This week our intrepid Archivist takes us into the heart and soul of Portland indie filmmaking with a recent classic, made on a proverbial shoestring, from prolific filmmaker Jon Garcia. If you don’t know Jon’s work, it’s worth starting with this one and then taking in his “The Falls” trilogy – making a day/night of it (see links below).
The New Year (literally) rolls in with a vengeance this week as our intrepid Raider/Contributor takes us behind the scenes of Portland’s much beloved Rose City Rollers. There’s language to be wary of below and in the film itself, so if that kind of thing isn’t your proverbial cup’o’tea then stop here; but if that doesn’t daunt you, then paste on your Cadillac tattoo, strap on your helmet, lace-up your skates and bring your best James Caan and Raquel Welch impersonations because this week, we’re embracing Brutal Beauty. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE #Blockbuster&Chill: Brutal Beauty: Tales of the Rose City Rollers (Chip Mabry, 2010)”
Have you ever wanted to stand eye to eye with an elephant, or watch as a tiger slowly walks past you? Or maybe you dream is to swim
with a manta ray, or see the frozen tundras of the north? Well, good news, one team is working to make this a new type of reality, and they intend to share these experiences with the world.
Claire Elise Williams, Connor French, Matthew Fairman, and Meg Schenk star in the series. Photo by Clay Davenport
With 80s era hits such as Stranger Things and Sing Street winning praise from critics and fans alike, it is no surprise that the University of Oregon’s television network, Duck TV, picked up and produced PRIMO, an 80s feel-good miniseries following four aspiring yuppies through a night on the town.
It’s a trip back to a time of Saturday Matinees and large groups of kids in the back of Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagons for Gen X-ers who remember when Television Stars made movies – long before the time of Movie Stars making television. For those of us who made those journeys – The Apple Dumpling Gang was right up there with Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit and, even, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. If you don’t remember it, maybe it’s time to check out the comic abilities of two icons: Don Knotts and Tim Conway, two bonafide TV Stars who took a trip into the Deschutes National Forest and came out with what can only be called an Apple Dumpling Franchise…with cheese. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: The Apple Dumpling Gang (Norman Tokar, 1975)”
Oregon doubles for Alaska in this week’s RotLA edition and it brings some (early) Batman-esque Romp! Danger! and Romance! to the fore in the process. Yes, Adam West is this week’s featured artist in a Deschutes National Forest set feature which predates Mr. West’s glorious days as the first caped crusader to appear on our screens and sends him into the woods to find unexpected love with a Nature Child and danger from rogue hunters in the form of Petticoat Junction’s Lori Sanders and Theo Marcuse, respectively. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Mara of the Wilderness (Frank McDonald, 1966)”
This week we shift gears in the RotLA world and it takes us down a path that isn’t necessarily #OregonMade, as we would always prefer, but #OregonSET. There’s many a great project that is set here in Oregon but has not brought itself to actually produce its content in this great state – Springfield-set The Simpsons comes to mind but the much-anticipated I, Tonya also rounds out that particular out-of-state-produced-but-set-in-Oregon pack. Raider/Contributor Phil Oppenheim makes the compelling argument that even those projects that do not exist as so-called brick-and-mortar operations here in Oregon, have a lasting impact on our state (and read to the very end for some great connected places to visit here in Oregon). Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Gravity Falls (2012-2013, 2014-2016)”
After a shortened week last week RotLA returns today with the final installment of its Noirvember sub-series. This time, it’s a moody and realistic dive into Portland’s not-too-distant but oh-so-different past featuring understated performances, quietly iconic locations and an it-sneaks-up-on-you tension – passing by not only RotLA’s humble narrator’s own Hollywood neighborhood but also The (great) Laurelhurst Theatre in the process finally culminating under the Morrison Bridge outside (where else?) City Liquidators.
One of the great things to celebrate about Oregon’s film history is its direct connection to Indie Directorial Voices and how they have influenced the mood, style and substance of many of the nation’s great cinematic trends; James Blue, James Ivory, Gus Van Zant, a transplanted Alex Cox and many of those highlighted by our Raider/Contributor in past posts – not to mention the pioneering animators and illustrators who literally changed the face of both commercial and experimental animation on all levels. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Cold Weather (Aaron Katz, 2010)”
