High ratings seem to be mostly nostalgia. That and just watching it for the skating moves.

The old studio heads who greenlit this film, and the suburban dad who watched MTV for his source material, all had no clue.

Really goofy choices for a soundtrack. Meatloaf the overweight faux opera epic hippie rocker singing about skating? Fine Young Cannibals the gay pride synth pop band? Another fashion casualty synth pop group, Animotion? And all kinds of third rate MTV wannabes...

Only RHCP, Fear, and Circle Jerks belong. But they could have found a dozen actual skate punk bands like Big Boys or Suicidal.

The fashion was pretty hilarious, more third rate MTV imitations. Frosted perms and waves, dangling cross earrings, mullets, and heavy eye makeup and metal denim jackets on skaters?

Kids doing skating moves in a punk rock pit? Or even being allowed to carry their boards into a club. Right...

Just keep fast forwarding past everything but the skate moves unless you enjoy unintentional comedy.

For all the love that people have for Rad, let me tell you, Trashin' was just as big in the video rental stores of my youth. Maybe it's because I skated and so much of my culture came from Thrasher Magazine, but this movie is just as good to me, if not as celebrated today. I mean, Vinegar Syndrome isn't rushing out a 4K of this one.

Corey Webster (Josh Brolin!) is an amateur skateboarder new to L. A. who wants to win a downhill competition when he meets Chrissy (Pamela Gidley, Cherry 2000 herself!),a girl who knocks him for a loop. She just happens to be the sister of Hook (Robert Rusler, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge),the leader of The Daggers, a punk rock skateboard gang who now wants to knock out our hero.

Sure, it all works out, but along the way, some of the greatest skaters of the 80s show up, like Tony Alva, Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Christian Hosoi and Steve Caballero. There are also appearances by Brooke McCarter (Paul of The Lost Boys),Brett Marx (Jimmy Feldman from The Bad News Bears movies) and Josh Richman, who directed several Guns 'n Roses videos. Oh yeah - Sherilyn Fenn plays Velvet, one of the Daggers' girls.

The soundtrack to this is kinda all over the place, with a theme song by Meat Loaf, of all people, yet there are plenty of scene correct punk and metal shirts, as well as Fear and the Circle Jerks songs. Perhaps the best music part of this film is an appearance by the Freaky Styley-era Red Hot Chili Peppers, back before anyone cared who they were and they'd show up in movies like this and Tough Guys.

Director David Winters started his career as an actor, showing up on Broadway in West Side Story and Gypsy before becoming a choreographer - he was the first to choreograph the Watusi, originated the Freddie and helped Elvis and Ann-Margaret dance in Viva Las Vegas. His first directorial effort was the Alice Cooper film Welcome to my Nightmare and he also was behind the Joe Spinell movie The Last Horror Film. His producing credits are insane, with everything from Linda Lovelace for President* to Young Lady Chatterley, Killer Workout and owned Action International Pictures, where David Prior made all manner of films.

So yeah. Thrashin'. Go find it.

*Lovelace dated Winters after divorcing Chuck Traynor. She credited him for introducing her to culture.

It doesn't matter if its a bad movie with bad 80's quality. It was after this movie that Europe started to get into some serious skating, including me as well ;) I'm sure that most of the living legends of skateboarding thinks this is a kick ass film. Its so 80's and that rules! BTW How many movies in the 80's where really good blockbusters? LOL. Well this movie has it all, skates, skaters, romance, cool 80's skate tricks, red hot chili peppers, and a hell of a romeo and juliet theme all over it. I have watched it like 300 times on a very bad copy VHS tape. Hehe to bad i doesn't have my old Powell Peralta board with kryptonics wheels still laying around. I recommend this movie to any and everyone. Hugs and kisses from me ;)