You might have noticed a few spelling errors recently. New tech is weird.

Look, I'm not perfect.  I try to keep my spelling errors to a minimum on the site, but as the only person in the office, sometimes things get past me.  But lately, I've found a few errors on the site that really aren't my fault. 

I got it, I got it!  I know how to spell.  It's Klattu Barada N... Necktie, nectar, nickel, noodle.  It's definitely an N word!

My new computer has an auto spellchecker, which replaces misspelled words automatically.  Which is great, until you type Power Ranger Zeo, and the computer automatically corrects it to Power Ranger Zoo.  And given the weird words I'm often typing, some errors might show up for a while.  I hope my laptop will eventually learn the strange words I'm typing.  It could happen.  After all, my phone now knows how to spell Cthulhu.

Wait, my computer learning how to spell the weird words I type?  Oh Cthulhu, I'm having M3gan flashbacks now!  

Anyway, let's get to the events happening that will interest Pacific Northwest Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Fans.  This edition of the Weekly Update is full of great films, and a couple live events, that will please most of you.  Sure, it might seem like slim pickings compared to other months, but things will pick up.

And if you need more evidence of that, check out the Horror/Sci Fi/Fantasy Calendar, full of great events happening in the Pacific Northwest.  Local filmmaker Joe Sherlock returns to the big screen with two of his movies playing at the Darkside Theater in Corvallis, OR, next month, more guests have been announced at various cons, Unlock the Con in Auburn, WA, has a Power Ranger visiting in February, and MUCH MORE! 

As you know, I update the calendar every few days, so keep checking back to plan out your year.  

Well, that's what I have for now.  Stay safe, and I'll be back next week with more great events happening under The Shadow Over Portland.

If you'd like to support the site, please visit my Ko-fi page.  Thank you!

Happening This Week 

Live Attractions 

  

The Museum of Pop Culture (325 5th Ave N in Seattle, WA) has Jim Henson puppets and set pieces from the 2019 Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on display now.  You can read about the display, and the work the museum put into displaying the artifacts, at the link.

 

 

The Marvel Universe of Super Heroes makes a stop at OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave in Portland, OR) through April 9, 2023.  Marvel (see what I did there) at the hundred of artifacts, from original comic book pages, interactive displays, life-size statues of Marvel heroes, costumes and props from films and TV programs, and MUCH MORE.  Excelsior! 

Back in Theaters

CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR) will be showing Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi through Wednesday, February 1.  Be aware, separate admission is required for each film.

The Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR) concludes the January Revival Series: Sci Fi with the original Rollerball through Thursday, February 2.

 

The Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR) keeps the Potter-verse rolling with screenings of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix through Thursday, February 2. 

Travel the multiverse again as Everything Everywhere All at Once is playing at Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Wednesday, February 1), the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA), the Salem Cinema (1127 Broadway St NE in Salem, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2), the Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay St in Bellingham, WA; scheduled through Tuesday, January 31), and the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2).

The film will have two encore screenings on Saturday, January 28, at the Capitol Theatre (206 5th Ave SE in Olympia, WA).

 

If you've seen the above movie, you'll know why Pixar's Ratatouille is playing at Central Cinema (1411 21st Ave in Seattle, WA; scheduled through Wednesday, February 1).

Get ready to head down the Yellow Brick Road, as The Wizard of Oz plays at the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park St SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, February 2).

First Run Features  

Brandon Cronenberg's latest film, Infinity Pool (starring Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård), opens tonight at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2), the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2), the St Johns Twin Cinema (8704 N Lombard St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2), the Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2), Studio One Theaters (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, February 1), Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2), and the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2).

 

I hadn't heard about this one until today, but the buzz surrounding the film is pretty intense and I'm sold!  The micro-budget Canadian horror film Skinamarink is playing at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Sunday, January 29), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, February 1),  The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA; scheduled through Thursday, February 2) and the Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2).

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will show the film on Friday, January 27, at 7 pm, and Thursday, February 2, at 9 pm. 

 

The killer doll genre gets an upgrade, as M3GAN is playing at the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, February 1),  Living Room Theaters (341 SW 10th Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2),  the St Johns Twin Cinema (8704 N Lombard St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, February 1), Studio One Theaters (3945 SE Powell Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, February 1), the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park St SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, February 2), and the Columbia Theatre-Saint Helens  (212 S 1st St in Saint Helens, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2).

You can read my review of the film here.

The black comedy/horror film The Menu is playing at the Living Room Theaters (341 SW 10th Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 2).

  

Film Festival Submission Information 

 

The Northwest Flying Saucer Film Festival is accepting UFO/Alien themed short films, documentaries, animation or music videos for the festival, which takes place on September 22 at McFiler's Chehalis Theater (558 N Market Blvd in Chehalis, WA). Submissions are accepted on FilmFreeway through July 15.

The Crypticon Seattle Film Festival is now open for submissions.  The Late Deadline is April 4, 2023.  Visit the link for all the details.

