features

BUOY by Steven Doughton (Portland, OR)
SCREENS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 AT 5:30PM
(2012, Blu-ray)

When T.C. receives a call from Danny, her wayward brother, after a two-year communication lapse, she is tidying up her middle-class home as a suburban mother of two in Portland, Oregon. T.C.’s and Danny’s phone conversation comprises the film’s single scene. As the camera tracks T.C. through her household rounds, she and Danny embark on a wide-ranging emotional journey as their dialogue carries the story. Bittersweet childhood recollections merge into searching spiritual conjectures; bizarre anecdotes lead to offbeat cultural critiques and awkward personal confessions. Against a backdrop of long-simmering tensions and enduring sympathies, T.C.’s and Danny’s conversational saga reveals the deeper stories of their selves and their relation to each other, while exploring universal questions. What does it mean to be a good person and to live your life well? How do you keep your disappointment in—and envy for—another person’s life choices from standing in the way of your love for them?
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“Buoy is a powerful, deeply engrossing meditation on family, middle class alienation and love. What begins as a minimalist nod to My Dinner With Andre and Jeanne Dielmann results in a dramatic, emotionally gripping excavation of contemporary life, exquisitely controlled and grounded in its pitch-perfect performances, writing and direction.” – Todd Haynes writer/director Safe, Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven, I’m Not There

 

 

 

 

 

HELLO MY NAME IS DICK LICKER by Brady Hall (Seattle, WA)
SCREENS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 AT 7PM
(Brady Hall, 2011, 75 min.)

Rich Winthrop is a likable if slightly neurotic high school student whose mom is engaged to an effete and personality-deficient man with the last name Licker. Realizing that his life is about to be scarred by re-branding with the name “Dick Licker,” he enlists his smart-aleck friend Chad to devise a plot sabotaging his mother’s marriage.

Writer and director Brady Hall takes potty mouth to an Aaron Sorkin-esque level as Rich and Chad exchange barbs slathered in dizzyingly complex references to human anatomy and derogatory put downs. In the course of executing their despicable plot, they enlist the help of a psychotic ex-Special Forces vet and a reprobate lawyer. One absurd turn follows another as the story becomes evermore cartoonish, and Rich’s convoluted plan spins out of his control. Embracing and lampooning the archetypal high-school teen movie, Hall crafts a laugh-out-loud comedy with a memorable name. This film includes partial nudity and adult language.
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Screens with Bobby Ellis is Going to Kick Your Ass by Craig Packard (Seattle, WA)                
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RE-ENACTORS by Nathan and Zach Hamer (Mt. Vernon, WA)
SCREENS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 AT 7:15PM

In the vein of Christopher Guest’s great mockumentaries (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman) comes the new collaboration from the Hamer Brothers, Re-enactors.

Jed Hankley lives to relive. From Civil War battles to old western shootouts, Jed stops at nothing to create the most “historical” re-enactments. When Jed is offered his dream job, a temp tour-guide at the Milltown Pioneer Village, he must set aside his differences with his old rival, Douglas Marshall-Pickett, to create the most “authentic” experience possible. But will Jed and Doug’s hardcore re-enacting standards clash with the cushy lifestyle of the Pioneer Village campers? For Jed and Doug, the summer has now become 1866; for the campers, it’s become a living nightmare.
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PEOPLE OF A FEATHER by Joel Heath (Vancouver, BC)
SCREENS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 AT 5:15PM
(Joel Heath, Blu-ray, 90 min)

Featuring groundbreaking footage from seven winters in the Arctic, People of a Feather moves through time into the world of the Inuit on the Belcher Islands in Hudson Bay. Connecting past, present, and future is the people’s unique cultural relationship with the eider duck. Eider down, the warmest feather in the world, allows both Inuit and bird to survive harsh Arctic winters. Both people and eiders face challenges posed by changing sea ice and ocean currents which have been disrupted by massive hydroelectric dams. Joel Heath’s debut feature employs stunning time-lapse photography and underwater footage to create an authentic and insightful portrayal of a community challenged by a changing environment. A beautiful film with incredible shots of arctic wilderness, People of a Feather provides us with a perspective on nature and culture we may never see again. In English and Inuktituk with subtitles.
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WALKING TO LINAS by Tonjia Atomic (Seattle, WA)
SCREENS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 AT 7PM
(Tonjia Atomic, 2012, 61 min)

In 1974, renowned German director Werner Herzog walked from Munich to Paris to visit his dying mentor Lotte Eisner. In the 2006 film Walking to Werner, director Linas Phillips paid tribute to Werner Herzog in his pledge to take the biggest walk of his life, from Seattle to Werner Herzog’s Los Angeles home.

Building upon the classic artist’s journey with a quirky and funny twist, Walking to Linas is a comedic mockumentary that follows Stasha and Ada, true artists and each a diva in her own right, as they embark on a pilgrimage across the city of Seattle to pay homage to Seattle director Linas Phillips, their most revered artistic idol.

Will their ambitious quest be fulfilled?  Has Stasha chosen a splashy enough outfit and will her poor choice of footwear survive the journey? Will Ada’s more tolerant nature survive Stasha’s all-knowing diva attitude?  Did the girls Mapquest the right directions? Driven along their circuitous path, these eccentric girls discover truths about each other, their ideals and most importantly their reality.
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Screens with Bad Penny by Linas Phillips and Ricky Camilleri (Seattle, WA)
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THE MEN OF DODGE CITY by Nandan Rao (Corvallis, OR)
SCREENS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 AT 7:15PM
(Nandan Rao, 94 min)

The Men of Dodge City are not quite men yet. The film centers on three young friends transplanted to Detroit with the aspiration of transforming an abandoned cathedral-sized church into a lively arts space. J., Zach and Ben are at work, transforming a gargantuanspace and trying hard to articulate their enthusiasm and noble ideas. All the while they play, flirt, tell stories and struggle to define themselves with their grand schemes.

