LORDS OF DOGTOWN at HOLLYWOOD TEEN MOVIES

TITLE : Lords Of Dogtown
YEAR OF RELEASE : 2005
CLASSIFICATION : M
DIRECTOR : Catherine Hardwicke
STARRING : Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, John Robinson, Michael Angarano, Nikki Reed, Rebecca de Mornay, Johnny Knoxville
TAGLINES :
* They came from nothing to change everything.
* Based on the true story of the legendary z-boys.
* They never thought they'd be famous, but they always thought they'd be friends.

Lords of Dogtown is a dramatisation of a subject that was covered in the 2001 documentary, Dogtown and Z-Boys.

The Z-Boys of that title were a group of teenage surfer friends, one of whom, Stacy Peralta, became the director of the documentary and wrote the screenplay for this film. They lived in a tough neighbourhood called Dogtown in Venice, California and, in the 1970s, created a new style of skateboarding that combined the death-defying moves of surfing with skateboarding.

The arrival in the local surf shop of polyurethane wheels which, when attached to the skateboards, allowed them to "grip" so that riders could start perfecting sharp turns and sudden direction changes, took the sport to exhilarating new heights and turned it into what would become known as an "extreme" sport. Another less obvious contributing factor in its development was - of all things - a 1975 drought. Because of it, many pools were left standing empty and they became playgrounds for the revolutionary skateboarders. Sponsored by the owner of the surf shop, Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger), the boys - Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch), Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk) and Peralta (John Robinson) became overnight legends.

But celebrity, as is often the case, had its drawbacks, notably in its effect on the friendship between the three guys who skated to fame and fortune, created a worldwide phenomenon and turned a hobby into big business.

Lords Of Dogtown [DVD](2005) DVD
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen"), this memorable biopic written by Stacy Peralta examines how he and friends Tony Alva and Jay Adams helped bring skateboarding culture to the mainstream. Rising from their rough Santa Monica neighborhood, the "Z-Boys'" high-flying antics quickly garnered the teens national attention. But as they deal with their growing fame, they find that staying grounded is the greatest trick of all. John Robinson, Emile Hirsch, Rebecca De Mornay, and Victor Rasuk star. 107 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: English, French; audio commentary; deleted scenes; extended scenes; featurettes.
Lords Of Dogtown (UMD For PlayStation Portable)(2005)
Lords Of Dogtown (Unrated Extended Edition) [DVD](2005) DVD