Customer Reviews

Joe Kid on a Sting-Ray DVD

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4 star:		(1)
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Very cool documentary on the history of BMX. Well done. Lots of interviews and commentaries.

Being a part of a historical event or time period raises the bar for a documentary film. If it gives you chills and brings you back, the film is a success. Joe Kid is a wonderful timeline of events and spirt in the world of BMX. I had chills reliving all the details and energy. Great job.

this movie may have been a bit more poignant to me than to the average documentary-watcher, as it almost exactly mirrored my own participation in the sport of BMX -- from its roots on the dirt tracks to its offshoots of "freestyle" and then "street" -- it was like taking a trip through my own (child/teen/youngAdult)hood.

much like other "action sports" documentaries before it, this film took a wildly popular current sport and traced the history of it, starting with the 1968 introduction of the legendary schwinn stingray bicycle. as the film documents how the smaller bike allowed kids to emulate their motocross heroes, the old heads start to show up on the camera -- scot breithaup, stu thomsen, greg hill -- and their interviews reveal a free and explorative early period of a sport. the film continues to pass through the advancements, and the ups and downs of the sport, following the same format as many films before it -- old footage and photos interspersed with interviews and memories -- and finally culminates in where the sport is today (or at least when the film was finished, in 2006).

and even if i take myself out of my personal attachment to the subject matter, i still see a lot of good in this doc. everyone's seen kids in their city ripping it up on BMX bikes and maybe it's frightened or confused them, same as with skateboarders. well have no more fear, cause this movie is a charming and fun look at a great sport.

i encourage any documentary-film fan or individual-sport fan to put this in their collection, alongside "dogtown and z-boys" and "riding giants." you will not be displeased.