THE MOUNTAIN CRUMBLES is nearly complete, and pretty soon it'll be time to see what kind of life if any it has in the film festival world. I'm excited for people to be able to see it, so whatever happens I'm going make sure there are ways for anyone who is interested to get the chance to watch it.
But the next film is already underway in the development process, and it's tentatively titled THIS BITTER EARTH. I'm working on it with Ben Parslow again, and for just a little taste (albeit a vague one lol), here are some images from the "inspiration book" I've been putting together for it:
Saturday was my friend Hazel's homecoming jewelry show- her first back in Portland after a short but sad departure to San Francisco. It was held at and in collaboration with Una, the best and most unique women's clothing shop in Portland.
First I got a little preview of the work on Friday at Hazel's...
Then we headed out to my family's houseboat to burn some wood logs that would be used as table decor in the show.
My brother picked up one of these great God's eye pins... Hazel hand dyed the thread with Japanese dye typically used on kimonos.
I've kind of been obsessed with the imagery of feathers lately and I'm not sure why. I wish they meant something more to me than just being aesthetically interesting so I could get one tattooed or something haha. Hazel doesn't purchase any of the feathers used in her pieces, they're all found and stumbled upon the old fashioned way. That kind of thought behind the work I think adds a great deal of "soul" that comes across inexplicably in feeling, even when you don't know all of that.
One of the cool things about Hazel's work is that almost any piece can be worn by either women or men. They're not meant to be unisex, and she does make little detail adjustments that define a piece's intended wearer. But as you can see, the jewelry has an aesthetic that works for everyone. Women seem to be just as drawn to her more masculine pieces, and stories of guys stealing their girlfriend's Hazel Cox necklaces are known.
The wonderful Giovanna (in black), who we have to thank for Una.
So the past few days we've been cleaning out and organizing the train-wreck that is our garage. While sorting through dusty boxes I came across some great now-vintage discoveries belonging to my mom and dad. All probably from the 80's.
I just got home from a screening of fellow Northwest native and SVA graduate filmmaker Lynn Shelton's new film, HUMPDAY.
It screened at the Portland Art Museum as part of the Northwest Film Center's ongoing Northwest Tracking series, which showcases great work by filmmakers from the Northwest.
You probably have at least heard of HUMPDAY. Since it's premiere at Sundance, this little film has gone on pick up quite a bit of mainstream press, and is seeing a good sized release.
It's the one about two straight guys who decide to make a "art porn" movie, starring themselves as two straight guys having sex. It's got a sex comedy premise that the dudes who shell out cash to see Judd Apatow movies might love, but all the humanity and honesty and subversiveness that those movies don't have.
You can read a more detailed premise on a million other sites and reviews, but to sum it up- Ben (Mark Duplass) and Andrew (Joshua Leonard) are two thirty-something friends who have gone on to lead two very different lives since their college days. Ben is married, has a job and a nice house, and is nearing the point where having a baby is an idea just over the horizon. Andrew is something of a Simon Yugler (sorry, personal friend, no one will get that)- a scruffy free spirited type, back in town from his enlightening world travels.
During a drunken party the two buddies somehow end up agreeing to have sex on film for an amateur porn festival. It's an internal and external challenge for both of them- for Ben it's to prove that despite the appearance of his married lifestyle, he is still a man with as much freedom as Andrew. For Andrew, it's to prove that his free spirit image is not a fluke (even though it is), and a desire to follow through and complete something, anything, in his life.
The film transcends any and all preconceptions of it's gimmicky outer appearance. It resembles nothing of a raunchy commercial sex comedy and everything of an intelligently crafted relationship piece that provokes thought and emotion. And yet, in 22 years of living, I have NEVER heard an audience roar in laughter as hard as I did tonight. I have also never heard an audience explode into applause during the middle of a film to compliment a brilliant scene. No potty mouthed Hollywood toilet humor flick I've seen has ever evoked half of the response HUMPDAY received tonight.
