I should start off saying most of these restaurants are going to be in and around Portland, OR. Also my sister will probably be coming with me to most of the places. The first restaurant on my list is Russell Street Barbeque. Most of these restaurant on my list are from lists online like Best Barbeque in each state. Others are just ones I've heard about. I chose to go the Belmont location because it is close to the second item on my list, Mt. Tabor Park. The first impression I got was that is is very industrial looking. We went for lunch and there was only one other person in the restaurant. It was very empty. I don't know if it is because it is more popular at dinner or if it is a new location. It is smoky in there. Be prepared to have your clothes smell smoky for the rest of the day. I ordered a Brisket Sandwich with a side of Mac and Cheese. I got the mild sauce because I have a very low tolerance for hot spices. I had never tried brisket before. It was good, but not the best. The brisket needs the sauce otherwise it is a little boring. If I go back I might get pulled pork instead. The service was good. The check came in a mason jar which is very hipster Portland. Although getting it in a used book at Picnic House still tops it as the most hipster. Overall it was fine. Maybe the original location is better. I wouldn't say no to going back but I'm not overly eager to.
Just down the street is Movie Madness. I have been wanting to go there for a while. So it was a nice surprise that is was so close to the restaurant. It is one of the few movie rental stores still open. They have anything you can think of. A lot of what they pride themselves on is having movies that are hard to find. They have horror cult classics, MGM musicals, British TV shows, and so much more. They also have movie props and costumes. Ranging from Jennifer Lopez's maid costume from Maid in Manhattan to Danny Kaye's jester top from Court Jester. I was most excited to see Danny Kaye's costume. I would have rented so many movies if it wasn't so far from my house. We also made a quick trip around Mt. Tabor park. It was raining so we just drove around it. Maybe I'll come back when it is warmer.
Some weeks I watch a movie every day. This was one of those weeks.
Monday: Boys Town (1938)
This movie stars Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. Every movie I see with young Mickey Rooney I always notice how much energy he has. It is clear he can hardly contain it. Spencer Tracy is always good. The movie is about a real life pastor, Father Flanagan. He started a home for boys living on the street. Left to their own devices they would end up criminals. He believed there was no such thing as a bad boy given the right love and attention. By bringing them into this home he hoped to help them and turn them into good people. Eventually he needed more space and moved to the country and ended up building a small town. I think it was home to over 500 boys at one point. He has success with most of the boys. Mickey Rooney's character Whitey challenges everything he is doing. This movie won oscars for best writing and best actor. It is a good movie. Even though he is a pastor the movie is not overly religious. Look out for the character of Pee Wee who is super cute.
Tuesday: Sister Kenny (1946)
Rosalind Russell stars in this movie about real life nurse Elizabeth Kenny. The movie is about the Polio outbreak. It starts with Elizabeth being a bush nurse in Australia. She gets the title Sister after serving in the war as a nurse. She finds a way to help the children suffering from Polio. Her methods are not in any medical book, so no doctor takes her seriously or even considers using her methods. She spends her life trying to prove them wrong and all the while curing hundreds of children. This movie is really good. I like Rosalind Russell a lot. Especially in Auntie Mame.
Wednesday: Leave No Trace (2018)
The main reason I watched this movie is because it is set and filmed in Oregon. Outside of the forest Portland is very recognizable. I've seen other movies and TV shows filmed in Portland and Oregon. It is not alway apparent that they actually filmed here. It could be anywhere. In this movie I could recognize more. I have been on the high way they there were on, seen the park, and St. Johns Bridge. Although most movies and shows shot here feature St. Johns Bridge in some way. This is also a true story, clearly I unknowingly had a theme this week. It is about a father and daughter who lived in Forest Park. They are discovered and spend most of the film trying to get back to the wilderness. This is a smaller independent film that has done well as film festivals. I thought it was ok. The best parts for me where seeing parts of Oregon that I recognize.
Thursday: Roma (2018)
I don't usually watch foreign films. But this one got my attention because it has been nominated not just in the foreign film category but in the best picture category. Which is rare. It is on Netflix and is directed by Alfonso Cuaron. It is also filmed in black and white which you don't see much of in current films. It is about a nanny to a wealthy family in Mexico. She loves the kids of the family and they love her. The movie follows their life in the 70s as they deal with divorce, abandonment, and a political riot. It is very well done. This movie is dedicated to Alfonso Cuaron's real life nanny. You can see how much this family really loved their nanny. It has the feel of a foreign film. I'm not sure what it is but you can tell when you are watching a foreign film. They are shot differently. Something I noticed about this movie is there is no music. No composition at all. The only music you hear is in the movies they watch, on the radio, or in restaurants. It makes a difference when there is no music. I liked the movie.
Friday: If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
This movie is so beautifully done. Every shot is amazing. I especially love the use of selective focus (character is in focus, everything else is not). The movie is about about a young black couple living in Harlem in the 70s (?). Fonny, the boyfriend, is wrongfully accused of a crime. Tish, the girlfriend, finds out that she is pregnant after he is put in prison. She deals with being an unwed pregnant woman while trying to prove his innocence. This movie is really good.
Saturday: Double feature- A Goofy Movie (1995) and The Long, Long Trailer (1954)
A Goofy Movie is a 90s classic. It is enjoyable no matter how old you are. My favorite parts have always been the leaning tower of cheesa and the water beds with real fish in them (only in cartoons, I would not like it if fish were in water beds in real life).
