From a variety of cat statues modeled after the cartoon classic Coraline to thriller films that were either set in or shot in Oregon, 2024 provided a wealth of entertainment options to help us forget about the upsetting news. Here’s a look back at some of the TV series, films, podcasts, and other media that have ties to Oregon and delighted local viewers as 2024 comes to a close.
Sometimes I Think About Dying: Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) played Fran, a lady who works in an office in a seaside town in Oregon, in this occasionally depressing and occasionally subtly humorous film. As Riley stated in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive, “The experience of filming in Astoria was gratifying, from the wonderful community to shopping at the Astoria co-op grocery store.” The film made good use of its Astoria locations. (You can rent Sometimes I Think About Dying on services like Amazon Prime Video.)
Little Wing:This movie, which was filmed on location in the Portland area and was based on an article written by former Portlander Susan Orlean for the New Yorker, tells the story of the unlikely bond between Brooklynn Prince’s character, an alienated adolescent, and Brian Cox’s character, a gruff Vietnam veteran and seasoned pigeon-racing practitioner. Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth on Yellowstone, is also in the cast as the teen’s mother.
“The Rose City felt like a place that was so full of texture and character, and it felt like it really fit the lives, the DNA of these people, and the themes in the film,” director Dean Israelite said in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive that the film benefited from being filmed on location in Portland. I fell in love with the idea of shooting in Portland as soon as I saw the site images. (Paramount Plus is streaming Little Wing.)
Lost Angel: Judee Sill’s Ingenuity: Filmmakers Brian Lindstrom and Andy Brown, who are based in Portland, examined the now-forgotten career and influence of the late Judee Sill, a member of the thriving Los Angeles music scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s, in this moving documentary. Despite her skill as a singer-songwriter, Sill never achieved widespread recognition or significant record sales, in contrast to other members of that scene like Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, and Jackson Browne.
Several people who knew Sills, including David Geffen, Ronstadt, Browne, and Graham Nash, are interviewed for the documentary. It was really affirming, because first of all, everyone was so excited we were making the film because they dearly loved Judee, and they wanted her music to be out there, and to find a wider audience,Lindstrom told The Oregonian/OregonLive.He appreciated the interview subjects perspective on Sill as a very light-filled personality, and she was also fun to be around, Lindstrom said, the antithesis of the doom-and-gloom Wikipedia version of Judee Sill.
The 15th anniversary of Coraline: The first animated feature from Hillsboro s Laika studio, Coraline was a success when it opened in 2009. But the movie s 2024 15th anniversary showed just how lively Coraline remains. Among the celebrations were a limited engagement re-release of the movie, andCoraline s Curious Cat Trail,an installation of 31 cat statues decorated by artists, which were placed in locations around Portland and finally auctioned off to raise money for OHSU Doernbecher Children s Hospital. ( Coraline is available to stream or rent on platforms includingAmazon Prime Video.)
Maika Monroe stars in the hit horror movie, “Longlegs,” which takes place in 1990s Oregon.The Neon
The horror! The horror!:For some reason, 2024 saw an upsurge in the number ofhorror movies that were either set, or filmed, in Oregonlocations. Viewers could get their scare on watchingLonglegs,Strange Darling,It s What s InsideandCellar Door.Of the three, Longlegs was a surprise box-office hit, and though set in 1990s Oregon, was filmed in Canada.Strange Darling,It s What s Inside and Cellar Door were filmed in Oregon locations, however. (You can streamIt s What s Inside on Netflix;Strange Darling is available to rent on Amazon Prime VIdeo, as areLonglegsandCellar Door.)
Happily Never After: Dan and Nancy:The podcast from Wondery and The Oregonian/OregonLive explored thestrange-but-true story of Nancy Crampton Brophy,the self-published romance novelist who was found guilty of killing her husband, Daniel Brophy, a culinary instructor in Portland. The case drew national attention in part because Crampton Brophy wrote an online essay in 2011 with the provocative title, How to Murder Your Husband.
I Am: Celine Dion:Portland-based filmmaker Irene Taylor directed this powerful documentary look at pop superstar Celine Dion, and created an intimate, sometimes devastating look at Dion s struggles with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder whose symptoms include muscle spasms.
