How did this happen?Ĭhristian Hosoi was born in 1967 and grew up in California and Hawaii. The spiritual markers were there but it took a long time to see them. He also became addicted to drugs, went to prison and later became a man of God. He traveled the world, made hundreds of thousands of dollars and was skateboarding’s most popular rebel and hit of the party. During his heyday, from the late 1980s to the early 90s, he was the rock star of skateboarding.

Nevertheless, it's still an interesting, highly watchable documentary - even if it's flank steak next to Stickler's sirloin.Christian Hosoi’s life has been filled with what he calls “spiritual markers.” His name was Christian, his nickname was Christ and his most well-known trick was the “Christ Air.” Hosoi, of Huntington Beach, CA., is a professional skateboarder and Associate Pastor of Sanctuary Church. 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 skateboard