Livin' in the Blurbs: At the Movies

I don't know about you, but lately I've been feeling like there's just too much stuff cluttering up my life. And unlike a certain local newsletter/website that defines its audience as people who say, "I just want to shop and eat and spend," I don't think the answer to happiness is having more stuff. So it was refreshing to run across "The Story of Stuff," a short film that speaks to the real costs of our consumer-driven culture. It's online, it's free and it'll give you something to think about (and maybe share with your family and friends).

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Normally a free movie involves sitting in front of the TV trying to watch a film while it's interrupted every few minutes by noisy, awful commercials. Not exactly a movie buff's ideal situation. But now you can sit in the lap of luxury in the screening room of downtown's Hotel Deluxe, with a no-host food and beverage menu from Gracie's Restaurant and the Driftwood Lounge. Once a month they host a Sunday Movie Night with feature films and shorts by local and regional filmmakers, and on Jan. 20 at 6:30 pm they'll be featuring "Grandma Zula's Legacy" a documentary about racism, community service and activism during the 1940s through the 70s in Portland.

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And the St. Johns Library is getting into the act with a free monthly series called Sunday Cinema Classics. On Feb. 3 from 2 to 4 pm they'll be showing Frank Capra's "Lost Horizon" with Ronald Coleman and Jane Wyatt. While they probably won't be serving drinks and snacks, it'd be a great opportunity to explore this developing neighborhood.