From The Dill Pickle Club:

A Place Called Home is a monthly presentation series examining the history of filmmaking in Portland. Held at roving venues on last Sundays at 1PM, lectures aim to orient recent transplants and residents to the city’s rich lineage of film and how it informs our sense of place.

Lazlo Kovacs makes himself at home in the Pacific Northwest by improvising a regionally appropriate camera mount inside a production vehicle for Five Easy Pieces. Taken in Eugene, this photo is by cameraman Ron Vidor.

Q: What are you doing, Anne?

A:  My goal is to write about Oregon film history, film by film. Oregon Movies A to Z has been up, in some fashion, since October 2008.

Q: That’s not what it looks like! You’re writing about all kinds of stuff.

A: I also write – not comprehensively at all – about current film events. I go back and blog about older films when I discover one I missed when I was going through that particular year. But chronological progress is still taking place, if you look for it. The forward thrust of my walk through film history is there in the blog, although it is obscured with distractions and digressions.

Right now I am moving through 1993, an unusual, and unusually trying, year. I was warned about it by the panel of fellow critics who spoke at the Oregon Sesquicentennial Film Festival in 2009. They were openly skeptical of my ability to maintain interest in Oregon film, which to them meant films shot in Oregon. I dismissed their concern – I knew they were not factoring in the great films Oregon filmmakers (and actors and writers) had made outside the state boundaries. It was only when David Walker specifically mentioned “1993″ and they all turned, with one motion, David Walker, Shawn Levy, Ted Mahar and Aaron Mesh, to look at me, that I began to have some grasp of what I would have to endure.

I thought my film loving peers were underestimating me when they expressed concern over my headlong flight into a wall of deeply unenjoyable cinema.

But they were right. It took weeks to recover from seeing The Temp (1993), and the one two punch of The Temp followed by Body Of Evidence (1993) nearly caused me to give up movies all together.

A: So how do you identify an Oregon film?

Q: Here’s the rules. I am creating a chronological record of Oregon film history. I define “Oregon film” to include films made in Oregon, and also to include films featuring the work of Oregon artists – directors, actors, writers, you name it – regardless of their location. I try to pair each film with a companion post, either about the director or about the Oregon artist who caused the film to qualify as an Oregon film.

A rule of thumb: I write this history chronologically. Right now I am still in 1993.

Another rule of thumb: I use the year IMDB lists as the year of the film. Oregon Film Commission lists the films by the year of shooting. I list them by year of release.

Handy Guide to Nomenclature:

I denominate as Oregon films all films which qualify under the expanded definition detailed above.

I denominate as an Oregon director an artist who was born/born and raised/raised in Oregon or one who has made Oregon his/her home as an adult.

I denominate as Oregon filmmakers directors who came here to make films. My logic:  how can we call One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest an Oregon film, and not call Milos Forman an Oregon filmmaker? So, in the spirit of inclusion, on Oregon Movies, A to Z, he is one.

But he isn’t an Oregon director.

This distinction is useful because Oregon does happen to have produced an unusual number of internationally recognized directors.

Q: How do  you choose which films to write about?

A: Its true. I can’t write about all Oregon films. I choose the films I write about based on the following criteria.

1. Availability

2. Fame, of the film itself or of one of its principals

3. Whether I feel like it

This year, the third Oregon Movies, A to Z has been in existence, saw a tremendous rise in the numbers and the visibility of Oregon film. An almost freakish number of Oregon filmmakers came to national attention, pretty much all at the same time. Eight at Sundance, one at New Directors, one at Tribecca, one at Anthology Film Archives, two picked up for distribution by Oscilloscope. Then there was Carrie Brownstein’s Portlandia, which she co-produced. That’s in addition to Gus Van Sant at Cannes with Restless, Bill Plympton making the Oscar short list with The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger, and Chris Eyre’s A Year At Mooring.

In the contest for best reviews this year, there is a running tie between Cold Weather and Meek’s Cutoff, with Cold Weather slightly ahead. Meek’s Cutoff fans are dazed by the unexpected nature of the film they saw, while Cold Weather’s fans applaud Aaron Katz’ ability to integrate a recognizable genre and still maintain his distinctive style.

Throughout all of this, I remained focused on writing primarily about Oregon film history, not Oregon’s wildly prolific current scene. The current explosion, of course, has everything to do with the past. Gus Van Sant was not born under a cinematic cabbage. Neither was Aaron Katz, Matt McCormick, James Westby or Vanessa Renwick.

Q: What is ahead for Oregon Movies, A to Z?

