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Pig
If you’re making a movie about Oregon truffle hunting, it’s almost a given you’d call the Czarnecki family—four generations of mushroom seekers and savants, and the current proprietors of the Joel Palmer House Restaurant in Dayton. Through that niche expertise, brothers Stefan and Christopher Czarnecki ended up integral resources for the acclaimed new indie film Pig, starring the inimitable Nicolas Cage as a hermetic Oregon woodsman pursuing his abducted truffle-hunting pig through a noir reimagining of Portland’s culinary underbelly. Pig contains one of the finest and subtlest Cage performances of the past decade, and substantial pieces of Czarnecki family iconography too: matriarch Heidi’s trademark mushroom tart, Stefan’s freshly picked Mount Hood mushrooms, chef Christopher’s cast iron skillet—even a bottle of Joel Palmer House pinot noir. You can watch the results of their work at multiple theaters across the Portland metro area this week. Screens at various theaters.
Drive-In Movie Spectacular: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Pack a carload and hit the drive-in at the Expo Center to while away a temperate Portland evening in front of the Drive-In Movie Spectacular’s 60-foot screen with professional-level sound. Presented in collaboration with the Hollywood Theatre, these outdoor movie nights sold like hotcakes last year. With everything opening back up, you can actually get a ticket now. Musical performance by Dirty Princess Band. Portland Expo Center, 2060 N Marine Drive, expocenter.org. Doors open at 7 pm, film begins at dusk Thursday, Aug. 5. $40 per car, $10 for bike- and walk-ins.
My People’s Market
If you’re a fan of Mercatus—Portland’s magazine and directory dedicated to uplifting BIPOC business owners—you’ll want to check out its affiliated festival, My People’s Market, which takes over the North Parks Blocks this weekend for three days of music, food and wares sold by local vendors. Now considered the largest BIPOC market in the Pacific Northwest, My People’s Market has proved a terrific place to scope artworks, jewelry, fashion and wellness items from local BIPOC creators. North Park Blocks, 235 NW Park Ave., mypeoplesmarket.com/mpm-7. 4-8 pm Friday, noon-6 pm Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 6-8.
Fantastic Planet
In this French animated sci-fi classic, a society of giant blue aliens kidnap humans from Earth and bring them to their home planet of Ygam, where they keep some of them as pets. The wild humans, however, are planning a revolution. Featuring gorgeous hand-drawn animation and effective allegory, Fantastic Planet is, well, fantastic. Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 503-238-5588, cstpdx.com. 10 pm Friday, Aug. 6. $6.
DJ Action Slacks
After more than a year and a half of waiting, you can finally get down to an in-person DJ set again. DJ Action Slacks has long been one of Portland’s favorites—her knowledge of early soul and R&B is as deep as her crates of vinyl. This set is loosely themed as a ‘50s and ‘60s dance party, and as always, Action Slacks will be spinning the most danceable jams from the era. Best of all, it’ll be held on Kenton Club’s outdoor patio for COVID safety and under high-velocity fans for a reprieve from the heat. Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick St., kentonclub.com. 6 pm Saturday, Aug 7. $10.
Seaside Prom Centennial
Seaside’s 1.5-mile ocean-view walkway, better known as “The Prom,” is about as close as you can get to one of the iconic rollicking Jersey shore boardwalks without buying a plane ticket. Oregon’s version is typically clogged with all sorts of colorful tourists and features the beach on one side and Seaside’s carnivalesque downtown on the other, complete with a carousel, knickknack shops, and taffy makers on seemingly every corner. This August, the Promenade turns 100, and the city of Seaside is hosting a centennial commemoration. Festivities kick off with a parade, which flows into a ceremony at the iconic turnaround. Community dignitaries will bury a time capsule and break a bottle of sea water—an act that christened the Prom in 1921. After that, buy an ice cream cone and a bag of caramel corn and stroll the length of it yourself—it’s the quintessential summer experience on our coast. Parade begins at Seaside City Hall, 989 Broadway St. 10 am Saturday, Aug. 7. Ceremony to follow parade. Free.
Gaytheist
Mississippi Studios is finally back. The beloved venue hosted a reopening party last month, but this weekend is when its return to a full calendar really kicks off. Fittingly, Mississippi Studios has booked one of Portland’s most celebratory punk bands for its returning weekend. Gaytheist released their fifth album, How Long Have I Been on Fire?, in April 2020. Like many artists who ended up dropping a full-length during the pandemic, it feels like the hardcore trio is only now getting to relish the album’s release. Hopefully, that’ll just mean the band’s set will be even more high spirited than usual. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., mississippistudios.com. 8 pm Saturday, Aug. 7. $5. 21+.
