Now Playing
One Slim Jim Fizz, Please.
Pick of the Week:
The Spook Who Sat By The Door (1969). Directed by Ivan Dixon. Starring Lawrence Cook, Paula Kelly, Janet League.
Playing at the Clinton on Feb. 28th. This is a restoration of a great film about the CIA infiltrating a militant Black led organization (as if that could happen). Part satire, part action film, David Somerset wrote: “the major achievement of Spook is its depiction of a spectrum of social roles within the African-American community. It's a vivid picture of the language of race politics whose complexity and inherent contradictions go to the heart of the African-American experience, encouraging the viewer to transcend class and consider their collective plight.”
Also Playing:
A Black Community Television Retrospective plays at the Hollywood on Feb. 28th. This looks pretty neat.
“An Albina Music Trust Screening + Conversation with Art Alexander + special guests!
Black Community Television was produced in Portland in the 1980s, as part of Rogers CableSystems local channel lineup. Before BCTV, there was limited broadcast television coverage showcasing Portland's Black community. BCTV filled this void producing programs featuring Black intellectuals, artists, politicians, entertainers, and community leaders—raising visibility of Black life and culture in Portland.
Tonight's event includes a screening of BCTV programming, with a conversation to follow between 1803 Fund's Juma Sei and BCTV producer and host, Art Alexander + special guests.”
This Week:
Daughters of the Dust plays at the Clinton on Feb. 27th. “A languid, impressionistic story of three generations of Gullah women living on the South Carolina Sea Islands in 1902.” It’s a famous, and poetic, one from the 90s that’s fallen out of favor a bit.
At the 5th Ave: Seven Beauties plays this weekend. Lina Wertmüller was the first woman to be nominated for an Oscar for directing. She made Swept Away, which was famously remade by Madonna (some say ruined). This is about an Italian soldier who deserts the army in the big one, WW II… there was a second World War? What a world.
At the Academy:
Magnolia opens for a run. This movie really captures late 90s/early 2000s literary/artsy/indie culture. It could be called McSweeney’s: The Movie. It’s got failed child prodigies, depressed rich people, Aimee Mann, frogs, and an unhinged Tom Cruise performance. It’s very dated, very entertaining, overly precious, and fine I think.
Days of Heaven opens for a run. Probably more famous for it’s production and aftermath than the actual film. It’s great though! A wonderful movie about the judgement of god.
Ace in the Hole opens for a run. A great Billy Wilder movie about a man trapped in a hole (who isn’t?!) that TV Guide called “a searing example of writer-director Billy Wilder at his most brilliantly misanthropic”
The Cascade Festival of African Films continues. Check out the screenings here. It’s one of the biggest foreign film festivals left in Portland!
At Cinemagic:
Staff Picks starts with:
Blow Out—a great Brian DePalma movie about a sound guy for a low-budget horror movie who uncovers a vast conspiracy.
Streets of Fire—a maximalist Walter Hill movie that’s a “rock and roll” fable and kind of has everything you would want in a movie?
Furious—a kung fu movie about aliens from the astral plane doing nothing good. “Featuring Hollywood martial arts legends Simon and Phillip Rhee (Best of the Best, The Matrix, Inception) in their first ever starring roles and who also handled all the non-stop action choreography on display in the film”
Go—the very 90s movie about interconnected stories concerning a rave. It’s fun but not great. Some might say the same thing about WatchThisPDX, but you would be wrong because it was never fun.
Tarkovsky’s Mirror, which has been called his masterpiece and is about a dying man contemplating his life.
At Cinema 21:
Band of Outsiders plays on Feb. 28th. A Godard movie about two low rent thugs who love movies, just like all of us.
At the Clinton:
Booksmart plays on March 3rd, a 2019 movie about teen girls behaving badly that people liked. I don’t watch movies about young people because it reminds me of my impending demise.
Old Joy plays on March 5th. It’s Kelly Reichardt month at the Clinton. She’s one of my favorite directors. This is about two dudes exploring feelings and friendship at a hot spring. It is based on a really great Jonathan Raymond short story and you should pick up the collection it’s from—Livability.
From Below is a microcinema with neat showings. Follow them on social media and request to get on the mailing list. Or don’t. It’s none of my business what you do.
At the Hollywood:
The General plays on Feb. 28th—which is the fun Buster Keaton comedy about the Civil War.
A documentary about great Pacific NW band The Gits opens for a run.
A New Love in Tokyo plays on March 5th. A charming comedy about sex workers in Japan that was recently restored. Directed by Banmei Takahashi!
At Joy: Weird Wednesday returned with a mystery movie last week. Maybe it will return again if you are all nice?
At the Liberty:
The Voice of Hind Rajab opens for a run. “Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 5-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab.”
Midnight plays on Feb. 28th. Claudette Colbert was the queen of the screwball comedy and one of the funniest people on the planet.
Tender Mercies plays in honor of Robert Duvall. A “down-on-his-luck country singer Mac Sledge who has nowhere to turn when he wakes up in a motel, short on cash. So he takes a job from Rosa Lee (Tess Harper), the kindly widow who runs the place.” Sounds like a grizzled Duvall character to me.
At OMSI:
The yearly Studio Ghibli festival ends. What’s left? Grave of the Fireflies, Howl’s Moving Castle, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Pom Poko, The Boy and the Heron, The Cat Returns, and The Secret World of Arrietty. The festival goes back into the Disney Vault until next year but I have a feeeeeeling that we haven’t heard the last of these movies.
Extended editions of The Hobbit movies and The Lord of the Rings start in March so plan accordingly. The Lord of the Rings movies are all pretty good but good luck watching the extended editions of The Hobbit movies. Yeesh.
At the Tomorrow Theater (the Hub for Cultural Snackers):
Mubi, who has recently come under fire for taking Sequoia Capital investment money, has been partnering with the Tomorrow Theater and they are doing another screening in October. Sequoia has ties to the Israeli army. Mubi has released a bunch of mealy mouthed statements. Filmmakers are urging Mubi to cut ties. If the Los Angeles Festival of Movies can cut ties with Mubi so can PAM. You can contact the Tomorrow Theater here through this link and let them know that they should’t partner with organizations like this.
Again, if the Tomorrow Theater working with a company that has direct ties to the Israeli military bothers you please let them know.
Please do not let the bastards win. Let them know you care about genocide.
We’re not talking chump change for the Sequoia investment: $100 million.
There was a good article about Mubi in Vulture recently behind their paywall.
If we can get them to divest from Mubi I will never make fun of PAM or the Tomorrow Theater ever again.
The tip jar is open if you are so inclined.