Filmlandia!
A Movie Lover's Guide to the Films and Television of Seattle, Portland, and the Great Northwest
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Book Presentation:
From Twin Peaks to Twilight, from Practical Magic to Portlandia!, Filmlandia! highlights more than 200 film and television entertainments created and centered in Seattle, Portland, and the greater Pacific Northwest, extensively researched and curated by culture writer David Schmader.
The PNW has a thriving, rich film culture, and it's finally celebrated in a guide as visually arresting and compelling as the films and television themselves!
More than 200 entries are included and feature:
• Hilarious, insightful synopses
• Behind-the-scene facts and trivia
• Regional scenic highlights
In addition, sidebars pepper the pages, covering:
• Regional filmmakers like Gus Van Sant and Lynn Shelton
• Television shows that shaped the public's perception of the region (such as Twin Peaks, Shrill, and Portlandia!)
• Documentaries, queer cinema, silent films, Vancouver-shot imposters, and more.
Colorful artwork, inspired by the primary VHS color palette of the 80s, turns this handy guide into a visual treat as well. This is a book for any cinephile, but for those who love and live in the PNW, Filmlandia! is an absolute must-have.
About the Author:
DAVID SCHMADER is a writer and performer devoted to exploring his obsessions, from homophobic rock stars and pray-away-the-gay Christians to trash cinema and legalized drugs. His solo plays—Letter to Axl, Straight, and A Short-Term Solution to a Long-Term Problem—have been performed across the US. From 1998–2015, Schmader worked as a staff writer and editor for Seattle’s Pulitzer-winning newsweekly The Stranger, where he wrote the issue-opening column “Last Days: The Week in Review” for 18 years. In his spare time, he is the world’s foremost authority on the glorious terribleness of the movie Showgirls, hosting annotated screenings of Paul Verhoeven’s notorious stripper drama at cinemas all over North America and providing the commentary track for the Showgirls DVD. His first book Weed: The User’s Guide was first published by Sasquatch Books in 2016.
Press Reviews:
"Filmlandia is a quick, joyful read that’s as much a love letter to local film and television icons such as Lynn Shelton, Megan Griffiths, and Irene from the Real World as it is to the Pacific Northwest’s (mostly) sparkling scenery. And oh, boy, is this corner of the country filled with weird little treasures." —The Stranger
"David Schmader’s film writing has always been dryly funny and incisive, but it has rarely been this affectionate. This very comprehensive collection of PNW-centric film and TV capsules is for locals or tourists, hardcore cinephiles or casual viewers. Full disclosure: David once called me a "Showgirls truther." —Matt Lynch, Scarecrow Video, cohost of The Suspense Is Killing Us podcast and YouTube’s Viva Physical Media
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