Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator
When skateboarding was fashionable, Mark "Gator" Robowski, a Californian punk, was king of the castle.When it lost its appeal, he wandered lonely as a cloud, then took up religion. Finally he became a manic depressive and murdered a girlfriend. He is now in jail for life, from whence he speaks to the camera. Helen Stickler's documentary traces his rise and fall, and that of skateboarding in general. One way or another, it's a slightly depressing tale.
You Got Served
A confused and confusing traversal of the hip-hop street-dancing scene where "crews" of hopefuls try for some sort of fame and fortune. The dancing is lively and gymnastic, the screenplay often incomprehensible, the story inadequate and sometimes absurd. You have to forgive a lot to enjoy Christopher Stokes's feature. For movers and shakers only.
Deewaar
Yet another Bollywood epic unlikely to do much to foster the present reconciliation between India and Pakistan. Amitabh Bachchan plays a noble Indian officer brutalised for years by the enemy after being captured with his detachment in the 1970 Indo-Pak war. Despite being flogged half to death, he still tries to escape, while his son (Akshaye Khanna) gets into Pakistan to help him. The film-making is ace, if resolutely melodramatic, but the musical numbers are mostly dim. Two hours would have been quite enough.
Eurotrip
A posse of American high-school kids take a trip to Europe, hopefully to get laid. There they meet football yobbos (Brits), sexual perverts (the Dutch), gays (the Italians) etc, etc. The result is fairly moronic, with cameos from Vinnie Jones, Lucy Lawless and other alumni, to leaven the youthful pill. All shot in Prague, which doubles for practically everywhere, even the Vatican, and not always convincingly. But the Pope has the best line. When he sees the teen hero (Scott Mechlowicz), he exclaims: "Oh, my God."
Stoked - The Rise And Fall Of Gator
Cert: cert15
