Popular Movies on Roller Skating
The Rink
Roll Bounce
Based on the Branch Brook Park Roller
This is a feel-good movie about the
Rink, located in Newark, NJ, which is
innocence of youth in times of uncer-
one of the few remaining urban rinks of
tainty. Bow Wow's portrayal makes you
its kind. This 55 minute documentary
forget that he is by extension a rapper
depicts a space cherished by skaters
by his commendable acting perfor-
and a city struggling to move beyond its
mance. A young Meagan Good also
past and forge a new narrative amidst
makes up the cast as one of the friends
contemporary social issues. The film
that help Xavier (Bow Wow) overcome
touches on "urban renewal" in a manner
the passing of his mother and the ten-
that reveals segregation and inequali-
sion with his father. Specific to the roller
ties. It speaks of congregation and the
skating Wesley Jonathan’s character
creation and preservation of community.
provided for the rivalry on skates and
Some of the characters that are dis-
the entertaining skating choreography.
played are real and have real issues
For the fans of Nick Cannon this is him
which can question our own prejudices
during the days before his stint with
and values on what should occur.
Mariah Carey.
Roller Boogie
This is one for the cult following of Linda
Blair from Exorcist fame. In this film she
was twenty years old and looking quite
attractive to ensure the film is carried
from start to end. It does not help
though that in the 1970’s all the male
actors are wearing knee-high-tubesocks which is not expected to be retro
anytime soon. I hope! Some bad acting
but great disco music and equally good
skating makes this a useful watch. On
top of which, it is your poor boy-rich girl
love story. Expect some intervention
from a few baddies to make the plot as
interesting as possible.
RollerBall
“In the year 2018, violence and crime
have been totally eliminated from society and given an outlet in the brutal blood
sport of rollerball, a high-velocity blend
of football, hockey, and motor-cross
racing sponsored by the multinational
corporations that now control the world
following the collapse of traditional politics. James Caan plays Jonathan E., the
reigning superstar of rollerball, whose
corporate controllers fear that Jonathan's popularity has endowed him with
too much power. They begin to pressure
him according to their own ruthless set
of rules, but Jonathan has rules of his
own”. --Jeff Shannon