In which we hit it and quit it.
Bollywood Bike-In
Bollywood flicks screened outside, with proceeds going to the Q Center and Mercy Corps. Q Center.
Bran Nue Dae
A romantic comedy/supposed "foot-stomping tour-de-force" starring Geoffrey Rush. Not screened for critics. Fox Tower 10.
Catfish
See review this issue. Lloyd Center 10 Cinema.
Cremaster Cycle
See Film, this issue. Cinema 21.
Devil
If you thought Signs was preachy, wait'll you see Devil, a Christian morality play about the power of forgiveness dressed up like a horror movie. Produced and based on a story by M. Night Shyamalan, Devil is about four filthy sinners trapped in an elevator with the devil, whom a security guard realizes is present when he throws some toast in the air and it lands jelly-side down. (No joke!) It's a shrill, draggy 80 minutes reminiscent of The Thing, if The Thing's dialogue was written by sixth-graders. (When frustrated, one man demands a woman "Go suck a butt.") DAVE BOW Various Theaters.
Easy A
One can't help but wonder if Easy A director Will Gluck ever had the pleasure of an English class assignment that asked its students to reinterpret a piece of literature into amateur film, because Easy A has a similar joie de vivre, with the added bonus of a much better budget. Forcefully in reference to The Scarlet Letter, its delightfully likeable protagonist, Olive (Emma Stone), experiments with a societal ostracization that bears little technical resemblance to the trials of Hester Prynne, but which does feature her literally wearing a red letter "A" for most of its runtime. This movie approaches Mean Girls territory on the fun scale. Various Theaters.
Enemies of the People
Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath's 2009 documentary about those who lived—and died—under the Khmer Rouge regime. Screens as part of the Northwest Film Center's Voices in Action: Human Rights on Film series; followed by a discussion with Khmer Rough genocide survivor Kilong Ung. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.
An Evening with Lance Bangs
See My, What a Busy Week!, pg. 17. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.
Friction
Friction is a social experiment: a documentary about people acting in a scripted movie as themselves, and what that process does to their real-life relationships. As the camera rolls, the actors' ability to distinguish themselves from their characters weakens, and underlying personal issues are forced to the surface. (It's like The Blair Witch Project, but about feelings.) Despite a less-than-$100 budget, the film is held together by mindful production techniques, including an original score produced by Menomena's Brent Knopf. More maturity in the dialogue could've given the mystery some more credibility, but the viewer is still left with enough uncertainty to wonder for themselves what's real and what isn't. KEVIN "THE INTERN" OTZENBERGER Hollywood Theatre.
Jack Goes Boating
See review this issue. Fox Tower 10.
Jonas Mekas and the (Mostly ) American Avant-Garde
Chick Workman's documentary "simultaneously acts as a comprehensive primer about the birth of American avant-garde cinema and a loving portrait of its tireless ringmaster, Jonas Mekas." Narrated by Jerry Bruckheimer. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.
Legend of the Guardians:
The Owls of Ga'Hoole
See review this issue. Various Theaters.
Letter to Elia & East of Eden
Elia Kazan's 1955 Steinbeck adaptation featuring James Dean and Jo Van Fleet, preceded by Letter to Elia, Martin Scorsese's hour-long tribute to Kazan's films. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.
Like Dandelion Dust
An adopted boy has a great life... until his deadbeat birth parents demand him back! Classy move, deadbeats. Not screened for critics. Fox Tower 10.
Out of Our Minds
Melissa Auf de Maur—of Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins—comes to town to show off and answer questions about her fantasy film Out of Our Minds, "part of a multidisciplinary project that includes her 2010 solo album... and a comic book." Clinton Street Theater.
Queen of the Sun
"A profound, alternative look at the tragic global bee crisis" from the director of The Real Dirt on Farmer Joh—OH, NO! NOT THE BEES! NOT THE BEES! AAAAAHHHHH! OH THEY'RE IN MY EYES! MY EYES! AAAAHHHHH! AAAAAGGHHH! Hollywood Theatre.
Resident Evil: Afterlife
The 9,000th flick based on the videogame series. Perhaps not surprisingly, it was not screened for critics. Various Theaters.
Restrepo
A Sundance-approved documentary about the day-to-day life of American soldiers stationed in a remote valley in Afghanistan. Not screened for critics.
Living Room Theaters.
The Secret of Kells
With graceful, emotional animation, brilliant character designs, and a watercolor-dappled visual style that lands somewhere between Saul Bass and Genndy Tartakovsky, every frame of Kells is amazing to look at—but it's the film's humor, heart, and melancholy that makes it really work. Stuff this good—this sweet, clever, poignant—doesn't come along very often. Director Tomm Moore and Art Director Ross Steward in attendance. ERIK HENRIKSEN Hollywood Theatre.
The Tillman Story
Patrick Tillman was a successful NFL linebacker, until, in 2002, he dropped his football career and enlisted in the US Army Rangers. Tillman was later killed while deployed in Afghanistan, and his death created a media bonanza—one that grew even more rampant as it came to light that Tillman wasn't killed in an ambush, as the Army originally claimed, but was instead shot by friendly fire. The Tillman Story tracks the lives of Tillman's family as they deal with the gut-wrenching ramifications of his death; while director Amir Bar-Lev's somewhat biased perspective can be distracting at times, it hardly overpowers the important questions this resonant film grapples with. NOAH "THE INTERN" DUNHAM Fox Tower 10.
The Town
The easiest way to describe The Town might be to call it Heat meets Good Will Hunting, but the way most people will describe it is, "Holy shit, Ben Affleck's a really good director!" That won't come as much of a shock for those who saw his directorial debut, 2007's Gone Baby Gone, but it's still a weird thing to realize. After scoring an Oscar for co-writing Good Will Hunting, Affleck's downward spiral into Daredevil and Gigli and Jersey Girl didn't leave him with a lot of cred. With Gone Baby Gone, though, and now The Town, it's almost like Affleck's doing penance; based on some of the intense action sequences in this film alone, he's already been forgiven for whatever cinematic atrocities he was party to. ERIK HENRIKSEN Various Theaters.
The Virginity Hit
See review this issue. Century Clackamas Town Center, Lloyd Center 10 Cinema.
Visual Variations of Marie Menken
Work from Marie Menken, "the unsung heroine of avant-garde cinema." More info: cinemaproject.org. Clinton Street Theater.
Waking Sleeping Beauty
The story of Disney's unlikely animation upswing from the early '80s to early '90s, told from the point of view of the company's fantastically uninteresting animators—in the least engaging way imaginable. Watching Michael Eisner update his Netflix queue would probably be more riveting. ZAC PENNINGTON Hollywood Theatre.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
See review this issue. Various Theaters.
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)
A 2006 documentary about musician Harry Nilsson. Clinton Street Theater.
A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop
With A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop, Zhang Yimou leaves the domain of action films and enters black comedy. The relatively short—95 minutes—movie is based on the Coen brothers' neo-noir Blood Simple and is set on the edge of a fantastic desert. Noodle Shop is not Zhang's best work, but it's certainly worth the trip to the movie house. CHARLES MUDEDE Living Room Theaters.
You Again
See review this issue. Various Theaters.
Young People's Film & Video Festival
A showcase of shorts made by filmmakers in grades K-12. This will probably be totally great. Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.
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