#WINNING Wednesday, March 30, 2011

What could possibly be crazier than Charlie Sheen? How about an art show inspired by Charlie Sheen? Hyaena Gallery's #WINNING takes the actor's madness into the realm of fine art, with paintings by local artists interpreting Sheen's rants. Must be seen to be believed: Chuck Hodi's zombified Sheen in charcoal and pastels; Sheen made up as Aladdin Sane, a la the David Bowie album cover, courtesy Jim Wirt; and "Thundercat," Nicolas Caesar's acrylic-on-canvas take on the self-proclaimed tiger-blooded Adonis. Also on exhibit: Jeff Rebner, Jeremy Cross, Donnie Green, Jessica Ward, Chris Mann, Lou Rusconi, Aidan Casserly, and Kit Cameo. Duh! Winning! Hyaena Gallery, 1928 W. Olive Ave., Burbank; opening reception Sat., April 2, 8 p.m.; thru April 15. (818) 972-2448, hyaenagallery.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, April 1, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 7:58 PM, ,

Erotic Artfair Weekend Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The pervert's perv's place to be is none other than West Hollywood Park's Erotic Artfair Weekend, wherein all shapes and sizes of sculpture, photography, paintings, sketches, and digital renderings will be on display and for sale. The fair opens Saturday with life drawing and photography ("Bring your art materials or just enjoy viewing the human form" — don't mind if I do!); opening ceremonies and symposiums; and the Mr. L.A. Leather Contest at the Hwang Theatre in Little Tokyo, which is probably even more awesome than it sounds. The fun continues Sunday with more nude drawings and "Meet Mr. Leather L.A. 2011" (I like to call him Mr. Fancy Pants). Warning: This entire weekend has a high probability of penis. West Hollywood Park, 647 N. San Vicente Blvd., W. Hlywd.; Sat., March 26, 1-7 p.m.; Sun., March 27, noon-6 p.m.; complete schedule at tomoffinlandfoundation.org. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, March 25, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 4:35 PM, ,

March Madness Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Quentin Tarantino's March Madness, a month of hand-picked programming, continues at the New Beverly with chop-socky double feature The Hot, the Cool and the Vicious/Fearless Fighters. Made in Taiwan in 1976, The Hot, the Cool and the Vicious kung-fus its way through a twisty plot involving a wandering street fighter sought by police, an undercover agent in a gang of counterfeiters, and a ninja girl out for revenge. The kicks are swift and the pain is palpable, which is probably why Tarantino likes it. Fearless Fighters, produced in Hong Kong in 1971, pulls no punches when it comes to high kicks and flying leaps, nor when it comes to the ridiculous dubbed dialogue. Let's call it "fun-fu." New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., L.A.; Tues., March 22, 7:30 & 9:25 p.m.; $7. (323) 938-4038. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, March 18, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 11:29 PM, ,

Leprethon! Friday, March 11, 2011

"Try as they will, and try as they might, who steals me gold won't live through the night!" With those fateful words, a maniacal Irish elf embarked on an epic six-part (and counting) spree of bloody havoc, starting with 1993's Leprechaun. Cinefamily screens the creme de la mayhem in Leprethon!, a St. Patrick's Day horror-movie marathon starting with 1995's Leprechaun 3 (wherein the titular imp goes wild in Las Vegas); then it's 1997's Leprechaun 4: In Space (more absurd than sci-fi slasher sequel Friday the 13th: Jason X); and the real pot of gold, 2000's Leprechaun: In the Hood, an Inner City fiasco mixing up the psycho leprechaun with hip-hop, weed, and Ice-T. Cinefamily, 611 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A.; Thurs., March 17, 8 p.m.; $12. (323) 655-2510. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, March 11, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 4:18 PM, ,

The Man With F.E.E.E.T Monday, March 7, 2011

Who needs 3-D movies when there's View-Master? Those popular kids toys of the 1960s and '70s, kind of like binoculars that you inserted circular slide strips into to see pictures in 3-D, are back as the centerpiece of a live stage show. Eric Drysdale's The Man With F.E.E.E.T brings to life the unreal story of a 1970s never-made-for-TV show about an ordinary man wearing the world's most extraordinary loafers. The adventures of Jack Strider (Christian Finnegan) play out on each audience member's View-Masters, custom reels and read-along booklets, as host Ron Lynch narrates the action. Along for the ride in actual 3-D are comedians Matt Walsh, Adam Felber, Eddie Pepitone, Adam Felber and Amber Nelson. FYI: F.E.E.E.T. stands for Footwear-based Electronically Engineered Emulation Technology. Downtown Independent, 251 S. Main St., dwntwn.; Wed., March 16, 8 & 9:30 p.m. (two shows); $20. (213) 200-2977, themanwithfeeet.com. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, March 11, 2011.)

posted by Derek Thomas @ 6:20 PM, ,