Portland Movie Club

Here's how it works:
1. Just like a book club, we watch the movie before we meet.
2. We'll meet at Breakside Brewery in Beaverton, OR at 4pm. We'll have signs at our tables, but we'll also try to be obvious and identifiable. Please note that this is a change in venue from many of our previously scheduled Sunday Meet-Up events.
3. Grab some food and drinks and spend some enjoyable time discussing this masterpiece with us.

A little about TITANE:

The winner of the 2021 Palme D'Or, Titane is both deeply beloved and deeply controversial. It is a careful and nuanced exploration of gender, care-giving, and the creation of chosen family. And it also an explosively bloody body horror film about serial murder and sex with cars. By turns luminous and pitiless, with occasional stabs of sharp hilarity, Titane is beyond unique, and is likely to provoke a spirited discussion.

Trigger Notes: Given the above, it should come as no surprise that Titane contains a substantial quantity of potentially triggering material, especially as regards intrafamilial violence, intimate partner violence, surgery, and pregnancy. For a more granular breakdown of the film's potential triggers, please see its entry on DoesTheDogDie.

Viewing Options
Streaming options are reported to include Amazon Prime, Tubi, YouTube, AppleTV, Fandango At Home, and Kanopy. It is also available for purchase or rent on Blu-Ray through numerous sources, including Movie Madness.

About Cult Films
Sometimes good, almost always interesting, and only somewhat definable. This very special category of cinema is known for its dedicated fanbases, high-camp kitsch, transgressive ideas, counterculture perspectives, polarized reception, and sometimes for artfulness, but far more often for obscurity. Many cult films exist at the borderline between art and exploitation.

While Cult Films typically defy mainstream criticism, they are rich candidates for open-minded entertainment and interpretation, viewed through a lens that emphasizes their unique perspectives regardless of their financial success or failure.

Tips

1. Haven't seen the movie in a while? You're in for a treat - try to watch the movie sometime before we meet. As with a book club, we don't watch the movie at our meetup, we just discuss it. You don't have to watch the movie to join us, but it'll be more fun if you do.
2. Some members enjoy researching the films and sharing what they find with the group. Others prefer to engage with the films in a more casual way. Both approaches are absolutely fine! Most PMC members land somewhere in the middle. You may find it useful to take notes as you watch, but definitely don't feel obligated. At the end of the day, we're here to socialize and have fun.
3. If you come up with any discussion topics you'd like to explore with the group, bring them with you! We love fresh eyes and new voices!

Previous titles viewed by our Cult Film Meet-up members for group discussion have included Barbarella, Fantastic Planet, Eraserhead, Daisies (aka, Sedmikrásky), Jennifer’s Body, The Human Tornado, The Love Witch, Plan 9 From Outer Space, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, Phantom of The Paradise, Takashi Miike's Audition, and David Cronenberg’s Videodrome and Rabid.

The Portland Movie Club is on Discord!
Are you on Discord? Join the PMC Discord!

1. Haven't seen the movie before? You're in for a treat - try to watch the movie sometime before we meet (Streaming Options). Just like a book club we don't watch the movie at our meetup, just discuss it. You don't have to watch the movie to join us, but it'll be more fun if you can.
2. I usually take a few notes while I watch to keep from forgetting the most interesting stuff. If you think of some interesting discussion topics while you watch, bring 'em with you!
3. We'll decide on our next giallo movie to watch! Come with suggestions.

Are you not that familiar with the giallo genre? Read the Wikipedia entry to learn more. Is there a giallo you'd like to propose the group watch and discuss next? Here's a comprehensive list of Italian giallos along with films influenced by the genre. Maybe there's a film you've heard about but needed an excuse to watch--come join us for discussion & make a suggestion!

Coming to the group for the first time, but interested in movies previously watched & discussed? Here's a list of all previous giallos watched and discussed by the group (with group rating)!

On Discord? Join the Portland Movie Club!

1. Just like a book club, we watch the movie before we meet. (Try watching it even if you've already seen it before. You don't have to watch one to join us, but it'll be more fun that way. Also, try taking notes to help remember the most interesting parts, and bring 'em with you if you can!)
2. We'll meet at Breakside Brewery in Beaverton at 2pm on the scheduled date. We'll have signs at our tables, but we'll also try to be obvious and identifiable.
3. Grab some food, some drinks, and spend time socializing/discussing this movie with us! We'll begin by going around and introducing ourselves. Then, we'll kick off a fun 10-question trivia round on the film (with a custom prize for the winner). Finally, I'll give a quick summary of the film's development, and we'll dive into the group discussion from there.

Are you on Discord? Join the Portland Movie Club!

1. Just like a book club, we watch the movie before we meet.
2. We'll meet at Lucky Lab at 4pm (map) on the scheduled day & date. We typically have a sign at our table(s), but even when we don't, we try to be obvious and identifiable. Our favorite spots are the meeting room and the (heated) back patio.
3. Grab some food and drinks and spend some time socializing and discussing this movie with us!

A few notes about The Handmaiden:
The Handmaiden is director Park Chan-wook’s 2016 adaptation of Sarah Waters’s landmark sapphic thriller, The Fingersmith. Park, the celebrated director of contemporary revenge classics such as 2003’s Oldboy, moves the story from 19th century England to twentieth century Korea, during the time of Japanese rule. Retaining Waters’s twistily gothic approach, as well as many of her touchstones, Park’s film involves both the furtive-yet-posh society of wealthy pornography collectors, and the more hardscrabble world of the professional pickpocket. Described as visually lush, sexually graphic, and entertainingly idiosyncratic by critics, and as an intentionally feminist work by Park himself, the film has a score of 85% on Metacritic, and a score of 96% on RottenTomatoes.com.

Trigger Notes: This film does contain depictions of assault, child abuse, and other material that may cause issues for some viewers. For a more granular breakdown of the film's potential triggers, please see its entry on doesthedogdie.com.

Viewing Options:
Streaming options reportedly include Amazon, Fandango At Home and AppleTV+. The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2017, but region A copies appear to be scarce, domestically, at this time. Do be aware the the two-disc special edition was a region B only release.

LGBTQ+ Portland Movie Club Meet-Up Cinema Series
LGBTQ+ characters and themes have been present throughout film history dating back to pre-Hays Code era. The relationship between film and the LGBTQ+ community has had its ups and downs over the years and has been continually changing. This discussion group will highlight some key films that mark these changes and shed light upon the vast selection of LGBTQ+ films which cinema has to offer.

Tips:

1. Haven't seen the movie in a while? You're in for a treat - try to watch the movie sometime before we meet. As with a book club, we don't watch the movie at our meetup, we just discuss it. You don't have to watch the movie to join us, but it'll be more fun if you do.
2. Some members enjoy researching the films and sharing what they find with the group. Others prefer to engage with the films in a more casual way. Both approaches are absolutely fine! Most PMC members land somewhere in the middle. You may find it useful to take notes as you watch, but definitely don't feel obligated. At the end of the day, we're here to socialize and have fun.
3. If you come up with any discussion topics you'd like to explore with the group, bring them with you! We love fresh eyes and new voices!

Some of the films previously viewed and discussed in this series of PMC Meet-Ups have included: Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, But I'm a Cheerleader, Sleepaway Camp, I Saw The TV Glow, Tangerine, Dog Day Afternoon, Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho, the documentary Paris Is Burning, and Gregg Araki’s The Doom Generation, Mysterious Skin*, and* Nowhere,

The Portland Movie Club is on Discord!
Are you on Discord? Join the Portland Movie Club!