Although the cast and crew hail from the Northwest, the filming of Dodge City took place in Detroit. The centerpiece of the film’s location (and its visual eye-candy) is the church building where the trio spend much of their time. Director Nandan Rao, who is also the cinematographer, expertly captures each scene so that the physical space in all its beauty and decrepitude as an active player in the film. Filmed in the winter, the sun is always hanging low in the sky, surrounding the characters and the space in a perpetual twilight. The sound design is a perfect compliment to the stark picture on screen, as the absence of a score accentuates the naturalistic performances. Magically, each room inside the building becomes a fully-formed character just by the very sound of the empty space.

Rao has created a film that moves in small steps. Viewers are given little in terms of plot, but are richly rewarded by thoughtful and charming characters, confident cinematography and the use of a stunningly beautiful location.
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NOT THAT FUNNY by Lauralee Farrer
SCREENS MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 AT 7PM
(Lauralee Farrer, 2011, 105 min)

A veritable who’s who of recent television, Not That Funny stars Tony Hale (Arrested Development), Brigid Brannagh (Army Wives), Timothy V. Murphy (Appaloosa) and K Callan (Lois & Clark) in a comedy about how far we’ll go for love. Tony Hale gives a great turn as Stefan, an affable 40-ish fellow who by his own admission is alone but not lonely. That all changes when Hayley, weary from a high-pressure job with a self-absorbed boss/boyfriend, returns to her hometown to visit her aging grandmother, who Stefan lives with and cares for. Overhearing Hayley tell her grandmother that all she wants is a guy who makes her laugh, Stefan sets out to become funny and win her heart. Unfortunately, Stefan is not that funny, but his attempt leads to important transformations for both of them. This sweet, humble film is both humorous and smart, and speaks to the importance of family, friendship and truth.
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FAST BREAK by Don Zavin (Portland, OR)
SCREENS  MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 AT 7:15PM
(Don Zavin, 1977, Blu-ray, 117 min)

Each year at Local Sightings we reach back into the annals of Northwest filmmaking history to pluck a long-unseen classic back into rotation. In a year where the Sonics’ return to Seattle seem imminent, we’re taking the opportunity to screen this rare 1977 documentary about the Portland Trailblazers, directed by filmmaker Don Zavin. Evoking a cinema verite feel not found in most sports documentaries, Fast Break examines the 1977 Trailblazers in a surprisingly personal and compelling fashion. Inter-cutting excerpts from the 1977 playoff and championship season, the film steps outside the basketball court and into the everyday lives of the Trailblazers and their coach Jack Ramsey. Whether it’s biking the Oregon coast with Bill Walton, hosting a kids basketball camp with Dave Twardzik, or game-footage of the Western Conference Finals (with Bill Walton going toe-to-toe with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Fast Break lets the players speak for themselves: about basketball, life and playing in Portland. Don Zavin died from pancreatic cancer in 1998; several years later. his widow Ellen Thomas, donated his entire film archive to the Oregon Historical Society. This is Fast Break‘s Seattle premiere.
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CODE OF THE WEST by Rebecca Richman Cohen (Billings, MT)
SCREENS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2 AT 7PM
(Rebecca Richman Cohen, Montana, 2012, Blu-ray, 71 min)
Post screening Q&A with activist John Masterson!

As Washington State faces a referendum on legalized marijuana, this look at some of the issues still plaguing Montana’s medical marijuana business offers many lessons to consider.

Once a pioneer in legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, the state of Montana is poised to become the first in the nation to repeal its medical marijuana law. Set against the sweeping vistas of the Rockies, the steamy lamplight of marijuana grow houses, and the bustling halls of the State Capitol, Code of the West follows the 2011 Montana State Legislature as it debates the fate of the law.  Following key figures on each side of the debate, the film is a courtroom and political drama. As it explores state sovereignty, patients’ rights and one of the most heated policy questions facing the country today, the film provides insight into the ways in which the debate has affected many lives. Medical marijuana debates create fraught emotions, and the outcome of these battles will have profound implications for the way we live in America.
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COAST MODERN by Michael Bernard and Gavin Froome (Vancouver, BC)
SCREENS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT 7PM
(Michael Bernard and Gavin Froome, 2012, Blu-ray, 60 min)

In Coast Modern, Mike Bernard and Gavin Froome turn their lens on the sleek interiors and lush gardens of stunning examples of modernist architecture, from Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle, from the early 20th century to the second wave of post-war America to today’s current modernist renaissance. Featuring conversations with architects and their patrons, the films asks if Modernism’s time has finally come, or whether it really went away. Cultural critics abound (including a memorable turn from Douglas Coupland), as Coast Modern pays particularly sharp attention to cultural values embodied in architectural form. Interviewed are some of the most respected names in architecture, including James Steele, Barbara Lamprecht, Ray Kappe, Hernik Bull, Pierluigi Serraino, Michael Folonis, Dion Neutra, John Cava, Barbara Bestor and legendary photographer Julius Shulman.
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