 

January, 2023

Friday, January 27

The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA) will show the 4K restoration of John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 tonight and tomorrow at 7 pm, Sunday, January 29, at 2 pm, and Wednesday, February 1, at 4:30 pm.

Saturday, January 28

The Geekenders brings Into the Stripper-Verse, a burlesque show celebrating every version of Spider-Man, to the Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) tonight at 9 pm.  Doors open at 8 pm, but advance tickets are recommended.

The Olympia Film Society invites you to travel the multiverse again as Everything Everywhere All at Once will be shown tonight only, at 4 and 7 pm, at the Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave SE in Olympia, WA).

The Sprocket Society presents Saturday Secret Matinees 2023 every Saturday through March 25 at 1 pm, in GLORIOUS 16mm, at The Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA).  Each Saturday starts with a new episode from the classic serial King of the Rocket Men, followed by a secret film.  The clue for today's film is Swashbuckling Generations. 

Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Ave in Portland, OR) will show Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho today at 11 am. 

The Tracyton Movie House (1520 NE Riddell Rd in Bremerton, WA) will show The Rocky Horror Picture Show tonight at 9:30 pm.

The film is also showing at the Kiggins Theatre (1011 Main St in Vancouver, WA) tonight at 9 pm, with a shadowcast by the Denton Delinquents.

Sunday, January 29

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will show John Carpenter's sci fi/horror classic The Thing tonight at 9:15 pm.

Barbarella, psychedelia... The Hollywood Theatre (41223 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) will show the camp classic Barbarella in GLORIOUS 35mm tonight at 7 pm.

Tuesday, January 31

CMNYK and the Darkside Cinema (215 SW 4th St in Corvallis, OR) will screen the 1925 silent version of The Wizard of Oz, starring Dorothy Dean and Oliver Hardy, tonight at 7 pm.  The film will have a live score by Sonochromatic.

February, 2023

 

Wednesday, February 1 

The Whiteside Theatre (361 SW Madison Ave in Corvallis, OR) will show Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey tonight at 7 pm.  

 

The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) will show Star Trek III: The Search for Spock in GLORIOUS 35mm tonight at 7:30 pm.

Thursday, February 2

M. Night Shyamalan's latest film, Knock at the Cabin, opens tonight at at the Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 9), the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 East Burnside St in Portland, OR), the Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 9), the St Johns Twin Cinema (8704 N Lombard St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 9), the Broadway Metro (888 Willamette St in Eugene, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 9), the Yelm Cinemas (201 Prairie Park St SE in Yelm, WA; scheduled through Thursday, February 9), the Sandy Cinema (16605 Champion Way in Sandy, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 9),  Living Room Theaters (341 SW 10th Ave in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 9), and the following McMenamins locations: The Anderson School (18607 Bothell Way NE in Bothell, WA; scheduled through Thursday, February 16), the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, February 15) and the St Johns Theater (8203 N Ivanhoe St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Wednesday, February 15).

It opens on Friday, February 3, at CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 16), the Kelso Theater Pub (; scheduled through Thursday, February 9), and the Laurelhurst Theater (2735 E Burnside St in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 9).

Friday, February 3

VHS Night at CineMagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland, OR) presents the 80s horror cult classic Night of the Demons, with makeup FX artist Nick Benson (Night of the Demons, society, Dead Heat) in attendance tonight.  Showtime TBA. 

The Rio Theatre (1660 East Broadway in Vancouver, BC) will show Jordan Peele's Oscar winning film Get Out tonight at 11:30 pm.

And we have more cannibals in the theaters, as The Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA) shows the 2001 French erotic horror film Trouble Every Day in GLORIOUS 35mm through Thursday, February 9.

A new restoration of John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 opens tonight at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR; scheduled through Thursday, February 9).

Weird Elephant at The Grand Cinema (606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma, WA) will bring Blade II to the big screen tonight and tomorrow at 10 pm.

 

Saturday, February 4 

 

The Sprocket Society presents Saturday Secret Matinees 2023 every Saturday through March 25 at 1 pm, in GLORIOUS 16mm, at The Grand Illusion Cinema (1403 NE 50th St in Seattle, WA).  Each Saturday starts with a new episode from the classic serial King of the Rocket Men, followed by a secret film.  The clue for today and next week's film is Haunted Avarice.  

The Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd in Portland, OR) is showing David Lynch's Eraserhead in GLORIOUS 35mm through Monday, February 6.

Sunday, February 5

The Beacon (4405 Rainier Ave S in Seattle, WA) will show the 1942 supernatural screwball comedy I Married a Witch today at 5 pm.

M3gan (2023)

The creepy doll genre has been around a long time.  The earliest example I'm aware of is 1945's Dead of Night, but I wouldn't be surprised if earlier films exist.  After all, dolls are creepy.  The uncanny valley appearance, the blank eyes (Quint describes a shark with the line, "Like doll's eyes," during his monolog in Jaws), and the fact that you might never know if they're moving behind your back makes them perfect characters for a horror film.

