Sick Product of a Sick System

Sadly Over-hyped

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

As an American, when someone brings up the topic of skateboarding, the first thing that comes to mind is Tony Hawk. I remember him growing up. He was the prodigy for this newer sport that sort of blew up in the 80s/90s. He was very much the face of the sport, but was he the best and most adventurous? Tas Pappas would tell you "fuck no!"The docu was quite interesting. I'm a sports fan, but gave up paying attention to skateboarding years ago. I guess I grew out of it. Regardless, I still respect the sport, and what the pros are able to do.Before watching this documentary, I wasn't sure if I remember who the Pappas brothers were, but after watching the documentary, I won't forget. Tony Hawk started as a purist skateboarder just like any skateboarder, but eventually he became, what felt like, bigger than the sport. Tony the skating phenom turned into Tony the marketing guru mighty quick.The movie isn't about Tony much, but it's just interesting how much differently him and the Pappas brothers managed their relationship with the sport. Ben and Tas were purists through and through, and this story gives a detailed overview of their lives, and how they impacted the sport in a different way.There was a stretch in time where they were ranked higher than Tony, and they were constantly one upping each other. They had the competitive spirit thing figured out from birth, it seemed. They explain where the spirit comes from early on in the film.In their hey day, they lived the lifestyle that you would only see in the movies. With that came the downfall. Definitely a very solid watch.

This is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. I skated in my late teens through to Uni that led to a pretty wild inter-rail trip at only 17 around Europe and of course via Amsterdam to skate and watch the pros. Had a photo with pro Eric Koston on the train to Berlin from Amsterdam.I was not familiar with the Pappas bros but I am familiar with some of the other characters in this doc: Tony Hawk and Danny Way - my respect for those guys has completely left the building. I also won't touch another Tony Hawk skateboarding video game.Although the Pappas brothers are completely mental, incredibly stupid at times (pissed myself at Tas's attempt to smuggle in cocaine) and had massive egos. I couldn't help but laugh and relate to some of the scenes (not the drug smuggling though!) I also missed my times skating and still ponder on buying a new deck but realise that being a 35 year old guy, it just wouldn't be cool anymore.It was so interesting to see the 'dark underbelly' of professional skateboarding and I can completely see how these guys lost it. They were in the start of what has become incredibly commercial now (check out how commercial it is now, see the Street League competitions sponsored by Monster drinks.) Pappas bros had sponsorship money thrown at them, got to travel and compete, were partying constantly and most likely had skating chicks on their arms constantly. Of course they were going to go off the rails especially when they didn't really have a good mentor in the skateboarding industry or in their family. They were two Bogan brothers from Melbourne who were incredibly talented at everything they did. They made it in professional skateboarding, even in the commercial & corrupt X Games. I wish they had got into a team with more rounded skaters at that time, that might have grounded them. But there are so many skaters who lost it or are nuts. Check out what happened when some jocks offended pro Mike Valley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5TTMvY01Is - that was definitely a bad idea.Absolutely moving I laughed, I swore, I was gutted & I almost cried. It is completely tragic but don't want to let you know everything. Shines a light on drugs and mental illness. I am glad I saw this without knowing the end. Love skating until I die.

I've been on the fence whether or not I should bother video-taping life in general- This documentary proves a reason to bother. Its incredible how much footage they had, likely not knowing it would come to use for this purpose. The film was put together really well, and the music was placed really well, which is important. I'd keep an eye on this director. Reflecting on the 80's in America: I'd already been reminiscing about the 80's and how it seemed a more exciting and colorful era here in America. People just seemed to take more risks back then. These risk takers were hardcore, not all in a good way, but faithful to their way of life. This film makes Tony Hawk seem like a real dick, but you can read about his response to the film online. I skateboarded for several years as a teen, and I'll tell you "vert" (half-pipe) skating is no joke- I couldn't even 'drop in' on the ramp ( and I was a semi-professional slalom water-skier, ranked 1rst in the Boys Division NY State). Skateboarding is an underrated sport for many reasons: to become good, it's a lot harder than it looks. It is also one of the lowest paying sport professions, alongside Waterskiing and other water-sports. Kleenex alert: elevated

I went into a cinema without a clue what I was going to watch! For the first ten minutes I was hesitant and didn't know if I would sit through the entire movie. I have no particular love for skating but can relate to that ethos from teenage years.In the end I stayed and began to enjoy the roller-coaster that this doc takes you on.The use of well sourced actual footage of their childhood/teenage days up to to the pros and after paints a vivid account and perfectly documented time line of their lives and careers. The added PTC's from Tas Pappas and others add that missing dimension and beautifully tie it all together in a classic doc style.Utterly compelling and keeps a great level of suspense. Really enjoyed this movie. NOW I like skating!