Month: October 2015

Three sentence movie reviews: The End of the Tour

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A movie for people who like long conversations between smart people and a movie that also spends a ton of time examining yet another kind of pissing contest* that males involve themselves in.**  That said, I loved this movie, got lost in the conversations and fell for the characters.*** There were great performances all around****–particularly by Jason Segel who managed a lot of really good acting in ways I hadn’t seen him act before–and it was a nice look back at the mid-90s.*****

Cost: $3.00
Where watched: Laurelhurst

*That these men were both smart author-types, the pissing contest was subtle and low-key, but very present.
**Is there any aspect of the male existence we have not thoroughly explored via the medium of film?  I think not.
***Although Jesse Eisenberg’s character less so, though I felt for him.
****Oh Joan Cusack, did you have to be named Patty?  Why are all the perky people in film named Patty?
*****Now that I’ve lived through times that are “historical”, I enjoy picking up on the small details, like the fact that everyone was reading Primary Colors.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/end_of_the_tour.html
This may be the most awesome poster I’ve seen in this year’s movie reviewing.

Another marker of old Burnside soon to go.

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I’ve always loved that the Philo House Thrift Shop is here, even if I have never actually found anything to purchase at said thrift shop.  The office next door has always been something like accounting or tax preparation.  What will take the places of these Old Burnside establishments?  Waxing studio?  Pot dealers?  Yet another fancy schmantzy restaurant?  Time will tell.

Three sentence movie reviews: Dirty Dancing Havana Nights

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One of the Filmspotting team thinks this is a better version than it’s predecessor* and so I figured I would check it out.  It is indeed a delightful film having really cool stuff (Cuba, Latin Dance, the delicious Diego Luna, as well as the Cuban revolution) and the dancing is also great.  You can even spot now famous people who weren’t then** as well as a cameo by someone who is now dead.***

Cost: Free from library
Where watched: at home, while painting toenails.  It’s not a great movie for this activity.  I had to keep stopping to watch the dancing

*causing much outraged glee from the other of the Filmspotting team.
**Two, count ’em, two actors now famous for their roles in Mad Men are present.
***Said cameo elicited a squeal of glee from me.

poster from:  http://www.impawards.com/2004/dirty_dancing_havana_nights.html

City of Roses (aka The Northwood Apartments) from the back.

While the residents of that small house south of the development are probably pretty sad that four floors of people on the south side of the development can look into their back yard, their sadness might pale in comparison to the residents of these two houses, who have many windows looking upon them for all time.  (Or until either the houses or the apartment complex is torn down.)  I never saw the original City of Roses Motel, it was torn down before I moved to the neighborhood.  But I’m willing to be it was only one story, or perhaps two.  Until the build out of this new complex these houses had the sunset.  Now they’ve got some morning sun and that’s it.  IMG_4677

Incredibly small props go to the builders for including any parking at all.  Mostly they don’t.

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I wonder what the going rate for one of these parking spots is?

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I have emailed the leasing office, explaining I’ve been covering the building’s construction and would love to have a tour, but they have not replied.  So I suspect this will be it for my City of Roses posts.

My secret piece of property I don’t own

I’ve long been enchanted with this tiny piece of property. I suspect it got truncated by the construction of the Max Yellow line.  It’s been a variety of things since I moved to the neighborhood in 2007.  Mostly kind of junky things, like storage space for a failed food cart.  I’ve just looked it up on my favorite Portland Maps website and learned that the lot was bought in 1993 for $33,000 and is owned by the guy who owns the house across the street.  I also just noticed in the permits/cases section that just yesterday–yesterday being 11/6 as I write this from the future–someone filed three complaints for “people living in shed” and “ongoing garage sales.”   I’ve observed that both of these things are true.

Anyway, let’s get to my fantasy.  The property is triangular shaped, .09 acre (4,038 sq feet) and right on the Max line.  It is not a piece of property for those who like solitude or a ton of space.  Although now that I write that, I bet a developer could put at least two residences into this space.

But we are talking about my ideas.  
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I would build a small footprinted house on this space that would take up about half of the triangle in the narrow part.  It would be a well-planned two stories.  Then, on the wider part of the triangle I would landscape a fun garden, so that people walking to the Max could see things grow.  There might be levels of garden. That chain link fence would not be there.  Also, there would be parking in my little triangle.  No on-street parking for me.

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I can just see it!