hardwicke had a difficult job in telling the story of the Z-Boys. See, just a few years earlier Stacy Peralta directed a masterful documentary about the subject and it wasn't apparent that a dramatic retelling of the same events was justified. How could it have the same impact? It's rare that a reinactment can carry the same weight as a story from the original participants. But Hardwicke put together a brilliant young cast and focused on some points that were left out of the documentary. The films perfectly compliment one another in that each one enriches the experience of watching the other.

Bonus Features:
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Making of Featurettes
  • Gag Reel
  • Director and Cast Commentary
  • Original Z-Boys Commentary 
The Blu-ray Special Edition from Mill Creek Entertainment can be found on Amazon here.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Explaining the Ending of MULHOLLAND DRIVE

By
David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive remains one of the most haunting and enigmatic films ever made. It operates like a riddle that refuses to be solved, luring the viewer into a world where time, memory, and identity dissolve into one another. What begins as a mysterious, almost whimsical Hollywood fairy tale gradually transforms into a psychological nightmare. By the end, it’s clear that what we’ve been watching is not a mystery to be unraveled but an emotional landscape, the mind of a woman caught between fantasy and despair. The film tells the story of two women, Betty Elms and Rita, whose lives intertwine after Rita survives a car crash and loses her memory. Betty, a bright and optimistic aspiring actress freshly arrived in Los Angeles, takes her in. Together, they embark on an investigation into Rita’s identity, which unfolds like a noir detective story bathed in dreamlike light. Everything about this world feels heightened: Betty’s charm, the coincidence of events, and the ease with w...
Post a Comment
Read More

Final Destination Bloodlines Set to Bring Fresh Horrors to the Franchise

By
The long-running and fan-favorite horror series Final Destination is set to make its return with Final Destination Bloodlines, bringing a new chapter of supernatural terror to the big screen. Scheduled for a theatrical and IMAX release on May 16, 2025, in the U.S. (and internationally beginning May 14), the film promises to continue the franchise’s tradition of chilling premonitions and inescapable fate. The upcoming installment features a fresh ensemble cast, including Kaitlyn Santa Juana (The Friendship Game, The Flash), Teo Briones (Chucky, Will vs. The Future), Richard Harmon (The 100, The Age of Adaline), Owen Patrick Joyner (Julie and the Phantoms, 100 Things to Do Before High School), and Anna Lore (They/Them, Gotham Knights). Also joining the cast are Brec Bassinger (Stargirl, Bella and the Bulldogs) and horror icon Tony Todd, who reprises his role from the original Final Destination films. Todd, best known for his chilling portrayal of the titular character in the Candyman fra...
Post a Comment
Read More

LOCKED Release Info

By
LOCKED follows Eddie (Bill Skarsgård), a desperate man who breaks into a seemingly empty luxury SUV, only to find himself ensnared in a meticulously crafted trap. His captor? William (Anthony Hopkins), a vigilante with a twisted sense of justice. What starts as a simple break-in quickly spirals into a nightmare, as Eddie struggles to escape a vehicle designed to be his prison. With no way out and an unseen force pulling the strings, survival becomes a race against time in a ride where justice is anything but blind. This 95-minute thrill ride promises to keep audiences on edge by blending elements of survival horror and psychological warfare. Its confined setting turns an everyday luxury vehicle into an inescapable nightmare, and the ride explores themes of morality, punishment, and the true cost of justice. Only in Theaters on March 21. I love a limited-setting horror thriller. With limited settings, the film must rely more on character interactions and internal conflicts to create ten...
Post a Comment
Read More