Skate Kitchen

Skate Kitchen? I thought they closed that place down!

(Top90s)

I can't quite hit this up to an 80 because while I think it's very good, it doesn't have that thing or two that puts it beyond that. It's one of those slice of life flicks where very little happens, so it relies on the chemistry of the actors to get it done for the most part. And it succeeds but doesn't excel. It is shot well and the hypnotic OST from Aska Matsumiya lent beauty and gravitas to it when it was applied, specifically at the end, which was almost enough to grant it an 80.

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Hard not to compare to the vastly superior Mid90s. It's ok in its own right. Nosedives around the midpoint. Cardboard characters aren't made more interesting by manufacturing shallow love triangle conflicts. Would have been better as a shorter, less conventional mood piece.

With it's day-in-the-life persona, it doesn't get any deeper than hanging out with the cool kids and the coming of age. No real attempt at being innovative with it's common grounds, but definitely had some mesmerizing 'feel good' moments.

If you felt Mid90's was too plotty and constrained I would recommend this to you. Pure freedom of the board. Weird that skateboarding is making a comeback

Did everyone learn about skateboarding in 2018 or what? Like this better than Mid 90s because it lets the characters just flow around a bit more. Everything here feels spontaneous and fun. Even when it brings in conflict it doesn't sacrifice its plotless day in the life feel. It just feels effortless.

SKATE KITCHEN is an achingly cool and poetic ode to girlhood. The low-stakes drama yields to the gorgeous visuals, which capture a sense of beauty and freedom for a marauding pack of female skaters tenuously exploring the world of adult relationships. Sure, the performances are a little stilted and blunt, but whose adolescence was the portrait of nuance?

Low-key, rambling evocation of the skateboard community is at its best when simply observing the skateboarders talking, performing and interacting with each other - achieves such an engrossing level of documentary realism in the first half that it's a shame when manufactured conflicts are introduced, and then the screenplay seems to have little clue about what to do with them. Despite these faults, a still bracing breath of fresh air, sparked by the terrific performers in the skate kitchen crew.

Extra points for incorporating actors who can actually skate. So-so movie.

Beautifully shot but interminable and the performances in general were not engaging, with the exception of a few outspoken, hilarious members of the skate crew.