All This Mayhem

What starts out as Dogtown and Z-Boys Down Under quickly turns into a too-familiar tragedy of too much, too young, too soon, set against the background milieu of extreme-sports "thrash" culture. Growing up in an athletic (but often violently dysfunctional) household in Melbourne, Australia, brothers Tas and Ben Pappas became transfixed by America's burgeoning skateboarding scene. In the 1990s they started making their own impact, with amazing "vert" half-pipe stunts and routines, and eventually self-financed a trip to skateboarding mecca San Diego to compete, chiefly against their idol (and nemesis) Tony Hawk. By 1997, Tas and younger Ben were ranked first and second place worldwide in skateboarding. But financial betrayal coupled with poor choices—and lots of drugs—resulted in a fall steeper than any of the brothers' gravity-defying feats. A strong optional purchase. (C. Cassady)