Portland at the Movies

Definitely the most current movie we’ve ever covered…and maybe one of the best? If you haven’t seen it, we recommend going in blind, but either way, it’s a big recommend from us – it’s available on Netflix. This episode is formatted a bit differently than normal, so if you want to follow how we did it, you can stop and listen at around the 25 minute mark, and the 1:04:00 mark. Enjoy!

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A group of people wake up in an experimental facility hoping for a cure to a disease that is ravaging the world – but is that cure worse than the disease? And does this low-budget indie movie make the best out of what it has to work with? The hosts are split, much like the dog in this movie.

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A movie so baffling that even after discussing it for an hour we’re at a loss. So we’ll just post Roger Ebert’s review here: “Here is a movie that looks like a parody, sounds like a parody and plays like a parody, but isn’t a parody — because the genre it’s making fun of doesn’t exist. Maybe “Love at Large” is a satire on satire itself. It feels like a movie from another time-space continuum, another world where audiences would understand the jokes and respond to the references. It should play in a theater where the manager is Rod Serling.” So, like, enjoy! The movie is free on YouTube.

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Like a moth to the flame, we’re back with another 90s made-for-TV legal thriller starring Annette O’Toole, Michael McKean, and CCH Pounder. Kidnapping, murder, dubious legal work, and the continual highlighting of the gay community and those who love them as dangerous monsters is really only table setting for what are two of the most egregious miscarriages of justice we’ve ever seen on film. Press “play” on the rap cd, we’re going to court!

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Summer is just beginning, so let’s head to the Oregon coast for this family/adventure film about a teenager’s search for the legendary Tillamook gold left by Spanish sailors. Is it a jaunty kids action movie, or a frigid, bitter look at the disintegration of an American marriage? Find out on this month’s episode!

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Is there anything more early-2000s than Ryan Philippe and Rachel Leigh Cook? This month we travel back to the Big Tech of 2000s for this thriller about a mega tech company who will stop at nothing in their pursuit of code with the perfect structure. Or something. The tech is a bit hazy. Does this movie get anything else right? Find out on this month’s episode.

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Jumping on the bandwagon of “Single White Female,” this 1992 made-for-TV movie, starring Heather Locklear, takes a stab at being the sexy office place thriller that so may other movies of the time strived to be. Strap on your high heels and get ready for some busy business as we decide “does this have what it takes?”

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This month we’re joined by Nicholas Beatty to unwrap this gay coming of age film/black box musical theater journey that spans 12 years of time and dares to ask the question “why does a movie that takes place over the span of 12 years have the singular word ‘summer’ in the title? And why did nobody’s clothing or hair style change in those 12 years?” Did we find a Christmas miracle, or did we get another lump of coal? Find out on this episode.

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Author and broadcaster Rick Emerson joins us to talk about the 1982 (or is it 1980? Or 1984?) made-for-TV movie “The Pigs vs. The Freaks” (or is it “Outsiders”?), starring Brian Dennehy, Patrick Swayze, Adam Baldwin, and Steven Furst, about a small town football game that will finally settle the age-old question: will you root for the cops, or for the hippies?

Find Rick Emerson’s newest book “Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries” wherever books are sold.

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If you thought Portland was a post-apocalyptic hellscape now, just wait until you see what it looks like after nuclear war. This month we follow the sole survivor (or is she?) of nuclear annihilation, creeping around the shattered streets and tunnels of Portland finding a way to survive. The visuals in this low-budget movie are often arresting and incredibly well done, but does the story and dialogue follow suit, or does this fizzle out into a true bomb of a movie? Find out in this month’s episode.

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Last month we reviewed “Zombie Cats From Mars,” and this month we dig into the man behind the cats: writer/director/producer/actor Montetré. We chat with him about ZCFM, as well as his one-take feature-length film “Marty in Transit.”

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For our discussion of Zombie Cats from Mars, Mark once again surprises us with a mid-show phone call from one of the actors (and definite cast highlight) from this 2015 sci-fi/horror movie. Is there enough holy water to cleanse us after watching this movie? Find out on this month’s episode.

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We got to perform at Portland’s FanExpo 2023, and we each ran down our Bests and Worsts, as well as gave out very special achievement awards as we look back on the 60+ movies we’ve covered on Portland at the Movies.

