Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator : Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction

This documentary would make for one INCREDIBLE film. It is so 1980s that I cannot describe. Some films like "Boogie Nights" have sought to capture that feel, this film is '80s to the max. Gator was messed up, no doubt about it. He did a horrible thing, but he was so confused. He reminds me of the Dirk Diggler character from Boogie Nights. He is this young guy with a talent that is exploited and used and then forgotten just as quickly as came up. The guy is just fascinating. He is one of those guys that had it all, literally. How can things turn so bad so fast. He should be touring with Tony Hawk right now, making millions, but instead he is in prison. Sad, tragic, weird.

"There's the way it ought to be, and there's the way it is."

Don't see the relation to Dirk Diggler at all. Totally different industry, and that said, Dirk Diggler is fictional, and exploited for hisum.. "assets"..where as Mark Rogowski is a real person, and I don't think his talent was exploited in anyway - Mark seemed perfectly willing to go along with promotion of his boards and Vision Streetwear.

Maybe a movie based on this story - LIKE Boogie Nights was loosely based on John Holmes - would be a better idea.

Every young and rising star tends to gets exploited in showbiz, consensual or not. They might think they're in control, but at the end of the day, they're just puppets. Someone was irresponsible for giving him the microphone and spotlight without even realizing he had some serious mental disorders.

Some survive it and learn better, some don't. Things like talent agents are very important in protecting the talent's interests and preventing them from being exploited. Gator really needed something of that sort considering what he was doing.

Dirk Diggler is very similar, fictional or not. He was a talent exploited, much like Gator.

The reason it's so 80's to the max is it's actual footage from the 80's. He would be touring with Tony Hawk if he wasn't *beep* CRAZY! Bummer but it's true and the movie shows it pretty clearly.