A: That giant sucking sound you heard last year was Oregon Movies, A to Z being pressed into service to cover the news of film premieres, film awards, breaking news of Oregon directors going into production. Nature abhors a vaccum! I post about current events because it fills a need, and allows me to link to previous posts which illuminate a connection to Oregon film history.

Q: So if you don’t always like these movies you’re watching, and writing about, why are you doing this?

3.  I am making sense, slowly but surely, of one of the great mysteries of life in Oregon, namely, what do we do here which has helped us create such wonderful directors?

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Thank you, Katherine Wilson, for the behind the scenes shot of Lazlo Kovacs preparing to shoot more of Five Easy Pieces.

Is there something about Oregon’s geographic isolation which inspires artists to dumpster dive and recycle art? Nevermind the Bronx beginnings of remix culture in hip hop; there is plenty of repurposing going on here in the Northern Left Coast.

Witness Bobby “Fatboy” Roberts, Portland radio wit and sometime film critic, who has remixed ” a decade’s worth of ruined pop-culture memories”.

Witness Bruce Conkle’s and Marne Lucas’ Warlord Sun King:  The Genesis of Eco Baroque.

Yes, that’s Marne and Bruce, surrounded by flattened tin foil and a thrift store frame.

And now witness the permission Gus Van Sant gave James Franco to cut together outlakes, deleted scenes, alternate takes and behind the scenes footage from My Own Private Idaho to create a 12 hour installation, Endless Idaho, which is up until April 9 at Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles.

Also in the gallery: paintings by Gus Van Sant, and a second remix of My Own Private Idaho footage by Franco, titled My Own Private River, which concentrates on River Phoenix.

Endless Idaho/My Own Private River is Franco’s third Van Sant collaboration.  Van Sant directed him in Milk, he starred in Howl, which Gus Van Sant executive produced, and now Franco has emerged from the editing room,where he had locked himself up, like Rumplestilskin, with all the parts of My Own Private Idaho we never saw.

How fitting because My Own Private Idaho is itself a magpie’s nest of appropriation and repurposing. Drawing on the B-52’s for his title and Shakespeare for his plot, Van Sant remixed two of his own unproduced screenplays into one heartbreaking romantic tragedy. Shawn Levy marvels at Van Sant’s eye for location as he peopled an imagined city with a mix of real Portlanders (including Tom Peterson, Tom Cramer and some real street hustlers), and Hollywood leading men, one of whom was giving the performance of his career.

Call it remix or collaboration: Gus likes it. It is his secret weapon as a director.  The work of Fatboy, Bruce Conkle and Marne Lucas indicates he may be expressing a regional tendency.

]]> http://www.talltalestruetales.com/2011/02/my-own-private-remix-culturefatboy-roberts-gus-van-sant-and-james-franco/feed/ 0 http://www.talltalestruetales.com/2011/01/how-to-die-in-oregon-2011/ http://www.talltalestruetales.com/2011/01/how-to-die-in-oregon-2011/#comments Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:07:05 +0000 Anne Richardson http://www.talltalestruetales.com/?p=12028 Click here to view the embedded video.

How to Die In Oregon is the second feature length documentary  made by Peter D. Richardson (no relation). It followed Clearcut: The Story of Philmath, Oregon, Richardson’s first film,  straight into the Sundance documentary competition.

The New York Times today reports that the screening in Park City was not well attended – not because the film is no good, but because it is.

Peter D. Richardson described his goal:

I knew that telling this story was going to be difficult because it would require extraordinary access and a willingness to participate in the film, not only on the part of an individual but sometimes an entire family and, critically, a physician. It wasn’t until two years into filming that I found what I felt to be this critical combination of characters to tell every aspect of the story. Cody Curtis, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and her family gave me access into their lives and insight into the choice Oregonians have at end of life.

The film begins with the onscreen death of  Cody Curtis. Perhaps the empty seats at the Sundance screening all belonged to critics who suddenly thought “Gee, maybe its a good time to go skiing!”

Shawn Levy, ordinarily unflappable, was at that screening. He writes that it took hours for him to recover his equilibrium:

I followed that with “How to Die in Oregon,” Peter Richardson’s absolutely shattering look at our state’s Death With Dignity law, particularly as it applied to the final days of Portlander Cody Curtis, who was struck with inoperable liver cancer at age 54.  The lovely, funny, sincere and heroically open Curtis is the focus, but the film looks at a number of Oregonians who chose to take their own lives when faced with incurable disease and crosses the river to Washington to give an account of a 2008 ballot referendum that resulted in that state adopting its own Death With Dignity program.  As I say, it was an emotionally devastating film even though it is level-headed and even-handed and has its feet squarely on the ground.  (It will play at the upcoming Portland International Film Festival and on HBO in, it is hoped, the fall.)

