I am not sure why they portray Tony Hawk to be an asshole. The attitude of Tony Hawk in this documentary is not the attitude of an asshole. I think Ben and Tas behaved like assholes at least early in the documentary. I get it that Tony Hawk was boring and sucked up to the money, but the way they behaved, why should they be given a lot of chances? I felt for Tas when Tony Hawk did the 900 that Tas had been rehearsing. Too bad, but it would not have happened if they had been behaving. If they wanted their company to succeed in the first place, they should have done other things than snorting coke all the time. I get it that the makers of the documentary probably thought that they had to make Tony Hawk a bad guy to make the documentary more interesting. But I don't agree. OK, now that I go that off my chest, I respect how honest the documentary is. The brothers are very troubled and it is easier to relate to this than Tony Hawks polished persona. Show me a person who has no demons, and I will show you someone who can not relate to this documentary. The last minutes of the documentary are really great, watching Tas work out in jail, he is in very good shape! Then it was touching to see the love he has for his family, and that there are still women who will stick by a man no matter what he has done, because she believes in him! Tas is a great father it seems, and can you imagine how much his child is loving it to be sitting on his shoulders while he skates down that street in the final moments of the documentary?

I've been on the fence whether or not I should bother video-taping life in general- This documentary proves a reason to bother. Its incredible how much footage they had, likely not knowing it would come to use for this purpose. The film was put together really well, and the music was placed really well, which is important. I'd keep an eye on this director. Reflecting on the 80's in America: I'd already been reminiscing about the 80's and how it seemed a more exciting and colorful era here in America. People just seemed to take more risks back then. These risk takers were hardcore, not all in a good way, but faithful to their way of life. This film makes Tony Hawk seem like a real dick, but you can read about his response to the film online. I skateboarded for several years as a teen, and I'll tell you "vert" (half-pipe) skating is no joke- I couldn't even 'drop in' on the ramp ( and I was a semi-professional slalom water-skier, ranked 1rst in the Boys Division NY State). Skateboarding is an underrated sport for many reasons: to become good, it's a lot harder than it looks. It is also one of the lowest paying sport professions, alongside Waterskiing and other water-sports. Kleenex alert: elevated

Rags to riches to rags ---- an all too familiar story!Tas and Ben Pappas, two Australian brothers, through their personal drive and commitment, become stars in Australia on the skateboard circuit. They both have talent and ambition to make it as a team. And they do! In Europe they reach the top and then the tumble begins. It's a sad story to witness youth gain so much then loose so much.If you are a skateboarding enthusiast this is a top documentary to watch. Director Eddie Martin doesn't hold back on anything while telling the ten years of Tas and Ben Pappas rise and fall. I wondered just how can two achieve so much even while indulging in drugs and other substances but their youth kept them going - youth passes by and they were unprepared for that fact.

I went into a cinema without a clue what I was going to watch! For the first ten minutes I was hesitant and didn't know if I would sit through the entire movie. I have no particular love for skating but can relate to that ethos from teenage years.In the end I stayed and began to enjoy the roller-coaster that this doc takes you on.The use of well sourced actual footage of their childhood/teenage days up to to the pros and after paints a vivid account and perfectly documented time line of their lives and careers. The added PTC's from Tas Pappas and others add that missing dimension and beautifully tie it all together in a classic doc style.Utterly compelling and keeps a great level of suspense. Really enjoyed this movie. NOW I like skating!