A decent enough documentary albeit one about an appalling person.

| Aug 6, 2008

It's fascinating to see the process by which skateboarding, in all its concrete grittiness, was transformed into a mainstream activity of consumer cool.

| Original Score: B | Aug 6, 2008

An exhilarating and terrifying journey through youth-culture hell.

| Aug 6, 2008

A near-perfect time capsule of a specific moment in our culture, and a telling analysis of instant celebrity and the fickleness of youth culture.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Oct 26, 2007

Unforgettable.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 20, 2007

Stoked gives a young woman's rape and murder almost no narrative weight -- it is merely the disappointing spoiler to a talented skateboarder's career.

Full Review | Sep 1, 2004

Thoroughly compelling documentary.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 20, 2004

The movie fails to pull off all its trick moves.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Aug 20, 2004

Despite doing a fine job telling this trajectory skateboarder bio, Stickler's tale lacked an edge and the power to make this story stick in the ribs.

| Original Score: C+ | Aug 5, 2004

You can see why Stickler was drawn to the charismatic Gator, but his story is so extreme (he is serving life for murder) that it effectively unbalances the project.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 3, 2004

Consistently throughout the film, Stickler skates right over the crux of the matter.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 22, 2004

Unlike Stacy Peralta's romantically nostalgic '70s skate-umentary Dogtown & Z Boys, Stickler delves into the dirty details, even showing the decomposed remains of his victim.

| Apr 1, 2004

Tells a fascinating and very sad story ... and gives us lots of cool skateboard action along the way

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Mar 22, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Feb 2, 2004

Picks up the history of skateboarding where Stacy Peralta's Dogtown and Z-Boys leaves off.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 26, 2003

Stickler has to be resourceful to tell this tale, and her storytelling methods are competent.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 26, 2003

A fascinating study of the '80s not merely captivated by leg warmers and shoulder pads, but by the tenor of our cultural obsessions at the time.

| Dec 15, 2003

Packed to the rafters with fine old competition footage and clips from Vision's wildly popular skateboarding videos, but it's Gator's imprisoned voice ... that lends the film its most tragic overtones.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 23, 2003

Engrossing and unusual.

| Original Score: B | Nov 21, 2003

[Stickler] does such a fine job of depicting the skill and thrill of skateboarding, she also helps us understand that Gator's downfall really came about because he hit the top of his sport at the exact moment it was about to change into something else.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 14, 2003