Beauty is Embarrassing relays the weird, wonderful, and true story of Wayne White, a multidisciplinary artist whose chief goal is to inject strong doses of humor into the art scene. Exuberant and profane, White is best known for his puppet designs (and puppetry) for Pee Wee's Playhouse, as well as the music videos he made for Peter Gabriel ("Big Time") and Smashing Pumpkins ("Tonight, Tonight"). But the documentary also chronicles White's return to the world of painting, where he's become a bit of an overnight success with his word paintings, campy thrift store paintings re-contextualized by the bold and absurd statements ("Eastern Fuckit" and "Here Comes Mr. Know-It-All," for instance) that White paints on top of the original image.
Displaying a naked vulnerability for the cameras, White is certainly willing to perform, quite entertainingly at times, for director Neil Berkeley (The Cool School), but there are also plenty of unguarded moments as the artist discusses his upbringing, success, and the eventual burnout/breakdown that set in during his tenure in Hollywood. Ol' Pee Wee himself (Paul Reubens), Devo'sMark Mothersbaugh (who composed the music for Pee Wee's Playhouse), Matt Groening and a series of art critics show up to discuss White's work, but it's Wayne's wife, Mimi Pond (a cartoonist and writer--she wrote early episodes of The Simpsons), his parents, and his old friends who best convey the true beauty and restless energy that characterize both the man and his unbridled creative output.
This is a blindingly brilliant film, one that feels like it's tapped directly into the source of White's boundless forward drive. Berkeley has orchestrated an intimate and engaging portrait of a courageous soul who creates because he has no choice and knows no other way to exist. Beauty is Embarrassing thrills as much as it inspires, even those who are prolific in their chosen fields will walk away feeling like they could up their game after seeing Wayne White in action. Like the man it portrays, this film kicks serious ass.
Highly recommended.
Beauty is Embarrassing screens
at the NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium (in the Portland Art
Museum) on Friday, November 2nd at 7:30pm, Saturday, November 3rd at 7pm & 9pm, Sunday, November 4th at 4:45 & 7pm, and Monday, November 5th at 7:30pm. Wayne White will be in attendance for the Friday night show. More info available here.
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While I was already patiently awaiting Universal Studios release of their massive Alfred Hitchcock blu-ray box set, an even better bit of Hitchcock related news hit my e-mail account last month. Tom Ranieri and the top shelf crew at Portland's great Cinema 21 have done it again. Following in the footsteps of their stellar noir series, they've cobbled together an amazing lineup of ol' Alf's finest films for what's being dubbed the first annual Hitchcock festival. Best of all, the festival is entirely sourced from 35mm prints!
Now I've seen my fair share of classic films on the big screen , but what this festival has made me realize is that, 1) I've never seen my favorite Hitchcock film, The 39 Steps (or Vertigo, for that matter), projected on film before, and 2) with things progressing as they are, further and further towards an all-digital cinema future, this may be the last chance that most of us have to view these seminal, 20th century works on film.
Which is to say, you can expect to see me sitting in the balcony for as many of these films as I can possibly make it to during the series. Sure, we'll always have the option to pop in the nice new digital transfers at home, but c'mon, these films deserve a little more respect. Many props to Cinema 21 for giving 'em (and us) their proper due. It's completely without hyperbole when I say that this is THE movie event in Portland this coming month.
BTW, if you're in the mood to get a lil' academic with your readings of these films, I can recommend no better text than the late, great film theorist Robin Wood's Hitchcock's Films Revisited. Magnificent stuff, I tell ya!
The Master of Suspense: The First Annual Hitchcock Festival begins at Cinema 21 on Friday, November 2nd. More info available here.
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I just wanted to briefly mention that tomorrow night at 7:30 the NW Film Center's School of Film is presenting a showcase of their certificate student's final projects. I'm a friend and sometimes a collaborator with a couple of these graduating film folks, so I'm not going to get too deeply into hocking their wares. But, if you're down to catch the work of some of Portland's emerging filmmakers, the Whitsell Auditorium is the place to be this Sunday. Oh, and it's FREE!
For more details, we turn to the NWFC's press release for the event:
Join us as we screen and celebrate the achievements of this year’s matriculating School of Film Certificate Program students. Each filmmaker will present the short narrative film that they have created as the culminating effort of their studies.
