A Panoramic Look at Skateboarding in Shanghai

George Costanza was famously betrayed in a board meeting when his protégé publicly asserted that a city planner is greater than an architect. Of course, cities are macrocosms of their constituents – perpetually developing landscapes that are equal parts past and future. It can be arguably stated that no one is more fluent in the relationship between city and culture than the skateboarder, who from slick marble ledges to rough cement of old, interacts with his or her environment on a daily basis. This subject and more are explored in “PANORAMIC,” a visual survey of the skateboarding scene in Shanghai, China. “PANORAMIC” is a rather apt title for the film, which features a myriad spots thrill seekers and weekenders alike might salivate over. By the looks of it there seems no better place to ride our useless wooden toys in 2013, to the point where the mind ponders the city planner behind Shanghai’s magnificence, and whether he was out to stick it to ol’ George.