Films & Schedules - Saturday, November 13, 2010

(DOC) STUFF is an intimate examination of fathers and sons. Johnson interweaves the stories of two men, his own and that of his friend Phil, a carpenter, after the deaths of their fathers. Johnson attempts to understand his father and their relationship through a storage unit full of the “stuff” his father left behind, while Phil seeks to overcome years of pent-up anger as he drives his father’s ashes to Iowa for burial. Part road movie, part meditation, STUFF searches for the meaning of what it is to be a son and a father.

(DOC) STUFF is an intimate examination of fathers and sons. Johnson interweaves the stories of two men, his own and that of his friend Phil, a carpenter, after the deaths of their fathers. Johnson attempts to understand his father and their relationship through a storage unit full of the “stuff” his father left behind, while Phil seeks to overcome years of pent-up anger as he drives his father’s ashes to Iowa for burial. Part road movie, part meditation, STUFF searches for the meaning of what it is to be a son and a father.

Whitsell Auditorium     90 Minutes    

Interests: Documentary.

(DOC) “As a young man, Vernon Lott thought he could very well be the next great American poet. But then he got out of the habit of writing, stumbled years later upon on a box of his old poetry in his mom’s basement, and realized: This stuff is horrible. Instead of shoving the poems back into the box, however, and fleeing the basement in shame, he decided to show his work to a bunch of famous writers, among them George Saunders, David Sedaris, Margaret Atwood, and Nick Flynn, and ask their opinions. Their reactions to his poetry, and their thoughts...

(DOC) “As a young man, Vernon Lott thought he could very well be the next great American poet. But then he got out of the habit of writing, stumbled years later upon on a box of his old poetry in his mom’s basement, and realized: This stuff is horrible. Instead of shoving the poems back into the box, however, and fleeing the basement in shame, he decided to show his work to a bunch of famous writers, among them George Saunders, David Sedaris, Margaret Atwood, and Nick Flynn, and ask their opinions. Their reactions to his poetry, and their thoughts on what differentiates good writing from bad, is the subject of Lott’s entertaining documentary.”—The New Yorker.

Whitsell Auditorium     90 Minutes    

Interests: Documentary.

(DOC/NAR) Mining the memorable events in his life for riveting, revealing, and cerebral fodder for his films is nothing new to filmmaker Andy Blubaugh, best known for his personal essays on film (HELLO, THANKS; SCAREDYCAT). In his first feature, he pulls together his documentary talents and works with actors to create a hybrid genre that explores the ramifications of a consensual relationship he had as a teen with a successful, seductive, and closeted man twice his age. Pushing past the outrage and scandal of the matter, ADULTS digs into the real emotions and scars (or lack thereof) that have made...

(DOC/NAR) Mining the memorable events in his life for riveting, revealing, and cerebral fodder for his films is nothing new to filmmaker Andy Blubaugh, best known for his personal essays on film (HELLO, THANKS; SCAREDYCAT). In his first feature, he pulls together his documentary talents and works with actors to create a hybrid genre that explores the ramifications of a consensual relationship he had as a teen with a successful, seductive, and closeted man twice his age. Pushing past the outrage and scandal of the matter, ADULTS digs into the real emotions and scars (or lack thereof) that have made him the man he is today. Blubaugh weaves fictional scenes with real-life events, like the scandal involving Portland’s mayor and perspectives from friends, therapists, and sex columnist Dan Savage, to fashion a moving and psychoanalytic self-portrait.

Prior to the screening, Andy Blubaugh leads a personal filmmaking workshop at the School of Film from noon-2 p.m.

Whitsell Auditorium     81 Minutes    

Interests: Queer, Documentary/Narrative.