I need to clarify that Peter D. Richardson did not consult with me before he chose a subject which I have addressed elsewhere.

I hereby claim How To Die In Oregon as an Oregon film, based on multiple qualifying criteria.

Update on January 29, 2011:

How To Die In Oregon is coming back from Sundance with the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary.

Congratulations, Peter D. Richardson!

Mayor Sam Adams sees potential for economic growth in Portland in four areas: software, sportswear, clean tech and advanced manufacturing.  He doesn’t include filmmaking, perhaps because this industry seems to be growing by leaps and bounds without his help.

Shawn Levy reports a preponderance of Oregon films at Sundance this year. He found three Oregon docs in competition, and admits there very well may be more. Over here at Oregon Movies, A to Z, we were happy to help out by taking a closer look. We found a fourth documentary film which qualifies under our expanded definition: although the filmmakers are not Oregonians, they took as their subject Oregon events. A fifth film was just added today, when Shawn Levy identified the film which was Karen Schmeer’s last project – by the ever elastic rules of Oregon Movies, A to Z, it qualifies as an Oregon film, because a) Karen was a Oregonian and b) documentary editors play a very key creative role.

The descriptions of the films below come from Sundance.

Shawn’s List:

Hot Coffee Directed by Susan Saladoff (Ashland) – Following subjects whose lives have been devastated by an inability to access the courts, this film shows that many long-held beliefs about our civil justice system have been paid for by corporate America.

How To Die In Oregon Directed by Peter D. Richardson (Portland)– In 1994 Oregon became the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. How to Die in Oregon gently enters the lives of terminally ill Oregonians to illuminate the power of death with dignity.

We Were Here Directed by: David Weissman (Portland)– A deep and reflective look at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco and how individuals rose to the occasion during the first years of this unimaginable crisis.

Bobby Fischer Against the World / U.S.A. (Director: Liz Garbus) – The drama of late chess-master Bobby Fischer’s career was undeniable,as he careened from troubled childhood, to World Champion and Cold War icon, to a fugitive on the run. Edited by the late Karen Schmeer (Portland).

Anne’s addition to Shawn’s List:

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front Directed by Marshall Curry (Brooklyn) – The Earth Liberation Front is a radical environmental group that the FBI calls America’s ‘number one domestic terrorist threat.’ Daniel McGowan, an ELF member, faces life in prison for two multi-million dollar arsons against Oregon timber companies. But who is really to blame?

Moving to non documentaries. Four Oregon feature films at Sundance, all in sidebars. Again, one is an Oregon film only by the most elastic use of the definition.

Letters From the Big Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Christopher Munch) – An artist and government hydrologist surveying a remote part of southwestern Oregon befriends a sasquatch man and must take bold steps to protect his privacy, as well as her own. Cast: Lily Rabe, Jason Butler Harner, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Jim Cody Williams, Fiona Dourif. World Premiere

Meek’s Cutoff / U.S.A. (Director: Kelly Reichardt; Screenwriter: Jon Raymond (Portland)) – In 1845, three families who have hired mountaineer Stephen Meek to guide their wagons over the Cascade Mountains get lost and face hunger, thirst and a lack of faith in their instincts for survival. Cast: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson.

The Woods / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Matthew Lessner (Roseburg)) – A satirical nod to ethnographic film fashions a critique on media technology dependence, when eight young Americans move deep into to the woods to start their own utopia. Cast: Justin Phillips, Toby David, Adam Mortemore, Nicola Persky, Chris Edley. World Premiere.

And bringing up the rear:

The Oregonian / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder (Seattle)) – After surviving a brutal car accident, a simple farm woman limps down the road into the nightmarish unknown. Cast: Lindsay Pulsipher, Robert Longstreet, Matt Olsen, Lynne Compton, Barlow Jacobs, Chadwick Brown, Jed Maheu, Roger M. Mayer. World Premiere. Shot in California and Washington.

Number of documentaries by Oregon filmmakers at Sundance: 3

Number of documentaries edited by an Oregonian: 1

Number of documentaries about Oregon events at Sundance: 2

Number of feature films shot in Oregon: 3

Number of feature films written by an Oregonian: 1

Number of feature films with no Oregon connection whatsoever except the use of the word “Oregonian” in the title: 1

Second generation Hollywood  in the above Oregon films: 2.  Elia Kazan’s grandaughter, Zoe Kazan, in Meek’s Cutoff, and Brad  Dourif’s daughter Fiona Dourif in Letters From The Big Man

Good luck, everybody!

