Gator
Rogowski, a legendary 1980s skateboarder. Beginning with the shocking news of Gator`s demise--he brutally raped and murdered a woman, buried her in the San Diego desert, and received a 31-year prison sentence--the film then starts back at Gator`s beginnings when he was just an innocent 14-year-old kid. Gator set the stage for many of skateboarding`s moves and styles as one of the most impressive
vert
performers of all time. Footage of Gator soaring off the ramp in a dramatic arc demonstrate his clear prowess. A devilish, cocky personality only helped propel Gator into the spotlight as the poster boy for Vision Street Wear--a brand that was once synonymous with the sport`s image. As skateboarding became more mainstream and Gator got wealthy and sold out (the film features interviews with former girlfriend Brandi McClain who lived with him in a sprawling California mansion situated on an avocado grove) he soon lost his street cred and was dumped by the industry. Testimonials from Gator`s former friends--skating icons like Jason Jessee, Ken Park, and Tony Hawk--shed light on the sport as a counterculture movement while telling funny, sad, insightful, and often scathing stories about Gator. This documentary from director Helen Stickler paints a sometimes inspiring yet increasingly menacing portrait of Gator that illustrates how his crime cast a dark shadow over the otherwise fun and carefree world of professional skateboarding.
RSS 2.0 Feed URL
