All This Mayhem 2014
During a release of blu-ray titles at Dollar Tree, I came across this Australian skateboard documentary that I had never heard of. It got very good reviews at Rotten Tomatoes (100%, but the movie is obscure enough that maybe that isn’t quite the indicator it seems; doesn’t even show up at Metacritic), so definitely worth a dollar. I do not follow skateboarding, but I did enjoy Dogtown and Z Boys about the early Los Angeles skateboarding scene. So I had never heard of Tas and Ben Pappas, but the cover said the two of them became the top ranked skateboarders, ahead of Tony Hawk. So completely unspoiled I was able to watch their story unfold as the two get started in Melbourne, Australia and eventually reach the top of their sport before most people graduate from college followed by a terrible downfall. The story is amazing for its highs as well as it lows, showing how people blessed with an amazing talent can let it slip away. The story is told mostly through interviews and archival footage without a lot of sensationalism or rad music. So it is an amazing story, told very well, and therefore gets an A.
Written: 23 Feb 2020
Owned on: Blu-ray