It plays here in Portland at the Clinton Street Theater November 14-20. If you are a fan of the horror genre, definitely check out this film.

On the topic of elections, a few funny stories, all very Portland, to share:  As some Oregonians may be aware, there is a Presidential candidate out there who goes by the name “Watchman.”  He happened to show up on our doorstep one day as Peter was working (and I, very sadly, was absent).  Peter answered the door to this friendly-looking older man, who handed him a photocopied, handwritten platform and said meekly, “I’m a candidate for President of the United States.”  As Peter tells it, he had no charisma, said this statement very flatly, and just stood there looking at him after it was said.  There was no spiel, no question to follow, nothing.  He stood there and looked at Peter expectantly.  Peter’s only response, after a long awkward silence, was a clearing of his throat and a: “Well then…best of luck to you,” and slowly closed the door.  We’ve since seen him on Hawthorne, holding his Bible and speaking the word of God to nobody in particular.  Oh it’s very real.  Don’t believe me?  Here’s the platform Peter was presented.  You better believe we kept it.  More information on this interesting Portland fella can be seen on The Portland Mercury website.

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Here’s the deal:  Go to Restaurant.com, create an account (free), then browse the participating restaurants in your area.  Add the gift certificates you want to purchase, then check out.  And here’s the amazing thing:  A $10 gift certificate is only $3, and a $25 is $10!  And these are NORMAL prices.  Don’t do like me and pick them up at this rate the first time visiting the site, because they have 50% and 60% specials all the time (just get on the email list to be notified) - then you get them for even cheaper with special checkout codes.  And right now, they’re 80% off - which means that $25 gift certificate to favorites Montage or Wild Abandon or whatever other amazing restaurant that participates will only cost you $2.  And you have a whole year to use it.  The code for this current 80% special is: TREATS. Last time they had this 80% deal, we stocked up!

Once you complete your purhcase, you can print the certificates from your computer right away, and take them with you to use immediately, so it’s great to check to see if a restaurant participates just before heading out the door to meet up with your party.  A minor caveat - make sure you read the fine print for each one you consider.  Some don’t allow these during happy hour times or for alcohol, and, for the most part, a $25 GC must be used for $35+ worth of food (sometimes $50) and a $10 GC for $20+ worth of food.  Entirely worth it, but it generally is better when you have a few people in your party, since you’ll find yourself ordering more food than you need to make it work.

I love a good bargain.

The screening is on Friday October 24 at the Mount Tabor Legacy on SE 48th and Hawthorne (map). Public screening starts promptly at 7pm and is free.  The film is currently being considered at several film festivals around the country. We are very excited to finally premiere this film. Come out and see what wideshot studios has been up to this year, and learn what is in store for the future!

We are very honored to be part of this festival. We made “The Mixtress” for the International Documentary Challenge earlier this year and won the Best Soundtrack Award for it. It marks the second film that wideshot studios has made since relocating to Portland a year ago. If you are in the Seattle area and are able to attend, we would love to see you there. The films that we will be screening alongside are exceptional examples of the quality filmmaking that is coming out of this part of the country.

Screening details:
October 4th, 5:00pm
Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Ave
Seattle, WA 98122 (Map)
(206) 329-2629

A special thank you goes to Karl Lind, organizer of the Odds and Ends program, for including our documentary in the program.

If you live in Oklahoma, go check it out. It should be a fun night. Cheer extra loud for wideshot studios’ 1st short film “Odd, Oklahoma!”

Saturday September 27th, 2008
Living Arts of Tulsa (Map)
$7 / $5 (members)

Upon walking in, the first thing that struck me was the atmosphere of the place. Other than the fact that it’s in a mall, it reminded me of a restaurant we have back in Oklahoma called the Golden Corral. A buffet-style restaurant with different stations serving assorted grub. Only, instead of fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, Todai serves sushi and hot Asian cuisine, buffet-style. For one price, you get all-you-can eat Fatty Tuna rolls and General Tso’s chicken.

Deciding to start with the “cold” buffet line, I filled my plate with about 5 pieces of questionable-looking sushi and some cucumber salad and headed for the table. After one bite from the “crunchy tempura roll” which wasn’t at all crunchy, my gag reflex was activated. Ever eaten soggy sushi? I was able to choke down 2 other pieces (awful, even drowned in soy sauce and wasabi), then it was off to the “hot” food line. My thinking was that the hot food would be better due to the fact that it was under heat lamps and in sauces that might just require a small stir to re-activate it’s freshness. Wrong. The lo mein tasted like lemon pledge, the goyoza was slippery and dry at the same time, and the Orange chicken, well, hurt my teeth.

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