Stephanie Hough’s Heart compares the rituals of three brothers; Nathan Luppino’s Locks follows two lonely souls in the city; William Scheuner’s Lily takes a circus performer back to a pivotal moment in the past; and Shane Watson’s Changes explores the processing of loss and grief.
These “final projects” showcase the skill and voice that each individual has developed over the years through class exercises, visiting artist sessions, group projects, faculty advising, and extracurricular pursuits.
A reception honoring the filmmakers begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Andree Stevens Room.
Certifiably Yours: New Film from the School of Film screens
at the NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium (in the Portland Art
Museum) on Sunday, October 28th at 7:30pm. More info available here.
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Romero's singular masterpiece is the more unimpeachable of the two, but O'Bannon, best known for his work as a screenwriter on Dark Star and Alien, made a considerable dent in the shape of horror-comedy with Return, marrying punk rock culture with flesh-eating fun for a cult-ready concoction that felt really fresh at the time of its release.
And speaking of releases, here's what the good folks at Jackpot have to say about the event via their press release: George Romero's Night Of The Living Dead brought Zombie culture to the forefront of horror, and Dan O'Bannon helped keep it alive (or undead) by continuing on with Return Of The Living Dead. While the two films are only loosely connected, you can't deny the importance of their impact on the horror movie and Zombie scene.
Night Of The Living Dead (starts at 8:00) Filmed in 1968 NOTLD was ahead of it's time. Focusing on both Zombies and the horrors of the human mind, Romero added a whole new level of fear to the Undead with this, the first is a series of many classic Zombie films, that have delighted and horrified the world over.
Brief intermission with Q/A from Zombie expert and Zombease.com crew member.
Return Of The Living Dead (starts at 10:00) A flop upon its original release, despite an amazing soundtrack, re-invention of the undead, and great one-liners; Return Of The Living Dead was bound to become a cult classic, and that's exactly what it did. Now a favorite among Zombie lovers world-wide, ROTLD has earned it's place among the greats.
Jackpot Records' double feature presentation of Night of the Living Dead & Return of the Living Dead happens at the Bagdad Theater on Thursday, October 25th & Friday, October 26th at 8pm. More info available here. Remember to find and "like" us on our Facebook page. Subscribe to the blog's feed here.
The Sixth Side of the Pentagon (image courtesy of Icarus Films)
A bientôt j'espère (Be Seeing You) captures a 1967 workers strike at a textile factory in Besançon, France. The film offers a view of what is essentially a precursor to the larger protests of May 1968, as the factory workers incorporated non-economic demands into their action. A bientôt j'espèreis the rarer of the two works being shown this week; trust me, even the internet can't help you see this one with English subtitles (CP's screening of the film, however, will be subtitled in English).
A bientôt j’espère (image courtesy of Icarus Films)
Here's what the good folks at Cinema Project have to say about this Tuesday and Wednesday night's showcase:
To inspire new activist filmmaking and to pay tribute to this prolific and influential figure, we bring two SLON produced works. A bientôt j’espère depicts workers at a textile factory on strike in pre-May 1968 France and The Sixth Side of the Pentagon chronicles the 1967 Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam protest march on the Pentagon.
Cinema Project presents Two Works by Chris Marker on Tuesday, October 23rd and Wednesday, October 24th at 7:30pm.More info on the program available here.
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Banned in several countries due to the misconception that it was a snuff film, Ruggero Deodato's 1980 shock horror film Cannibal Holocaust has become somewhat of a rite of passage for extreme horror fans. The story is simple: an academic (Robert Kerman) heads to the Amazon to find out what happened to a missing film crew. He stumbles upon an indigenous, cannibalistic tribe from which he recovers the crew's footage. Upon returning to America, he reviews what they shot, revealing the group of filmmakers grisly, nasty ends. Pretty basic stuff, and it doesn't take a genius to understand the influence of Deodato's film on the found footage craze driving such pictures as The Blair Witch Project, [REC], Paranormal Activity, and, most recently, V/H/S.
Cannibal Holocaust, unlike those other films, has built up a reputation as one of the most transgressive films of all time. In Britain, it became one of the holy grails of the video nasties, movies that were forbidden for sale by legislative decree, resulting in an active black market for bootleg video copies of those films. For more on video nasties, I've included a short piece hosted by English critic Mark Kermode after the trailer.