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This month we return to larger, more mainstream studio movies with our review of “Zero Effect,” about a wacky, quirky, zany private detective (played by the opposite of wacky, quirky, and zany: the human cardboard cutout known as Bill Pullman) and his assistant, Ben Stiller, who dive into a mysterious case of blackmail and murder.

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The first “Trainmaster” movie was a surprise and a delight when we reviewed it two years ago. So does the sequel deliver the same great production work, directing, and wholesome wonderfulness the first one did? Find out in this month’s episode.

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This month we dissect this fascinating anthology film, featuring 6 different segments centered around, sadly, “spunk.” And yes, the kind of “spunk” you’re thinking of. But is it the straight garbage we anticipated based on the title and premise, or is there some real movie-making happening here? Or, inexplicably, both? Find out on this month’s episode.

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This month we look at a truly evil 2014 movie called “Exorcist: The Fallen,” and if you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to exorcist movies…..you have. There is zero new things in this movie except some really wild hand-drawn, rotoscoped animation that makes no sense. It’s free on YouTube, so check it out. For real, the rotoscoping is among the weirdest choices I’ve ever seen in filmmaking.

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Despite the best effort of Catherine Hicks, this tepid spy thriller, which centers around a man getting a new face, doesn’t seem to rise above it’s inherent blandness. This month we dive into Spy, as well as the other made-for-TV movies in our history and ask, “Is it the movie, or the genre?” Bonus appearance by Ned Beatty!

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After technical difficulties rendered the first 40 minutes of one of our best shows corrupted and lost forever to time, we still managed to salvage the show by having an equally hilarious second half of the show, which was recorded. All in service of the most forgettable and dull movie we’ve watched so far for the show — and that’s saying something. I mean, the title alone was too lazy to even have a question mark, so why take the effort in making the movie?

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TV’s Patrick Duffy and William Devane star in this made-for-TV movie about a cop in search of a killer who commits serial murders and then starts blackmailing the families of the deceased, threatening to frame them for the murders he committed. Can TV’s Patrick Duffy save the day? Or will his secret past catch up to him? Find out on this month’s episode, with special guest host Michael Gibson from Video Is The Future.
You can find more of Michael on Instagra @videoisthefuture, on FB @videofuture, or on the web at videoisthefuture.com

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Portland at the Movies is at its best when the movies are at their worst. And nothing is worse than this vile, juvenile, offensive, horrifying, putrid — and, worst of all, pathetically and unrelentingly unfunny — “movie” filmed in Vancouver, Washington. The good news is that our episode discussing “Slapped! The Movie” is one of best, so at least some good came out of watching it.

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Marlee Matlin returns Portland in this – her third! – movie filmed in Portland. Murder, scandal, affairs, politics, and lies take the front seat in the made-for-Lifetime movie co-starring Regina King and the guy who played Johnny Cage in the Mortal Kombat movie. Who could ask for anything more? Did we like it? Find out where the truth lies in this month’s episode.

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This month we take a look at 2017’s “I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore,” a wonderful-yet-hard-to-categorize movie starring Elijah Wood and Melanie Lynskey.

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Join us as we flee for our lives while discussing this 1991 made-for USA-network movie “Deadly Game,” based partially on the classic short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” where a group of people are taken to an island and hunted by a mysterious stranger. Starring Roddy McDowall and Marc Singer of “V” and “Beastmaster” fame.

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It’s telling that this supposedly sexy thriller is just bland enough that we kept referring to the star as “William Hurt” instead of the actual star Timothy Hutton. In any case, “The Temp” was released in the wake of the Basic Instinct and several other grabs at the erotic mystery such as Body of Evidence, Sliver, and Disclosure. So will “The Temp” earn a permanent spot in our list of good movies made in Portland, or will it see itself through the door once we’re done with it?

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Who would have guessed after all the movies we’ve reviewed that there would not only be a good movie filmed in Portland, but that the good film would star Nicholas Cage? Well here we are. The first 10 or so minutes are spoiler free review of the film, then we give a spoiler warning for those that still want to see the film – which we recommend you do. I don’t know that we’ve ever non-ironically recommended one of our movies before (usually there’s at least a b-movie element to the movies we’ve enjoyed), so we truly are in the weirdest timeline.

