Northwest 23rd Avenue news...
Jan 2,2009
Cinema Junkies » The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
by roxanne
If you have been thinking about seeing The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , run, don't walk to see this remarkable film on the big screen. The film was directed by David Fincher (Fight Club) and based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story of the same title. Fitzgerald wrote that the story was inspired by a comment made by Mark Twain that it was "a pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst part at the end." The film has the kind of voyeuristic feel of early Truman Capote or Carson McCullers, whose fiction always seemed to capture a microcosm of humanity that was both fascinating and exposing of the dark underbelly of the deep south. Benjamin Button is an emotionally complex epic, touching all of the deep places in the heart. It is a well-told tale that centers around the big themes in life; love, separation, fear of differences, and vulnerability related to aging and mortality, to name a few. In short, this is a moving story you can really sink
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posted at 08:10 AM
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Dec 20,2008
Cinema Junkies » Finding Graceland
by roxanne
Recipe: Take one relatively unknown director (David Winkler), one bizarre screenplay, and one beloved and outstanding actor. Combine together with one of America's biggest obsessions: Elvis dead or alive? The most compelling reason to see Finding Graceland is Harvey Keitel. Can you think of anything more incongruous than an irresistible Harvey Keitel doing Elvis? Keitel plays a mysterious drifter who identifies himself as Elvis. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Elvis has a profound effect upon the people he encounters during a road trip to Memphis, where he plans to visit Graceland on the anniversary of his death. Finding Graceland falls into the alternative history category and is a screen-writer's fantasy about what really happened to Elvis after his "supposed" death in 1977. The story is so good you will find yourself wishing it were true. In the vast body of commentary on this film, there are a great number of Elvis fans who thought this was a ter
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posted at 09:16 AM
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Dec 1,2008
CINEMA JUNKIES » The Man from Elysian Fields
by roxanne
Ever since James Coburn played the shrink who blew up the phone company (in those days there was only one) in The President’s Analyst (1967) I have been a devotee. The wonderful vicarious revenge I can remember feeling at that time, paved the way for similar catharses with the unleashing of all of those Charles Bronson films, starting with Death Wish .The Man from Elysian Fields (2002), an Independent sleeper, is a film that I recommend for several reasons, most of all because it features a delightful performance by the late James Coburn and was released about a week after he died. As an interesting aside, Coburn’s character, Tobias Alcott, delivers a soliloquy about his own impending death that most likely mirrored many of Coburn’s personal feelings about his approaching end.
The film was directed by George Hickenlooper, who did a very good job depicting this Faustian tale about the maddening condition known as “writer’s
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posted at 07:56 AM
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Nov 7,2008
Voicebox Karaoke Opens in NW
by geoffk
Voicebox Karaoke opened its doors this week with a unique concept that is an extremely welcome addition to the Portland nightlife scene and stands out in the crowd of Portland Karaoke options. Comprised of six private rooms (The smallest holds 8 and the largest 24), Voicebox gives you the ability to have a karaoke bar experience with just a few close friends. Each room is equipped with its own karaoke system (complete with two mics) and features high end sound and display systems. Voicebox Karaoke creator Scott Simon has transformed the old Tao of Tea space into an extremely modern and hip night time destination (featuring the larger than life comic art from the Pander Brothers). He drew his inspiration from his experiences in karaoke clubs in Korea and in San Francisco. Rates start at $7 per person per hour (each room has a minimum number of people required). Voicebox serves beer, wine and sake in the center bar as well as offer in suite service so you don't have to pu
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posted at 01:32 PM
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Nov 3,2008
15 Mashup Tools for Your Local Neighborhood
by dariusmonsef
Want a donut? Want to know if you'll need an umbrella today? Trying to avoid traffic? Want to know if it's safe for your kids to play in the front yard? We'll look a dozen-ish mashups that provide useful, helpful, interesting and fun information about the local area that you you live in. For those asking what a mashup is? The web 2.0 world spawned thousands of social networks and user contributed content sites... The same world has connected even more sites and people with the ability for developers to take the APIs from a couple different sites and mash them together to create new and interesting ways to share information and data. WalkScore | Find What's In a Walkable Distance
"Walk Score shows you a map of what is nearby and calculates a Walk Score for any property. Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is good for your health and good for the environment." Portland rates in their top 10 cities. You can even see their directory of Portl
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"Walk Score shows you a map of what is nearby and calculates a Walk Score for any property. Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is good for your health and good for the environment." Portland rates in their top 10 cities. You can even see their directory of Portl
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posted at 08:15 AM
12 comments
Sep 25,2008
Photo Contest » What makes your neighborhood unique?
