Films & Schedules - Tuesday, February 12, 2013

“Cross Ocean’s Eleven with The Usual Suspects, move the setting to a northern English city, and you have the basis of this remarkable debut. Harvey had dreams of becoming a lawyer before being convicted of drug possession. We meet him in a police interview room. Bloodied, bruised, and recently paroled from prison, he’s about to be interrogated about the violent robbery of a workingmen’s club. What follows is a series of flashbacks as Harvey reveals his version of how he ended up back in the hands of the law. Wasteland has all the elements of a classic heist thriller: a...

“Cross Ocean’s Eleven with The Usual Suspects, move the setting to a northern English city, and you have the basis of this remarkable debut. Harvey had dreams of becoming a lawyer before being convicted of drug possession. We meet him in a police interview room. Bloodied, bruised, and recently paroled from prison, he’s about to be interrogated about the violent robbery of a workingmen’s club. What follows is a series of flashbacks as Harvey reveals his version of how he ended up back in the hands of the law. Wasteland has all the elements of a classic heist thriller: a likeable group of guys, a beautiful and reluctantly involved ex-girlfriend, revenge, and the sense that all can be forgiven if justice—even of the street variety—is served. A gritty, exhilarating ride.”—Toronto International Film Festival (106 mins.)

First Feature.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, Narrative Feature.

With music by David Lynch and Chrysta Bell, a spider-like Vietnamese sorcerer coaxes a beautiful chanteuse to perform like a living doll. (6 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

With music by David Lynch and Chrysta Bell, a spider-like Vietnamese sorcerer coaxes a beautiful chanteuse to perform like a living doll. (6 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

A young man finds a microcosm and possibilities in transit. (8 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

 

A young man finds a microcosm and possibilities in transit. (8 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

 

Interests: Short Cuts.

The filmmaker examines the artifacts of an ended love affair. (3 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

The filmmaker examines the artifacts of an ended love affair. (3 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

While watching lifeguards perform rescue drills at a neighborhood pool, a woman faces her own need to be saved. (7 min.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

While watching lifeguards perform rescue drills at a neighborhood pool, a woman faces her own need to be saved. (7 min.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

Orland’s open letter to Peter concerns a steaming pile of woodchips, Mt. Fuji, and the concept of context. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Orland’s open letter to Peter concerns a steaming pile of woodchips, Mt. Fuji, and the concept of context. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

A continuation of the correspondence in which Orland’s relationship to the woodchips evolves. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

A continuation of the correspondence in which Orland’s relationship to the woodchips evolves. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

An open letter to the celestial body formerly known as a planet, written and performed by slam poet Taylor Mali and wryly animated by Priestley. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

An open letter to the celestial body formerly known as a planet, written and performed by slam poet Taylor Mali and wryly animated by Priestley. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

A stream-of-consciousness tribute to our own often ridiculous, rambling inner monologues. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

A stream-of-consciousness tribute to our own often ridiculous, rambling inner monologues. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

In the cold of January, a mind drifts. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

In the cold of January, a mind drifts. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

An elderly couple marks time toward a not-so-inevitable end. (7 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

An elderly couple marks time toward a not-so-inevitable end. (7 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

From anime master Hiroyuki Okiura comes this touching, fantastical tale of a young girl’s grief and the three mischievous spirits sent to look after her. After the death of her father, 13-year-old Momo and her mother move from Tokyo to the remote island of Shio. Here, Momo is haunted by the discovery of an unfinished letter her father was writing to her—and plagued by the presence of three heaven-sent goblins whose bumbling efforts to protect her tend to cause more chaos than good. “As gorgeous as Momo is to behold, the film’s sensitive portrayal of a teenager dealing with grief...

From anime master Hiroyuki Okiura comes this touching, fantastical tale of a young girl’s grief and the three mischievous spirits sent to look after her. After the death of her father, 13-year-old Momo and her mother move from Tokyo to the remote island of Shio. Here, Momo is haunted by the discovery of an unfinished letter her father was writing to her—and plagued by the presence of three heaven-sent goblins whose bumbling efforts to protect her tend to cause more chaos than good. “As gorgeous as Momo is to behold, the film’s sensitive portrayal of a teenager dealing with grief proves its most compelling element. ... With its complex characterizations and multiple storylines, [Momo] rivals mature live-action drama.”—Variety (120 mins.)

Selected Filmography: key animator on Roujin Z (91), Ghost in the Shell (95), Jin-Roh, The Wolf Brigade (99), Paprika (06)

Winner of the Grand Prize at the New York International Children’s Film Festival.

Sponsored by the Consular Office of Japan in Portland and Chipotle.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, Animation, Family Fare, Asian.

Metamorphosed images with the appearance of sculpted wood and shifting sand summon memories of a life. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Metamorphosed images with the appearance of sculpted wood and shifting sand summon memories of a life. (4 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

Sponsored by Red Giant.

