Parents' Guide to LA Originals

While on the surface a success story, this documentary encompasses so much more. While the work ethics and creative talents of photographer Estevan Oriol and graffiti/tattoo artist Mr. Cartoon are given proper respect in LA Originals, the pair's origins and involvement with hip-hop and Chicano culture share just as much space, if not more. As Oriol's photography and Cartoon's tattoo work became in demand and chic among the top celebrities of music, sports, and film, the two never forgot their roots, and never stopped documenting the not-glamorous life of the streets. What ultimately emerges is not only the rise of Oriol and Cartoon, but also the rise of hip-hop and the Chicano culture of Los Angeles into an international phenomenon.

While the grit of gang bangers discussing surviving drive-bys or footage of drug addicts shooting heroin is intense at times, it also counterbalances the obnoxious status-symbol bragging of Eminem and the late Kobe Bryant when talking about the expense and prestige of getting their skin tatted up by Mr. Cartoon. Perhaps like Los Angeles itself, there isn't a middle class in this movie, as the two manage to live in the worlds of both the Haves and Have Nots. The ultimate takeaway isn't so much about the success of these two men from humble beginnings, but how so much that ends up being part of the worldwide uberculture -- music, food, language -- also comes out of humble beginnings.