The Rain Falls Down on Portlandtown

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Breaking News: Guest Director at POWFest 2012 is...

The good folks at POWFest (Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival) have hosted many a great visiting director in past years; one of my favorite memories of attending the fest is linked to Allison Anders' (Mi Vida Loca, Border Radio) appearance at a screening of Gas Food Lodging. Other past guests of note have included Gillian Armstrong (My Brilliant Career, Little Women), Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Point Break) and Irene Taylor Brodsky (Here and Now).

Well, this year's guest-of-honor is none other than Amy Heckerling (Clueless, National Lampoon's European Vacation). Her 1982 comedy classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High had already been announced to play the festival on Friday, March 9th at 9:15 at the Hollywood Theatre, so I'm assuming that more than a few fingers were crossed concerning the possibility of her being present during the weekend.

Better hurry up and grab a ticket, as they're bound to go pretty fast!

POWFest 2012 is nearly upon us!!!

POWFest (Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival) invades the historic Hollywood Theatre once again this year, showcasing the work of women directors ranging from the local to the global. Like the attractive graphic above states, the festival's 5th anniversary edition will run from Thursday, March 8th until Sunday, March 11th, packing a remarkable 80+ short and feature length films into the four-day schedule.

Things kick off on Thurs. 8th at 7pm with a series of locally-produced short films, "including Stella's Flight, a 'dramedy' about a woman trapped in a life that even her dog finds boring, written and directed by OPB Livewire host Courtenay Hameister."

From there, it's opening night parties, a two-day financing workshop for filmmakers (co-sponsored by the OMPA), favorite films from the past (Amy Heckerling's Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Nora Ephron's Sleepless in Seattle and Oscar-winner Barbara Kopple's Shut Up & Sing will all screen during the fest) and a large dose of new narrative and non-fiction content from both emerging and seasoned film directors.

The entire schedule is available for access here. Festival passes can be acquired at this link and tickets for individual shows can be purchased here.

Keep an eye on this blog for upcoming posts highlighting some of the films at POWFest 2012. In the meantime, here's a handful of trailers from the upcoming festival:

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

GRINDHOUSE FILM FESTIVAL presents VIGILANTE (1983) @the Hollywood Theatre tonight only!

Dan Halsted's Grindhouse Film Festival roars to life once again tonight (2/28) at The Hollywood Theatre with a one-night-only screening of William Lustig's 1983 vengeance-themed, genre flick Vigilante, starring Robert Forster (The Black Hole, Jackie Brown) and Fred Williamson (Hell Up in Harlem, Black Caesar).

As for the details, I defer to the experts at the Grindhouse webpage:

Vigilante (1983) Robert Forster stars as a New York everyman, with a blue-collar job and a small family he loves. When his family is violently assaulted by street punks, he is shocked to find the police and court system useless and corrupt. His co-worker (Fred Williamson) is fed up with the gangs and drug dealers who have taken over the city, and starts a vigilante group to take care of what the police are too terrified to do. Forster is hesitant to join, until he's finally pushed over the edge, and starts down a road of vengeance. This is one of the greatest revenge films ever made, directed by William Lustig (Maniac) and inspired by Italian crime films and spaghetti westerns.

As a bonus, here's a 2010 AVManiacs/CineFiles interview w/ William Lustig:

Vigilante will screen at the Hollywood Theatre for one night only: tonight (Feb. 28th) at 7:30pm.

Related links:
Grindhouse Film Festival presents Gates of Hell

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Monday, February 27, 2012

1 QUICK FIX #ONE: POWERS OF TEN

Hey all--
Just to mix things up a bit, I thought it'd be fun to start a recurring series of posts highlighting short form films. Not really looking to analyze or review them...just intending for it to be a low-key curatorial sweep through some of my favorites from the past. And I'll probably end up finding some new favorites along the way, too.

As for style, format, etc., I'm not really planning on imposing any rules. Look for the avant-garde to rub shoulders with the strongly narrative or non-fiction to sit side-by-side with popular animation of the past.

Before we begin with the first installment, I wanted to give a quick shout-out to the visual arts blog Fuzzimo, whose free, hi-res 16mm film frame images post is the source material for the 1 Quick Fix image above. Yup, that's the name of the series: 1 Quick Fix. Hope you enjoy it.

