Here’s something you might not know, and thanks to PDXArtWork for pointing it out: Among its many public statues Portland boasts a bust – why I don’t know – of former South Vietnam president Ngo Dinh Diem.

Portlandia, I understand. The elk (though oddly proportioned) on SW Main, OK. But an 800-some-odd concrete memoriam to the former leader of South Vietnam? That’s about twice normal size? Hmm. And speaking of elks, the pedestal of the statue is apparently adorned with the antlered beasts. Does Vietnam even have elk?

Anyway, if you want to add this peculiarity to your must-see list while you’re in town, you’ll find the monument in the front yard of a home on NE Columbia Blvd, where PDXArtWork says it is “overseeing thousands of trucks and trains each day.” Diems da breaks.:-)

Cheers,
Emily

I don’t know if you checked out my post about Raiders of the Lost Ark: the Adaptation, but I went to see it and was blown away. It played at the Hollywood Theater and raised $9,200 for the Austin Miller Scholarship Fund.

If you haven’t heard of it these three teenage boys reshot Raiders of the Lost Ark scene for scene! Two of the guys were at the Hollywood and explained how they did it. Amazing.

The most incredible scene was the one where Indy is hanging off the front of the truck. They pulled their truck from some swamp, took out the engine and rigged a braking system. These are teenagers. I was playing PlayStation at that age.

Anyway, if you have a chance to see it, go. And Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opens on May 22!

Later,
Keith

Here’s your friendly reminder about our Hotel deLuxe Sunday night movie. If you haven’t been before, here’s how it works: We invite talented local and regional filmmakers to screen their movies in our Screening Room off the lobby the third Sunday of each month.

If you want to come, doors open at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at 6:30 p.m. It’s free. Just RSVP at 503.219.2093. And food and drinks are available from Gracie’s and the Driftwood.

This month, on April 20, we’re showing Solving Immigration, a political documentary by award-winning filmmaker and Smithsonian inductee, Mike Shiley, that explores illegal immigration in the United States.

I haven’t seen it, but Mike directed last month’s movie on Hurricane Katrina, which was really moving. So I say bring on immigration.

See you there,
Emily

Have you read about these kids who did a shot by shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark? They re-did the movie with themselves as the actors and using whatever props were around. Pretty incredible.

Jump forward to these guys in their 30s and their movie is getting all kinds of press, partly I think because of the Jack Black/Mos Def movie where they re-shoot different movies. But also because they got props from Steven Spielberg!

Now they’re bringing their movie to the Hollywood Theater April 18-19. The cool part is all the money goes to a local charity called the Austin Miller Scholarship Fund at Film Action Oregon, a non-profit arts organization.

Austin attended their 2006 Project Youth Doc program and was killed in February 2008 while riding his bike. He was just 15. Just a few years older than the kids who made the movie.

Later,
Keith

This is a film festival alert. The ever-busy Northwest Film Center, in partnership with the Institute for Judaic Studies, announces the 16th annual Portland Jewish Film Festival.

I’ve never been but I love to support Portland’s film festivals. New York might be the only other place I can think of where you have such an incredible selection. Plus, I just saw “The Band’s Visit” at the Portland International Film Festival so am in a Jewish film mood.

On my list? “Making Trouble,” which is a documentary about Jewish-American female comedians (Gilda Radner? Say no more.). And “My Mexican Shiva.” Don’t know anything about it but love the title.

All festival screenings are at the Whitsell just down the street a piece from your bed at Hotel deLuxe. It runs until April 17.

And by the way, if you haven’t seen “The Band’s Visit,” you should.

Cheers,
Emily

An interesting post in PDXArtWork about the battle for broader rules for murals in Portland. I for one say bravo. Murals are a positive expression of civic pride. When is public art a bad thing?

(Though I guess people weren’t so happy when Diego Rivera included Lenin in his mural at the RCA Building… Bad Diego.)

But if you’re a fan of the mural, and think a vibrant, modern city is not quite as vibrant or modern without them, then here are a couple not far from Hotel deLuxe to check out. Now, the skill is, um, relative, but the heart is there.

Beneath the Urban Canopy (2375 NW 23rd Place)
Friendly House Mural (2617 NW Savier) – Says even passersby helped.

See these and others at Metro Murals.

Cheers,
Emily

My apologies, everyone. I’ve fallen down on the job. I’ve failed to keep you updated on the movies in our monthly Sunday night series. I’m hoping some of you have kept up by checking the web site. To the rest of you, mea culpa.

So, I wanted to get this notice for our March screening in early. To give you time to plan. This month’s installment is right up my personal alley. Called Hurricane Heroes, it’s a documentary about the massive animal rescue effort after Katrina. And Mike Shiley, the filmmaker, is, like most in our series, a local. Kudos, Mike.

RSVP to 503.219.2093 and then come on down. It’s free. The Screening Room, located off the hotel lobby, opens at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at 6:30 p.m.. Oh, and you can get dinner and drinks from Gracie’s or the Driftwood.

I guarantee it’s better than what’s on TV.

Cheers,
Emily

Someone wrote asking why we go on and on about movies; what about books? I, of course, directed this oh so selective reader to my earlier posts for Powell’s, Wordstock and just a couple weeks ago Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. Pay attention, people.

But just to seal the deal that Portland is just as book nerdy as movie geeky, here are some novel activities to consider if in town Feb. to April.

• See PEN/Faulkner finalist Manil Suri read from his new book, The Death of Vishnu on Feb. 26.
• Sit in on Powell’s monthly classic books group for a Feb. 27 confab on The Ravishing of Lol Stein by Marguerite Duras.
• See one of Portland Arts & Lectures incredible visitors. Upcoming guests include Stephen Sondheim, Frank Rich, Marjane Satrapi, Richard Powers and, well what do you know, Elizabeth Gilbert.

Read on,
Emily

While I’m on the subject of our unquenchable love of all things film around here I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned how that affects even the names of the floors at Hotel deLuxe. Each honors a particular subset of Hollywood with beautiful framed photographs, almost 400 in all.

So when making your reservations, keep the following guide in mind:

2nd floor – The Maestro (Hitchcock)
3rd floor – The Dance and Music Masters (Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Ginger Rogers, Debra Kerr, Fred Astaire, Cyd Charise and Bing Crosby
4th floor – The Rebels – (Orson Welles, Elia Kazan, Howard Hawks, John Huston and John Ford)
5th floor – The Immigrants (Otto Preminger, Fritz Lang and William Wyler)
6th floor – The Europeans
7th floor – The Exiles (Ernst Lubitsch, Michael Curtis and Erich von Sternberg)
8th floor – The Masters (Frank Capra, Billy Wilder and George Cukor)

I’m a 7th floor girl. Where do you belong?

Cheerio,
Emily

This is an early warning for another monumental Portland to-do. (Looks like that flu is turning into pneumonia…) It’s just around the corner. If you listen hard enough, and the wind is blowing the right direction, you might already hear the sound of the saxes coming our way.

It’s the Portland Jazz Festival and it’s tuning up. I won’t bore you with a lot of details. But I will tempt you with these ticklish particulars: Ornette Coleman. Ron Carter. Cecil Taylor. Joshua Redman. Maceo Parker.

If you’re a fan of jazz, you’re sitting up straight about now. So do as I did this morning when I checked out this year’s lineup: walk over to your calendar and circle Feb. 15-24. And don’t worry; I’ll remind you again.

Cheerio,
Emily