By RUSSELL BAILLIE
(Herald rating: * * * * * )
Arguably, if it wasn't for the stars of this skateboarding documentary, we wouldn't be seeing Vin Diesel rail-sliding on a tea-tray in XXX 20 years later. Dogtown and Z-Boys takes us back to "the birth of the now". Or how
skateboarding went from the twee sidewalk surfing of its '60 incarnation to testing its vertical and aerial limits, which in turn influenced surfing, snowboarding, BMX-ing and nurtured an extreme-sports industry.
It's directed by Stacey Peralta, one of the original stars of the pioneering Zephyr Team (the Z-Boys) from Santa Monica, who went on to become the first generation of professional skater-stars. Combining period footage, contemporary interviews and Sean Penn's entertaining narration, it also offers an intriguing character study into Peralta, and then big names Tony Alva and Jay Adams - and how going from coolest kid in the neighbourhood to international star affected them all. And not always for the better.
For anyone who got caught up in that wave of skateboarding, it's brilliantly nostalgic and an exciting reminder of a misspent youth.
See it now before Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst delivers The Lords of Dogtown, a fictional version of the same story and his feature-directing debut.
Rental video, DVD: Out now
* DVD features: Director and editor commentary, extended raw skating footage, alternate ending.
