Hello everybody.

After getting so angry with last week’s film of The Hottie and the Nottie (except for the ending), I decided that instead of a crappy movie this week, I would go back and watch a film from my younger days. A film that doesn’t seem like a Disney Channel Original Movie. A film with a great cast, great soundtrack, script a little iffy, but believable performances. I am talking about the 1998 film, “Brink.” The film is from writer Jeff Schechter, who believe it or not was the writer for Bloodsport 2, and directer Greg Beeman, whose work includes directing episodes of Melrose Place, Smallville, Heroes, and countless others. It stars Erik Von Detten as Andy “Brink” Brinker and Sam Horrigan as the bitter rival Val. This was their second film together as they both appeared in another Disney film, Escape to Witch Mountain back in 1995. So lets get on with the review.

Things to know beforehand:

Acting: The script isn’t the best, but the delivery of the lines is so convincing that you can overlook the cheesy script.

Dialogue: See above

Casting: Every single character, although some flat, is convincing in their respected roles

Cinematography: Great shots from the different skating environments that includes homes, downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica Pier, and a skate park at dusk. You will surely be impressed

Score: Great soundtrack that blends punk, ska, and a few ballads.

The film begins with “Brink” headed out of the house to meet his friends at the skate park to do a practice session with Gabby, Arne, and Peter. They call themselves “Soul Skaters.” They skate for the love of it, and not for fame and fortune, unlike their bitter rivals, Team X-Blades. A group of sponsored skaters that have the fame, the money, and the women led by their team leader, Val. Team X-Blades manages to kick out the soul skaters from the skate park and they get angry. That’s Disney for you, no clear reason why we should hate them, only because they are “bad” to the protagonists. Ha

The script says that we should hate each other, but I love your hair!

At school, pranks ensue, when Val throws Peter’s shoes on a telephone line, and they retaliate by putting worms in Val’s sandwich. This gets Val really angry and challenges the soul skaters to a race in the middle of school. They decided to accept the challenge and begin a rally race around the school. When Boomer, a Team X-Blades skater played by Walter Jones of Power Rangers fame, falls and gets hurt Brink stops from the race and decides to help him out. The teachers arrive and they are all suspended from school for the day.

Back at Brink’s home, the family faces troubled times. His mother is in real estate and people aren’t buying homes, and the father is on disability and the bills keep piling up. Brink wishes he could do something about the situation.

The next day at school Val informs the soul skaters that because of Boomer’s injury, there is a spot open in the Team X-Blades roster. Although the soul skaters scoff at the idea, Val believes that Brink will show up to the try outs. Later in the day while the soul skaters are doing another practice sesh, Brink decides to lie to his friends and go to the X-Blades try outs. At the tryouts, Brink impresses everyone including Val and decides to include him on the team. Though, Val and the rest of the team cannot tell Brink’s friends that he is on the team, and Brink cannot make fun of Val in public anymore. So with a handshake Brink is the newest member of the “enemy.”

I know I’m still supposed to hate you but… what kind of shampoo do you use?

At home, Brink brings up the idea of getting a job and helping out with the money situation. He suggests that he should join the sponsored skaters. His father says no because he shouldn’t be spending all of his time thinking about skating. The father eventually ends up getting a job for him working at a dog grooming place. So Brink’s day consists of waking up early in the morning, going to school, going to work, practicing with his friends, lying to them, then going to practice with X-Blades, going home, doing homework, and finally heading off to bed.

Now comes the weekend of the Los Angeles Skating Invitational. It is a prep for the championship coming up. The soul skaters wanted to go. Though Brink tells them that he has a major fever and that they should not go to the invitational and practice instead. Brink then rushes out of bed to go to the invitational to skate for X-Blades. Back at the skate park, the soul skaters decide that they should go to the invitational anyway. When they get there, they finally see the truth. They confront Brink and yell and scream and cause a scene. Brink is disappointed in himself. Author’s Note: dude you should’ve known they were going to find out one way or another. Then again, when you’re young, you aren’t always thinking clearly (ex. 16 and Pregnant).

The next Einstein!

So in the championship there are three events: street, vert and downhill. At the downhill course Team X-Blades is set up to practice when the soul skaters come and want to practice as well. Val suggest that they race to see who can stay. He picks Brink to race against his old friend Gabby. Although Brink doesn’t want to race against her, Gabby pressures him into doing so. Val says he will go to the bottom of the track to make sure there isn’t any “cheating.” Before he leaves he tells Brink to stay on the outside corner of the turn at the bottom of the hill. So the race is on and Brink and Gabby race to the bottom. At the bottom, Val throws some gravel on the road. Brink tries to warn Gabby to move to the outside but she declines and manages to run over the gravel and fall and gets into a very nasty crash.

Brink feeling very guilty decides to tell his parents about everything and decides to quit Team X-Blades. Long story short, he makes up with his friends, and in true Disney fashion, the underdogs manage to win it all.

This is a terrific movie because it is quite unexpected from a Disney Channel Original Movie. It isn’t so cliche that it takes you out of the story. At times, the script is good, at times you’ll be facepalming, but in the end, a great cast, and a phenomenal soundtrack that will keep you rocking until after the credits (except for the song during the credits), makes this a cannot miss film. I cannot link it because I don’t want to get people in trouble because of copy written material but let’s just say that you can go to a certain website where YOU can check out videos that you’ve seen on your TUBE.

Dude, I still love your hair!

Don’t forget the popcorn.

P.S. There seems to be a lack of stuff happening in the Fin section. So I am willing to put in extra work to make sure this the best and most informative section. So please let me know in the comments what you would like to see and read during the week. Thanks a lot and I look forward to your input!

• Fin