CINEFAMILY INVADES PORTLAND THIS WEEKEND

Los Angeles-based theater the Cinefamily is taking over a screen at the Hollywood Theatre for a series of special events this weekend.  Unaware of what Cinefamily is all about?  Here's a quick blurb from their website to catch you up to speed:

The Cinefamily’s mission is to foster a spirit of community and a sense of discovery, while reinvigorating the movie-going experience. Like campfires, sporting events and church services, we believe that movies work best as social experiences. They are more meaningful, funnier and scarier when shared with others. 

The Cinefamily was founded in 2007 by brothers Dan and Sammy Harkham and Hadrian Belove, founder of Cinefile Video. We currently average 14 shows per week, many of which are enhanced with special guests, live music, dance parties, potlucks and other kinds of social fun. Last year, 53,352 patrons visited the Cinefamily in person, and 1.5 million were reached by the Cinefamily livestream.

Those wanting a more visual representation of the work being done by the organization could easily spend hours wading through the Cinefamily vimeo page.

Co-founder Hadrian Belove will serve as an ambassador of the theater's mission for the Portland events, bringing with him three unique presentations for PDX audiences to enjoy.  First up on Friday night is a program called 100 Most Outrageous F-CKS.  According to the press release:

A psyche-shattering presentation featuring the most outrageous clips of copulation across the history of film! Since its inception, the motion picture has titillated our collective senses in more ways than you can shake a…well, let’s just say in a lot of ways. From the shiny mainstream to the slimy underground, from the restrained to the risqué, from the prudish to the piggish, sexual images have soaked cinema with their uncanny ability to turn peoples’ heads, curl their toes and make them feel all funny inside — and since the Cinefamily truly believes in the Catherine Breillat-approved adage that “sex is comedy”, it’s time to get real funny. Tonight we celebrate the absolute finest in demented on-screen porkage, alongside every conceivable combination of limbs, lips, etc. Bring a date (or at least someone you need to broach certain topics with…)!

Also on Friday, Hadrian will present Lost in the Desert.  It's "a South African kids’ movie sadistic to the point of absurdity, submitting its lone boy protagonist Dirkie, poor eight-year old Dirkie, to a cavalcade of traumas and tribulations punishing in their accumulation, and positively Christ-like in their extremity. This movie is either the bleakest of godless nightmares, or the blackest, most hilarious comedy ever concocted–and made for children, no less. Mel Gibson would flinch at what happens to this kid. And, unbelievably, the film was directed by the wee actor’s da. Stranded in the Kalahari without water, Dirkie biblically wanders the desert with his pet terrier where he is harassed by hyenas, repeatedly injured, sleep-deprived, psychologically tortured, and finally left passed out and half-buried in the sand looking like an image from an Arrabal film. Disturbing and relentless right up to its oblique, ambiguous and haunting last shot…and, oh, those dead puppies in the sand…dead puppies in the sand…"

Saturday evening brings an even more playful side of Cinefamily to town when Mr. Belove will lead Portland in a round of the 5 Minutes Game.  Need a lil' more info?  Here it is:
We’re firm believers in “Every movie is interesting for at least its first five minutes”, those fascinating moments when you’re still entering the new world a film presents you, and trying to figure out what the hell’s going on. What we’re gonna do is choose fifteen movies you’ve likely never seen before (with most, if not all the films unavailable on DVD), line ‘em up, and only show you the first five minutes of each, not counting their opening credits. After all that, you, the audience, gets to vote on which film out of the fifteen we all then watch in its entirety.

NSFW!! 100 Most Outrageous Fucks (trailer) from Cinefamily on Vimeo.

The Cinefamily presents:
100 Most Outrageous F-CKS at the Hollywood Theatre on Friday, July 13th at 7:30pm.  More info available here.
Lost in the Desert at the Hollywood Theatre on Friday, July 13th at 9:30pm.  More info available here.

5 Minutes Game at the Hollywood Theatre on Saturday, July 14th at 7:30pm.  More info available here.


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JACKPOT RECORDS presents FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III IN 3D

Tired of only celebrating patriotic holidays in July?  Well, Jackpot Records has got your back when in comes to commemorating the spookiest day outside of Halloween (and/or secretaries day).  Tomorrow night, they're hosting a rare theatrical screening of Friday the 13th part III as it was originally released back in 1982...in 3D!!! 

This third chapter in the co-ed slaying adventures of Jason Voorhees was directed by Steve Miner, who also helmed the second film in the series, as well as the far scarier, mid-80s C. Thomas Howell vehicle Soul Man.

Here's a little more info, plucked straight from Jackpot's press release for the event:

Friday the 13th Part III is the third film in the Friday the 13th series. Released in 1982, it was the first film in the series to feature Jason Voorhees wearing the hockey mask that has become his prominent trademark. Friday the 13th Part III was released theatrically in 3-D, and is notable as the first Paramount Pictures film produced in 3-D since 1954.


