User reviews

Wassup Rockers is a marginally amusing exercise in the world of delinquents and under-privileged youth, but I am instantly reminded of the director's, Larry Clark, other works such as Bully and Kids, which were far, far superior to this film. The film plays like a tired rehash of previously fresh ideas, and while we understand that Clark has a deep fascination and understanding of the teenage wasteland that currently exists today, we are unsure how much longer he can keep the idea going.

The film focuses on a group of Guatemalan and Salvadoran skaters in Southern Los Angeles, that rebel against conventional society by not conforming to the simple-minded hip-hop style and music their gang-driven neighborhood happily enjoys. The teens are often referred to as "rockers," as they wear skin-tight jeans, listen to heavy metal and punk music, and proudly wear their hair long and thick. We follow them as they wander aimlessly from skate-park to skate-park, looking for excitement and thrills, as well as some much needed escapism. They wind up being fish out of water when they take a trip to the 90210 culture of Beverly Hills, where they meet two lovely young women who allow them to stop by their house "any time." This is the domino to the trigger of catastrophic events that are likely to and will unfold.

A third of the film is devoted to getting to vaguely know these faces and show how they operate in their skating world, the other is devoted to showing how they associate with the upper-class when they hail from "the ghetto," and the remaining third shows them acting under pressure and fear. Tonally, the film is confused, widely uneven, and unable to keep a solid shift through the day's events without gradually throwing in a curveball.

The characters have some recognizable substance to them, but they are sort of cardboard stereotypes, despite the film's efforts to try and lead them away from that common cliché. The film teeters on the edge of these kids opening up, but it quickly becomes rambling, directionless monologues instead of truly insightful pieces. It is also fair to say that all of the teen-actors do an admirable job at working with the script, and many, if not all, of them are first time actors, showcasing truly remarkable talents in central roles.

The film's main goal is to try and put ongoing tensions between class differences and race-relations on the spot. It succeeds in many of its initial goals, and doesn't come off as heavy-handed or overly preachy. Try saying the same about Crash.

Many shots incorporate heavy rock music, with montages and long shots of skateboarding. This is where the film shines as a whole. It is welcoming to see this human appearance, and Clark has shot long instances of events previously, mainly in his film Kids. Honestly, it seems as if Wassup Rockers plays like a watered down, neutered version of that film. I truly admired Kids for its consistency, bravery, and screenplay, which bled poignancy and sadness, but Wassup Rockers can't even come close to approaching the chords that film hit effortlessly. Clark has said a lot about the teenage youth in the past, but he doesn't use this effort to say much of anything provocative.

Starring: Jonathan Velasquez, Francisco Pedrasa, Milton Velasquez, and Yunior Usualdo Panameno. Directed by: Larry Clark.

If I were to summarize this film in short, I'd have to call it a Comedy that is somewhat like a mainstream version of "KIDS".

I've been a fan of coming of age films for many years. I've seen all of Clark's work, along with numerous international films such as Pixote, Nunmal, Timeless/Bottomless and many, many other films that fall within the genre. What I've always found appealing about Clarks work is the bleak outlook and hopeless feeling you'd get after watching his films. Even while many criticized Ken Park for being more shock then substance, it still gave me that "feeling" that KIDS did. This is what I had hoped for going into Wassup Rockers. I wasn't really concerned with the "shock value" of say a Ken Park, but I was looking for that same feeling I got after watching "Kids".

I didn't get that feeling.

Now while watching Wassup Rockers I'd find it hard to believe one couldn't make comparisons to KIDS. The movie opens with the camera pointed at a young boy named Jonathan, who basically outlines what we're about to see over the remained of the film. He talks about his friends and their habits, and the types of things he does or sees on a daily basis. It's very reminiscent of the begging of KIDS when Telly's commentary starts the film off discussing girls. You then have various scenes depicting some of the activities the youth get into. In KIDS you've see the skateboarding, the drinking, the blunt rolling and the girls.. In Wassup you see pretty much the same, minus the drugs and drinking, something there is NONE OF in this film. You do however get a scene in which two males are talking about their "first time", much like the scene in KIDS when Rosario Dawson and Chloe were in the bedroom with two friends discussing oral sex. It's not that this is a KIDS 'remake' more than it just felt very similar in terms of the content.

