I thought I'd throw this DVD on and get some work done at the same time, but in about 5 minutes, I was glued to the couch. At the Lab, I've seen tons of graf dvds, but none has ever revealed the full story about graf artists like this. I don't how Doug Pray (who also directed the turntablism documentary Scratch) convinced his subjects to do this. I mean it's full disclosure: Pray films them in the act bombing, in their homes, with their parents, and at their work. What makes it gripping though is the quality of the subjects. Like in Scratch, Pray goes straight for the large players in the game, all from different backgrounds. First you he Earsnot, the downtown writer, who happens to be black and ***** (I won't spoil it), then you got Claw, the female fashionista bomber; Enem, the North Philly writer with all the crazy hand-styles; Jase, who has a well documented obsession with rails; Saber, probably one of the most standout writers in the last decade; and Toomer, an og west coast latino writer. In addition, he follows around Joe Connolly aka "The Graffiti Guerilla," who takes buffing graf as serious (and beefs as hard) as the kids writing it (dude is a nut). In the end, Pray somehow weaves these diverse stories into one without putting a commercialized or overly counter-culture gloss on it (the ultimate downfall of Scratch). 90 minutes plus 40 minutes of bonus features. Soundtrack by Z-Trip. Recommended.

reviewed by the mgmnt