This 1982 film, upon it's initial release mainly played the drive-in circuit and was rarely shown in 3D. Now, we are giving you another chance to catch all manner of sharp objects being thrust your direction...and if you're lucky an eyeball might pop onto your lap!

Friday the 13th part III in 3D plays one-night-only at the Bagdad Theater on Friday, July 13th at 8pm.  More info available here.

 
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NW FILM CENTER'S TOP DOWN ROOFTOP CINEMA NEEDS A HELPING HAND

Call it a mixed blessing, if you will, but the phenomenal success of the NW Film Center's annual Top Down rooftop cinema series has presented its organizers with a unique problem to solve.  Bottom line, the audience has outgrown the outdoor screen upon which the summertime screenings are projected.  It's reached the point where those unlucky enough to be at the back of the crowd have to squint in order to even be able to tell that there's a movie being projected at all.

As no doubt many of you are aware, the Film Center is a regional, non-profit media arts center, not exactly the kind of organization that tends to have much petty cash hidden away for emergencies of this variety.  Fortunately, we live in the age of crowd-funding where websites like Kickstarter or IndieGoGo allow individuals to throw down a few bones in support of the artists, organizations and causes they love. 

Can you tell where we're going with this?  Yes, Top Down needs your help to make this year's outdoor film series an enjoyable experience for all in attendance.  They've got a Kickstarter campaign in progress as well as a winning season of Thursday night screenings lined-up for Portland audiences.  A donation of any size will help ensure that the NW Film Center is able to reach their goal and purchase a screen large enough for all to experience a little cinema under the stars.

And what to expect of this year's films?  Well, as usual, it's an eclectic mix of crowd pleasers ranging from an old favorite from the great Preston Sturges to a campy children's entertainment starring Don Knotts.  Also on the schedule, one of local film hero Gus Van Sant's best films and a rock and roll musical for the new millennium.  All in all, a series of events worthy of your patronage.

Here, again, is the link for the fundraising campaign, complete with details of the different rewards available for each level of support.  This link will allow you to peruse the specifics of this year's schedule.  And, because who doesn't love trailers, here are the coming attractions:

The NW Film Center's Top Down rooftop cinema series kicks off on Thursday, July 26th at the Hotel deLuxe's parking garage (located at SW 15th & Yamhill).  The opening night film is Preston Sturges' 1942 screwball comedy The Palm Beach Story.

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RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: WEARING THE HAT, GRABBING THE WHIP

Film snob or not, there aren't too many fans of the cinematic arts out there who can deny having at least some love for Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Steven Spielberg's 1981 homage to the serialized action material that powered his imagination as a child delivers on so many levels that very few of the action/adventure films that followed it, including Spielberg's sequels in the Indiana Jones series, feel as fresh or full of possibility as Raiders does.

Beginning tomorrow, PDX gets another chance to gather together in a theatrical setting to watch Harrison Ford wearing the hat, grabbing the whip, and transforming into the character he was born to play (yeah, I hear ya Star Wars fans--we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one).  The Hollywood Theatre's booked a 4-day run of the brand new 35mm print of the film.  One hopes that it won't be the last time that it's shown in town on actual film but, given the rush by the studios to erase analog exhibition, I wouldn't necessarily count on future opportunities to experience this king among blockbusters in this traditional and superior format.

Raiders of the Lost Ark begins a four-day run at the Hollywood Theatre on Friday, July 6th.  More info available here.

 
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THE BALLAD OF GENESIS & LADY JAYE and GRAND ILLUSION

One gets the feeling while watching The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye that musician and artist Genesis P-Orridge's entire life is a performance.  Anyone with any familiarity with his work in the groundbreaking industrial and experimental electro acts Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV might have already had an inkling that this is the case; at any rate, Marie Losier's documentary portrait of Genesis and his wife and collaborator Lady Jaye does little to dispel such assumptions.

While the film does delve into the highlights of Genesis' past, it's chiefly an examination of his and Lady Jaye's pandrogyne project, a living, breathing performance piece wherein both members of the couple underwent various surgeries in order to resemble the other.  It's a fascinating topic that might have been better served by a more direct and confrontational mode of documentation.  As it stands, The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye is a fluttering, dreamlike journey through a willfully individualistic consciousness (all narration comes from Genesis, as Lady Jaye passed away in 2007), often interesting but sometimes frustratingly short on narrative signposts.

The Ballad of Genesis & Lady Jaye begins its run at Cinema 21 on Friday, July 6th.  More info available here.

What can you say about a film that's already been qualified by so many others as the greatest anti-war feature ever made?  Jean Renoir's Le Grande Illusion (Grand Illusion) retains all its power some 75 years after its release.  Perhaps it's because nothing has changed; we still fight wars, the indomitable spirit of nationalism drives those efforts, and it almost never yields anything of value for the individual.  Built into those observations, Renoir fashioned an insightful analysis of class manners, emphasizing in particular their inability to withstand the brutality of war.