I wanted to ease into things with a film that many of you have probably encountered before. Charles and Ray Eames' Powers of Ten. I first saw the film in an elementary school science class (via a 16mm film-strip version). The film's pondering of infinite space blew my mind then and it still wows me to this day. Over time, it's become famous enough to have been paid homage to in an intro segment for The Simpsons, practically the modern equivalent of canonization.

'Nuff said about it. Why don't we just take a look at the film? Here it is, from 1977, Charles & Ray Eames' Powers of Ten:

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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Okay...PIFF's over, so now what?

Anyone else exhausted from seeing (or working) so many of this year's screenings at the Portland International Film Festival? The festival officially came to a close last night (although you still have time to catch a few of today's encore screenings at the Whitsell Auditorium and Cinema 21) with, of all things, the PIFF After Dark presentation of Invasion of Alien Bikini.

With PDX' biggest fest behind us, now what? Of course, there's always tonight's Academy Awards telecast, which you could watch in the privacy of your own home or, if you're looking to make it more of a communal thing, catch over at the Hollywood Theater (got my fingers crossed for Mr. Malick and his film, although I'd be just as fine if they give it all to Woody).

But, if I were inclined to just ignore the Oscars (as I often do), the number one thing appearing on a local screen that I'd hit up is the Laurelhurst Theater's limited engagement of The African Queen. Bogie and Hepburn floating down the river under the direction of Humphrey's best drinkin' buddy John Huston (the duo were reportedly soused on gin for much of the production, "to keep the mosquitoes off)...what's not to love?

The African Queen will screen for the public at the Laurelhurst Theater today at 1pm & 6:40pm. It runs through Thurs. 3/1, all weekday screenings are at 6:40pm.

...and there's absolutely no reason that you can't pull for Demián Bichir as the long-shot for best actor while simultaneously getting your Bogie on, right?

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Friday, February 24, 2012

If you missed BULLHEAD at PIFF...

I already reviewed the Oscar-nominated, Belgian crime film Bullhead when it played at the 35th annual Portland International Film Festival earlier this month. If you didn't catch it there, you've got another chance, as it begins its regular PDX theatrical run tonight at The Hollywood Theatre.

If there's any justice in this world, Bullhead will take home the trophy for best foreign language film next Sunday (although I suspect a much safer film will do so). Either way, go see this movie! Hit the link to see what I had to say about it a couple of weeks ago.

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DOUBLE INDEMNITY & FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED: Free 35mm-centric double feature @Cinema 21

Like it or not, 35mm projection is a dying form. The rumors of its death have been coming for years now as the digital revolution has rapidly gained ground, at first on film and television production sets, then, more recently, as the majority of theaters nationwide have added (or, in many cases, transitioned entirely to) digital projection for exhibition purposes.

Late last year, the most disturbing news of all emerged for lovers of the format; some major studios no longer have an interest in supplying theaters with archival prints, showing preference for digital formats over traditional film.

Care for a more local example of this technological shift? One of the Regal Cinemas locations in Portland is abandoning 35mm exhibition forever this week; the last film (read: 35mm presentation) shown there will be a PIFF 35 screening.

But (with all this context building) I'm kind of spinning away from the event that I wanted to highlight: next week, local gem Cinema 21 is hosting what they're calling "a celebration of over a hundred years of celluloid bliss, before it disappears." What this translates to is a double-feature of Billy Wilder's 1944 noir classic Double Indemnity paired with Hammer Productions' 1969 technicolor horror flick Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed.

Tom Ranieri and the gang over at Cinema 21 are offering up their 35mm-centric, double-feature for two nights only, Wednesday, February 29th and Thursday, March 1st. What's more, admission is on them! Yeah, that's right, a FREE, classically-minded double billing at one of the best theaters in town. Be sure to thank them at their very reasonably priced concession stand. Maybe I'll see you in line?

The FREE double feature of Double Indemnity (@7pm) and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (@9:15) runs next Wednesday (2/29) and Thursday (3/1) at Cinema 21. Don't miss out!

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