by pearlgirl
If you think your neighborhood has something that makes it unique, we invite you to show it off in Neighbors West-Northwest photo contest starting September 15th. All photos need to be taken within Neighbors West-Northwest boundaries and be an original work of art. Photos must include a caption or label of where it was taken and photographer's full name, address, daytime phone number and email address. Keep in mind that no copy-righted photos will be accepted. Voting will be available on the NWNW website for two months following the final date of entry. There will be one photo per neighborhood chosen to represent the neighborhood with a permanent spot in the coalition office and receiving cool prizes. We at Neighbors West-Northwest invite you to take out your camera and capture the essence of Northwest and inner southwest Portland. For more information, contact Alison Wallisch at 503-823-4265 or Alison@nwnw.org . To access the complete rules, visit the NWNW website . Neighbor
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posted at 10:10 AM
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Aug 26,2008
New NW Boutique is Absolutely Unique!
by northwest nola
Today I visited what surely must be one of Portland's most unique spaces -- a new boutique art gallery tucked quietly into Northwest Portland. The Life Jacket Design Shop & Gallery, which opened about 6 weeks ago, is home to all things original: one-of-a-kind artwork, mixed media, accessories and home decor. Owner and resident Carol Christensen, a Seattle native who recently relocated to Portland after spending 18 years in New York, is both curator and artisan of this little museum. She will proudly guide you on a tour of her small space, telling you many of the stories that accompany her creative expressions. Carol named the gallery, Life Jacket, at least partially in reference to the fact that it's her new project aimed at taking her mind off of her son going away to college. In essence, it is her "lifejacket," though she is sure to note that she is not quite that desperate! A lifejacket, she thinks, tends to wrap itself around you and keep you above the "st
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posted at 10:34 PM
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Aug 19,2008
Blog-Off Day 2: What Will Tuesday Bring to our Blog-Off Bloggers?
by jenniferd
Tuesday's Blog-Off Challenge sent by The Mercury's Amy Ruiz: This challenge is courtesy of a reader: "I'd like to hear a response plan from each agency on a Nessie-esque beast in the water reservoirs. Assume it is dangerous, eating skinny dippers, dragging dogs underwater, etc." News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact, August 19, 2008
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posted at 03:15 PM
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Aug 18,2008
Help Neighborhood Bookstores Turn the Page—Shop Locally!
by shooter
We've been hearing stories for several years now about the " death " of independent bookstores, and this article from the Tribune highlights challenges for several bookstores in town. I hope the prognosticators are proven wrong. We are fortunate to live within blocks of Powell's , which makes it easy to fulfill our literary needs or kill a rainy afternoon just perusing the stacks. Browsing through a mega-chain just isn't the same experience, because the range of books offered is much narrower and makes it less likely for a random discovery to occur. (And then there's the personalized service!!!)
Independent bookstores are showing some signs of life. As the article points out, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) has seen its membership increase by over 100 stores in each of the last 3 years. While doing a little research for this post, I came across this graph that shows job trends for independent bookstores. After declining sharpl
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posted at 10:27 AM
1 comments
Aug 10,2008
Portland Open Studios » Northwest Portland
by pearlgirl
Northwest Portland Northwest District: Julie Blackman , Kindra Crick , Michael Fisher , Adrienne Fritze , Sabina Hague , Elliot Wall , and Carole Zoom Old Town China Town: Anna Todaro Pearl: Wendy Kahle WHAT & WHERE : annual self-directed tour of 98 artists' studios. Be a tourist in your own town. This fall stay close to home and let art transport you away from your everyday world. Visit artists' workplaces at 98 locations throughout metro Portland during Portland Open Studios, October 11, 12 & 18, 19. Go behind the scenes to see where, how, and why art is made in an up close and personal view. The diversity of Portland Open Studios includes artists working in all media -- paint, wood, metal, fiber, glass -- plus emerging artists in their 20's and 30's; mid-career and well established artists; and artists from all over the United States and the world who have chosen to live and work in metro Portland. Enter the dream worlds of Anna Todaro
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posted at 08:58 AM
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