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Is it a sequel? Is it a remake? Is it a tax shelter? We jump in the river to find out just what is going on with this 2009 movie, which has an opening credit of “Based on the movie ‘Without a Paddle.'” Oregon looks gorgeous, but does it reach the same level of “almost mildly amusing” as its 2004 predecessor, which starred Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, and Dax Shepherd? Find out on this month’s show!

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This month we travel to the Ilwaco Lighthouse with Dee Wallace, a playwright haunted by the reflections of her dead fiancee, and pursued by her would-be brother-in-law. Is the movie the psychological thriller it’s trying to be, or will you want to throw yourself off a lighthouse after you watch? Find out on this episode.

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Mark surprises Todd and Brian mid-show with a phone call from Sean McGrath, the main star of 2015’s “Deep Dark,” a psychological thriller about an artist who finds his muse in the form of a sentient hole in the wall. He was an amazing guest, and he talks about the filming, the cast and crew, and how a director sells an actor on taking the role of a character who has sex with a wall.

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This month we indulge ourselves by taking a long, hard look back at what has become of our lives as we discuss the best and the worst of the 50 Portland-filmed movies we’ve reviewed so far.

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This 1993 made-for-USA TV movie is surprisingly watchable (and available for free on YouTube), although it features only a couple blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Portland locations. A sci-fi/detective thriller, this movie dares to ask the question Wonder Woman 1984 didn’t: what are the ethical ramifications of hijacking someone else’s body?

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A post-Brat Pack Mare Winningham meets a pre-“Happy Gilmore” Shooter McGavin in this 1991 made-for-USA-TV-network movie “Fatal Exposure.” Oddly, this is probably the most intriguingly in-depth discussion of a plot of any movie we’ve done so far. If you love clothes made from reams upon reams of billowy, pleated fabrics, this is the movie for you! Does it rise above its generic title, or does it sink under the weight of its own silky blouses?

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We ride the rails back to 2008 for this movie filmed around West Linn, Willamette, Canby, and more! It’s a delightful kids movie that’s cornball and low-budget enough to thoroughly enjoy, and well made enough that it goes down surprisingly well. Join us as we hop the train for 2008’s “Train Master.”

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Ed Asner and Mary Tyler Moore reunite for the first time since “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in this made-for-TV thriller about a rogue cop who harasses Moore and her family after she testifies against him in court. So is it a worthy vehicle for the reunion of these two beloved actors? Find out on this month’s episode.

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Join us for this Halloween episode as we take a look at the 1981 horror slasher flick “Just Before Dawn,” which is not only shockingly competent, but actually pretty good — and includes a truly insane final kill. Watch the movie on YouTube (or heck – buy the Blu-Ray!), start a campfire, and head down to Silver Falls for this sadly forgotten genre film.

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We travel back to 1993 for this movie about real-life events that happened in 1975, which contain some of the most gripping and interesting alien abduction scenes out there. Filmed in Roseburg and Oakland, Oregon, this film takes place in a small logging town of northern Arizona, and follows the story of a man who was (supposedly) abducted by aliens in front of his friends, and who returns 5 days later.

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A zany late-90s stoner comedy with an incredible cast including Luke Wilson, Alicia Witt, Jack Black, Jamie Kennedy, and more sounds like a sure-fire hit. Let’s unroll this joint and find out if there’s any solid nuggets, or if it’s all just stems and seeds.

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We finish our look at the trilogy of Steven Miller films (the “Millergy”) with his first movie “Visions,” a mystery/thriller from 1989. After really enjoying Miller’s final film “Backtime,” and only sort of enjoying “Love & Dynamite,” how did we feel about his first stab at movie making? How many knife-wielding arm stumps up do we give it? Tune in to find out.

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This month we explore the middle chapter of the Steven Miller’s trilogy (“Millogy”?) with our take on “Love & Dynamite,” starring Grizzly Adams’s Dan Haggerty. Billed as an “action-comedy,” this movie is more an exercise on improv and how to do a disservice to your actors by withholding judicious editing. But just like last month’s “Backtime,” there’s more going on under the surface, which is what makes this movie pretty interesting. This “movie.”

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Every once and awhile we find a little gem in the stark landscape of movies filmed in Portland, and what “Backtime” lacks in budget, it more than makes up for in heart, costuming, and passion. Clearly this film wasn’t up for any Oscar noms, but considering the dreck we usually get from writer-producer-editor-director passion projects, this one ticks all the right boxes. The movie is available to watch on YouTube, and it’s worth watching before you listen!

