Skateboarding Reviews - Videos & DVDs

Meigs county, Ohio, in the wilds of Appalachia, is home to the largest skatepark in the world. It's not the sort of park your town is planning and probably not even the sort of park you and your friends would plan. Very few people have the means or capacity to imagine what Skatopia really is. As it sounds, it's a Utopia for skateboarders. But you have to see it to believe it which is easier said than done.

Skatopia has a gate at it's entrance, but it should really have its own zip code. It's not so much a physical place as it is a community unto itself. Created and maintained by Brewce Martin, Skatopia is one man's dream to create a hassle free place to do his own thing. His thing is skateboarding. Along with several founders, Skatopia is maintained and expanded by an army of skaters who volunteer their time in exchange for a place to skate, party and sometimes reside.

Skatopia is no canted backwoods ramp. Indoors and out, it's multiple conjoined ramps, bowls, pools and miscellaneous structures fabricated from wood, concrete and manic passion for skateboarding. Leader, Brewce Martin is always scoping the next addition to the compound. Never satisfied with the status quo, he is continually upgrading and expanding Skatopia. As long as his passion persists, you can count on being able to eventually skate the entire 88 acres!

"Surviving without immersing yourself in the system."

Documentaries and skateboarding have never been a good mix because those outside the realm of skateboarding seldom understand it and/or set out to create something specific. Agendas tend to get in the way. Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy is a documentary in the truest sense. It tells a story. It doesn't try to tell the director's story or the producer's story. It documents. Agendas are pleasantly absent and the tale of Skatopia is told via brilliant reality. Through the footage captured, a crazy amazing story emerges that is unbelievable, real, funny, scary... pick an adjective - Skatopia's been there.

Skatopia has no correct viewpoint or rules for that matter. Amidst it's anarchy is a skate culture to be revered, treasured and feared. Martin's creation is a mecca for skaters that transcends any truths floating around the internet. It has to be seen to be truly experienced, but Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy does a phenomenal job of presenting an unbiased look into a world few can imagine and even fewer could create. It's a real place of unreal circumstances.

This is the sort of DVD that illuminates skateboarding in a scenario few can imagine, but all want to be a part of. Skatopia's reality is what so many skaters dream of. If you visit, arrive in a rental car and insist on every ounce of insurance Hertz will give you. You'll be in for a wild ride!

Meigs county, Ohio, in the wilds of Appalachia, is home to the largest skatepark in the world. It's not the sort of park your town is planning and probably not even the sort of park you and your friends would plan. Very few people have the means or capacity to imagine what Skatopia really is. As it sounds, it's a Utopia for skateboarders. But you have to fucking see it to believe it which is easier said than done.

Skatopia has a gate at it's entrance, but it should really have its own zip code. It's not so much a physical place as it is a community unto itself. Created and maintained by Brewce Martin, Skatopia is one man's dream to create a hassle free place to do his own thing. His thing is skateboarding. Along with several founders, Skatopia is maintained and expanded by an army of skaters who volunteer their time in exchange for a place to skate, party and sometimes reside.

Skatopia is no shitty canted backwoods ramp. Indoors and out, it's multiple conjoined ramps, bowls, pools and miscellaneous structures fabricated from wood, concrete and manic passion for skateboarding. Leader, Brewce Martin is always scoping the next addition to the compound. Never satisfied with the status quo, he is continually upgrading and expanding Skatopia. As long as his passion persists, you can count on being able to eventually skate the entire 88 acres!

"Surviving without immersing yourself in the system."

Documentaries and skateboarding have never been a good mix because those outside the realm of skateboarding seldom understand it and/or set out to create something specific. Agendas tend to get in the way. Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy is a documentary in the truest sense. It tells a fucking story. It doesn't try to tell the director's story or the producer's story. It documents. Agendas are pleasantly absent and the tale of Skatopia is told via brilliant reality. Through the footage captured, a crazy amazing story emerges that is unbelievable, real, funny, scary... pick an adjective - Skatopia's been there.

Skatopia has no correct viewpoint or rules for that matter. Amidst it's anarchy is a skate culture to be revered, treasured and feared. Martin's creation is a mecca for skaters that transcends any truths floating around the internet. It has to be seen to be truly experienced, but Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy does a fucking phenomenal job of presenting an unbiased look into a world few can imagine and even fewer could create. It's a real place of unreal circumstances.

This is the sort of DVD that illuminates skateboarding in a scenario few can imagine, but all want to be a part of. Skatopia's reality is what so many skaters dream of. If you visit, arrive in a rental car and insist on every ounce of insurance Hertz will give you. You'll be in for a wild fucking ride!