78 Minutes    

Interests: Short Cuts.

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DEAR PLUTO

DIRECTOR: Joanna Priestley -

An open letter to the celestial body formerly known as a planet, written and performed by slam poet Taylor Mali and wryly animated by Priestley. (4 mins.)

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TO BEE OR NOT TO BE

DIRECTOR: James Lowry -

An accidental meeting recording the possible (last) thoughts of a bumblebee. (3 mins.)

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DOING VERY WELL

DIRECTOR: Zach Schultz -

A stream-of-consciousness tribute to our own often ridiculous, rambling inner monologues. (4 mins.)

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WHILE YOU WERE OUT

DIRECTOR: Noah Lambie -

Flip books made of memo pads and other found folios come to life. (7 mins.)

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CPR

DIRECTOR: Kimberly Warner -

While watching lifeguards perform rescue drills at a neighborhood pool, a woman faces her own need to be saved. (7 min.)

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THE TITANIC OF SOUTHAMPTON

DIRECTOR: Justin Zimmerman -

The city of Southampton feels the lasting and haunting effects of the Titanic disaster a century later. (13 mins.)

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CONTENTS OF C___’S BOX, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

DIRECTOR: Ian Berry -

The filmmaker examines the artifacts of an ended love affair. (3 mins.)

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JANUARY DRIFT

DIRECTOR: Enie Vaisburd -

In the cold of January, a mind drifts. (4 mins.)

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BIRD OF FLAMES

DIRECTOR: Chel White -

With music by David Lynch and Chrysta Bell, a spider-like Vietnamese sorcerer coaxes a beautiful chanteuse to perform like a living doll. (6 mins.)

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THE BUS

DIRECTOR: H.L. Mitchell -

A young man finds a microcosm and possibilities in transit. (8 mins.)

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LOST AND FOUND

DIRECTOR: Joan Gratz -

Metamorphosed images with the appearance of sculpted wood and shifting sand summon memories of a life. (4 mins.)

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DEAR PETER, WOODCHIPS I

DIRECTOR: Orland Nutt -

Orland’s open letter to Peter concerns a steaming pile of woodchips, Mt. Fuji, and the concept of context. (4 mins.)

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LATER THAN USUAL

DIRECTOR: David Hovan -

An elderly couple marks time toward a not-so-inevitable end. (7 mins.)

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DEAR PETER, WOODCHIPS II

DIRECTOR: Orland Nutt -

A continuation of the correspondence in which Orland’s relationship to the woodchips evolves. (4 mins.)

Skateboarding becomes a metaphor for freedom in this love letter to the subversive power of youth. In East Germany in the 1980s, for three teens—Nico, Dirk, and Dennis—life in the GDR was dominated by skateboarding. But in a nation where “the streets were not for playing around,” skating was as much a revolutionary act of defiance as it was a spectacular sport. Using a clutch of priceless Super-8 films, animations, reenactments, and archival footage, all set against a delirious punk soundtrack, This Ain’t California follows the three through adolescence and into adulthood on the eve of reunification. Through the lenses...

Skateboarding becomes a metaphor for freedom in this love letter to the subversive power of youth. In East Germany in the 1980s, for three teens—Nico, Dirk, and Dennis—life in the GDR was dominated by skateboarding. But in a nation where “the streets were not for playing around,” skating was as much a revolutionary act of defiance as it was a spectacular sport. Using a clutch of priceless Super-8 films, animations, reenactments, and archival footage, all set against a delirious punk soundtrack, This Ain’t California follows the three through adolescence and into adulthood on the eve of reunification. Through the lenses of the skater kids amongst the Stasi comes a rare, stylishly witty glimpse into East Berlin counterculture. (90 mins.)

First Feature.

Sponsored by Zeitgeist Northwest.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, German Language, History, Documentary.

The city of Southampton feels the lasting and haunting effects of the Titanic disaster a century later. (13 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

The city of Southampton feels the lasting and haunting effects of the Titanic disaster a century later. (13 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

An accidental meeting recording the possible (last) thoughts of a bumblebee. (3 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

An accidental meeting recording the possible (last) thoughts of a bumblebee. (3 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

Flip books made of memo pads and other found folios come to life. (7 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Flip books made of memo pads and other found folios come to life. (7 mins.)

See SHORT CUTS V: MADE IN OREGON to purchase tickets.

Interests: Short Cuts.

In this timeless, enchanting fable, rising Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor gives a winning performance as a deaf-mute man whose life is a series of comic and tragic misadventures. Dedicated to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, the nearly wordless Barfi! follows the resourceful title character as he falls in and out of love with the beautiful Shruti, whose parents pressure her into a respectable arranged marriage. Later, he finds love again with the autistic Jhilmil—whose father plots to defraud her of a sizable trust fund—only for Shruti to unexpectedly reenter his life. In between, Barfi finds himself caught up in a...

