Review the film called ‘Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy,’ released on 7/12/11.
I’ve been skating and watching skate videos for about six years now. I am also a big fan of punk rock and a lifestyle associated with it. Skatopia is the sickest video I have watched in a very long time though. It chronicles a year at Skatopia, a Skatepark in the middle of Appalachia, in which skating, music, and punk rock lifestyles are embraced. This video is like Bam Margera on Acid! I couldn’t help but laugh over and over at the crazy antics these skate punk hillbillies actually do. From mosh pits, to burning car – destruction and anarchy are shown in a true, real-life way. The skateparks in the video are amazing, and you would never think that you would find such a great spot in the middle of nowhere.
What makes this video so refreshing is that it encompasses the lifestyle of skating as well as skate footage itself. Just about every other video I’ve watched includes nothing but the skaters riding around doing tricks. That’s good and all, but Skatopia lets you into the lives of these kids. You can see the passion, the enthusiasm, the pain, the craziness, and most of all, the dedication. Watching the kids in the video work hard to build new ramps and snakeruns is so inspirational – I wanted to grab a hammer and nails right after I watched this video! I didn’t that available at that moment though, so I did the next best thing and picked up my board and went skating for a few hours, came home, watched Skatopia again, and decided that I definately need to make a trip to Appalchia sometime to check this place out.
Until I watched this video, I didn’t even know about this place. Now all I want to do is go! The bond everyone shares is something skateboarding is missing!