First Ink, the new documentary from Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh, hit the shelves this week just in time for a last minute stocking stuffer. I popped it in my DVD player last night, not expecting much, and to my surprise it left me wanting more. Seriously.

Don't get we wrong. I'm a Chris Bosh fan. But having watched his campy YouTube videos over the past year or so I was expecting First Ink to be more of the same - raw and a bit goofy. But at 25 minutes long, the doc is actually too short - in the way when you're watching a movie and you're bummed when it ends. You just want it to keep going.

First Ink, thanks to the deft touch of editor Steve Guise, is well crafted. It's set in Toronto and tells the story of Bosh's journey to get his first tattoo - a rite of passage most NBA players seem to undertake in College or in the first couple of years of their career.

The subject of Bosh's tattoo has been a guarded secret for months. Ever since he announced that he had one, he's declined all requests to show it off in public, or even discuss what it looks like.

In First Ink, we finally get a glimpse. The documentary moves quickly and starts off with Bosh trying to decide where he should actually get it done. He narrows his selection down to three well-regarded Toronto tattoo shops: Black Line Studio on King West, Speakeasy on Harbord Street, and Pleasure & Pain.

I won't say which one he goes with because that's one of the key plot lines in the film but apparently the whole thing took eight painful sessions before it was complete.

Here's the trailer for First Ink that gives a bit of a taste.

Also on the DVD, there are highlights from Bosh's high school days, new and familiar CBTV skits as well as extensive interviews in the Special Features section that didn't make it into the final cut including one where Bosh learns that a former Leaf has ties to the Tim Horton donut/coffee empire.

More info about First Ink on one of Chris Bosh's many web sites.

Photo by Raps Fan on Flickr