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^t^LA CK AM A sPrint
April 20, 2005
Filmmaker visits campus
Authors' night boasts award winner McCormick
Ben Maras
News Editor
Award-winning
Portland
filmmaker and head of the PDX
Film Festival Matt McCormick
will be appearing at Clackamas
next Wednesday, April 27, in
the Gregory Forum. Headlining
will be award-winning author
Charles D’Ambrosio, also a
Portland native. A graduate of
the Iowa Writers’ Workshop,
D’Ambrosio’s work commonly
appears in The New Yorker.
After three screenings at the
famous Sundance Film Festival,
and having won awards includ­
ing Best Experimental Film from
the New York Underground Film
Fest, Best Short Film from San
Francisco Film Fest, and Grand
Prize at the Media City Film
Fest, McCormick will be visit­
ing as part of authors’ night,
which is put on by English
instructor Allen Widerburg.
Bom in November of 1972 in
Washington, D.C., McCormick
was initially interested in pho­
Photo couresy of www.rodefilmco.com
tography and journalism before
A
still from McCormick’s 1999 short, “The Vyrotonin Decision,” described as “a post­
getting hooked on the film
modern disaster epic featuring 36 appropriated television commercials from 1971.”
world after he began shooting
The film, which was created using a hole punch, a cheap film splicer, tape and
and editing his own films as an
glue, mocks the stock forumla of the modern big-screen Hollywood movie.
experiment. Now his work is
said to “blur the line between
originally
from Argentina
But out of his more than 10
America’s harbors, showing its
documentary and experimen­
short films, he says that the
tal,” although he says he doesn’t important duty in the world of which was introduced more
experiment “Sincerely,: Joe P.
the seaport. Blending artistic than 60 years ago as a way to
choose what he films. .
Bear” is his favorite.
“I think the topics pretty style with an original soundtrack help save the beaver popula­
“It’s older and really short
by James Mercer tion, and has now grown out
much
choose
and only took me a few days to
me,” McCormick
of The Shins, the
of control. His film details the
said.
“I have
film is truly an problems and possible solu­
make,” he says. “I think that
“I hope people
always been a
example of pull­
tions (he makes it known that maybe since it was such a short
realize that
sucker for the
ing for the little nutria has more protein and
and spontaneous project I never
there are more
underdog,
and
person.
less fat and cholesterol than got the chance to totally get sick
every now and
avenues for a
His
work turkey, chicken or beef).
of it while I was making it.”
then a subject
includes
the
In a mockumentary, “The
McCormack hopes ultimately
filmmaker than
will present itself
music video for Subconscious Art of Graffiti that his visit will help budding
simply
going
to
and I’ll realize it
“The Past and Removal,” he latches onto the
college filmmakers, show them
L.A. and sell­
would make great
the Pending” by irony of the fact that funding the wide variety of opportuni­
ing
your
soul
to
subject matter for
The Shins,
for anti-graffiti campaigns often ties open in the field, and dis­
a film.”
Hollywood. ”
In
anoth­
outweigh the funding for the
solve people’s prejudices about
In his most
er
work,
arts, and shows what he calls the film world.
recent film, an
“American
(tongue-in-cheek) “the most
“I
hope
people
real­
experimental
Nutria”
he
important art movements of the
ize that there are more ave­
Matt McCormick
documentary enti­
explores
the 21st Century.” This film alone nues for a filmmaker than
Portland Film Maker
tled “Towlines,”
furry pest that won five awards and was named simply going to L.A. and sell­
he pays homage
is the nutria,
in several magazines’ “Top 10” ing your soul to Hollywood,”
to the tugboat in
a large rodent lists.
he said.
Cartoonist's Clackamas visit to draw crowds
Elizabeth Toby
The Clackamas Print
Cartoonist and novelist Lynda
Barry will delight Clackamas audi­
ences this Thursday when she reads
from a variety of her works dur­
ing an event cosponsored by the
English department and Marylhurst
University.