Now for the things that failed. First, this has to be the worst acted film Clark has worked on. I understand and appreciate the fact he found these kids in South Central on the street, but there were times in which the acting was so poor it just wasn't believable. I just couldn't believe one of the confrontations between a group of African Americans and the crew for example. It almost seemed like someone was standing off to the side waving "say something!". When speaking after the film Clark mentioned that the script was a mere 32 pages, and a lot was improve, and that would explain some of the acting. Think about this for a second. You found a group of kids who have never acted before and you ask them to improvise the majority of the script. While I'll admit this makes the film feel genuine at times, it also makes it feel forced at times as well. I'm also not sure how many Clark fans will find his 'upbeat' feel to be a positive change. One of the audience members asked "what happened to you?", even stating that "this film is a feel good film…nothing like you've ever done before" upon which Clark responded by saying "I've done Ken Park… That's as far as I can go with that. I wanted to do something new…something different", and he has. The problem is I liked Larry Clark for that reason, and now I question if he'll ever go back. There is even a parody of Clint Eastwood in the movie, suggesting that it be taken light heatedly.

With all of that being said, I still think this is a big accomplishment for Clark. In my opinion, he went back to the film that started it all and created it in a format that could be enjoyed by more people. His discussed his experience at Cannes and the TIFF a year prior when introducing Ken Park as well. He wanted to be able to reach out to these "fans" he had, yet he couldn't due to their ages and his films ratings. Another one of his comments however may be a little more insightful into the real reason this film was made when he stated "This was the hardest film for me to make". In elaborating on the reasons he touched on a few things, one being investments. He suggested investors had written him off because they considered him "crazy", so it was very hard to get backing. Almost like nobody wanted to risk taking a chance on Clark after Ken Park. I myself wonder if this wasn't the real purpose of this film. He needed a film that could make some money, so he could continue to be a director. Some may refer to this as being a "Sell out" type film, but I won't be that harsh. I can see this film playing in small theatres in the US to be honest, and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't get an official DVD release in the US also, something Ken Park has never experienced. I just can't seem to grasp the idea that one of the more controversial directors in America today has decided to create was seems to be an upbeat, mainstream comedy…but hell, who am I? So where does that leave it? I didn't enjoy it as much as KIDS, nor do I think it's as good a movie. I'd also argue Bully was better overall. Ken Park on the other hand would make the more interesting debate. Ken Park was more memorable and enjoyable to me, but Wassup Rockers had a lot more substance to it. I guess that means I'm also guilty of the "shock" value Clark films can offer, something Wassup Rockers has left behind.

A good film indeed, but not typical Larry Clark. You can decide if that's a good or bad thing

For the first 20 minutes or so of Wassup Rockers, I thought "been there, done that." Meaning that, simply, Larry Clark has done this kind of movie before, better, more wisely and with some extra depth on the subject of stray kids doing their own thing without much parental supervision. But then, finally, something started to take shape: the film is, if about something, a class tale, with the South Central Hispanics roaming around Beverly Hills just looking for a place to skate and getting into various misadventures (some funny, some deadly). And at the same time, even more than Kids, there's a raw quality to the performances, with mixed results. It's like that docu-drama Streetwise from the 80s with a touch of Ferris Bueller and then put to a soundtrack of rip-offs or sound-alikes of the Casualties.

Part of the problem of Wassup Rockers is that it is not too interesting within its aimless structure. Having a film without much of a plot can work fine, they're made all the time in independent quarters in America and especially Europe. But it should amount to something by the end, and by the end of Wassup Rockers there isn't very much of a point except, well, don't go into Beverly Hills for too long if you're Hispanic and looking like a member of the Ramones by way of Tony Hawk. But within this jump-around structure, around some of the random sex scenes and skateboarding and the kind of cool scenes of the kids riding their boards to LA punk rock, Clark does create a fun B-movie. At the least, it's never boring, and if it isn't really groundbreaking or as revelatory or whatever as Kids (and it isn't) it does provide something of a small window into something we haven't seen before, or at least I haven't seen before.

Not all of the performances are below par, an in fact there's a charm and down to earth honesty to a lot of scenes (a scene that made me think a lot of Streetwise is when the kid Chico is talking to the Beverly Hills girl in their underwear in her bedroom - this is stripped down to the point of simple documentary, and it suddenly becomes affecting strangely enough). And, if nothing else, it works as a B movie, a kids-on-the-prowl story that should appeal most to anyone who likes to just roam around when they have nothing to do when they're 14 or 15. It's a minor work that has moments of real power.

