recommended

Best movie of this year hands down!

A Disappointing Continuation

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I am not sure why they portray Tony Hawk to be an asshole. The attitude of Tony Hawk in this documentary is not the attitude of an asshole. I think Ben and Tas behaved like assholes at least early in the documentary. I get it that Tony Hawk was boring and sucked up to the money, but the way they behaved, why should they be given a lot of chances? I felt for Tas when Tony Hawk did the 900 that Tas had been rehearsing. Too bad, but it would not have happened if they had been behaving. If they wanted their company to succeed in the first place, they should have done other things than snorting coke all the time. I get it that the makers of the documentary probably thought that they had to make Tony Hawk a bad guy to make the documentary more interesting. But I don't agree. OK, now that I go that off my chest, I respect how honest the documentary is. The brothers are very troubled and it is easier to relate to this than Tony Hawks polished persona. Show me a person who has no demons, and I will show you someone who can not relate to this documentary. The last minutes of the documentary are really great, watching Tas work out in jail, he is in very good shape! Then it was touching to see the love he has for his family, and that there are still women who will stick by a man no matter what he has done, because she believes in him! Tas is a great father it seems, and can you imagine how much his child is loving it to be sitting on his shoulders while he skates down that street in the final moments of the documentary?

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.

As they say, truth is much stranger than fiction and coinciding with that perfectly, truth is often far more interesting than fiction which in the case of this fantastic documentary is absolutely the case. For those like myself who knew very little about the skateboarding scene in the early 90's and in particular the often unbelievable story of Australian siblings the Pappas brothers. Eddie Martin's informative and well-crafted documentary will take you on an unforgettable journey to the highest highs (sometimes quite literally) and the lowest lows of an equally inspiring and tragic tale set around the world of competitive skateboarding.All This Mayhem is a film that allows those of us who may not care for skateboarding to not only get sucked into the world of half pipes, vert ramps and 900's but to care for the those inhabiting it. Filled to the brim with homemade and professional stock footage director Martin does a wonderful job of moulding in clips between talking heads, radio interviews and news broadcasts to create a cohesive and unbiased look into the life and times of the Pappas brothers, two bogan (recommend you look this word up on google) brothers from the rough suburbs of Melbourne who not only dreamed big but achieved big in a journey that must be witnessed to be believed.Tas and Ben Pappas are what you'd call the quintessential red blooded Aussie, bull-headed, at times arrogant, fierce competitors and against all odds completely likable. There the type of characters that despite there penitence for a rough as guts exterior, you know deep down there the type of people that would have your back no matter what the odds. The brother's rise through the ranks of the skateboarding world (right through to their dealings with the snobbish sell out that seems to be Tony Hawk) is something utterly unique and compelling and the brothers remain throughout, figures you can't help but be glued to. Martin has compiled at once a great mix of friends, past associates and film clips to create a world that at times feels like a narrative feature not a documentary and it's a credit to the filmmaker's talent that he can draw such true emotion from an undeniably affecting tale.What transpires throughout All This Mayhem can be described as an emotional roller-coaster full of ups and downs and expect to be moved to tears by elements of this real life tale, a tale that against all odds acts as a cautionary tale of what the fall from great heights can look like. An at times joyous and fun ride but also an equally moving and compassionate one, come the final heartbreaking statement from Tas Pappas you'll be well aware that All This Mayhem is not only one of if not the year's best documentaries but one of the year's best films period. Get your skates on and track down a copy today! 4 and a half awkward Hey Hey It's Saturday appearances out of 5

I decided to go see this film after seeing the craziness of the advert and knowing almost nothing about the Pappas brothers and I was not at all disappointed with what I saw.From a rather wild childhood and young years skating through crazy pro skating years and many struggles there after, this documentary brilliantly takes you along the journey with both Ben and Tus Pappas as things steadily somehow go more out of the control by the second. With interviews from many at the time and a lot of footage, this documentary gives a very real and honest view of pro skating, drugs, travelling alone to new countries at a young age and all that goes with it. Definitely worth a watch for anyone whether interested in skateboarding or seeing a truly wild side of life and living.