Some fun news. My short film SPOKES & PEDALS will be screening on July 31st here in Portland in the 2009 Bicycle Film Festival.
If you're in town be sure to stop by the Clinton Street Theater for two evenings (the 31st and Aug 1st) of what looks to be a great, diverse program of films.
And if you're not in Portland, the festival will most likely be coming to a city near you soon, so keep your eyes peeled. Austin, Toronto, DC, London, Paris, Sydney and Tokyo to name a few.
My buddy Nick Chakwin has finished his new film "Things To Do On a Rainy Day".
I've seen it and it is exceptionally beautiful. I'm very inspired by my friends and peers who produce interesting work, and Nick has always been one of them.
I can't recall ever seeing an advertising campaign that truly stirred any sort of emotion or feeling in my gut . Even with the best print ads or television spots, they have never evoked anything in me beyond maybe a comment- "oh that was kind of cool/original/well done", and then it is immediately forgotten.
But for the first major campaign they have done for Levi's, Wieden & Kennedy has changed that with "Go Forth":
As the sweat of New World desperation enveloped the West Coast of America in 1873, the Levi's brand was born. In recent times, the deep sense of purpose that birthed America has been obscured. Now is a time of self-reckoning, not dissimilar to the America of back when. With the words of Walt Whitman, Levi's is using inspiration of old for new times. Whitman was an optimist at a time when it was easier to be a pessimist and believed in the strength of the individual. He lived through the Civil War, one of the darkest periods in American history, and drew strength from the struggle.
The two television spots created for the campaign are stunning, and I regard them as two pieces of great short cinema, rather than "commercials" (a title that also is used to describe what the Sham Wow guy does.)
First there is "America", directed by Cary Fukunaga, who burst onto the scene this year with his first film "Sin Nombre".
But my favorite is Portland filmmaker M.Blash's "O Pioneers":
I was browsing a record store the other day when I noticed rapper Mos Def has a new album out called "The Ecstatic".
The album cover is a photograph from one of my favorite films, Charles Burnett's "Killer of Sheep".
Still tragically unknown/forgotten to many, Burnett's 1977 neo-realist masterpiece IS what comes to mind when I think of true American independent cinema.
"Killer of Sheep" is a collection of vignettes depicting the lives of a working class African-American family in the Watts district of Los Angeles. It a gorgeous example of black and white 16MM cinematography and a lesson in unconventional yet simple storytelling.
Despite winning a critic's award at the Berlin Film Festival, the film never saw an actual public release because rights to the soundtrack could not be afforded. For 30 years, the 16MM prints collected dust in obscurity, over time earning a reputation with critics and film scholars as a lost classic.
Finally in 2007, 30 years after completion, the film saw a limited theatrical release, and suddenly "Killer of Sheep" was introduced to a new generation of viewers. When it opened at the IFC Theater in New York, I went to see it over the weekend, and by the time I returned to class on Monday, all my friends had seen it independently as well. We talked all class long about the film, and how lucky we all felt to have the opportunity to finally see it.
On the 100th anniversary of the company's founding, Pendleton celebrates their status as an American icon with their first collaboration ever. Based on Pendleton's classic wool shirting and Native American inspired jaquards, Opening Ceremony designed a collection of the brands most classic styles, including the motocross shirt and the full mini skirt.
Pendleton meets Opening Ceremony will be seen in Opening Ceremony, as well as stores worldwide, starting August 2009.
Interest in Pacific Northwest culture and lifestyle has never been higher, and this dream collaboration feels a bit like the apex. To borrow praise from the most recent issue of Spread magazine, no other boutique and few labels in the last 5 years have had the impact on New York fashion as Opening Ceremony. Pendleton has been a staple of functional, utilitarian Oregon dress since the 1920's I believe- embraced today by workmen looking for durable clothing as well as the young and style-conscious.
