MOVIES SCREENER
PHOTO BY ROCKY BURNSIDE
G ET YOUR REP S I N
Editor: Andi Prewitt / Contact: aprewitt@wweek.com
While local rep theaters are out of commission, we’ll be putting together weekly watchlists of films readily available to stream. This week, we continue to highlight films that center on the Black experience in solidarity with the essential Black Lives Matter movement.
Da 5 Bloods (2020) The latest Spike Lee joint follows a group of Black veterans as they travel back to Vietnam to excavate the remains of their dead squad leader (Chadwick Boseman), a cache of gold and their repressed personal issues. Delroy Lindo gives an Oscarworthy performance in this searing indictment of a war that should never have been waged. Netflix.
Daughters of the Dust (1991) Julie Dash’s visually stunning 1902 period piece is a celebration of Gullah culture vaguely centered on three generations of women. Widely acclaimed and influential—Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album Lemonade is heavily inspired by its lush images—Daughters of the Dust is also the first film by a Black woman to be distributed theatrically. Amazon Prime, Criterion Channel, Kanopy.
Atlantics (2019) Adapting her 2009 short documentary Atlantiques into a fictional feature, FrenchSengalese director Mati Diop crafts a whirlwind supernatural romance about a 17-year-old girl unhappily betrothed to a wealthy man. When her secret lover, an impoverished construction worker, decides to leave Dakar for a better life, she becomes haunted by his (lack of) presence. Netflix.
13th (2016) The 13th Amendment of 1865 claimed to have abolished slavery, but the industrial prison complex is cruelly keeping involuntary servitude alive and well. From Jim Crow laws to the moral and policy failure known as the War on Drugs to mass incarceration, Ava DuVernay’s Oscarnominated documentary explores the crucial intersection of race and justice. Netflix.
Girlhood (2014) This coming-of-age film by Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma tells the story of Marieme, an alienated Black French 16-year-old living in a Paris suburb. When a group of fellow Black girls invites her to spend the day with them, Marieme feels she’s finally found a community, but their penchant for fighting rivals threatens to undermine her new relationships. Criterion Channel, Kanopy, YouTube.
28
Willamette Week JUNE 24, 2020 wweek.com
Planet Hollywood Private screenings at the Hollywood Theatre appear to bolster business during the pandemic-spurred shutdown. BY JAY H O RTON
@hortland
On June 18, for the first time in Hollywood Theatre’s 94 years of service, the iconic motion picture palace opened its main auditorium for private screenings. Although the initial invitation to reserve the 384-seat space only went out to Hollywood’s members, and the number of people who can attend any single booking is capped at 10, the preliminary run of scheduled rental dates sold out in less than an hour. As a well-staffed nonprofit boasting a robust and devoted following, the Hollywood is perhaps uniquely positioned to adapt during unprecedented circumstances. But this new foray into small-group, big-screen rentals represents its biggest break yet with tradition. “It’s sort of funny,” Hollywood executive director Doug Whyte admits. “Even though we’re closed, we’re busier than ever.” As should be expected from a theater whose popcorn to go options include a Champagne Package, exclusive access to the Hollywood’s gorgeous interior and state-of-the-art A/V system don’t come cheaply. Digital screenings cost $400 to the general public and $300 for members. Anyone looking to watch a 35 mm print from its daunting basement archive will need to pay a bit more ($600, $450), and a 70 mm showing is even pricier ($950, $715). And here’s something you could never get at a Regal: Silent film enthusiasts can request the house pipe organist to provide a live score ($1,200, $900). “We’re putting our toe in the water
to see how safe things feel and whether people keep their distance,” says Whyte. “But this is actually pretty cool. Cinephiles could come to a private screening of Dunkirk or 2001 in 70 mm. Two families already commingling might bring their kids to watch Frozen. We’ve never done something like this before, but people will be able to rent the place for at least the next three weeks while we wait to see about Phase 2. My guess is, we might continue a bit longer than that.” For lower prices, up to five guests could soon choose instead to reserve the video rental emporium/memorabilia museum Movie Madness Miniplex: an 18-seat screening room featuring Dolby Atmos sound, laser projection and its signature Cult Classic Pale Ale from Ex Novo. The Hollywood’s sister nonprofit relaunched shortly before the COVID-19-driven home entertainment boom and successfully catered to the quarantine crowd through contactless curbside pickups. The virus did interfere with the scheduled debut of Movie Madness University’s in-store lectures, but the move online allowed more than 100 curious students access to virtually audit lectures by the likes of Hollywood head programmer Dan Halsted, community programmer Anthony Hudson and local author Shawn Levy. Not all outposts in the Hollywood empire have proven so malleable, of course. Oregon State Parks and Recreation, the theater’s partner in a summertime series of classic film screenings at campgrounds and day-use areas, called for the events to be canceled this year. And the theater’s free microcinema inside Portland
International Airport will remain shuttered indefinitely. On the other hand, the nonprofit’s 2019 experiment with drive-in showings at the Expo Center seems especially prescient. The Hollywood hopes to expand that program and add occasional car-friendly pop-up presentations, like the upcoming drive-in it’s arranging for Port of Portland employees in the airport parking garage. “It’ll just be a regular drive-in,” Whyte says. “Great films, a big screen, nice sound system, and an FM transmitter you can tune in on your car.” A return to the theater’s original trade remains the overriding goal, but while a successful transition to Phase 2 could ease restrictions on venues as early as July 10, difficult questions surround both supply and demand. With few notable exceptions (Tenet, Mulan), the release of nearly every major motion picture has been postponed until fall or 2021. Moreover, since the main auditorium’s architectural constraints permit just about 65 patrons under physical distancing guidelines, organizers cannot yet gauge the general public’s willingness to embrace group activities, nor the long-term economic viability of such small crowds, though Whyte remains hopeful. “Whenever it feels safe to go out again,” he says, “people will be so tired of sitting at home and streaming that they’ll cherish even more the idea of coming to a beautiful building, having some beer and some popcorn, and watching a 70 mm print with a bunch of people who’ll talk about it afterwards.”