Now, creepy dolls get an upgrade in M3gan, the latest film from Blumhouse and Atomic Monster.  The titular toy is an AI toy capable of learning, and given the Mircosoft AI chatbot that learned to be racist on Twitter back in 2016, you have to expect some killer doll mayhem.

The film starts as Cody (Violet McGraw, Black Widow, Doctor Sleep) is with her parents driving to a skiing trip.  Things go very bad, as her parents die in a collision with a snow plow.  Her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams, Get Out) is given custody of her, but is ill-equipped to deal with a child.  Her career at Funki toys has consumed her life, especially her work on Model 3 Generative Android, a life-sized doll that she believes will be the toy every kid, and parent, will want.  Her boss David (Ronny Chieng, Godzilla vs. Kong, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) isn't convinced and tells her to discontinue the project.  But Gemma decides Cody needs M3gan, and completes working on the robot in her workshop.

Um, I'm remembering a line from a movie with dinosaurs right now.

Cody and M3gan are instant BFFs, but Gemma's directive to M3gan that she protect her niece from all harm, physical and emotional, results in M3gan going, shall we say, a bit overboard.

And, as I mentioned above, mayhem ensues.

Okay, the film is a hit and whatever I say won't change that.  The dance routine became an Internet sensation and a viral marketing tool, M3gan became a gay icon, and a sequel has been announced for 2025.  But I found the film a bit meh-gan.

Okay, that was a bad pun.  But it's no reason for violence.

Look, I'm not saying the film is bad.  It's well acted, with McGraw and Williams delivering great performances.  Cody's attachment to M3gan feels real, as does the third act change in Gemma and Cody's relationship.  It works, without becoming saccharine sweet.  Amie Donald (Sweet Tooth) is amazing as M3gan, keeping her movement robotic enough to remind you she's not human, while fluctuating between innocent and menacing.  And M3gan's voice actor, Jenna Davis, is equally impressive, as she's able to express M3gan's growing intelligence without losing the robotic nature in her voice.  And when the script allow M3gan to be creepy, it works so well.  I just wish the film had more scenes of her being scary, not violent.

But that's the problem with the script.  When M3gan is creepy, the film works.  But the script focuses on too many obvious jump scares, and it weakens what could have been a really great horror film.  Look, jump scares have been a part of horror cinema since 1942's Cat People, but are often telegraphed to any fan of horror to make them ineffective when overused. 

And, I have to bring this it up, it's hard to believe Gemma never heard of the three laws of robotics.  Created by Isaac Asimov in the 40's, the laws would have prevented most of the mayhem, or brought up some interesting questions that might have made for a better film.  

Before I go into why this approach might have worked, here's a basic rundown of the three laws for those who don't know them.  And no, don't start Goggling the Will Smith movie.  That movie is as awful as I am Legend.

Good thing I studied dance, not law.

Anyway, the first law forbid a robot from injuring a human, or through inaction, allow a human to be harmed.  Second, a robot must obey the orders given by a human except when such orders could conflict with the previous law.  And, finally, a robot must protect its existence, as long as it doesn't conflict with the previous laws.

Okay, let's talk about M3gan causing the death of a bully tormenting Cody.  Hey, no spoiler, it's in the trailer.  Had M3gan been programmed with something like Asimov's three laws, it could allow the script to bring up some interesting ideas concerning AI.  Because M3gan is programmed to learn, her growing intellect might have seen causing the bully's death to be the only way to protect Cody from future harm, which is part of the three laws. Such an approach could have elevated the film beyond the simple slasher troupes and made it more timely, given humanity's continued attempt to create an AI being.

Or maybe it's me overthinking a popcorn flick.  Not like that hasn't happened.

Yes, Chris, you're overthinking things.  Go back to enjoying Alligator II: The Mutation.

Another point of contention for fans is the film was planned to be an R-rated feature, but was reshot to earn a PG-13 rating.  I'm sure lots of horror fans were all in for more bloody mayhem (I think the counselor was on the chopping block).  But I have to be honest, I think the film works better without additional deaths.  While Gemma begins to suspect M3gan's involvement later in the film, too many victims would lead the authorities to investigate the obvious link to Gemma.  And having them ignore the connection, through plot convenience, would have weakened the film.  

Besides, the studio's decision allowed the film to reach an audience.  Several fellow film-goers at the screening I attended were having a great time with M3gan's mayhem, even though I over-heard them hoping the movie wasn't too scary.  It might not have worked for me, but others enjoyed it, so I'm not going to condemn the film based on the rating alone.  Besides, PG-13 horror can work, as so many other films have proven.  

The studio has announced that an unrated version will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray.  But no additional mayhem is going to make me watch it again.  Enough R-rated horror exists to satisfy that itch and, as I said, too many kills would weaken the structure of the film. 

It's not perfect, but you might find M3gan to be a fine popcorn muncher film to watch on a rainy Northwest evening.   I think it could have been better, but Cthulhu knows I love films others hate, so who am I to judge.

Say what you will, I'm going back to doing my happy dance for getting a sequel in 2025.  I'm sure you'll be there.