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It’s a time for Christmas miracles! Sort of. We tackle this not-quite-Hallmark-Holiday TV movie starring Nancy Travis and Portland itself, with more footage of our fair city than any other movie we’ve done. Todd loves this movie, but he’s in the minority, so listen as we hash out what works and what doesn’t in this 2010 made-for-NBC TV movie, which was produced by Walmart and Proctor & Gamble.

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On this special episode of Portland at the Movies, we talk with Dan Fiebiger, Portland film historian and composer for the film “Courier of Death.” He tells us about his dealings with Tom Shaw, the notorious director of “Courier” that was an important hub in Portland film history, who loaned film-making equipment to the likes of Penny Allen and Gus Van Sant. It was a great discussion with a natural storyteller, and a wonderful look into the 80s Portland indie movie scene.

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It’s one of our most Portland movies yet, because of both the plethora of shooting locations and the subject matter. This is a wild ride of a movie, with an intoxicating mix of nonsense, psuedoscience, actual science, and polka rave music. So grab your friends, grab your bong, and take a ride down the rabbit hole with us.

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1993 was a busy year for Portland film making, from “Free Willy” to “Body of Evidence” to many more, but none gave us a whirlwind tour of Portland quite like “Hear No Evil,” starring Marlee Matlin, DB Sweeney, Martin Sheen, and John C. McGinley. From amazing housing locations, to parks, to an actual marathon in the streets, to Hood River, to Timberline, this movie makes up for its generic plot by giving us an eyeful of this great city.

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This month we take a trip down the Clackamas river for the 1995 mockumentary “Guns on the Clackamas,” directed by legendary animator and Oscar-nominee* Bill Plympton. How was Plympton’s transition from animation royalty to live-action director? Will the Clackamas finally get its time to shine? Find out on this episode!


*There are multiple times where we accidentally refer to him as “Oscar Winner,” which is not the case since he has only been nominated, but it 1000% should be true because Bill Plympton is a genius animator.

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The promise of an early-90s movie starring Gary Busey as part of a motorcycle gang investigating the death of his brother in a small Oregon town is a big one. There’s some payoff with a few great Oregon City location shots, but what about the rest of the movie? Is it all crazy hair with no substance, or did we find something special? Find out on this month’s episode.


Don’t forget to visit our map to see the locations used in this film, and all the other films we’ve covered so far!

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This month we take a look at acclaimed Portland filmmaker Gus Van Sant’s biopic about Portland’s own famous artist resident, Willamette Week’s cartoonist John Callahan. Join us as we discuss our mixed reactions about this 2018 film starring Joaquin Phoenix and Jonah Hill, and an extended cast full of musician cameos.

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This past weekend we were live at the 2019 Wizard World Comic Con, where we took a look back on our favorite Portland movie moments from the past few years of the podcast. From “Deafula” to Tonya to Chuck Norris, we celebrate the good, bad, and worse of the films we’ve covered so far.

*note* – The audio recording quality is pretty rough, but is still listenable. There are a few sections where I have taken out the movie clips we played during the show due to abysmal quality I couldn’t save – Todd *

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It’s our first foray into legendary Portland filmmaker Tom Shaw, whose presence looms large over the Portland movie making world. Gus VanSant and Penny Allen, among many others, used Shaw’s equipment to make their first films throughout the 70s and 80s.

So how does Shaw rate as a filmmaker himself? Let’s just say he’s a glorious treasure of breathtaking cinema — but for all the wrong reasons. “Courier of Death” is Shaw’s second attempt at a film, and it’s a bonkers, insane mess that is as incompetently made as it is hilarious and fun to watch.

Join us as we take a deep dive not only into the movie, but into Shaw and his incomparable mark on the Portland cinema scene.

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On this special holiday edition of Portland at the Movies, we dive into “How Sarah Got Her Wings” – a 2015, made-for-IonTV-movie starring the store brand versions of Kristin Bell and Chris Pratt. The good news is that this movie features some of the nicest shots of Portland we’ve seen in a movie yet. The bad news is….well, everything else. Including one very sneaky secret. Strap on your sleigh bells for this hilarious episode as we unwrap “How Sarah Got Her Wings.” (Movie available streaming on Netflix.)