Larry Clark is an intelligent film maker.There is no doubt about it. With "What's up rockers",he has given a human face to his film making career.Before this particular film most of his films were based on his personal experiences on dangerous psychology of young kids phenomenon. One thing which his fans and their parents will like is that compared to "Kenpark" there is much less controversial matter or rather nothing objectionable at all.This film does not preach but in an unofficial manner it has been successful in delivering its message of trust,peace, respect and brotherhood.A good aspect is that all the events of this film are in accordance with its pace whether they might be comical,sad ,hilarious or bizarre.One may also be tempted to rename it as "a day long road movie about Latino kids".This is only partially true as all communities made their presence felt.If exploration of young teenage minds is your favorite field of study, this is the film which you need at the earliest.

I was uncomfortable with the way that this film portrays female characters. Every female in the movie, from 14 year girls on up to 50 year old women, is portrayed one-dimensionally as a predator preying on the film's starring gang of young teenage boys. I understand throwing in one or two characters like this perhaps to make some kind of point about the way that teenage girls have internalized their own intense sexualization by contemporary society, but ALL of the female characters? I found this very problematic and sad for young women especially. It gave me the sense that the movie was turning these boys into victim heroes at the expense of women (along with all the other race and class forces arrayed against the boys). I am sure that the girls growing up in the South Central neighborhood where these boys hail from are going through as many or more struggles as the boys. A truly "authentic portrayal" will represent that, instead of portraying women of all classes as predatory, promiscuous creatures without any other facets to their characters.

This reminds me a lot of The Warriors because throughout the second half of the film, there couldn't be more obstacles keeping them from getting back to their home. Certain parts of this are very surprising to me and it's funny how many things happen to this group of kids. A little tame for a Larry Clark film but still very entertaining. My favorite characters in this are Kico, Milton (aka Spermball), and Jonathon, but it seems like they all remind me of people I know or once knew. That's the thing when you're watching real people try to act. It's just more exciting that way. One thing I'd change about it would be to make it a little longer because the ending is really abrupt.

I have been a fan of Larry Clark's for many years. Unfortunately the quality of his work is inconsistent.

"Kids" was an amazing movie. "Bully" was (in my opinion), terrible. "Wassup Rockers" falls somewhere in between the two, but closer to "Bully."

All other criticisms aside, this movie was a snoozer. A bunch of kids trying to make it home through hostile territory, dodging police, encountering odd-balls, etc., losing a few of their group en route. It was already done in "Warriors" which was a much better movie.

None of the main characters stood out, and all of the people were portrayed as very two-dimensional. The rich people were racists, except for the girls who secretly wanted kids from the other side of the tracks. If you aren't white and rich, don't set foot in Beverly Hills. And so on. Pure stereotypes, but not very good ones.

For the sake of your time, and mine, I'll skip the synopsis and get right to the point: Larry Clark's Wassup Rockers loses none of the Clark appeal, that his fans have grown to admire, in the switch to a softer film that Clark hopes will be more accepted by distributors than his previous movies. As most of Clark's fans know endeavors such as Ken Park, Kids and Bully have all focused around 'bad' kids, however, in Rockers, the kids are just trying to be themselves without getting harassed by their peers for not succumbing to the hip-hop element so present in their South Central neighbourhood. During the boys' eventful day in Beverly Hills, a parallel to The Warriors, a favorite of Clark's, can be clearly drawn. In short, this has been Larry Clark's best film to date. So great in fact, even my girlfriend who is not a fan of Larry Clark at all really enjoyed it.

In the vain of films like "Hangin' with the Homeboys" and Larry Clark's own "Kids" this film depicts a day in the life of a group of friends who, for the most part, don't click with societal norms. They're teenage Latino skateboarders who are into punk and come from South Central, LA and basically come and go as they please through the different facets that make the city what it is. It's through them that we discover the racial, cultural and class divides that exist within the different neighborhoods. Just like the neo-realist directors from Italy who made docu-style dramas by enlisting the help of non-actors, lending the film some realism, Larry Clark hires actual local kids to play the lead parts (as he did in "Kids"). Unfortunately, some of the scenes seem forced with unrealistic dialogue and under-developed characterization (referring to the supporting cast) totally dependent on unnecessary moments meant to push the story along. In other words, certain scenes seem written for the sake of exposing certain stereotypes or for shock value but they fall out of place within the story line. Several times I lost my suspension of disbelief and just said out loud "really...?" "Did that really have to happen?" Regardless, it's not a bad film at all, as a matter of fact its saving grace lies in the fact that as the film progresses you really get to know the characters and unlike the rest of the supporting cast, the leads at least do get fleshed out and really that's what this movie is all about. So if that's what you want then I recommend it.