To commemorate the film's anniversary, Rialto Pictures has released a newly-restored 35mm print that trumps all previous restorations.  Both sound and image now have a crispness that was obscured in previous theatrical prints and home video versions.  As for the story, it still casts a hypnotic hold on this viewer.  First time viewers might notice the strong resemblance to John Sturges' popular 60s film, The Great Escape.  For those who haven't had the pleasure of seeing the film,  here's a rare chance to view it as it was meant to be seen, projected in 35mm onto a large theater screen. 

Grand Illusion begins its week-long run at Cinema 21 on Friday, July 6th.  More info available here.


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I WISH: LETTING KIDS BE KIDS

 

There's absolutely no doubt after watching Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest film I Wish that his reputation for being among the best two or three directors working in Japan today is well deserved.  Relating the story of two brothers, Koichi (Koki Maeda) and Ryunosuke (Ohshirô Maeda), separated by their parents divorce, this is a simply told and greatly observational drama that stands with the director's best work, including Still Walking and his 1998 masterpiece, After Life.

Living with his mother, Koichi quietly mourns the loss of his family life.  Early in the film, Kore-eda allows us to see how the divorce has impacted his social life at school, where he's made to feel ashamed when a teacher doles out homework based around the occupations of each student's father.  Koichi takes refuge in fantasy and denial and, when news of a new bullet train hits town, he (naturally?) theorizes that the exchange in energy created by the simultaneous passing of old and new trains will grant a wish to anyone who witnesses it.

In addition to the trains, Kore-eda cleverly plays with the dynamic between the old and the new in several places in the film.  Koichi repeatedly holds up his current home life against how things were in the past.  And his grandfather expresses their distaste for contemporary Japanese sweets by trying to replicate and mass produce a traditional recipe from his youth.  Nostalgia is a hallmark in many of Kore-eda's films and, like in his prior work, it's never overemphasized here as much as it flows out of the material with a gentle honesty that's perfectly matched with the material at hand.

Best of all, this is a movie that excels at letting the child actors shed the appearance of performance; it allows these kids to be kids.  No doubt, a film involving children dealing with divorce needs to have some gravity, but, thankfully, I Wish doesn't force the type of emotive trauma that's become almost  de rigueur in contemporary coming of age cinema.  This is a very good film that wisely applies a light and fanciful touch in lieu of the dark theatrics favored by others.  And what a refreshing choice that is.

I Wish begins its run at Living Room Theaters on Friday, June 29nd.  More info available here.

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PINK RIBBONS, INC.: THE PINKWASHING OF AWARENESS

There was a point nearly halfway through Pink Ribbons, Inc. where I began to actively wonder what exactly was the thesis of the documentary I was viewing.  It was clear that director Léa Pool was passionately trying to work towards revealing the "pinkwashing" that's become nearly unquestioned in the corporate sponsorship of public campaigns promoting breast cancer awareness and research.  And yet, the actual point of the film, that there's an inherent hypocrisy built into the cynical practice of corporations, especially those selling products containing carcinogens to women, marketing their products using lil' pink breast cancer awareness ribbons, doesn't end up being very well articulated until far too late in the film for its impact to be fully appreciated.

It's also difficult to shake the feeling that the film is treating women who buy into the themed products and events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in a condescending manner.  Time and again, it cuts from dark proclamations from the film's cadre of experts about the uselessness of the current awareness culture (pink yogurt lids, juice bottles, etc.) to supremely light and silly images of women (oh, my god, actually having fun and bonding while) participating in that culture. 

It's not as if the points being made by Pool's interviewees aren't valid.  Yes, breast cancer campaigns were once linked to activism that demanded actual results in medical advancement, rather than the vague banner of "awareness" that most efforts rest under today.  And it's true that there's something rotten in Denmark when Ford can slap a pink emblem on the side of a car, rake it in, and only contribute a miniscule amount of the profits to breast cancer research.  Sadly, there's a lack of focus in the manner that these observations are organized, contributing an overall slackness to the piece that makes it feel overly long and tangential at times.

Fortunately, it's not all gray skies, as there are many things that the film does gets right.  In particular, there's a wonderfully sharp and charismatic interview with breast cancer activist Barbara Brenner woven throughout that offers up many of the most clear-eyed moments of insight in the film.  Brenner quickly becomes the film's voice of reason.  Pool also brings her cameras to a gathering of women living with stage four cancer.  Both their thoughts on the commercialization of their illness and their mere presence in the film force the viewer to grapple with what is truly at stake.

Pink Ribbons, Inc. begins its run at Cinema 21 on Friday, June 29th.  More info available here.

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