The Long, Long Trailer is a screwball romantic comedy starring Lucille Ball and her real life husband Desi Arnaz. He is a architect who is always traveling from job to job. She decides it would be good to have a trailer home that they can bring with them where ever they go. Most of the film is spent struggling with the trailer and all that goes a long with it. Everything seems to go wrong and they never catch a break. Most for comedic affect. Which is entertaining, but also a little annoying. There is no break from mishap to mishap. You want something to go right for them. This is clearly meant to be similar humor and storyline to I Love Lucy, which they both starred in. It just doesn't seem to work outside of the show. The movie was alright.
I will most likely post every Sunday or Monday depending on my work.
Just down the street is Movie Madness. I have been wanting to go there for a while. So it was a nice surprise that is was so close to the restaurant. It is one of the few movie rental stores still open. They have anything you can think of. A lot of what they pride themselves on is having movies that are hard to find. They have horror cult classics, MGM musicals, British TV shows, and so much more. They also have movie props and costumes. Ranging from Jennifer Lopez's maid costume from Maid in Manhattan to Danny Kaye's jester top from Court Jester. I was most excited to see Danny Kaye's costume. I would have rented so many movies if it wasn't so far from my house. We also made a quick trip around Mt. Tabor park. It was raining so we just drove around it. Maybe I'll come back when it is warmer.
Some weeks I watch a movie every day. This was one of those weeks.
Monday: Boys Town (1938)
This movie stars Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. Every movie I see with young Mickey Rooney I always notice how much energy he has. It is clear he can hardly contain it. Spencer Tracy is always good. The movie is about a real life pastor, Father Flanagan. He started a home for boys living on the street. Left to their own devices they would end up criminals. He believed there was no such thing as a bad boy given the right love and attention. By bringing them into this home he hoped to help them and turn them into good people. Eventually he needed more space and moved to the country and ended up building a small town. I think it was home to over 500 boys at one point. He has success with most of the boys. Mickey Rooney's character Whitey challenges everything he is doing. This movie won oscars for best writing and best actor. It is a good movie. Even though he is a pastor the movie is not overly religious. Look out for the character of Pee Wee who is super cute.
Tuesday: Sister Kenny (1946)
Rosalind Russell stars in this movie about real life nurse Elizabeth Kenny. The movie is about the Polio outbreak. It starts with Elizabeth being a bush nurse in Australia. She gets the title Sister after serving in the war as a nurse. She finds a way to help the children suffering from Polio. Her methods are not in any medical book, so no doctor takes her seriously or even considers using her methods. She spends her life trying to prove them wrong and all the while curing hundreds of children. This movie is really good. I like Rosalind Russell a lot. Especially in Auntie Mame.
Wednesday: Leave No Trace (2018)
The main reason I watched this movie is because it is set and filmed in Oregon. Outside of the forest Portland is very recognizable. I've seen other movies and TV shows filmed in Portland and Oregon. It is not alway apparent that they actually filmed here. It could be anywhere. In this movie I could recognize more. I have been on the high way they there were on, seen the park, and St. Johns Bridge. Although most movies and shows shot here feature St. Johns Bridge in some way. This is also a true story, clearly I unknowingly had a theme this week. It is about a father and daughter who lived in Forest Park. They are discovered and spend most of the film trying to get back to the wilderness. This is a smaller independent film that has done well as film festivals. I thought it was ok. The best parts for me where seeing parts of Oregon that I recognize.
Thursday: Roma (2018)
I don't usually watch foreign films. But this one got my attention because it has been nominated not just in the foreign film category but in the best picture category. Which is rare. It is on Netflix and is directed by Alfonso Cuaron. It is also filmed in black and white which you don't see much of in current films. It is about a nanny to a wealthy family in Mexico. She loves the kids of the family and they love her. The movie follows their life in the 70s as they deal with divorce, abandonment, and a political riot. It is very well done. This movie is dedicated to Alfonso Cuaron's real life nanny. You can see how much this family really loved their nanny. It has the feel of a foreign film. I'm not sure what it is but you can tell when you are watching a foreign film. They are shot differently. Something I noticed about this movie is there is no music. No composition at all. The only music you hear is in the movies they watch, on the radio, or in restaurants. It makes a difference when there is no music. I liked the movie.
Friday: If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
This movie is so beautifully done. Every shot is amazing. I especially love the use of selective focus (character is in focus, everything else is not). The movie is about about a young black couple living in Harlem in the 70s (?). Fonny, the boyfriend, is wrongfully accused of a crime. Tish, the girlfriend, finds out that she is pregnant after he is put in prison. She deals with being an unwed pregnant woman while trying to prove his innocence. This movie is really good.
Saturday: Double feature- A Goofy Movie (1995) and The Long, Long Trailer (1954)
A Goofy Movie is a 90s classic. It is enjoyable no matter how old you are. My favorite parts have always been the leaning tower of cheesa and the water beds with real fish in them (only in cartoons, I would not like it if fish were in water beds in real life).
The Long, Long Trailer is a screwball romantic comedy starring Lucille Ball and her real life husband Desi Arnaz. He is a architect who is always traveling from job to job. She decides it would be good to have a trailer home that they can bring with them where ever they go. Most of the film is spent struggling with the trailer and all that goes a long with it. Everything seems to go wrong and they never catch a break. Most for comedic affect. Which is entertaining, but also a little annoying. There is no break from mishap to mishap. You want something to go right for them. This is clearly meant to be similar humor and storyline to I Love Lucy, which they both starred in. It just doesn't seem to work outside of the show. The movie was alright.
I will most likely post every Sunday or Monday depending on my work.
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