The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Sisters Quilt Show brings thousands of women to town. I thought they’d appreciate films about strong women. These are not “fun” films. They tell the stories of women around the world who keep their families fed and clothed despite miser... — Updated 7/5/2005 Full story

Americans like road trips. Hollywood, understanding this propensity in the 1960s and 70s, drove audiences across the country in some classic films. These trips aren’t to somewhere. They’re from everything. Easy Rider (1969) is a double trip... — Updated 6/28/2005 Full story

Because June is the traditional “let’s get married” month, I’ve been watching a bunch of wedding movies to see which ones you might enjoy. I rejected Runaway Bride (silly attempt to recapture the Julia Roberts/Richard Gere Pretty Woman s... — Updated 6/14/2005 Full story

My neighbor Bill Alvarado lifted Steve Prefontaine’s MG Midget off him the night he crashed on a corner in front of the Alvarados’ house. Bill yelled for someone to come and pull “Pre” from under the wreck. No one came, so he had to set the... — Updated 5/31/2005 Full story

Here are some movies you can use to prod your family into a sense of historical consciousness, maybe even awareness, perhaps saving them from the fate of this week’s film heroes. Each of the men in The Remains of the Day, The English P... — Updated 5/24/2005 Full story

What do Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda, and Julia Roberts have in common? 1. They all are beautiful. Taylor (born 1932) at the peak of her career was a stacked (36C-21-36) five-foot-four, violet-eyed stunner with “the perfect boneless b... — Updated 5/10/2005 Full story

The Japanese had a hard time letting go of feudalism. They took 500 years longer than Europeans to embrace the modern era. Japanese reluctance had a lot to do with the samurai. Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) is set in Japan’s War... — Updated 4/12/2005 Full story

One in every 1,250 Americans is a stalker but one in every 166 Americans has been or is being stalked. I guess time and multiple-victim stalkers explain that discrepancy. More than a million women but “only” 370,000 men are stalked each yea... — Updated 4/5/2005 Full story

Oregon still has some places where population density is measured in square miles per person rather than people per square mile. But they can’t compare with the remoteness of the places depicted in today’s films. Nor can many movies mat... — Updated 3/29/2005 Full story

Easter films are like “Rashomon” (1950). Akira Kurosawa’s classic film features four people who tell the same story differently. Most people know the basic story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. But versions of exactly how and why... — Updated 3/22/2005 Full story

During the Reformation, England took over Ireland and imposed Protestantism upon its Catholic population. Then British settlers moved over and grabbed Ireland’s best land. Later, in 1690, followers of King James II, a Catholic, fought a... — Updated 3/15/2005 Full story

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your kids and Colm Meaney. Meaney, a quintessential Irish actor, was born in Dublin. However, he is best known for playing a Scottish role, Chief Miles O’Brien on two American TV series: “Star Trek: The Next... — Updated 3/8/2005 Full story

Here are some films to take you from St. Valentine’s to St. Patrick’s. Almost everyone in Sisters willing to name a favorite romance came up with “The Quiet Man” (1952), John Ford’s movie about an American boxer (John Wayne) who returns t... — Updated 3/1/2005 Full story

Don’t watch these movies with your kids. Even if they’re grown-ups. No one suggests these films as favorite romances. They are better described as anti-romances. Although beautifully made (most are on “The New York Times Top 1,000 List... — Updated 2/15/2005 Full story

Here are two historic romances to watch with your teenage kid. These two-tape epics will spark interest not only in hormonal subjects but also history and geography, in this case World War I, the Bolshevik Revolution and Russia. Both movies... — Updated 2/8/2005 Full story