I work with youth in Los Angeles, and Wassup Rockers is probably the most accurate non-documentary depiction I have ever seen of LA youth on film. Granted, the "acting" is choppy as it clearly jumps between the kids being themselves, and then saying scripted lines. But the characters are real. The most poignant point of the film was that murders are taking place in impoverished neighborhoods just a short bus ride away from the multi-million dollar homes and cushy lifestyles of Beverly Hills. The story was weak and lacked fluidity, but the reality of the characters made up for it twofold. With the exception of the "preppy" kids, who seemed a bit forced, the characters are all spot on for how LA kids today truly are. And the graphic descriptions of sexuality are not exaggerations. If you want to know exactly what the inner-city youth look like today, look no further than Wassup Rockers. This film is a must see for anyone who intends to work with kids, especially in an urban environment.

Larry Clark's new film Wassup Rockers covers most of what you expect to see. Of course this is not nearly as heavy as Ken Park, the movie still clearly focuses on the innocence of teen sexuality. There's controversy written all over this story and race separation plays a major theme as well. The true beauty of Clark's films for me has always been his attention to realism. Wassup Rockers feels like it's made by somebody who might be living in South Central during the 2000 era. The fashion (with the hip hop and "rocker" kids) is entirely up to date (just as when Kids came out the attention to this detail was present). Larry Clark is a great director but in all honesty this is not his best work. Why? Pacing trouble. It's not terrible and doesn't defeat the quality and enjoyment but it could have definitely used some work and would have made the film feel a lot more solid.

Pick a stereotype, any stereotype (whether racial, sexual, cultural, etc.), and I bet you'll find it in Wassup Rockers. Do you think that all Hispanic teenage boys are stupid, hairy, inarticulate, and dirty troublemakers? Are Hispanic girls sex-crazed, easy, ass-baring sluts? Do Black people all want to start fights and carry guns? Do all gay people throw themed parties with pink drinks and ask young boys to model for them? Are all White teenage girls rich, stuck-up princesses who are bored with White teenage boys and are looking for something a little more dangerous? If you answered "yes" to any of the previous questions, you, my friend, are a bigot, and you will LOVE Wassup Rockers.

Director Larry Clark likes to shock his audiences (I was 15 years old the first time I saw Kids and I think that's why I'm still a virgin), but Wassup Rockers isn't shocking… it's just bad. He tries to be edgy and realistic with his minimal dialog and body-hair close-ups, but these characters and this story are completely unrealistic.

Simply put, Wassup Rockers is a teenage boy's fantasy. What 14-year-old boy doesn't want to be a skater who gets in trouble, crashes parties, drinks 40s, and is told by the hot, rich, White girl that his uncircumcised penis "looks dangerous?" Besides that demographic, I really don't know who's going to enjoy this film.

WASSUP ROCKERS details the events that transpire over the course of twenty four hours when a group of young male punk rock Hispanic skater teenagers travel from South Central to Beverly Hills using every kind of form of transportation that they come across. They end up opening the eyes of a group of rich and spoiled young girls, getting chased by the police, getting attacked by jealous jocks, and everyone else that they come across, both gay and straight, end up all either falling in love with them or being admirers of them. A couple people end up actually dying too! This film has everything!!!!

No, but seriously, the plot of this film may sound kind of like a cross between Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Warriors, which isn't far from the truth. I'd almost call it a remake of The Warriors if I weren't such a purist. Either way though, I had so much fun with this film. Within ten minutes I ended up falling in love with all these boys and I especially loved how genuine they are about everything. They consistently remain true to each other, which is so rare in youth-related films today. They are all brave and good natured. They aren't violent, they don't do drugs, and they are charming in a weird way. I would probably not be bothered by the idea of them hanging out with my nephew. They really lend a lot of energy to the film, which helps the film stay more focused on the surroundings rather than plot, and this really isn't the kind of film that should have a plot, or at least a complicated one.