THIS JUST IN!!!!! Dec. 8, 2010: Shawn Levy’s follow up story.

It began with a bang. Andries Deinum arrived at PSU in 1957 from LA, and co-founded (long distance) the magazine Film Quarterly. He served on its editorial board until his death in 1995.

The following are the children of Andries. All have some Oregon connection: either they were born here, or moved here, or began their careers here before moving away.

Andries has other film addled children (Cinema Project, I’m looking at you!). These are the ones who write.

Sean Axmaker, Videodrone

Jeff Bayer, The Scorecard Review

Jason Bellamy, The Cooler

Nick Bruno, The Rain Falls Down In Portlandtown

Dennis Cozzalio,  Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule

Erin Donovan, Steady Diet Of Film

Travis Ezell, No Time For Love, Mr. Jones!

Ryan Gallagher, The Criterion Cast

Stan Hall, Beyond The Multiplex

D. K. Holm, Cinemonkey

Brian Kellow, Kael: A Life After Dark

Shawn Levy, Mad About Movies

Jon Lewis, Oregon State University

Aaron Mesh, Willamette Week

Marc Mohan, Mohanthropy, Far From Hollyeood

Kim Morgan, Sunset Gun

Gary Morris, Bright Lights Film Journal, Bright Lights After Dark

Kevin J. Olson, Hugo Stiglitz Makes Films

Darleen Ortega, Opinionated Judge

Jamie S. Rich, Criterion Confessions, dvdtalk.com

Anne Richardson, Oregon Movies, A to Z

Bobby “Fatboy” Roberts, Damnit, Bobby, Nerd Puddle

Mike Russell, Culture Pulp

Eric Snider, Cinematical

Dawn Taylor, Cinematical

John Varley, varley.net

David Walker, Bad Azz Mo Fo, Indie Film Journal, The Missing Reel

Bill Warren, pioneering online film critic

Gary Wolcott, Mr. Movie

Kyle Yount, Kaijucast

A wonderful red carpet moment, when Trailblazer fan Aaron Katz gets snapped by film critic Shawn Levy, an ardent supporter of Katz’ work, which he praises as “Shockingly, hearteningly poised and true.“

Here’s more information about Katz, whose signature style lent a name, mumblecore, to an entire movement of low-to-no budget filmmaking. Katz’ third feature, Cold Weather, premieres at SXSW Film Festival in March.

Photo credit: Shawn Levy

]]> http://www.talltalestruetales.com/2010/01/aaron-katz-oregon-filmmaker/feed/ 0 http://www.talltalestruetales.com/2009/11/shawn-meditates-on-the-road/ http://www.talltalestruetales.com/2009/11/shawn-meditates-on-the-road/#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:04:06 +0000 Anne Richardson http://talltalestruetales.wordpress.com/?p=2015

When John Hillcoat came to Portland to shoot scenes for The Road, he invited Shawn Levy to come watch. Pictured above are the backpacks worn by the Man and the Boy. Photo credit: Shawn Levy.

“Idiots and Angels”

There’s always been a curious tension between the spare, homemade craft of Bill Plympton’s films and the Baroque, Freudian fantasies he is so fond of exploring, and often the balance has been unsteady. But this handsome and dreamy film is the first time he’s gotten it all more or less just right at feature length.

It’s a wordless story, maybe even an allegory, about a misanthropic gun dealer who hangs out at a dive bar and discovers one morning that he has begun to spout wings on his back. At first he recoils from this strange novelty, but then he sees the advantages, as do the predatory folks in the dark, mean world around him. Plots against him develop; love emerges; tragedy strikes; and then there’s an unforeseeable reversal.

There’s goop and sex and gore and dark humor — this is not your children’s animation — but there’s wonder and wit and terrific music. Plympton’s been at the game for a long time, but this film makes it seem like he’s only just beginning to hit his best patch of work.

From Shawn Levy’s review

Shawn Levy, no pushover for praise, raves about Wendy and Lucy, which opens at Cinema 21 today.

Wendy and Lucy was written by Portland author Jonathan Raymond, produced by Portland producer Neil Kopp, and executive produced by newly minted Oregonian Todd Haynes.

Here’s Todd Haynes’ take on what is really hard about filmmaking.

I mean, making a film is so scary and there’s such a kind of void that you’re working from initially. I mean, you can have all the ideas and be as prepared as possible, but you’re also still bringing people together and saying, “Trust me”, even when you don’t necessarily trust every element. You’re making something out of nothing and it requires so many people’s collaborative efforts and participation that it seems like at any moment it could just fall through the cracks and be gone forever.