Skateland

source: Skateland

The blurb on the back of the box caught my eye "It's 'American Graffiti' for the generation baptized in 'Star Wars'.". Hey, that's me! Let me just say that it's no 'American Graffiti', though there are certainly some similarities. Like 'Graffiti', 'Skateland' takes place right in the middle of a transition in eras (Here 70s to 80s), and you have that unique blending of those two aesthetics and mindsets. And it's about young people in a small town trying to figure out who and what they want to be. It's all been done before, and much better. The performances are good, and the soundtrack is killer, but it's a fairly bland film that isn't nearly as profound as it thinks it is.

Myself being what was termed a "rink rat" of the 80's had me identifying with this movie more than most I'm sure. Skateland took me back to those days and many of those smiles in accompaniment. I suppose this fact in vacuum would make my view a bit skewed but for anyone like me who spent almost every weekend growing up in a skating rink this movie does a great job of creating the environment we called home.......A little world of escape away from the real world. Where's my time machine?

This Could've been good.But it could seem like the meat in the story ended up on the cutting room floor. They should've worked a bit harder on the 80's vibe ,they're trying to pass off. When you can't decide if you're making a love story,a drama,a coming of age movie,or just plain ol party movie.Than you bound to go wrong. The acting is kind of stiff,especially the interaction scenes between the boys and the girls.A lot of the conversation seemed forced and stilted. I guess is has to do with different chemistry between the two genders. There's also a big lack of background story here.basically the only thing you see is the guys partying and the girls walking around being drunk.All having meaningless conversations,only interrupted by one or two remarks about a girl's ass,as she walks across the room. I missed them having discussions about something relevant to the 80s period.Like Miami vice or something big happening in the world or on TV.OR the latest music video by a certain band on MTV. I've seen producers stray away from stuff like that before, to avoid putting the movie in a certain time frame.But this movie needed it,quite badly. I got the feeling they mixed Dazed and confused,with There goes my baby(which is a better more serious movie. I didn't quite get the 80s vibe they tried so hard to pass off.It needed more than just the clothes and the music.It needed something to grab your attention,make you interested in the characters and their life,as you follow them

This is one of those movies that sneaks up on you and you don't even start to realize how good it is until you're halfway through it - but you have to 'get' it. People who suggest that this should have been a comedy, or who don't think it compares to a different movie, well those people just didn't 'get' it. This is not a formula story with a predictable plot; instead, it's an offbeat story that puts you right in the background of the lives of ordinary people dealing with the kinds of things you might have back in that day. I know that is how it came across to me, and why it connected with me so well. I won't go into the whole plot line but I will share two moments I really liked. One was when Richie's friend has sold the skate rink where he has worked for the last few years. Richie asks if he can close the place up one last time, and in the deserted rink he plays the same music, runs the flashing lights, talks over the PA system, and just relives countless moments he's had during his time working there. In one brief moment his head drops and you know the sadness is really hitting him. Young people are usually new at learning what loss is all about and it can be painful watching them experience it. Another scene I like, earlier in the film, is when Richie is working at the rink and sees a few young men shooting pool - and they were the ones who were indirectly or directly involved in the death of his best friend. With the 'limbo' pole in his hand he makes for them and flips out on them, venting his rage, almost killing one of them. The story is deceptively low-key but so much of real life is just that way. This is not a nostalgia comedy - not all nostalgia is necessarily light-hearted comedy - so it may not be the best movie for a lot of people who would do better with something like 'Dazed and Confused'. If in your past you knew people and situations like the ones here, you'll 'get' it and enjoy it.

Nice unpretentious film in the genre of John Hughes teen years flicks. A nice little gem. Well worth a watch if you aren't expecting something award winning but still nicely done, subtle and warmly thoughtful of this time in our lives. Early 80's time space and appropriate music from that epic era, add a great soundtrack, as usual. Suspend judgment thru the first bits and give it a chance. Story is a bit typical, as seems characteristic of these. Loved that many of the characters seemed quite realistic and not stretched or inflated for any reason. Lastly, the Skateland hook is fun and memorable for most. Make some popcorn and enjoy.

