Political Films Meet-Up: REDS (1981), a tribute to Diane Keaton and Gene Hackman
Let’s talk about movies! Join movie club members Clay V. and Reagan for the next film in our Political Films series with Warren Beatty's "Reds" (1981), a biopic of Portland-born American journalist John Reed, one of the only Westerners to witness the beginning of the 1917 October Revolution in Petrograd.
Here’s how The Portland Movie Club meet-ups work:
Just like a book club, we watch the movie on our own time before we meet.
We'll meet at Lucky Lab on SE Hawthorne at 4pm on the scheduled date.
We'll typically have a sign at our table(s) but at least we'll try to be obvious and identifiable.
Grab some food and drinks to support our generous hosts and spend some time socializing and discussing this movie with us.
A Few Notes about the film:
The film received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, and became one of the highest grossing films of the year despite its subject matter and limited promotion. It won three Oscars (Best Director Beatty, Best Supporting Actress Maureen Stapleton, and Best Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro), and was nominated for 9 more, including Best Picture.
Viewing Options for the film:
For streaming, the film is available for free on Pluto TV. It's also available via rental or subscription on YouTube TV, Amazon, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, or Fandango at Home. There is also a Bluray and a DVD of the film available to rent at Movie Madness. There are also 3 DVD copies in the Multnomah County Library system, but all of them are checked out as of writing this sentence.
About Political Films:
This series is based on the New Republic article, "The 100 Most Significant Political Films of All Time" ([https://newrepublic.com/article/173376/100-political-films-new-republic-list] published in June 2023 and is a comprehensive list of films that speak to our relationships with government, war, bureaucracy, politics and politicians, crime, propaganda, classism, and more. The list is not intended to be a collection of the 'best' films, but the most significant (although many of them are also very good). Some of these films can be a challenging watch, I'd suggest http://www.doesthedogdie.com for content warnings.
Tips:
Once again, we do not watch the movie at the meet-up. All members watch the movie on their own time before we meet to discuss it. You don't have to watch the movie to join us, but it'll make more sense if you do. Feel free to bring along any notes, books, or articles you'd like to share with the group.
At the end of the discussion we'll pass around a ballot where we can vote on a slate of options for the next discussion. Lately we've been alternating documentaries and fiction films. So if you come to a meet-up to discuss a documentary, you'll vote on a ballot of fiction films for next time, and vice versa.
Previous films viewed by “Political Films” Meet-up members for group discussion have included: Soundtrack to a Coup D'État, The Conformist, The Fog of War, The Zone of Interest, Harlan County USA, Judas And The Black Messiah, Medium Cool, The President’s Analyst, Marat/Sade, On The Waterfront, The Great McGinty, Seven Days In May, The Candidate, The Act of Killing, The Battle Of Algiers, All The President’s Men, How To Blow Up A Pipeline, Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X, A Face In The Crowd, and Dr. Strangelove.
The Portland Movie Club is on Discord!
Are you on Discord? Join the Portland Movie Club!(https://discord.gg/dUevBCT5bm)
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Lucky Labrador Brew Pub, 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, us