The Hollywood Theatre's monthly Grindhouse Film Festival brings Portland audiences the chance to catch the film this Tuesday on the big screen, projected from a rare 35mm print. Here's what the theater's press release has to say (note the warning about refunds):
The Grindhouse Film Festival presents the only known 35mm print of Ruggero Deodato’s soul-shattering horror film Cannibal Holocaust.
Cannibal Holocaust (1980) A crew of documentary filmmakers, working on a movie about a lost cannibal tribe, disappears deep in the Amazon jungle. An anthropologist is sent in search of them, and finds only their film footage. When he screens the film, we witness the crew’’s horrible fate. This gut churning descent into the dark side of humanity includes some of the most horrific images ever burned into celluloid. This film is absolutely guaranteed to shock, offend and disgust. It is also one of the most powerful films of all time.
WARNING: This film contains extreme violence and scenes of animal cruelty. No one under the age of 17 will be admitted, and no refunds will be given to those offended.
Cannibal Holocaust plays one-night-only at the Hollywood Theatre on Tuesday, October 23rd at 7:30pm. More info available here.
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I'm not sure if it was posting 10 times in seven days last week or just how busy things have been while shutting down my day job at Video Verite, but you might have noticed that the blog's been fairly quiet this week. Even without posting this week, we finally passed 30,000 hits yesterday, a small milestone for our humble, little film obsessed site, indeed. Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read, comment, and encourage me to continue posting.
Even with all the other regular life distractions at hand, I was still able to catch a small handful of films opening this weekend at the local indie theaters. Here now is a sampling of just a few of the many options available in PDX for the cinematically curious.
In Search of Blind Joe Death, dir. James Cullingham
A documentary on the immensely, influential primitive folk picker John Fahey. The film brings together a wide swath of individuals, ranging from members of Calexico to Pete Townsend to musicologists and various associates, to heap much deserved adulation at the feet of the late steel string guitarist. Fahey's life and (especially his) music form a story worth exploring and I've often wondered why no one had made a film about him. In Search of Blind Joe Death is a compelling view for both fervent followers and those completely unfamiliar with Fahey's legacy.
In Search of Blind Joe Death plays one-night-only at the Hollywood Theatre on Saturday, October 21st at 7pm.More info available here.
Washington D.C. hardcore band Bad Brains were a complete anomaly when they first emerged in the punk scene of the late 70s. Being an all African-American punk group in a mostly white playing field was one thing, but Bad Brains was also the fastest, most technically innovative group that anyone had ever seen playing this kind of music.
Directors Logan and Stein tell the story of the band's formative years while following them on the road during a recent, tumultuous reunion tour. Their cameras don't stop rolling even when things get rough between the band (singer H.R. displays his notorious mental health issues for the camera, causing things to go sour near the end of the tour), adding much needed tension to a film that might otherwise just be an exercise in nostalgia.
Bad Brains: A Band in D.C. screens
at the NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium (in the Portland Art
Museum) as a part of the Reel Music Festival series on Friday, October 19th at 8:45pm. More info available here.
This 1971 fever dream of a film started the ball rolling for the Australian New Wave. Detailing the downward trajectory of John, a Sydney-based schoolteacher (Gary Bond) on vacation in the Outback town of Bundanyabba (referred to as "the Yabba" by the natives he meets), the film throws our hero into a volatile mix of gambling, alcoholism, and kangaroo death unlike anything I've ever seen. Donald Pleasence shows up about a third of the way through the picture as Doc Tydon, a drunken physician living in squalor. Once they meet, John and Doc's paths are tied together to the bitter, marsupial-wrestling end.
Recommended for those who revel in the weirder, more disturbing side of cult cinema (probably not ideal viewing for card carrying members of PETA).
Wake in Fright begins its run at Cinema 21 on Friday, October 19th. More info available here.
As I pointed out last week, without the success of the 1931 version of Dracula, Universal Pictures might not have continued producing what are now unquestionably a series of the best monster flicks of the silver screen. Taken on its own, though, Dracula is a masterpiece of the macabre, filled with more shadows than light and powered by an unparalleled and unforgettable performance by Bela Lugosi in the title role.
If you haven't seen the film in a while, or even if you have, there's no better time to revisit it than now while the Hollywood Theatre has a 35mm print on hand.
Dracula plays at the Hollywood Theatre on Saturday, October 20th and Sunday, October 21st at 2pm.More info available here.
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