I too checked out this film at the SXSW Film Festival just about two months ago and thought it was going to be similar to Lord Of Dogtown with Heath Ledger (a movie that I liked and thought was charming). I thought the acting was solid (I don't like Ashley Greene much but Shiloh Fernandez, who I just saw in Red Riding Hood, gave a very convincing performance). The rest of the movie was very confusing to me. It cuts all over the place and I found no real "through line" or sense of continuity. But, I think the filmmakers did a good job of putting a microscope to the time's of the 80's (the culture...specifically the teenage male and female angst and social classifications). I don't know that I would go see it again. It's no "Almost Famous." I thought it was a cool little movie that could have been better if it had a more specific storyline, but it just wasn't the case. Maybe it should be re-cut.

At the end my son turned to me and said, "That's it?" I graduated hs in 1983 and my 13yo son loves rollerskating so we thought this would be a great movie to watch together. I've never seen Adventureland (mentioned by some other reviewers) but I'll admit to hoping this might have some similarity to Saturday Night Fever (disco vs skating) but don't get your hopes up. Some good: the acting and the music. Some Annoying and Bad; the oh so slow, wandering plot (what plot?), the lack of actual skating scenes and the unrealistic portrayal of 'small town' Texas (not everyone dressed with the best style all the time, not all girls were hot and brainless and not all boys had perfect hair and muscles - the young men in this movie look to be in their mid to late twenties and since when did small towns have a mall?). All in all, it was a pretty boring movie and we really wish there would have at least been some crazy fun skating scenes to make the movie more exciting.

I know a lot of people compare Skateland to Adventureland and I don't want to follow everyone else but it's kinda hard not too. Both have the coming of age in the 80's plot, both have a killer soundtrack and both have a Twilight gal, the thing Skateland has that Adventureland lacked was heart, what Adventureland has in laughs Skateland has in emotion. The plot isn't necessarily original but we all know Hollywood don't know what originality means, it stands out from the crowd because it doesn't drown itself in the cliché feel good factor. Shiloh Fernandez has graduated to leading man quite nicely, he has a very serene screen presence, and in this he sports the 80's shag to perfection. The scenes with him and his mother and sister are quite touching, I would have like to see a little bit of the story from the mothers point of view, she us almost painted as a cold woman so easily ready to abandon her children, but I picked up a vibe that there was more to the story than that. The reproduction of the 80's is flawless, from the hair and clothes all the way down to the posters on a bedroom wall. Props to the production designers for that, so many period films of late aren't convincing enough with these details. Check it out if you're in the mood for something a little different from the usual coming if age story, it's hard not to just sit back and enjoy the story unfolding before you. :)

'SKATELAND': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five) This is no 'ADVENTURELAND'! I've heard comparisons been made between the two and 'ADVENTURELAND' was actually one of my favorite films of 2009, this film is mediocre at best. Both are coming of age tales set in the 1980's about recent high school graduates evaluating their lives and deciding what they want to do next, while working dead end jobs (in this film it's at a skating rink, in 'ADVENTURELAND' it was at an amusement park). They also both co-starred female 'TWILIGHT' stars as the love interests (in 'ADVENTURELAND' it was Kristen Stewart, in this film it's Ashley Greene). Both young stars are talented and more than adequate in their respective roles but lead Shiloh Fernandez (of 'DEADGIRL' fame) is nowhere near as memorable as Jesse Eisenberg. Eisenberg gave 'ADVENTURELAND' a lot of heart and relatability that this film just doesn't have. 'SKATELAND' is passable sappy drama but ultimately forgettable. In the film Fernandez plays a 19 year old skating rink manager, named Ritchie Wheeler, at a rink in Texas during the 80's just when skating was starting to dies off in popularity. Due to business deflating the rink is set to close and Ritchie is forced to look for another job. At the same time he has to deal with his parents (Melinda McGraw and Brett Cullen) getting a divorce and his sister (Haley Ramm) always pestering him about college applications. He's also in love with his best friend's sister (Greene). Things become even further complicated when tragedy strikes his best friend (Heath Freeman). The film was directed by Anthony Burns and written by Burns as well as Heath and Brandon Freeman (who also has a small part in the film). The writing and directing is decent and so is the acting (Greene is a standout) but there's nothing much to the story. It's so routine and unoriginal and nothing really exciting or memorable happens. It's definitely not a bad film it's just also definitely not a very good one either. It's one most people will probably forget quickly after watching it and if that's the case what's really the point?! Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd0S1srQ9T8