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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2012)
10/18 10/19 10/20 10/21 10/22 10/23 10/24 10/25 THU schedule for 10.18 - 10.25 FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU Closed for Members only Events A R T C I N E M A S BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING 5:00 7:10 SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN 4:10 6:15 8:25 IRON SKY October 27: BLUE COLLAR BOYS w/Director Q&A October 27: IN A GROVE 492 East 13 cast & crew Q&A th 686-2458 bijou-cinemas.com 2:45 5:00 7:10 2:00 4:10 6:15 8:25 MO V IE S BY MO LLY T E MP LE TO N 2:45 5:00 5:00 5:00 5:00 5:00 7:10 7:10 7:10 7:10 7:10 2:00 4:10 6:15 6:15 6:15 6:15 6:15 8:25 8:25 8:25 8:25 8:25 9:20 9:20 9:20 9:20 9:20 9:20 9:20 THE ROOM 10:30 October 28: BROTHERS ON THE LINE free showings October 31: MOOD AREA 52 presents FREE SPOONS! NOSFERATU & Georges Melies *Adults—$7 * Students w/ID—$6 * Seniors—$5 * Matinees—$5 * Miser Mondays—$3* traveling soon? medical advice for global travelers t he t ravel c linic John D. Wilson, M.D. 1200 Hilyard St., Suite S-560 541/343-6028 www.TravelClinicOregon.com Questions? Email us at travelclinicoregon.3436028@gmail.com Questions? Email us at travelclinic3436028 @ gmail.com TIX $2 Tix 21 & FOOD $5 Sun & Tues ovER MENU 762-1700 | 180 E. 5TH AVE davidminortheater.com THE PUPPETMASTER From Pee-Wee’s Playhouse to art house, one artist’s life THURS OCT 18 – WED OCT 24 THU BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING: Directed by Neil Berkeley. Written by Berkeley, Chris Bradley and Kevin Klauber. Cinematography, Berkeley and Bradley. Editor, Bradley. Music, Tim Rutili. Future You Pictures, 2012. 87 minutes. 00011 DARK SHADOWS 5:30 NO SHOW 10/24 BERNIE 7:40 LAST WEEK NO SHOW 10/24 ROCK OF AGES 5:30 MOONRISE KINGDOM 7:40 THE CABIN IN THE WOODS 9:30 THATS MY BOY 9:30 NO SHOW 10/19 “NO LONGER SNEAKING BEER INTO THE MOVIES SINCE 2008” “TEXT-A-BEER” 541-913-5733 ORDER DRINKS & FOOD RIGHT FROM YOUR SEAT I f you’re somewhere in your 30s and grew up with a television, Wayne White’s work probably slipped into your young mind somewhere. As a young artist, White landed a job on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, where he designed (and voiced) some of the show’s iconic characters. His work turned up in the music videos for Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight” and Peter Gabriel’s “Big Time,” and he worked on a host of other children’s shows. But White is hardly a household name. With Beauty is Embarrassing, writer-director- cinematographer Neil Berkeley set out to change that. After a bumpy start, the film chronicles White’s youthful success and midlife career change; now, he’s a successful visual artist whose word paintings — thrift-store landscapes with phrases marching across them in cheeky capital letters — have caught the eye of art dealers, fashion designers (Todd Oldham appears in the film) and art fans. White is a character, loopy and enthusiastic, a perfect subject. With a bushy, grey- streaked beard and a penchant for banjo-picking, he bounds through his own story, narrating from his studio, from a stage while giving a talk or from the art room of a high school, where he and an old friend create an enormous, slightly eerie and oddly beautiful puppet of the school’s founder. The filmmakers splice in a little bit of everything: clips from Pee-wee’s Playhouse; goofy footage from behind the scenes of Pee-wee’s, where the artists were making their own videos (the word “psychedelic” is used more than once); animation that tells the story of a horrific car wreck the White family was in when Wayne was young; and clips from White’s various projects. There’s hardly time to linger on any one project or topic, though the giant George Jones puppet gets (and deserves) a quick breather. Briefly, Berkeley turns to Mimi Pond, White’s wife, who was far more successful than he was when they met. Pond’s career was sidelined when the couple had kids, and her thoughts on that choice suggest a different, equally interesting artist’s narrative. But there’s no time to linger. Beauty is Embarrassing eventually wiggles its way into being a solid take on one artist’s life, but the film begins with an unfocused introductory section that overflows with artist clichés: art is a way of life; a real artist can’t not make art; he was such a talented child; he’s just so special and unique! These empty, standard- issue comments, mixed with White’s occasional bitter (his word) cracks, set a sour tone that the film has to work to overcome. Gradually, it does, and the picture comes back into focus. An affectionate portrait of one creative man, Beauty may make you wonder how many other artists like White — hovering just above the radar, rising and falling — have stories just as deserving of a cinematic telling. ■ ay Bakery D w e N Oregon Chile Coast Relleno Dinner $7.95 Salmon Dinner $11.95 Home made Apple , Berry & Pumpkin Pie monday-friday 7am-9pm • saturday 8am-9pm • sunday 8am-8pm 449 Blair Blvd • 541-345-1695 32 October 18, 2012 • eugeneweekly.com