This film likely won't be everyone's cup of tea. The subject matter, relating to gang violence, punk rock, and skateboarding will not appeal to a lot of viewers. In addition to that, most will not appreciate the blatant stereotypes of all the characters surrounding this group of boys. I personally was not bothered by most of it. I felt that it somewhat helped define the characters a little bit more by allowing them to roam in an environment that wasn't reality and was somewhat simple. I did find the one scene with the Charlton Heston lookalike to be a little too tasteless, but I was too entertained and fascinated by what was going on to really be much bothered by it.

I think that this is one of Larry Clark's strongest films. It's not quite as good as BULLY, but it's not really the same kind of film either. WASSUP ROCKERS is really more of an entertainment picture. This is pretty much Larry Clark's lightest and most positive film, though when the darker situations come into play Larry Clark goes all the way with it. WASSUP ROCKERS is entertaining, moving, scary, hilarious, and bizarre. It's very fast paced, so even if you dislike the film it will be out of your system before you know it. In short, this is a great film and I applaud Larry Clark for pulling off such a fun film.

I really like Larry Clarks realistic style of direction. The film starts out magnificently. The characters are real, well developed and believable. I do not know why Clark went so over the top though when the skaters arrived in Beverly Hills midway through the film. In spite of that, it is still successful. I was never for an instance bored. The score fits very well with the movie. The cast of unknowns do a wonderful job, especially Jonathan Velasquez. Unusual, thought provoking, at times stupid but well worth watching. Th Los Angeles setting is a big plus, very much an area of extremes, which is exactly why Larry Clark chose that locale.

I'd probably think twice before asking the guy to babysit my kids, but I admire Larry Clark for his bold film-making, which has explored controversial topics in a style that few directors would have the cojones to attempt. Given the potentially gritty subject of Wassup Rockers, it is therefore rather surprising to find that Clark has watered down his usual uncompromising technique; thankfully, although the film might lack his usual extreme edginess, it is still undeniably Clark in craft-ship and subject matter, which in itself makes it worth watching.

The film focuses on the lives and relationships of a group of adolescent Hispanic South Central skateboarders whose unconventional style sets them apart from other teens from their neighbourhood. There's very little plot to speak of—this is very much from the 'a day in the life of' school of film-making, a work with an almost documentary feel; this sense of realism is heightened by the fact that the cast are not professional actors, but real kids from LA's ghettos. Of course, these youngsters aren't the greatest of thespians, but their authenticity and earthy charm more than compensates for their lack of acting skills.

As the film progresses, we follow the teens as they travel to Beverly Hills to skate, get jiggy with a pair of hot, rich white girls (Laura Cellner and Jessica Steinbaum), crash a posh cocktail party, experience prejudice and violence, and struggle to make their way home in a manner rather reminiscent of Walter Hill's The Warriors. Much of this cries out for Clark's more intense approach and, rather frustratingly, one can sense that the director is holding back, particularly as his camera lingers longingly on the semi-naked youths as they make out with various young women (and a drunken Janice Dickinson!!!).

Even though the film may have benefited from Clark's usual, more daring treatment, Wassup Rockers still proved to be a revealing window into a world that is far removed from my own. I rate it a very reasonable 6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Larry Clark is one of the rare active filmmakers in North America-and in the world-who makes films that are overwhelmingly important and immediate. Though on the surface his subjects are not openly political, nor full of grand pretenses, his films are among the most vital portraits of the cultural, political and social landscape of North America in recent years. In Wassup Rockers, Clark, the leading infant terrible of world cinema, has perhaps created his greatest polemic. He has put his fists down. After the roars of rage of his two previous films, Bully and the masterpiece Ken Park, the filmmaker lets more tenderness into his scenes than ever before. Ken Park certainly had moments of great tenderness, often between shocking moments (the concluding sex scene, which has been hailed by some as the most moving sex scene in cinema, certainly comes to mind), but Wassup Rockers has a different sense of tenderness. This portrait of punk-rock Latino solidarity, of Salvadorian and Guatemalan refugees in South Central Los Angeles, who belong only in their own worlds, is poetic and inspiring, like all of Larry Clark's films it is most beautiful in its portrait of the ugliness with which the world treats the wretched of the world, perhaps because it provides us with a sense of reality that we recognize. Like Kids, Wassup Rockers is set during one eventful, symbolic or completely meaningless day, in which they decide to visit the white man's world, of which they can only imagine, like all oppressed people think of their oppressors. Just wanting to skateboard (a fetish of Clark's) in the luxurious parts of Los Angeles is enough to change their world, as they battle bigot after bigot and are exposed to the extreme violence that lies beneath the surface of bourgeois comfort. There is one extraordinary scene between one of the boys (who, like all of the other main actors in the film, is a non-professional more or less playing himself, whose character, like the others, even has his own name) and a wealthy girl that he meets, both try and have a conversation with one another, but they are never really able to communicate, to penetrate and to break through the walls of social class that separate them, they speak different languages, one speaks of constant struggle, the other of comfort, one speaks of death, the other speaks of knowing only life, one speaks of friends, the other speaks of brothers, of comrades in arms. The images, sometimes extraordinary for the sake of being so real, are made even more powerful by the blaring punk rock which provides an incredible rhythm for the film, instilling in the film an unmerciful and energetic musical counterpart to the proletariat struggle depicted in the images of the film. As always though, a simple analysis of a Larry Clark film tends to never really capture his incredible sense of ambiance, because his objective is not to make a statement about anything that can be easily understood cerebrally, but to understand these kids, who live in constant marginalization without realizing it, who didn't choose the conditions in which they live but face them fearlessly, collectively, like a tribe going into battle, fighting together.

