So on Monday I went to the Broadway Metroplex as I heard that there was screening of The City of Lost Children (I’m a big Jean Pierre Jeunet fan, despite Alien Resurrection… heh ). Turns out that Monday at the Broadway Metroplex, the Independent Film Revival, has some new fare to offer.

Here’s the problem…
It’s supposedly going on through November, but I can’t find diddly squat on what the dates and screenings are.

SO!

I figured… now at least you know know that there’s a neat-o revival theater and maybe…just maybe… you can help me figure out what the heck else will be playing ever Monday night from here on out!

AND
and it’s only $5!!!!!!

beat that!

For the past four years, the Grindhouse Film Festival has been presenting a wonderful assortment of good, wholesome exploitation flicks from the 70s and 80s. Their offerings have run the gamut from the deliciously cheeseball (“Alligator”, a film written by John Sayles – the best “killer Alligator” movie of all time), the gruesomely schlocky (“Zombie” and “The Beyond” – two gorefests from Italian hackmaster Lucio Fulci, a man who knew how to deliver the gory goods but is woefully overrated by his minions of fanboys), and downright notorious (“Cannibal Holocaust” – read about the entire sordid affair here).

The great thing about these movies (with the possible exception of “Cannibal Holocaust” – a movie that, due to its treatment of animals, I’ve never watched and probably never will) is that they are much more fun when viewed on a big screen, in a crowded theater full of people that laugh and scream in the right (and wrong) spots. They definitely play better as a communal experience, and we have the people at the Grindhouse Film Festival to thank for that opportunity

This Saturday, the fest is returning to the Hollywood Theater to present “Rolling Thunder” – a film written by “Taxi Driver” scribe Paul Schrader, concerning a hook-handed Vietnam vet seeking vengeance on the thugs that killed his family. It’s bound to be a rollicking good time.

You may know Jason Simms as a Willamette Week music writer. You may know him as a member of Portland punk group Shock Troops. Or maybe you know him as part of the team from Englishbaby.com who’s headed to Beijing during the Olympics to further their mission of teaching English to the world.

Portlanders John Hayden and Miguel McKelvey founded Englishbaby.com to help people learn English by relating the culture – music, movies, TV, etc. – not just vocabulary and grammar.

But it’s not just about American culture – so they’re going to China for a week, will be staying with members of Englishbaby.com and filming Chinese culture for the site as well.

I love this take on the Olympics! Sure, the athletes are competing for their countries, but they’re also there to meet people they might never otherwise meet, to share their lives and experiences, and connect with one another. And we may not agree with the politics of another place – but heck – we often don’t agree with the politics we have here at home!

Opening ceremonies are Friday – so when you’re sick of the cheesy NBC athlete profiles – flip open your computer, log onto Englishbaby.com and see what’s going on with a few Portlanders and their Chinese friends in the midst of all the craziness in Beijing.

Last year we had Illume – this year the Flutag is BACK!

Teams from the all over the Northwest made up of Starbucks employees, dragon-boaters, Kells staff, computer geeks, and students built flying machines shaped like underwear, Chinese takeout boxes, a Winnebago, Godzilla…. and will launch themselves off a ramp into the Willamette tomorrow afternoon. And it appears that several of the teams also have “special moves” choreographed by members of the Blazers Dancers…hmmm…..

The first flight takes place at 1pm in Waterfront Park just south of the Hawthorne Bridge – but the gates open at 11am. The last time it was here in 2004 they say more than 50,000 people showed up – so go early if you want a good spot!

And after everyone has gotten wet – I’d recommend popping into Three Degrees – the bar in the Riverplace Hotel – for a drink and a snack – they have good stuff and a nice outdoor seating area – then you don’t have to fight traffic out of the area.

Whhheeeeeee!!

We’ve raved here before about the North Portland Tool Library – a very cool place and an awesome concept – and this Sunday they’re having their second planning meeting to help them decide how they can improve their services, what YOU want from them, and how you – as a neighbor, member, volunteer, local business owner, or just interested person can help out.

We (and by we I mean my husband and our friends) have used the NPTL a few times in the last couple of years – doing a project in the house that required a very specialized piece of equipment that we didn’t have – and would probably never use again. Or something that we just didn’t have the room to store (I’d tell you what these things were, but I have no idea, I’m kind of construction dumb.)

And if you’re like me – they also offer some great classes to help you become less construction dumb!

From their Press Release – some subjects to consider for discussion:
• What can NPTL do better and how?
• What can NPTL do differently?
• How can we make the NPTL model more sustainable?
• How to best keep up with membership growth? Reduce lines? Keep costs low?
• Ideas about finding a new space to house the Tool Library?
• Sources of Stable funding (membership fees? Grant sources? Become a part of state bureaucracy like the library system? Funding drives, fundraising event ideas? Etc.)
• How can we better partner with other organizations in North Portland?
• Better and more: workshops, workshop leaders, tools, space?
• Other services you’d like to see?

When: Sun, Aug 3 – 9:30 am – 4:00 pm (but you don’t have to be there all day to participate – just as your schedule permits.) Coffee and bagels, then lunch are all provided.
Where: The Kenton Firehouse – 2209 N Schofield Street

www.northportlandtoollibrary.org
RSVP at online or at 503-823-0209