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Live from the 2018 Portland Podcast Festival, it’s time for “Deafula”! The only movie to ever be made completely in American Sign Language, “Deafula” is an amazing treat.  As Brian “The Unipiper” noted: “It’s like ‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’ meets ‘The Room.'” Made in 1975 and only sold on 16mm film (it was a few years too early for VHS), “Deafula” was almost lost to time, and not even available at Portland’s venerable Movie Madness — until now, because we’ve donated our personal copy to them.  It truly is an amazing cult classic, and it was filmed in our very own city of Portland.  Special thanks to Jason Lamb, Greg Nibler, and Sarah X. Dylan for putting on another great podcast festival, and thanks to everyone who came out!

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If your very specific wish was to see a low-budget horror movie filmed in Estacada, Oregon, then have we got a treat for you this month. Join us as we plow through “Harvest of Fear” to find out if it stands out in the annals of great low-budget horror, or simply needs to be sent out to pasture.

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“Homewrecker” was the first World Premier Movie for the then-new “Sci-Fi” cable channel, and a surprisingly decent movie about a “smart home” AI system that goes rogue. While the movie features very little of Portland (one exterior shot, plus a cabin in the woods), it’s actually a competent, well-acted, well-directed movie — quite the difference from the normal Portland at the Movies fare. You can watch it for free on YouTube, so have a watch, and then settle in for our review!

The one glorious shot of Portland in the movie. Way in the background is the 405/Freemont Bridge interchange.

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Astoria, Oregon stands in for feudal Japan (really) as well as the NYC sewer system in this third installment of the original Turtles trilogy.  Watch as time-traveling, anthropomorphized, martial artist reptiles spout tired catchphrases (although, oddly, they never say “cowabunga!”) and give mouth-to-mouth to a small boy! Thankfully our discussion of the movie is much, much more entertaining than sitting through the movie itself.

Check out our interactive map of filming locations for the first 22 movies we’ve reviewed at here!

Screenshots:

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The Portland at the Movies summer road trip starts in Vernonia, a picturesque little town just northwest of Portland. In 1989, the community came together to make the low-budget, homegrown movie “The Vernonia Incident” (aka “Redneck Revenge,” aka “Revenge of the Rednecks” aka “Country Justice in Oregon”), featuring all local actors, and a local director/writer/producer/editor/everything else who was the driving force behind this b-movie undertaking. So ride along with us to this small Northwest town, where all the cars are made of explosives and all the dialogue needed to be re-recorded months later in Los Angeles.

Trailer:

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Ed Harris stars in this 1987 HBO-made courtroom drama about a hot-shot lawyer who is having an affair with the wife of his accused murderer client. It’s certainly not the *worst* movie we’ve seen on this podcast, but is it actually *good*? Find out on this month’s hilarious episode, starring Brian “The Unipiper” Kidd, Mark Middleton, and Todd Werkhoven.

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In 1996, a 21-year-old Angelina Jolie came to Portland to film a movie called “Foxfire.” With many sweeping, beautiful shots from above and below the Broadway Bridge, Portland looks great — but how is the movie? Join Brian “The Unipiper Kidd, Mark Middleton, and Todd Werkhoven as they discuss this beloved and/or forgotten (depending on where you grew up, probably) Grrl Power film. Come for the 90’s fashion, stay for the amazing 3-minute helicopter shot of the bridge and the city during the closing credits! Enjoy!

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In 1989, a movie so so abysmal was made in Oregon that writer and film critic David Walked dubbed it “The Curse of ‘Homer and Eddie.'” Essentially he said that “Homer and Eddie” was the point where Portland cinema went from 80’s independent cool to Hollywood tax shelter garbage. So does it deserve that criticism? Join us as we finally sit down to experience this pile of cinematic nonsense, starring Jim (oops…I mean “James”) Belushi as a mentally enfeebled man and Whoopi Goldberg as a mentally ill woman (?) on a cross-country trip to our very own Oregon City. “A chore to watch!” – some Amazon reviewer

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Fresh off the heels of the Portland Tonya Harding Film Festival, we invited John-Ryan Griggs (the director of the festival) to talk about the two movies shown: a 1986 documentary about a then 15-year-old Harding working toward her first Nationals, and then a 1996 “action/thriller” called “Breakaway,” which features Tonya in a smaller role. One of these movies was really good; the other was a flaming pile of garbage. Can you guess which is which? Let’s do a triple axle into the cinematic world of Portland’s own Tonya Harding.

