Although I regrettably missed its screening at last month’s X-Dance film festival, I recently had the privilege of seeing the new Portland skate documentary Rip City on DVD and was impressed not just by the overall quality of the film, but also by its honest and heartfelt portrayal of the Portland skateboarding scene and the characters that have, over the years, come to define it.

“It’s a different breed of skater up here. It’s the pioneer spirit, man. The Northwest is a different thing. This isn’t the lap of luxury, this is gritty.” –Pat Q

Rip City isn’t your typical action packed skate flick filled with the latest tricks done to a bumping soundtrack, nor is it a documentary in the sense that it chronicles the specifics of skateboarding history. Instead, Rip City takes us behind the scenes for an intimate peak into how skateboarding has affected the lives and lifestyles of Portland’s skaters and how these same skaters have in turn, come to influence the progression of skateboarding in their town.

The film does a great job of capturing some of the features that exemplify Portland skating and does so with an artistic approach that you don’t see too often in skate films. The monologues in Rip City, for example, though informal and seemingly all over the place are often profound and inspiring. Guys like Donovan Rice, Chet Childress, Ben Krahn, Chris Nukala, Pat Q, and Jay Smay (not all inclusive) deliver on point and down to Earth perspectives that go a long way towards effectively relating to the rest of the world just what it is that makes Portland such a distinct place.

Speaking of artistic approach, the camera work in Rip City is awesome and deserves special mention. You can tell a lot of thought went into shooting this thing and you’ll find that some scenes are worth rewinding a couple of times to make sure you’ve absorbed all the juicy splendor they have to offer. I’m specifically thinking about the aerial footage of Ben Krahn at Newberg, the Pier Park shots, and the Portland landscape footage but there’s certainly more that just that to feast on visually.

Rip City also has a kind of day-in-the-life feel to it, which, I think works really well. It reminds me a bit of the 2007 surf documentary, One California Day, in that in that it uses the stories of individuals to convey the bigger picture of what’s collectively going on. Chet Childress’ morning skate through the neighborhood, Sage Bolyard and Mark Red Scott’s Dreamland Skateparks segment, and Chris Nukala’s “toxic waste” project all seem to be happening at the same time and together with other parts define the core skate scene in Portland.

In the end, Rip City is like a painting, or rather a dual portrait of both Portland skater and Portland skating. It’s also an inspirational piece, although it differs from others like it. If a team skate video is like a candy bar as far as stoke factor goes, then Rip City is like a pasta dinner. The former might be appropriate as motivation for a quick session, but the latter is what you really need for long-term nourishment. Check it nice.

Rip City will premier on Fuel TV on March 27, 2009

Posted by Caleb on Sunday, February 15th, 2009 in Skateboarding.

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• -Ed Benedict Skate Park Plaza Is Open: Why Does Portland Gotta Blow Up So Hard?
• -D.O.P.E. the Documentary
• -X-Dance Film Festival Day 3