This Way Out - HIPFiSHmonthly

camera follows several contestants as theycreate everything from perfect cream puffsto fantastic dessert sculptures, all the whileunder the microscope of the judges whograde their creations for taste and artistry.The cameras also capture the human toll ofthe event, as the chefs are pushed to thebrink, mentally, physically and emotionally.When things go wrong in the kitchen, asthey do for nearly all the contestants, thetragedy of the moment literally brings thechefs to tears. In the end, the dessertsspeak for themselves as Pennebaker’scamera glides over the fantastic creations.Even for non-foodies Kingsof Pastry is an absorbingpeek into the worldof high-stakes dessertcrafting.The AFF pays tribute toscreen legend ElizabethTaylor with two of herclassic performances inButterfield 8 and Cat On AHot Tin Roof. In the late‘50s and early ‘60s Taylorwas at her career peak.She was nominated forfour consecutive AcademyAwards from 1957-1960and for Cleopatra (1960)she was the first actressto earn a $1M salary. In her AcademyAward-winning performance in Butterfield8, Taylor plays GloriaWandrous, a loose womanhaving an affair with wealthyexecutive Weston Liggett(Laurence Harvey), a marriedman. As their tumultuousaffair unfolds, Wandrousand Liggett are pulled inopposite directions as theirmutual attraction conflictswith moral standards, leadingto a dramatic finale. Tryingto have it both ways, themovie is both an overheatedmelodrama and cautionarytale. Perhaps the most funmoment is when Taylor confrontsher mother with theinformation that “I was theslut of all time!” In anotherclassic performance Taylorplays Maggie the Cat in themovie version of the TennesseeWilliams classic Cat OnA Hot Tin Roof (1958). Afamily melodrama with thesubtext of repressed homosexuality,Brick Politt (PaulNewman) is an alcoholic exathletein an unhappy marriagewith the sexually frustratedMaggie. Visiting thefamily home in Mississippi to celebrate thebirthday of Brick’s dominating father, BigDaddy (Burl Ives), Brick and Maggie mustdeal with insinuations about their marriage,particularly their lack of children. Whenthe moody Brick continues to drink, leadingto friction with Big Daddy, Maggie, theemotional sparkplug of the movie, revealsthat she set out to ruin the relationshipof Brick and his close friend Skipper, whocommitted suicide. As in many TennesseeWilliams plays, the story is a long night ofsecrets revealed. Emotional wounds arere-opened, but healing begins. Taylor againhas a great line with her declaration that“Maggie the Cat is alive!”The 5th Astoria International Film Festivalruns from October 20-24. Screeningswill take place at the historic Liberty Theaterand the LightBox Photographic gallery. Fora complete festival schedule go to the festivalwebsite: http://www.goaiff.com/Astoria International Film Festival At LightBox Photographic Galleryand the Exceptional Film SocietyLightBox Photographic Gallery will host showings of the fivefeatured films of the Astoria International Film Festival at the gallery theatrefrom Thursday October 20th thorough Monday October 24th. Thisprovides an alternative to view films in the intimate setting of the gallerytheatre, which seats 25 people. The screenings at LightBox will begina 7pm. They will be shown upstairs in the gallery for $3 throughout thefestival.The first performance at LightBox, on Oct. 20, will be Meek’s Cutoff,based on the actual diaries of women crossing the Oregon Trail.Filmed a few miles from Burns and Hines in eastern Oregon, “This is notyour Hollywood wagon train,” said Craig.Stuff filmed largely in Portland, will be aired at the LightBox on Oct.21. The documentary focuses on the filmmaker’s odyssey following theloss of his parents.Hood to Coast will be shown Oct. 22. As the title implies, it looksat the iconic 197-mile relay race from Timberline Lodge to Seaside, thelongest in the U.S.Cold Weather plays Oct. 23, a thriller shot in Portland following aforensic science student’s hunt for his missing ex-girlfriend.The LightBox fares end Oct. 24 with The Best of the 37th-AnnualNorthwest Film and Video Festival, featuring the November2010 event.Seating for showings at LightBox are limited to 25 people,please call the gallery for info and reservations at 503-468-0238.LightBox will be establishing the Exceptional Film Society starting inNovember. The Society will consist of individuals wishing to share classicfilms at the gallery, showings on every Friday evening, concentratingon a social occasion for those interested in sharing the finer aspectsand details of a new film every week. Please contact LightBox withinterest and more info on the Film Society at 503-468-0238. LightBoxPhotographic is located at 1045 Marine Drive in Astoria. Hours areTuesday–Friday 11-5:30, Saturday 11-5. Visit their websiteat lightbox-photographic.com.Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?Our featured invasive species thismonth fits the definition to a T. It is notnative. It is growing out of control inprime habitat. Its growth prevents native,endangered species from thriving.It causes economic damage to certainsectors of the local economy. It hasresisted all attempts at control anderadication.Like so many invasive species, ourfeatured culprit avoids control anderadication by posing as an economicboon to certain segments of the humanpopulation. For instance, thisweek two wolves (native) were shot forkilling cows (invasive) on an Oregonfarm (featuring many invasive speciessuch as European grasses, agriculturalcrops of many kinds, and other farmanimals). The news reports said thatothers of this same wolf pack werekilled earlier this year for the same offense.That’s what you get for trying tocontrol an invasive species!How about grass (no not the THCcontainingvariety, though it’s alsoinvasive in most of the U.S.)? Goodguess. The grasses that we plant hereas lawns, golf courses, open spacesand such are mostly invaders. Onceplanted, they are tenacious. They canlay dormant in times of drought, heat,cold and other adverse conditions,only to sprout at the first opportunity.But we’ve domesticated several of thevarieties (i.e. wheat, barley, etc.), andthese and the grasses used for lawnsare exempt from our invasive specieslaws.How about cats? Dogs? Deer? Elk?These species fit the definition, anddefinitely cause lots of damage. Hawaiiis thinking of declaring domestic catsan invasive species and coming up withplans for their eradication. You see,they prey on native, endangered birds.Same here. (But we don’t hear callsfor listing domestic cats here, yet).Most household dogs are not native,and they eat just about anything. Theyscare native species, and their poopis a toxic mess that we have enactedlaws to prevent its accumulation. Anddeer are everywhere in these parts. Notall are native, and of course they causedeath and economic damage whenthey get in your car’s way. Elk arenative, but cause some of the sameproblems. Though protected, they areconstantly shot at. But no, we’re nottalking about these animals either.Remember, we’ve exemptedhumans from consideration in thiscolumn (see “New Beginnings” in theby bobgoldbergMay 2011 HIPFiSHmonthly). Goodguess, though.Here’s a hint: think outside thebox...Still can’t guess? Well, here’s thelast hint. All the species we talkedabout so far are either animal or vegetable.With a slight stretch of imagination,we can include mineral species inour invasive species lexicon. Especiallyif they exhibit the same or similar characteristicsas their living cousins.Give up? OK. The invasive species ofthe month is......Retail chain stores (Vestibulumvinculus)! They’ve grown up due todisturbance to the soil under them (i.e.development). They’re particularly destructiveof native habitat and wildlife,due to their spawning of paved surfacesaround them that snuff out all lifeunderneath. And their growth is trulyimpressive. After a long dormant periodwhere only a small Fred Meyer andCostco and some strip malls on thehighway in Warrenton existed, whenconditions were right, these invadersreally started popping up. First, therewas Home Depot (subspecies Aliquamconsequat). Lum’s and the Toyotachain of car dealerships (Currus toyota)even replanted itself about 5 milesfrom its original habitat in Astoria. Andboy did it grow in the process! Costco,the national retailer (Pecto costcus),next moved a mile or so and more thandoubled its footprint. The list goes on.Goodwill (Voluntas bonum) openeda huge store near Costco. Staples(Solidis officium), Dollar Tree (Arboruspupa), Petco (Copia delicium), Big 5(Magnus quinque) – the list goes on.And we humans brought them here.On purpose! Like so many invasivespecies, Vestibulum was moved herebecause someone thought it would bea good idea. As these invasives establishthemselves and grow to encompassthe Highway 101 corridor fromAstoria to Seaside, think how muchfuture generations will need to do toeradicate them. They will have suckedup most of the local economy, sendingtheir profits to distant lands and hands.The wetlands that used to cover thearea and nourish and protect its wildlifeand environment will be gone, and willneed to be restored. Countless otherspecies will be extinct in our area.But it seemed a good idea at thetime.(Thanks (or blame) to Google Translatefor the Latin butchery.)9 oct11 hipfishmonthly.com