Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, August 6: THE MOTIVATION
Adam Bhala Lough’s look at a high-stakes skateboarding competition had its world premiere at Tribeca this Spring and went on to screen at Newport Beach as well. The doc has held special screenings at skate venues and in theaters, adding NYC screenings later this month on August 24. It comes to iTunes, Amazon, Google Play PlayStation, Cinemanow, Vudu, and other On Demand services today.
Pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek, noting deficiencies in existing skateboarding competitions, set out to present a corrective by founding Street League Skateboarding. In addition to instituting a fairer scoring system and a professionalized ranked system for its competitors, SLS also offers the largest prize in the sport. The film follows eight of the top contenders over a year’s preparation heading into the 2012 championship, from the defending title holder, Sean Malto, to the celebrated prodigy, 17-year-old Nyjah Huston. While there are a lot of characters to juggle, Lough manages to concisely convey the personalities, strengths, and potential weaknesses each brings to his own game. Skateboarders and fans will appreciate the behind-the-scenes view into their lives, while more casual viewers will find the typical joys of the competition doc form enlivened by the athletes’ brash personalities and gravity-defying tricks.
what (not) to doc 