ArchaeologyFest Film Series: Best of 2014
This festival is a collection of the best films from the 2014 edition of the Archeology Channel International Film and Video Festival. The series is a benefit for the entire festival, which takes place in the spring in downtown Eugene. Some of the films include: Davis Bottom: Rare History, Smokin' Fish and Dance of the Maize God. Like National Geographic splashed on the big screen, an incredibly informative festival.
February 20, 21, 27, 28. 7:30 pm. COCC, Boyle Education Center. $7.
The festival returns to Bend and will benefit The Environmental Center. Two nights of thought-provoking documentaries about sustainability, mountain culture, adventuring, conservation and much more. This will be the 12th year the festival has come to Bend and will include a raffle from Skjersaa's Sports Shop, including a pair of skis, a ton of outdoor gear and other prizes from different local businesses.
Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28. 7 pm. Tower Theater.
$20 advance or $35 for both shows.
Two different venues are showing the Oscars this year. Volcanic Theatre Pub will have a screening of Birdman at 2 pm, followed by the Oscars, and Tin Pan Theater will open its doors at 3 pm for anyone who would like to see Neil Patrick Harris be adorable, Ricky Gervais pretend to be a bully, Michael Keaton be a boss or Bradley Cooper play with some more fake babies.
Although the past year has largely been dismissed as a moderate year in cinema, there are at least a few films that deserve attention for stretching the imagination of what a director can accomplish. In particular, Boyhood, a front runner for the Best Movie category, is remarkable for its production value. Filmed over 12 years, largely in secret, the movie captures the true tenor and phases of childhood and parenthood. It is the umpteenth collaboration between director Richard Linklater and actor Ethan Hawke, and picks up on their themes about aging and the passage of time. Also noteworthy is Birdman for its artistic fluidity—edited to seem like a single, meandering shot, following actors down hallways and out into Times Square, it is mesmerizing.
Also, worth watching is first-year host Neil Patrick Harris. The Academy has struggled in the past several years to locate a proper host—someone funny, engaging and smart. Their poor host choices have allowed the Golden Globes, with its gleeful hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, to emerge as a true contender to the Oscars. Harris has already proven to be a charming host (this generation's Bob Hope?) as the 2014 host of the Tony and Emmy awards in 2009 and 2013.
Sunday, Feb. 22, Volcanic at 2 pm and Tin Pan at 3 pm. Volcanic, $10; Tin Pan Theater, free.
