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May 25, 2019
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
So sorry for the late release of the newsletter. My grandson, his girlfriend and their one-year old baby moved into our home yesterday; so, to say the least, my life has gotten exponentially more complicated in just about every way, but mostly in the ability to find space, time and quiet. Hopefully soon I will have a modicum of a normal routine back in place. Transition periods are hard.
On Wednesday, we had an Adidas team building day at the Clinton. With a focus on unique Portland stories, teams of 3-5 had 48 hours to interview, research, compile and present their findings through music, video, audio and PowerPoint. The Clinton Street Theater was one of the subjects chosen, and the team had even found an old Yelp review saying something like, "I could piss in here and no one would know. It's been done before, just take a whiff."
Sometimes I forget the condition of the theater when I purchased it seven years ago, and I'm thankful that no one can describe our smell as repulsive these days. If someone were to make a comment about the smell, it would be about the "hunger-creating" freshness of our popcorn. (We do have the best in Portland, so it's no wonder.) I'm truly grateful for the community's love and support in helping us become a much more inviting space. It wouldn't have been possible without your crowd-funding contributions through the years and all the elbow grease you've brought to our work parties.
Movie-going is about sharing stories. The theater productions are about sharing stories. We sing about love and heartache. We even have nights dedicated for storytelling with the Portland Storytellers' Guild. Don Miguel Ruiz wrote, "Every human is an artist. And this is the main art that we have: the creation of our story." The Clinton Street Theater is a part of the community fabric, made up of the many strands of folks who come and spend time with us. Come strengthen the fabric soon with your art and your personal stories.
A Score for Tourist Movies
Mary Austin Speaker
If music plays with film
then film is an illustration
of music’s movement.
Snap, blast, sever, sever, stop.
Even the dog twitching his ears.
If islands nestle in the ocean,
and a statue rises above the pilgrim,
then we are standing on a cliff
and the pilgrim has reached her goal.
The light is as pale as the back of her hand.
If the dancers twitch arrythmically
their dance is only partly kept.
At twenty-four frames per second,
film makes a lonely memory.
They sway staccato, staggered, stretched.
If drums repeat the pace
of film’s slip through the gate,
then the song’s refrain
retells film’s fades and cutaways.
Even its night-quiet darks.
If horns evoke an antique joy,
lens flares and close-ups send
their renderings into red relief.
How has mankind managed grief?
Light, noise, movement, breath.
If blood is to the body
as film is to the camera,
if film is a flat and lucid eye,
if light is a perishable gift,
then the night is the gate of the dark.
If light falls away with always
then film is a parcel of rest.
Panoramas, linked and strung
as castle-steps, lawns, the fine
iron bars of the castle gate.
If drums pace the beat of blood
and film is the speed of the rattle
of breath, then the dancers have
truly escaped us. We slow
as they quicken. We go and go.
WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK
STRANGE DIVINITY
Strange Divinity is a rock opera that takes you on a supernatural journey through the land of the Immortals and the Mortals, using quantum theory to spin its tale. Thanks to the Goddess Destiny, the mortal Otto Von Grunberg is able to live in a state of superposition, where timeline options for reality are served up as choices to decide on. Destiny's deity, the Orb Nadia, sits back and observes Destiny's lesson in humility as the Demigod Sally Tomato watches over the Mortals and elaborates on the adventures at hand.
At 6pm, prior to the feature film, we will be showing a few short films as part our "Short Films PDX" series.
"Invisible Oregon" by Sam Forencich
"Lamentation" by House Special, produced by Kirk Kelley with music by Pink Martini
"Crashing the Waves" by Pacific Mean Time
"View Master Mind" by Harrison Garrison / Robert Schmeltzer
"Whisper a Dream" by Eric Lindstrom featuring Emilee Rose
STRANGE DIVINITY will screen from 7-8
DOORS AT 5:30pm -- and it's FREE!!!
 SEVEN SAMURAI
This week's Resistance Series film is Akira Kurosawa's epic tale about honor and duty during a time when the old traditional order is breaking down.
Seven Samurai is an unforgettable masterpiece -- the work of one of the world's greatest filmmakers at the height of his powers.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
The nonprofit partner is Rock 'n Roll Camp for Girls, who believes in empowering girls and our gender expansive community to turn it up! The camp instills confidence, amplies girls’ voices, and catalyzes social change. “Girls Rock” is more than a t-shirt slogan: it’s a community that is fun, fearless, and vital. At Rock 'n Roll Camp for Girls all youth are inherently powerful and deserving of positive role models and support for their creative endeavors.
The future is female, and the future is NOW!
Doors at 6:30pm, Show starts at 7. FREE movie, but please consider making a donation to Rock 'n Roll Camp for Girls.
NIGHT OF THE SHE’S!
Tuesday, May 28 @ 7:00pm Castle Thunder Cinema presents a special DOUBLE-FEATURE of 50s science fiction B-movies on 16mm FILM.
Otherworldly dances! Strange mutations! Unknown forces! A double feature of B-movie weirdness featuring out of this world femmes fatales!
THE ASTOUNDING SHE-MONSTER (1957) 7pm
SHE DEMONS (1958) 8:30pm
Castle Thunder Cinema specializes in small format film-- cult movies, unheard of gems, and unorthodox screenings.
Tickets are $8 at the door.