Screenshots (all from OMSI, where they filmed a few reshoot shots):

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Going into this podcast about movies made in Portland, we knew that there would be more bad than good. But never could we imagine just how bad it could be. Insulting, joyless, trite, inexplicable, nonsensical, indefensible, and a slap in the face to art and humanity. Siskel & Ebert called it the worst comedy they had ever seen. So what happened? What’s going on? Who is this movie even for? Join us as we demand answers.

Don’t forget to check out our map, where I’ve added 7 locations from this movie, and a bunch more from “The Hunted.”

Location Screenshots:

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We had high hopes for this kung-fu action movie, from the same director as Bruce Lee’s classic “Enter the Dragon” and the so-bad-it’s-good classic “Gymkata,” and starring Bruce Lee’s cousin Britton Lee and martial arts movie hall-of-famer Bolo Yeung. So did we discover a cult classic diamond in the rough? Or is it another victim of the “Portland Movie Curse”? Join us as we get to the heart of this filmed-in-Portland movie.

Portland locations in the movie (see their locations on the master map):

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Recorded live at the Hawthorne Theater at the First Annual Portland Podcast Festival, we take a mini-look at the 1996 Chuck Norris masterpiece “Forest Warrior,” filmed around Mt. Hood and Hood River. It’s a crazy movie in which Chuck Norris is a literal, eternal shape-shifting forest spirit protecting Native American land. It’s Goonies meets Animorphs meets Captain Planet meets Chuck Norris stopping a chainsaw with his bare hands, and it’s pretty amazing. (The whole movie is up on YouTube), and it’s definitely worth a watch!” Thanks to Jason Lamb and Greg & Sarah of Funemployment Radio for putting on the festival. It was amazing, and the crowd was fantastic. Enjoy!

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“The Devil’s Keep” is writer/director Don Gronquist’s 1995 follow up to “Unhinged” (see previous episode), and if you love real-time YouTube how-to videos, mixed with mute, albino, geriatric, female Nazis, then this is the movie for you. Filmed in Portland, it’s the story of two high schoolers following a series of puzzles leading to “The Devil’s Keep” — hidden Nazi gold. So is this movie gold? Find out on this episode of “Portland at the Movies.”

Portland location screen caps. See full intereactive map at PortlandAtTheMovies.com/map.

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It’s a Halloween Double Feature as we sit down to watch two horror movies filmed entirely on location at Portland’s Pittock Mansion. “Unhinged” is a D-Grade 1982 slasher flick (with very little slashing, and a lot of people taking naps), and the 1989 made-for-TV-movie “The Haunting of Sarah Hardy,” starring Sela Ward and Morgan Fairchild, and Morgan Fairchild’s shoulder pads. Join us as we dissect these would-be thrillers.

Unhinged (1982)

“The Haunting of Sarah Hardy” (1989) Starring Sela Ward and Morgan Fairchild

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To celebrate the one-year anniversary of “Portland at the Movies,” we watched all 3 sequels to the movie that started it all: “Halloweentown.” Join us as we slog through these terrible Disney Channel movies. Join Todd, Mark, and Brian “The Unipiper” Kidd as we try to make sense out of 3 movies that make no sense. Trick or treat!

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Travel back to a time when men were wiseguys, women were “B-girls,” and vice came in the form of flipperless pinball machines. In the mostly forgotten noir film “Portland Exposé,” based on a pictorial spread about true-life vice in Portland’s in a 1957 issue of LIFE Magazine, you get all of that, plus Frank Gorshin (“The Riddler” in the 60s Batman TV series) as a child predator, and some amazing shots of Portland in the late 1950s. Don’t be a hophead – take a listen.

To see a map of all the locations from “Portland Exposé” — and from all the other “Portland at the Movies” movies, click here!

Locations seen in the film:
Downtown from PGE Park area

HillVilla Restaurant, now the Chart House restaurant on Terwilliger

HillVilla Restaurant w/ Ross Island Bridge in Background (currently Chart House)

More of downtown from PGE Park

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, NW Everett and Trinity

Rose Garden

Unknown (please drop us a line if you know this location!)

Portland Towers

Portland Towers Entrance

“Kelly Hotel,” 11 NW Trinity Pl.