Barry, who grew up in a work­
ing-class Seattle neighborhood^ was
the first person in her family to go to
college, attending Evergreen State
University.
There she met her good friend
Matt Greening, the creator of “The
Simpsons” and the “Life in Hell”
comic strips. It was Greening who
first published her work in the school
newspaper without her consent.
Now, as she says, her work
appears “all over tarnation.” She is
a regular contributor to “Salon,” an
online magazine, and her alternative
comic strip “Ernie Pooks Comeek”
is nationally syndicated.
She has written several illustrated
novels including “The Good Times
Are Killing Me,” which won die
Washington State Governor’s Award,
and is also a successfill play.
Her second novel, “Cruddy,” tells
the story of sixteen-
year-old Roberta
Rohbeson’s fife,
and of growing up
in a not so every­
day life.
She
reflects
on her own life
in “One Hundred
Demons.” A col­
lection of auto­
biographical comic
strip stones, they
were
published
in the anthology
“Mothers
Who
Think”
Through the
characters in her NOBODY
PROVIDE DEEP CRITICAL IN*
comic strips and SIGHT TO SOMETHING WRI
stories,
Barry, BY hand . MOSTLY THEY KEEP
discusses impor­ IT AS SHORT AS A WANT AD. TH
WORST I GET IS,TOO MANY
tant issues of WORDS. NOT FUNNY.
war, young love, GETTHE JOKE.* I CAN LIVE
WITH THAT.
gays and lesbi­
Photos courtesy of http://depts.clackamas.edu/english/
ans, growing up,
depression, abuse
Nationally syndicated cartoonist and novelist Lynda Barry
and relationships
will be reading and answering questions at Clackamas this
with adults.
Thursday. Her work regularity appears in Salon magazine.
Marlys is per­
haps the most popular of Barry’s pigtailed character as she finds her evening will begin at 7 p.m. in the
new Osterman Theatre and is free to
characters and in 2000 Barry way through life.
Barry will read from a variety
students. It will also offer an oppor­
published “The! Greatest! Of!
of her works, including novels as
tunity for students to ask questions
Marlys!,” a collection of comic
strips featurmg*the freckle faced, well as comic strips on April 21. The
and discuss Barry’s life and work
Neu
campus
All reports
are taken
fromCCC’s
campus safety incident log
Summaries are edited for
clarity, not content.
4-15-05
9:00 a.m.
Staff requested standby
during student expulsion
10:20 a.m.
Staff requested standby!
bus turn around. Student
left without incident.
4-14-05
10:35 a.m.
Reported white male adi
earring three large bags
filled with unknown con
tents in ELC area.
5:58 p.m.
Student turned in billfold
found in Barlow parking
lot Checked billfold and
found current student I.D.
Oregon City High School
Met with high school staf
and turned over billfold.
8:10 p.m.
Student reported theft of
vehicle from Barlow par's
ing lot. Checked all parki
lots and notified Oregon
City Police Department to
take report.
4-12-05
9:55 a.m.
Reported white male adult
panhandling in Communii
Center building.
6:40 p.m.
Recieved calls of possible
road rage/hit-and-run at
Clairmont.
(not so)
Big Bo;
o’Brid
Campus news: 75% leaner,
meaner, and 100% unprofetit
“Los Desaparecí
John Lujan, who wí
involved in die productioi
the film “Los Desaparea
~ (The Disappeared Ones)
will be at CCC today. Bi
be held in CC127 fromnot
p.m., and is open to anybe
Come see it before it toot
appears.
ASG Elections
The race for ASG Presit
and VP is under way. Ret
on for important even
and dates in the race
April 26 and 27: Candit
debate and Q&A.
May 2,3 and 4: Abseil
ballots accepted in CC151
May 5 and 6? Election
online at www.clackamas.et
in CC152 or any computer fl
internet access.