Come To The #OregonMade “Paint Your Wagon” Screening – Win A Weekend In Baker City!

Paint Your Wagon” (and Oregon Film!) turns 50 next year – come and see this #OregonMade feature!  Oregon Film, Kick Ass Oregon History, and the Hollywood Theater, are joining forces to bring you this special screening starring Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg.

EVERY TICKET BOUGHT WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING TO WIN A FUN WEEKEND IN BAKER CITY:

Kick Ass Oregon History will be presenting a podcast the week before, detailing the history of the production that took place in Baker County, eastern Oregon in the late 1960s. Continue reading... “Come To The #OregonMade “Paint Your Wagon” Screening – Win A Weekend In Baker City!”

Portland Filmmaker’s Spread Love For LGBTQ Community With ‘Escaping Freedom’

Portland filmmaker Edd Blott (A Tale of Delight and Letters) is setting out to spread a little love for the LGBTQ community with his second feature film, Escaping Freedom, which begins shooting November 2017. After working on a prologue web series entitled ‘Letters’ with Portland actor Patrick Green for the past year and a half, the team is ready to bring Blott’s feature length script to life. “We just seem to be living in some rather dark, anxious times and, as filmmakers, this is the only response we know that can maybe lead to some positive outcomes. Continue reading... “Portland Filmmaker’s Spread Love For LGBTQ Community With ‘Escaping Freedom’”

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Halloweentown (Duwayne Dunham 1998)

This week’s Hooray for Horregon RotLA edition comes with two truly great ingredients: Debbie Reynolds and St. Helens. If you haven’t seen HBO’s Emmy nominated “Bright Lights” (full disclosure, it was produced and directed by friend, former business partner and Astoria-filmed “Short Circuit” actor Fisher Stevens and his life-partner baby[ies]-mama Lexy Bloom), and, if you haven’t visited St. Helens (at Halloween or, as a seasonal alternative, by boat to the town dock in August for a riverside lunch and a beer), you need to do both. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Halloweentown (Duwayne Dunham 1998)”

Doxx Magazine Focuses On Women Documentary Filmmakers

Doxx Magazine is a new digital publication dedicated to women documentarians. The online hub is a designated and creative place for the stories, work, and thoughts of female and non-binary nonfiction media makers. To enrich the local and national documentary communities, the magazine will archive filmmakers from Oregon and beyond.

Each issue will include interviews, profiles of historic documentary legends, field notes (submit here), industry-relevant articles, and a watch-list. A short teaser issue was launched last week, and includes conversations with Directors Lana Wilson (After Tiller, The Departure) and Amy Nicholson (Beauty School, Muskrat Lovely, The Zipper, Pickle). Continue reading... “Doxx Magazine Focuses On Women Documentary Filmmakers”

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Unhinged (Don Gronquist, 1982)

Continuing on under the sub-heading “Hooray for Horregon,” our intrepid Raider/Contributor leads us up to the top of the SW Hills over Portland to celebrate an #OregonMade Filmmaker who the Willamette Week called “Portland’s most important forgotten filmmaker:” Don Gonquist.

The trailer pretty much sets the tone from there. “It began as an idyllic outing….”

On a clear day you can see for miles, or on the darkest night you can encounter Hitchcock-esque dysfuntionality in a true 80’s fashion. Scream-like slasher rules apply. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Unhinged (Don Gronquist, 1982)”

Writing The West@Black Hat Books, Oct. 12, 7:00 PM

Who writes the West? Rich Wandschneider, Richard Etulain, and Anne Richardson will pool their thoughts on October 12, at 7:00 PM at Black Hat Books, 2831 NE MLK.

Richard W. Etulain is a prize-winning historian specializing in the history of the American West. He has been honored as president of both the Western Literature and Western History Associations. His most recent book is about Ernest Haycox, a Portland writer who grew up alongside a brand new art form: the Western.

Rich Wandschneider is the director of the Alvin M. Continue reading... “Writing The West@Black Hat Books, Oct. 12, 7:00 PM”

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Human Growth (Written by Lester Beck, Directed by Sy Wexler, 1947/1962)

We’re headed Back to School again this week and tackling that most interesting and uncomfortable of classroom topics: Sex Ed. Raider/Contributor Phil Oppenheim takes a look at the late 40’s and early 60’s in-classroom, let’s-watch-a-film-on-that approach to this topic from the University of Oregon and it is quite curious (frustrating? enlightening? stereotype-izing?) to see the differences between the two and, even more so, between then and now. On top of that, in a state with such a (forgive us) well developed animation industry, it’s also great to see such early roots for that particular art form even if it is at the expense of poor Aunt Sarah (who might have have a few questions to answer about her hateful niece’s origins). Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Human Growth (Written by Lester Beck, Directed by Sy Wexler, 1947/1962)”

Raiders of the Lost Archive – Metal Messiah: Born Again Sage (Nick Wells, 2010)

Raiders continues its Back to School theme this week with some much needed Music Appreciation. Whether you launched your appreciation of a certain genre of Energy Music through Heavy Metal Parking Lot, or just hours of stereo volumes pegged to 11 followed by blurry road trips to see Ozzy or Mötley Crüe, or maybe you just liked the wardrobe and appreciate Mark Wahlberg in “Rock Star” – we all have been touched in some way by our own rock n’ roll journey and Raider Contributor Phil Oppenheim takes us down one particular path that starts at Oregon City High School (and, coincidentally or ironically enough, the shooting location for Netflix’s “Everything Sucks” this past summer). Continue reading... “Raiders of the Lost Archive – Metal Messiah: Born Again Sage (Nick Wells, 2010)”

Ashland Independent Film Festival Expands the 28th Annual Varsity World Film Week

Varsity World Film WeekThe Ashland Independent Film Festival has assembled an intriguing and illuminating array of international independent films for the 28th annual Varsity World Film Week running October 6 through October 13 at the Varsity Theatre in downtown Ashland. The 13 films selected represent 23 countries, including Canada, Colombia, Lebanon, France, Thailand, Russia, Nepal, and the United States.

In addition to the week of screenings, this year will also feature opening and closing night festivities, including Q&A’s with film directors and after-screening parties.  Continue reading... “Ashland Independent Film Festival Expands the 28th Annual Varsity World Film Week”

HouseSpecial’s ‘Jailbreak’ Takes Best Picture at the We Like ‘Em Short Film Festival

Jailbreak - a stop-motion short from HouseSpecial

HouseSpecial took home the award for Best Picture at the We Like ‘Em Short Film Festival held on August 17-20, 2017 in Baker City, Oregon. Aaron Sorenson wrote and directed the winning stop-motion film, Jailbreak, which was shot in black and white. The story follows the daring escape of a desperate prisoner fleeing his nightmarish cell in pursuit of sweet punishment. The design is German Expressionist-inspired, but with a decidedly adult twist.

“Everything about Jailbreak is perfect – beautifully shot, perfect timing and hilarious. Continue reading... “HouseSpecial’s ‘Jailbreak’ Takes Best Picture at the We Like ‘Em Short Film Festival”