Though Taylor s career has won her acclaim, awards and honors, I Am: Celine Dion was,as Taylor told The Oregonian/OregonLive,Nothing like anything I ve ever made, because I was so focused on telling the story about her. She told me very early on, I do not want other people in the film talking about me, that s the only thing I ask of you. She just said, will you let me tell my story. And she thought she was asking me to do her a favor by not going out and having people opine about her. And I said, Oh my goodness, this is music to my ears as a storyteller, because if you will give me yourself, I promise I will be as authentic as you are. ( I Am: Celine Dion is available to stream or rent onAmazon Prime Video.)
Merchant Ivory: James Ivory built a reputation as a director of such literate, British-set movies as A Room With a View, Howards End, and The Remains of the Day, but Ivory isn t from the U.K. In face, he grew up in Klamath Falls, and attended the University of Oregon. The documentary Merchant Ivory chronicled the personal and professional partnership of Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, and how the team and their collaborators created their classic films.In an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive,Ivory said of his Oregon admirers, They know I m not English, so that s good. ( Merchant Ivory is available to rent on platformsincluding Amazon Prime Video.)
Kaitlin Olson poses for a portrait to promote the ABC television series “High Potential” during the Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at The Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP) InvisionInvision
High Potential :Kaitlin Olson, who has already earned fans for her work in such series as It s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Hacks, found herself starring in a hit with High Potential. The ABC series stars the Portland-born Olson asa very flawed, very mouthy character, as Olson said, whose advanced cognitive abilities help her assist the police in solving crimes. ( High Potential isavailable to stream on Hulu.)
Bruce Campbell as Chief Dandridge in “Hysteria!”Mark Hill/Peacock
Hysteria!:Bruce Campbell, the cult favorite actor who lives in southern Oregon, was one of the stars in this Peacock series set in the 1980s about a small Michigan town whose residents are gripped by a fear that Satan-worshippers have taken over. Since Campbell has built a loyal fan base thanks in part to his demon-battling role in the Evil Dead horror franchise, it s a bit surprising to see that in Hysteria! Campbell plays the town chief of police, who seems to be about the only level-headed person in the community.
I ve already done the big, wild-eyed stuff with chainsaws and blood,Campbell told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an interview.Let everybody else be crazy. It s OK, I can be the rational guy now. (Hysteria! is streaming on Peacock.)
St. Denis Medical: Using a mockumentary format that will be familiar to fans of The Office and Parks and Recreation, St. Denis Medical is a comedy that takes place in a regional hospital in the fictional town of Merrick, Oregon. (The series films in the Los Angeles area.) The impressive ensemble cast includes Allison Tolman, David Alan Grier and Wendi McLendon-Covey as Joyce, the hospital s ambitious executive director.
In an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive,McLendon-Covey whose sister, Shelley McLendon, is the owner and artistic director of Portland s Siren Theater sang the praises of the comedy mockumentary format.
It s smarter, in that there are jokes between the words, where you have to actually be watching the screen to see what those things are, McLendon-Covey said. And with a hospital there s always something happening. And you hope it s not funny when you re the patient. But a lot of times, funny things happen. Whenever you re trying to correct something that has gone wrong, something funny will happen, whether you want it to or not. ( St. Denis Medical returns to NBC at 9 p.m. Jan. 14;the series is streaming on Peacock.)
Samantha Isler, left, and Chandler Riggs, right, in the Oregon-filmed movie, “Breakup Season.”Courtesy Buffalo 8/BMP Beverly Hills
Breakup Season: Chandler Riggs (who played Carl in The Walking Dead ) stars as Ben, and Samantha Isler plays Cassie, a couple who travel from their home in Los Angeles back toBen s hometown of La Grande,to celebrate the Christmas holiday with Ben s family. What sounds like a potential premise for a Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas movie turns out to be more subtle and sensitive, as Cassie and Ben break up shortly after arriving in La Grande. Writer-director H. Nelson Tracey shows a gift for storytelling, the eastern Oregon locations are a treat, and the cast which also includes James Urbaniak and Brook Hogan as Ben s parents are fine company. ( Breakup Season is available to rent on platforms includingAmazon Prime Video.)
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