5th Ave Cinema

Despite living downtown and in close-in Southwest for a number of years before I moved to North Portland, I never made it to 5th Avenue Cinemas.  This is the movie theater on the PSU campus that I’m guessing is run by students.  They show an eclectic mix of films (aside from Mala Noche, Gremlens was playing) weekly on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday afternoons.  Their windows display the films screened during the quarter.

A display in the theater.

The lobby.  When you pay your admission, you get free popcorn!  There are also drinks and candy for sale.

A peek at the screen.

Should you need to take notes, the chairs have desks.

This was a special screening with special people in attendance. There’s Walt Curtis on the left, with Satryicon bouncer Bruno and the nice guy who introduced them.  Walt Curtis wrote the chapbook that became the movie Mala Noche.  I’m unclear why Bruno was there.  You can read an interview that the Willamette Week did with Mr. Curtis by clicking here.  The article pretty much accurately captures what it was like during the question and answer session after the movie.

Four hours and I’m done. The making of Jalie 2920

Modern Domestic was having a sale and I wandered down and came home with a pattern and some fabric.  I’m after leggings that actually are a correct fit.  Ones that don’t bunch up at the ankle. And, with this pattern, if I want to channel my 80s self and make stirrup tights, I now can.  (I do not want to do this, but still.)

Here’s the mini-skirt fabric. I like it because it looks like math and the planets.

Here is my new elevated cutting table.  Those are Ikea bed risers (which sadly, they no longer produce) and the legging material laid out on my table.

There is not enough material.  
I later figured out that I had extended the pattern too far and should have kept it at its original length. So it was fine.
The material itself is this great Eileen Fisher four-way stretch fabric. It feels great and feels like it will last a very long time.  
Cutting out the skirt.  
And the finished product.  
The instructions for the skirt have a typo in them, but I did okay.  Also, I would suggest marking the leggings (I used masking tape and a ball point pen) with which is the back seam and which is the front seam.  Once you sew them together it becomes unclear which is the back and which is the front.  I also sewed a bit of ribbon in the back of both the skirt and the leggings so I could identify the back.

Three sentence movie reviews: Frozen

It’s too bad that children totally took over “Let It Go” and drove their parents crazy with their repeated singing, because in context, that song is an incredible show stopper.  Overall, this was a Disney film that hit every Disney Animated Film requirement in a pleasing fashion.  I did think a certain character’s sudden transformation from good to bad was rather abrupt, but otherwise, this was a great animated classic.

Cost: free from library
Where watched:  at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2013/frozen.html

Three sentence movie reviews: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains

A great recommendation from Filmspotting, this is an uneven, yet very fun trip back to the 80s and features a very young Diane Lane and Laura Dern.  Perfect for its all-girl punk-rock exploits and interesting commentary about music, women, and women in music.  The music was good too.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladies_and_Gentlemen,_The_Fabulous_Stains

Not quite what the headline writer was going for.

I picture Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, resplendent in their explorer’s gear, sitting in front of a computer with worried expressions.  What’s this box? It’s so bright and shiny. It’s a web? Webs are much sturdier now than they used to be.  Have spiders gotten strong? 

(But really it’s a story about Lewis and Clark college and their difficulties with Yik Yak.)

A poem for today by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I was looking for a specific type of poem and this is not that poem, but I couldn’t resist it.

I Love You

BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

I love your lips when they’re wet with wine
    And red with a wild desire;
I love your eyes when the lovelight lies
    Lit with a passionate fire.
I love your arms when the warm white flesh
    Touches mine in a fond embrace;
I love your hair when the strands enmesh
    Your kisses against my face.

read the rest at:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/180677

Three sentence movie reviews: Hunger Games: Mockingjay part I

I’ve read/heard a lot of reviews saying that nothing happens in this movie, but I heartily disagree.  There are decisions to be made by Katniss and other sundry people in the Panem world, and the players spend this movie making them.  That means there’s not a lot of shooting, but a ton of good acting* and political maneuvering, which I was down for.**

Cost:  $10.00
Where watched: With Kelly at the  Baghdad Theater.  We went to the 8pm night-before-it-was-released showing celebrating one year of the renovated theater. There were themed cocktails and promises of cake.  Though no actual cake.  Was that a commentary on the Hunger Games movie?

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2014/hunger_games_mockingjay__part_one.html

*Peeta has greatly improved.  He’s quite good.  Jennifer Lawrence is, of course, phenomenal.
**I know what’s coming in the next movie, we can take our time getting there.