Psychedelics and Birth:
Conscious Creation of the Future
How we birth and re-birth impacts our future. Childbirth and psychedelic journeys have striking parallels that can inform the other in the preparation, journey and integration phases. No one births or trips the same so we must protect the diversity of ways people can choose to experience and navigate these events. These journeys are revelatory and can have direct application to our individual and collective awakening. The presenter is Dr. April Bolding, PT, CCE, CD, and co-author of Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn.
All events are designed to promote education and harm reduction - no illegal activity will be tolerated.
THE WORLD AT ARM'S LENGTH
Join us Thursday, May 30 @ 7pm for this independent documentary about Sven, a blind and deaf man determined to travel the 800km-long Way of St. James with the help of his assistants. He wants to prove himself to everyone, but Sven quickly succumbs to his physical and psychological limits. A bitter struggle for power, control and self-determination begins.
The film will be introduced by local pilgrims and after the screening, there will be a talk on The Camino experience itself.
Lauriel Arwen (Host) - Walked 1/3 of the Camino Frances in August of 2012.
Ellen Quale - Walked from Leon to Santiago.
Katie Braun - Katie has walked the Camino Norte, and English Way.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
COMING SOON
Clinton Street Resistance Series: LA LA LAND, June 3; MALA NOCHE, June 10; BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER, June 17; DESERT HEARTS, June 24.
No one wants to go to a club called 'Chicken on a Stick.'
The Portland Storytellers' Guild end-of-season showcase is the Sarah Hauser Festival of Stories, a two-night extravaganza of storytelling on May 31st and June 1st. Friday evening, emcee Eric Foxman presents eight of the Guild’s most popular performers, and on Saturday, join us for Storython ‘19 as the Guild previews its 2019-20 season with host Holly Robison introducing a dozen — count ‘em, 12 — performers.
Join us for THE RUSSIAN FIVE on either June 1 & 8. Sports and politics clash in this compelling Award Winning documentary about five Russian hockey stars who defected to America to join the Detroit Red Wings in the 1980s, leading to the team's back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
PRIDE MONTH SPECIAL SCREENING -- A long road to freedom: The Advocate celebrates 50 years is Tuesday, June 4th. Narrated by Laverne Cox with music by Melissa Etheridge, A LONG ROAD TO FREEDOM focuses on major events and watershed moments throughout LGBTQ history using never-before-seen archival footage and engaging interviews, including Cleve Jones, Caitlyn Jenner, Gloria Allred, Gavin Newsom, Don Lemon, Dustin Lance Black, Margaret Cho, Armistead Maupin, and many more. As Cleve Jones reminds us, “we’ve come a long way, but we've still got a long way to go."
Fire Ten Minute Play Festival coming soon!!! In the Fire 10MPF you'll experience human's first pre-historic spark, an urgent 911 call that goes terribly wrong, a seemingly innocent landlady interviewing potential tenants, a couple fighting while trying to evacuate a wildfire, the dark backstory of a man facing a firing squad, the love between a moth and a lamp, a fire station that doesn't take life too seriously, and what it takes for a demon to get ahead in corporate America.
Meet the iconic Tramp character who conquered the world with his comic antics. Charlie Chaplin was the first truly global superstar, drawing crowds in the tens of thousands wherever he traveled. This entertaining and informative presentation by Dan Kamin will be illustrated with rare and fascinating images, music and pristine restored film from the period, including Chaplin’s blockbuster war comedy Shoulder Arms, released while World War One was still raging. Don’t miss this excursion into the public and private worlds of the comic legend whose films still make audiences roar with laughter. ONE NIGHT ONLY--July 6th!!
It's a sad tale of loss and betrayal, too long and ugly to share here, but our Intagram account was hijacked (twice), and we've lost all of our photos and followers. If you've ever shared pics of the Clinton Street Theater and our events or you want to share some now, the new official instagram account is cst_pdx. Thanks.
Another group in town is using Portland Underground Film Festival in its name, but DON'T BE FOOLED BY IMITATIONS!!! Since its inception in 2004, the Portland Underground Film Festival has been part of the fabric of the Clinton Street Theater. We do not charge a fee for submissions and our tickets for the festival are "pay what you can." We don't focus on horror, grindhouse, or whatever genre "gross-out" might be. Our intent is to honor those films that excel in pushing the boundaries of the cinematic arts to create a new audio-visual language. SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN NOW, and the true PUFF is coming the weekend of October 17 to 20.
Rose Festival Opening Night Fireworks is Friday, May 24th when the sky gets dark. You can hang out at the City Fair when it opens at 5pm.
Celebrate the Goonies in Astoria June 7th - 10th.
The 91st Annual Portland Scandinavian Midsummer Festival on Saturday, June 8, 2019 from 11 AM – 6 PM has everyting you want--Music, Dancing, Games, Nordic Food, Vendors, Beer Garden, Kids Area & More!
Celebrate the 35th annual Tigard Festival of Balloons June 21-23, 2019!
July is Oregon Craft Beer Month, so make plans to attend the Portland Craft Beer festival, a big outdoor party at the Fields Neighborhood Park. You'll find the broadest selection of local beers, ciders and wine, all originating from Portland, Oregon.
The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.
— Neil Gaiman
Don't be a stranger. Come see us soon.
Kind regards,
Lani Jo
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