Despite becoming rich and famous, it seems that ego never came into play. If you were around during skateboarding's popularity in the early 80's, Christian was at the center of building that popularity. Through numerous and engaging interviews, Hosoi's story will shock, amaze and stoke you. Hawk was the more technical skater, but Hosoi's charisma and style paved the way for him to achieve insane heights - both on and off his board. There was a longtime perceived rivalry between Hosoi and Tony Hawk.

With old and new footage, a killer soundtrack and interviews with skateboardings other legends, this film tells a story well with both images, video and words.īeginning his skateboarding career at the Marina Del Ray Skatepark, where his father was the manager, set the stage for Hosoi to become one of the first 'rockstars' of the skateboard world.

Nevertheless, it's still an interesting, highly watchable documentary - even if it's flank steak next to Stickler's sirloin.Narrated by Dennis Hopper, Rising Son is an amazing skateboard documentary about the rise and fall of legendary skateboarder, Christian Hosoi. Often, it's like a garage party of old skateboarders endlessly reminiscing about their Hosoi, the mythologized version that they like to remember. While 'Stoked!' was a cogent biography of the fame-addicted Gator, 'Rising Son' is but a piecemeal collage of Hosoi, stapling together stock footage and repetitive sound bites from a hodge podge of interviews. Disappointingly, it lacks the skillful organization and power of Stickler's film. Overall, Rising Son is a likable, television quality documentary about a youth celebrity's misadventure, steep fall from grace and sobering redemption. Years later, in jail and at rock bottom, he finds his salvation in religion. Then, just as suddenly, trends change and Hosoi descends into the fathoms as he succumbs to a drug addiction. We watch as Hosoi's style-driven aerial acrobatics, exhibitionism and campy, vibrant-colored clothing make him an overnight celebrity and fashion icon. The film's subject, Christian Hosoi, is a flamboyantly charismatic skateboarder who captures the energy and youth spirit of early professional skateboarding. Rising Son, similar to Helen Stickler's 2002 documentary, 'Stoked! The Rise and Fall of Gator', chronicles the meteoric rise and fall of a 1980s skateboarder, in yet another cautionary, VH1-esque tale about the dangers of fame. An enjoyable, albeit formulaic documentary of another fallen skateboard star from the 1980s.

Christian hosoi rising son