Story 8Oct2022: Saturday Films

I discovered that the Friday blog was not published (?!), but I was crazy busy and did not just finish it. It is not published. That is corrected. This Saturday blog is rushed this Sunday morning and will be brief.

I spent the whole day at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival at the Hollywood Theater in Portland. Yes, we have a Hollywood district in Portland that is a bit run down and so far has failed at gentrifying like the Pearl district. I can always find parking there, which shows that it is not attracting customers.

I was out of the house early, and apparently failed to finish the Friday blog, and rushed to the readings at the public library. The drive was fast, with more traffic than expected for Saturday morning. The traffic signs suggested slow speeds and congestion, but none of that was true. I wonder if they just put that up every morning. I made a mistake and went over a different bridge, using the Fremont instead of the Marquam, and had to reconnect to northbound i-84. Still, it seemed faster as there was no traffic (bridge info here for the interesting bridges of Portland, some more than 100 years old and reinstalled here: Info).

I arrived with Adam Bolivar already reading–it had started early. I managed to hear most of his works. I met him last year and got his book–I loved it. I was happy to hear more of his stuff. Next, Wade German’s poems were read (he let some read them for him). Again, this is all weird and Mythos-based writing, but Adam and Wade are excellent, and while the subjects are dark, the work is old school in its structure, making it sound arcane.

There were Voodoo Donuts and coffee in the cramped room. It is a public room in the Hollywood Public library–a pleasant public space. I enjoyed the first hour but then headed back to the theater.

I spent most of the day watching films with the usual late start. When it was open, I got my usual seat, left-side aisle row three, with a perfect view. I then bought books of weird poetry and got them signed during the Festival by Wade and Adam. My usual purchase at the Festival.

Lunch was pizza from the pie hole. In a unique system, Hollywood Theater sells you pizza, then you pick it up at the little gateway to Sizzle Pizza. Today they were behind, reportedly due to staffing issues, and thus I bought my slice and then waited until 2PM to get it. I found a break in the first hours of short films and quickly acquired my veggie pizza–it was recommended and great.

The long film, Freeze, in the main hall, was about a failed trip to the artic in the 1880s that was attacked by fish creatures. I saw Dustin and Jessika Oxford, gaming friends, join in that film. It could have been edited to be shorter, which is the case with most of the movies at the Festival. For a special effect, a picture of an HMS Victory model was painted black and gray and put in snow. Not exactly the model I would have picked for a steamer and research ship. A kit of Cutty Sark or anything closer to the time would have worked! There are also many pictures of the Endeavor locked in the ice that is in the public space, but I still enjoyed the movie.

Dinner was by myself at Laughing Planet Cafe. I had their couscous bowl, which was perfect and surprisingly came with chicken. I had an IPA to go with it. It was a good break, and I decided to watch the Re-animator and Bride of Re-animator. There are old horror films loosely based on H.P. Lovecraft.

The film’s star introduced the film, who is much older now. The movies were just old and terrible and beyond R-rated. Just a crazy romp of a film. I can’t recommend them, but I have now seen them and know why they are banned. Even now, you don’t see that much flesh and violence in horror films.

I drove home without issue and watched the newest Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power episode, and I really enjoyed it. The story is starting to move, and I liked how the actors seem to have become their characters. I then went to bed.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the rushed writing.