"Um I'd like one ticket for,
Beautiful
Losers." I went warily to this documentary last night, thinking it was
going to be
another rags-to-riches story of a hip art clique, complete with footage
of the cool parties you could never get into. But okay, I'll
go see it...heck
Shepard Fairey is in it.
I've seen films on the cultural significance of
graffiti and the
skate culture,
those of
disenchanted youth angry at the world, this one
is more about the behind the scenes creative process and collective
energy of a
group of witty DIY artstars. Shot in NYC, LA and SF in
the mid '90s, it covers their rise from a
tiny gallery to international corporate
campaigns, then ends
on a surprisingly touching moment. The film slowly shows that they
aren't just well-funded hacks lazing around the Lower East Side, but reveals how their unity propels them
and how each is simply, driven. (a plump
Harmony Korine says in
the end, its almost a "duty".)
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