Unknown Bridge with Inexplicable Telephone in the Middle of it

Portland Labor Temple, NE MLK and Holladay

NE Hassalo St. (Portland Labor Temple in the background)

Union Station

Union Station Interior (Iron Horse Restaurant in background)

Exterior Union Station, looking south down NW 6th

Portland waterfront (now Tom McCall Park), with Oregon Journal/KPOJ/Public Market building on river

NW Davis, between 11th and 12th (Portland Armory in background)

“Steel Bridge Cafe,” NW Glisan and 2nd Ave.

PDX Airport Neon Sign

PDX Tarmac

PDX United Terminal

The Town Club 2115 SW Salmon

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In 1972, Raquel Welch came to Portland and made a movie in which she played a “Jammer” on the Portland Loggers Roller Derby Team. So naturally they called the film “Kansas City Bomber.” Anyway, join us as we take a look at the first major motion picture filmed completely in Portland. Spoilers: there’s a reason you’ve probably never heard of this movie.

How did the city look? Here are some screen shots:

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“Extraordinary Measures,” the 2010 Portland-filmed movie starring Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, and Keri Russell, works on several levels: a dull one, a tedious one, and a crotchety one. “Inspired by true events,” this movie is like overhearing someone mumbling a conversation about the exiting world of bringing a new drug to market. That being said, talking about the movie is infinitely more funny and interesting than actually watching it, so join us as we discuss just what “Extraordinary Measures” measures up to.

Be sure to visit www.PortlandAtTheMovies.com for the visuals of how Portland looks in the movie.

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“Total Reality” is a bottom-shelf cocktail made from the discarded parts of a SyFy channel movie, Back to the Future, Terminator, and clown makeup. Written, produced, and directed by the same guy who did last month’s movie (the bonkers “Fatal Revenge”), “Total Reality” has some great parts (the space battles looked good; the lead actress was great!), but in the end, it feels like a slapdash and incomprehensible slurry of ideas from other, better movies.

You can watch the trailer and full movie for free on YouTube (link after visual aids).

Visual Aids:
Keep in mind the movie takes place in one day, yet her hair is completely different in every scene:

Portland Locations:

Trailer:

Full Movie:

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“Fatal Revenge” is a wonderfully terrible action/taekwando/b-movie wonder filmed in 1989 in Portland. Never released in the US (for good reason), we tracked down a copy in German, and it was well worth the effort. The film also features Portland writer/author David Walker (find his fantastic comics and novels here), who gave us lots of behind-the-scenes info about this gloriously terrible romp through the seemingly unregulated world of making movies in Portland in the 1980s. The 5-minute promotional clip below is a great start, and if you want more, you can search for “Fatal Revenge German” on YouTube. It is 100% worth it.

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“Breaking In,” a 1989 filmed-in-Portland movie starring Burt Reynolds, is technically about robbery, but in reality it’s just a complete mystery. Siskel & Ebert loved it. So did “Rolling Stone.” And it currently has an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. All of which is completely befuddling, considering that this is a movie in which nothing happens, the characters don’t learn or grow, and there is a seemingly purposeful deflation of any and all tension throughout the entire movie. It’s also the reason that nobody has ever heard of this movie, filmed in various parts of Portland. Join us as we search laughter, larceny, and loot in this 1989 movie starring Reynolds and Casey Siemaszko.

How Did Portland Look? Here are some screenshots.

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Ah, the early 1990s: when foster children roamed free, Michael Jackson still inspired us, and a whale named Keiko swam into our collective consciousness and became a temporary resident of the Northwest (before we kicked him out to sea and he died, but that’s a different story). Join us as we dive deep into 1993’s “Free Willy,” a surprising amount of which was filmed in Portland proper, as well as Astoria, Oregon, and starring Michael Madsen’s furrowed brow. [insert Willy’s crying noise here]

And don’t forget – Portland at the Movies is now a part of the fantastic Funemployment Radio Network, featuring such great podcasts as Funemployment Radio (voted Best Podcast in Portland in 2016), Geek in the City, and more. Check them out – they’re awesome!

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What do you get when you mix 3 respected Oscar winners and one of the most beautiful cities in America? In the case of “The Hunted,” sadly, you get crap. But boy was the crap fun to talk about! Join us as we discuss this 2003 made-in-Portland movie, starring two main characters who hate to talk, emote, or follow the rules of actual time. Come for the stick smelling, stay for the smelting! Enjoy!

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