LA Film Fest: Dirty Hands, The Art & Crimes of David Choe

Last Saturday, I stopped by the Majestic Crest Theatre in Westwood to see the documentary "Dirty Hands, The Art & Crimes of David Choe". When the film first began, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I had briefly read the synopsis about some do-whatever-he-wants bad boy artist and his rough soulful journey toward his own salvation... Was this going to be an attempt at trying to unnecessarily draw out profound meaning or shock value from some artsy fartsy situation, or was this going to strike a chord with the audience?

As an artist, I have a tendency to be highly critical when it comes to other artists and the messages that they communicate. I could be apologetic, but in actuality, I'm trained to be this way... to dig beyond the flash of "artsyness" and trends and what I'm told is great to find something that's more raw and authentic, as ugly as it can be.

I'll admit that the documentary was a little too long, and sometimes disorienting in its swirls of colors, commentary, and just plain crazy antics on the artist's part (at one point, David's being interviewed while submerged in water up to his neck out in Africa in search of dinosaurs). But after some thought, I realized that what I initially mistook as the usual mix of arrogance and nonchalance was actually his natural air as an artist... because artists tend to be counter cultural in nature, bordering on defiant and even absurdity in hitting and satiating their creative needs. And by the end of the movie, when I finally oriented myself amid the swirls and snippets of interviews and artworks to fully realize the difficulties and poignant depths of his trials, I realized that while David might really be crazy, he's just more willing than most to go with his impulses and experiment, regardless of the outcome. Seeing as how that's one of my biggest weaknesses as an artist, he's definitely garnered my respect.

The LA Film Fest's well underway, with just a few days left before it makes its glorious exit with a closing gala screening of "Hellboy II". Be sure to check out Family Day on Sunday that's full of free activities, a petting zoo, and more, along with other awesome screenings!

-Sarah Koo, ExperienceLA Marketing Assistant

"Leaving on a Jet Plane..."

Some of the ExperienceLA staff members will be flying out of town for the MLK weekend. And we're proud to say that we'll be taking the FlyAway bus to get to LAX. The FlyAway has three pick-up locations: Westwood, Union Station, and Van Nuys. Each bus leaves at every half hour and costs just $4 each way for adults. The non-stop service includes curbside stops at each terminal.

It's definitely the way to go if you don't want to park overnight or deal with traffic on your own. For those of you staying around LA, check out the ExperienceLA calendar for great things to do during this special weekend!

-ExperienceLA Staff

The Odd Couple

For two performances only, Martin Short and Jason Alexander team up for "The Odd Couple", a special event of the Reprise! 2007-2008 season.

Reprise! is also offering a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Friday, January 25th. Click here for more info.

Don't miss out on this special event at the Wadsworth Theatre. While you're at it, I'd highly recommend hanging out in and around the Westwood area, which boasts both a Pinkberry and Red Mango, as well as on Sawtelle with great restaurants like Furaibo.

-ExperienceLA Staff