aash-2

My son, an avid skateboarder, sat me down and made me watch this with him. As I love documentaries, it didn't take a whole lot of pressure on his part. The whole amazing story of it all - a bunch of dirt-poor kids drift together and end up creating something revolutionary out of thin air - well, more out of some wood, wheels and lack of waves to surf - it just floored me. It still does. I didn't think I would enjoy it the way I did, nor did I think I would tear up watching Stacey Peralta tear up over the fate of Jay Adams. And just watching Jay Adams himself.....the sheer genius of the kid skating and the shrug of the adult remembering. I watched it again last night for what has to be the 10th time and I still get goosebumps watching him fly down the hill with Jimi Hendrix's "Freedom" playing in the background. And I teared up, again. Not too many movies have the same impact with me after several viewings. Brilliant.

This was one of my favorite shows when I was eight. In fact, the summer I turned 9, my family and I went to London, and at the Bank Holiday Parade, the Double Deckers were IN THE PARADE!!! For an 8-year-old to unexpectedly get to see her favorite TV actors in the flesh, that was quite a moment! They were of course riding in a double decker bus, hanging off the sides and waving and smiling. I was jumping up and down, a complete hysterical screaming mess. My mom fumbled with the camera and able to get one good picture. I wish I could see this show again. I was very tickled to see how most of the actors have gone on to bigger and better things.

This is a stunning movie, film noir at its finest. Fully developed characters, perfect soundtrack, and enough plot twists and turns to keep you guessing from one minute to the next. You'll absolutely feel taken back to post-war Hollywood, and all of the drugs, crime, sex, and stardom (in several senses of the word) that went along with it. If you haven't seen it, please take my advice and do the following: watch the DVD at home, where you can pause as needed for bathroom breaks, etc. The plot is so intricate in this movie that if you miss so much as one small scene, you'll never be able to recapture the thread. Don't be daunted - this is so wonderful and fun to watch, you won't WANT to miss a minute.