Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy
Once upon a time, a wannabe dictator named Brewce Martin decided he would build a utopia—an ideal and perfect place to drop out of mainstream society and do nothing but skateboard all day. In his utopian magic-land, he would invite others to come and skate. They would be invited to play music, drink beer, smash up old cars, set random things (and people) on fire, drink MORE beer, and sometimes watch waaaaaay-too-young stripper girls dance the night away. In exchange for all this fun, Brewce the Dictator would make you earn your keep in his secret society. You would pour cement, build skate ramps, pave roads, and all sorts of maintenance-type duties on his 88-acre hillbilly haven in Rutland, Ohio. If you challenged the dictator, you might get a swift kick in the head, or end up in the hospital, bloodied, with a broken bone. The dictator might go to jail, for this, but when he got out, it’d be right back to the ranch to throw a huge party! Laurie House and Colin Powers’s documentary explores all angles of Brewce the Dictator’s empire, and it can (and should) be appreciated by skaters and non-skateboarders alike. (KELLY O)