In this timeless, enchanting fable, rising Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor gives a winning performance as a deaf-mute man whose life is a series of comic and tragic misadventures. Dedicated to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, the nearly wordless Barfi! follows the resourceful title character as he falls in and out of love with the beautiful Shruti, whose parents pressure her into a respectable arranged marriage. Later, he finds love again with the autistic Jhilmil—whose father plots to defraud her of a sizable trust fund—only for Shruti to unexpectedly reenter his life. In between, Barfi finds himself caught up in a bank robbery, two botched kidnappings, and all other manner of slapstick mayhem. This broadly entertaining treat for film lovers of all ages is this year’s Indian submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. (151 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Saaya (03), Gangster (06), Life in a Metro (07), Kites (10)

Sponsored by Vindalho.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Oscar Submissions, Narrative Feature, Family Fare, Asian, Comedy.

London, 1962. While tied to the hip—“forever”—of her best friend Rosa (Alice Englert), Ginger (Elle Fanning) is beset by two crises: the collapse of her parents’ marriage and the growing worldwide anxiety concerning nuclear Armageddon. If that’s not enough, the joys and terrors of dawning sexual identity and creative ambition are equally consuming. As her family implodes and the Cold War meets the sexual revolution, lifelong friendship will be shattered by ideology and personal betrayals. Looking back on the idealism and roots of a feminist generation, Potter’s exploration of the price of coming of age features a striking performance by...

London, 1962. While tied to the hip—“forever”—of her best friend Rosa (Alice Englert), Ginger (Elle Fanning) is beset by two crises: the collapse of her parents’ marriage and the growing worldwide anxiety concerning nuclear Armageddon. If that’s not enough, the joys and terrors of dawning sexual identity and creative ambition are equally consuming. As her family implodes and the Cold War meets the sexual revolution, lifelong friendship will be shattered by ideology and personal betrayals. Looking back on the idealism and roots of a feminist generation, Potter’s exploration of the price of coming of age features a striking performance by Elle Fanning and a supporting cast that includes Timothy Spall, Oliver Platt, Annette Bening, Christina Hendricks, and Alessandro Nivola. (90 mins.)

Selected Filmography: The Gold Diggers (83), Orlando (92), The Tango Lesson (97), Yes (04), Rage (09)

Sponsored by Higgins.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature.

Based on the graphic novel trilogy by Jaroslav Rudiš and Jaromír Svejdík, this superbly atmospheric rotoscope animation employs noirish black-and-white images and an evocative soundtrack to portray the fractured psychology of a man and his country. In summer 1989, Alois Nebel works as a stationmaster in a small village in the Jeseník Mountains, close to the Polish border. Preferring old timetables to people, Nebel lives through his memories, haunted by the violent postwar expulsion of the Germans and getting lost in the mists of time. Encounters with a mysterious mute man and the kind Květa help him to connect the...

Based on the graphic novel trilogy by Jaroslav Rudiš and Jaromír Svejdík, this superbly atmospheric rotoscope animation employs noirish black-and-white images and an evocative soundtrack to portray the fractured psychology of a man and his country. In summer 1989, Alois Nebel works as a stationmaster in a small village in the Jeseník Mountains, close to the Polish border. Preferring old timetables to people, Nebel lives through his memories, haunted by the violent postwar expulsion of the Germans and getting lost in the mists of time. Encounters with a mysterious mute man and the kind Květa help him to connect the past with the present and to find middle-aged love. Winner of the European Film Award for Best Animated Film, Lunák’s auspicious debut is “destined to become a classic of the form.”—Piers Handling, Toronto International Film Festival (84 mins.)

First Feature.

Sponsored by LAIKA.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, Narrative Feature, Animation.

Estonia, 1994. Soviet occupation has ended, but not the grip of Stalinist memories or the new hold of the Russian Mafia. Aliide, who has lived through a generation where a sentence to Siberian prison camps was all too regular, encounters Zara, a young girl who has exhaustedly escaped the clutches of sex slavery. Though from different eras, both women are haunted by their own tragic pasts and a dark history that binds them. Based on the award-winning novel of the same title by Sofi Oksanen, this unflinching family drama, a story of sex trafficking, violent abuse, betrayal, and loss, is...

Estonia, 1994. Soviet occupation has ended, but not the grip of Stalinist memories or the new hold of the Russian Mafia. Aliide, who has lived through a generation where a sentence to Siberian prison camps was all too regular, encounters Zara, a young girl who has exhaustedly escaped the clutches of sex slavery. Though from different eras, both women are haunted by their own tragic pasts and a dark history that binds them. Based on the award-winning novel of the same title by Sofi Oksanen, this unflinching family drama, a story of sex trafficking, violent abuse, betrayal, and loss, is this year’s Finnish submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. (125 mins.)

Selected Filmography: The Resident (11)

Sponsored by the Finlandia Foundation and the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Oscar Submissions, Narrative Feature.