Lords of Dogtown

Rebecca De Mornay uglies up to play Adams' trashy mom and she has some nice moments, she also looks like the most realistic character to the era. It takes place from 1975-1978 and was written by Peralta, thus offering a certain bias, and directed by Catherine Hardwicke (2003's 'Thirteen'). ... Full Review

Lords Of Dogtown is actually probably a better film then I'm giving it credit for, however I won't know for sure until I view it again. The film starts off rather slow and the script seems somewhat weak and jumbled until at least thirty minutes into the film when we finally realize which three of these 'z-boys' were going... ... Full Review

Otherwise, the picture is excellent.....a few delineation problems during some nighttime scenes....Great picture...." Lords of Dogtown " is not as good a film as the documentary which inspired it....This movie is a nice companion piece to the documentary..... ... Full Review

The skateboarding and surfing scenes are impressive. ... Full Review

The skateboarding and surfing scenes are impressive. ... Full Review

The success of the documentary prompted Peralta to write the screenplay for "Lords of Dogtown" and the film was made with Catherine Hardwicke ("thirteen") at the helm.....This same lack of connecting the dots is a weakness throughout the film.....resentful of Stacy Peralta.... ... Full Review

These sequences are among the most exhilarating in the movie (the cinematographer here is Elliot Davis):....many of its actors transcend Hardwicke's heavy-handed storytelling.....she has to justify their story as an old-fashioned cautionary tale about the ills and injustices of society.....is compelling, partly because it's a classically satisfying rags-to-riches story (with some bittersweet tragedy as well) and partly....The delight they take in these new accouterments makes for some joyous visuals as they ... Full Review

It's Ledger's most assured performance to date, and his moments are the best in the movie. ... Full Review

That film was directed by the real-life Peralta, who wrote the screenplay for "Lords of Dogtown" and no doubt deserves credit for its feel of authenticity. That approach is perfect for this tale of freewheeling ambition, and Hardwicke negotiates the narrative with much the same confidence she demonstrated in "Thirteen. ... Full Review

She stages Lords of Dogtown with a rushing, caught-on-the-fly realism that may, in the end, prove more artful than commercial, yet she makes her characters vibrant and full. Lords of Dogtown is a docudrama, rare in its grit and authenticity, that also strives for the mythical youth-rebel excitement of something like 8 Mile . ... Full Review