LORDS OF DOGTOWN: A TALE OF JUVENILE DELINQUENTS

I've never been a skateboard fan. Skateboarding is not a sport, it's a hobby that requires a great amount of skill. Like the hobby of bird-watching, the love of skateboarding is an acquired taste. For the record, skateboarding provides my wife and I with an 87th item that we disagree on. She thinks "skater-boyz" are cute.

LORDS OF DOGTOWN (LDT) is billed as the true story of how/why skateboarding burst onto the scene in the mid 70's. The story revolves around 3 youngsters who idolize a group of losers who own a local surf shop. The youngsters, when not getting high, prefer to go surfing instead of going to school. The film depicts the boys as free spirits...I saw them as juvenile delinquents.

The first delinquent is Stacy Peralta, played by John Robinson. Stacy is portrayed as the "responsible one". He's responsible because he has a job at a dive restaurant. The movie doesn't let the audience know how many hours Stacy works, but it can't be many with all of the punishing hours he spends on crafting his hobby. Stacy is also responsible because he ONLY watches his friends shop-lift...He doesn't actually partake in any shop-lifting activities. Before LDT, Robinson's claim to fame (other than looking like the 4th member of Hanson) before LDT was appearing in the over-rated ELEPHANT (0) from 2003.

The second delinquent is Tony Alva, played by Victor Rasuk. Tony is the "wild one". He is quick to start a fight and loves the ladies..Or as I like to call them..."skater-hags". Tony longs to gain the acceptance from his father who calls his son a "future ditch digger". In real life Tony becomes the first skateboarding World Champion. Rasuk was average in his portrayal of Alva. During his "wild" moments he was too over the top and during his "quieter" moments he was over-shadowed by the other delinquents. In 10 years he will be another Hollywood cliche. Rasuk will be dead of a drug overdose or he will be working the night shift at a Las Vegas buffet doing dishes.

Jay Adams, the third delinquent, is played by Emile Hirsch. Jay is the "loner" who secretly pines for for his buddy's girlfriend (eventually getting her) and looks at success a little differently from his two friends. Jay needs cash to pay the rent for his loser mother and is willing to sacrifice a huge score as long as the rent can be paid by getting a smaller paycheck. Delinquents one and two sign contracts with sponsors who supply them with flashy clothing and cool hot rods. Hirsch has the ability and look to be a big star. Check him out in 2002's THE EMPEROR'S CLUB (8) which got my vote for the most under-rated film of that year. Also check out last year's THE GIRL NEXT DOOR (6). It probably deserved a (7), and received my "guilty pleasure" award of 2004.

LDT succeeds in capturing the look and feel of the 70's. The clothing and dialogue fit the times which shouldn't be a surprise because the movie is based on the 2002 documentary DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS directed by the real life Stacy Peralta. He served as an advisor on LDT. Peralta lived it so I will give the film makers the benefit of the dought on the authenticity of the film. Ironically, at the beginning of the movie the audience is told that the story is "inspired" by actually events. What the hell does that mean? Is it a true story or not?

The film gives a lame reason why the delinquents switch their interest from surfing to skateboarding..."we can skateboard everyday...when surfing you have to wait for the perfect wave...dude"(I added the "dude"). I have to believe there was more to it than that. The cinematography is repetitive. Once you've seen the delinquents zoom around an empty swimming pool on a skateboard in slow motion 20 different times, it ceases to be cool and becomes dorky. I did appreciate the gritty picture quality of the first 15 minutes of the movie. It looked as if it was filmedwith a hand-held camera. The look fit the rough nature of the surfing scenes in the beginning of the movie.

The most memorable character in LDT is Skip, played by Heath Ledger. Ledger perfectly plays the ultimate surfer-dude. As co-owner of the surf shop he is the first to see dollar signs when he sees the delinquents skate. It's his idea to start a skateboarding club. Unfortunately, Skip is a drug addict and is unable to stay grounded and sober to see his skateboard manufacturing dream become a reality. Skip was one of the many free-spirited hold-overs from the 60's who missed the meeting that informed his kind that they were not going to change the world.

LORDS OF DOGTOWN receives a "7". To a select few skateborading is a religion, and I'm sure LDT is their PASSION OF THE CHRIST (10). I was born in '71. I don't remember skateboarding being a big thing. The only kids that owned skateboards were the ones who were picked after the fat girl with freckles when choosing football teams. Maybe you needed to be a juvenile delinquent from the west coast to get in on the action.

THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON: DEATH OF A SALESMAN

THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON is the type of "based on a true story" that I like to watch. Before this movie, I had no idea that a crazy office furniture salesman tried to kill Nixon. It is easier to view a "true story" when I don't know the facts or the ending. Yes, I know Nixon was not assassinated...But what happened to the crazy office furniture salesman? For example, I've never seen APOLLO 13. Everyone knows the space cadets make it back to Earth with the help of the fine pocket protector trekkie officials in Houston. We love happy endings, but do all "based on a true story" endings have to be happy?

Sean Penn is a great actor. When Penn isn't preaching on a soapbox or trying to save poor people from themselves by using a leaky boat...He can supply a believable character in any genre of film. In ARN, Penn plays a loser named Sam Bicke. In most film's, losers are played as "lovable losers" on screen. Sam Bicke is a loser, but not lovable. Bicke's social skills are minimal, he's rude, and simply not very bright. One of the film's highlights is when Bicke tries to convince a Black Panther leader to allow whites to join their club. Bicke explains that if the Black Panthers change their name to "The Zebras" whites will join the club and membership will double. The Black Panther leader looks at him similar to how conservatives look at todays far left...With a look of "what color is the sky in your world?!"

In the beginning of the film Bicke is being groomed as the next great office furniture salesman...Bicke is destined to fail. But there is always good news. When a salesman hits rock bottom they can always sell hotel rooms for a living (kidding). Bicke's wife, played by Naomi Watts, can't stand him. We learn that they have been legally separated for a year. If the story is true...It's amazing she married him in the first place. Bicke's best friend is Bonnie, played by Don Cheadle. Bonnie realizes that his friend Bicke is a fool but allows him to hang out at his car repair shop as a form of charity. Sam Bicke starts the movie as a loser and then switches to being pathetic.

Eventually Bicke's wife files for divorce, he quits his job (right before he gets fired), and gets his best friend Bonnie arrested. All of this is the fault of Richard Nixon. In movies, as in life, it is always easy to blame people in authority for your problems and short-comings. In today's world Bicke would be a flaming left wing wacko...Completely unstable, unrealistic and quick to blame the establishment for his and the world's problems. The solution to Bicke's problems is much easier than killing the President. Bicke and people like him need to look in a mirror and then run into oncoming traffic...Problem solved.

The movie ends with Bicke actually finding the nerve to go through with his plan to assassinate Nixon. The plan involves the hi-jacking of an airplane and flying it into the White House. Obviously the plan fails. With Bicke's luck...Even if his plan succeeded and he actually hi-jacked the plan and made it crash into the White House...Nixon probably wouldn't have been home. When people like Bicke have success, its usually achieved by accident.

THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON is a good movie. On the "Jamie" scale it receives an "8" and makes the Honorable Mention List for the best films of 2004. Sean Penn does a superb job playing a crazy person..Although he has a great advantage. It is easy to play a crazy person when in reality you are already insane. Sean, I know you must live near a highway or interstate...Remember...The solution is simple.