I live in Houston. In my senior year at high school I met a guy who eventually became one of my best friends. We came from different socioeconomic backgrounds, he was the 'Wassup Rocker' I was the 'Beverly Hills' kid. But we bonded over a mutual love for music and dicking around. Especially punk music. Anyways, that's all kinda irrelevant but the point is that the way these kids are portrayed in Wassup Rockers is exactly how he and his punk friends act. It's almost scary. You know the line where one character talks about black girls always wanting to touch and braid his hair but him not letting them etc. etc., I heard that before this was even made! A lot of people say that this film is unrealistic in its manner and dialog.. Sadly and fortunately it's not, that's really how it is.. And it's probably why I like it so much compared to the other people who have reviewed it.

Now despite that, as a film it is not perfect. The actors are awkward (cuz' they're amateurs picked because in real life they are 'Wassup Rockers'), although that is forgivable considering they're supposed to be awkward teens. The major flaw in this movie, I feel, is its lack of plot and structure. It's all kinda strung together and lacks a 'film-like' feel. Also some of the situations are uncalled for and in my honest opinion unrealistic like others have said.

A huge fan of Kids, Bully and Ken Park I watched this with great anticipation of another masterpiece. Though Clarke is relatively green when it comes to making movies he has wasted no time at all in getting a name for himself by making cutting edge movies which tread where others dare not. Dealing with the subject matters of sex, drugs, violence, suicide, and rape is common these days, but Clarke takes it one step further by dealing with those issues and children. He portrays adolescents in a way no other film maker can, his movies are often gritty and probably provide for the most authentic depiction of youngsters growing up in tough neighbourhoods.

Wassup Rockers could have been made by someone else. It has probably the most ridiculous storyline of any movie I have ever seen and it genuinely has stunned me that the same person who made Ken Park has churned out this waste of a movie. I can only assume Clarke was told to tone it down with this movie and given $20 as the budget and half an hour to make it.

It genuinely is that bad, when it ended I was glad, until I realised I wasted 2 hours of my life watching such garbage.

What an outstanding movie. This is easily up there with KIDS if not better. I need to see it a few more times in order to say for sure. During the Q&A after the movie Clark admitted that the goal was to make a film more accessible to kids so that they actually get a chance to see his movies. This means no more flying semen or murdered grandparents. This is a story about kids "from the ghetto" who don't quite fit in in the hood, and definitely don't fit into mainstream whitebread America, but that's all okay with them cause they have their freedom, and they have each other. I applaud Clark on this one. If you're a fan of the gratuitous 17 and under sex scenes then look elsewhere, Clark get the sex scenes done this time without going over the top. They're actually there as part of the story and not in the film for shock factor. Bottom line, amazing flick, and I hope it gets mainstream distribution. Of all his films, this one has the best shot of actually getting decent box office exposure.

Larry Clark is back in familiar territory with his film about a group of punk-rocking Latino skateboarders who venture across LA from South Central to Beverly Hills to go skating; encountering sexual adventures and random violence during the day. Perhaps less successful than Clark's best, this is still a highly enjoyable film which benefits from the naturalistic acting (even though it is a little shaky at times) and the free-wheeling directorial style which gives space to the beauty of place and character. Unfortunately the film is uneven in tone and a couple of scenes jar badly, making this a film that is better in parts than as a whole. Still, fans of Clark and indie-cinema will find much to enjoy here.