MOVIE REVIEW ARCHIVE | THEATER INFO |
Power Rollers
In Chip Mabry’s fun, fast-moving documentary about Portland’s Rose City Rollers, the rules of roller derby are helpfully explained, just as you’d expect. You might not expect them to be demonstrated with doughnuts. Voodoo Doughnuts, to be precise, wielded by Wheels of Justice coach Rob Lobster. There are no real names in derby. Not even for coaches.
Mabry’s 80-minute Brutal Beauty focuses on nine skaters, from league founder Rocket Mean to rookie all-star White Flight, who speak briefly about their lives outside of derby — and convincingly about how derby isn’t a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. Brutal Beauty documents the 2009 season, as the formerly low-ranked High Rollers take a shot at the league championships and the all-star travel team, Wheels of Justice, competes at regionals, with their eyes on nationals. Derby’s central theme resonates throughout: bad-ass women finding power in playing a contact sport that creates around itself a strong and supportive community. If you’ve ever even maybe kinda thought you might want to play, you’ll probably be ready to strap on skates by the time the movie’s over. Brutal Beauty: Tales of the Rose City Rollers screens at 7:30 pm Sunday, April 11, at the David Minor Theater. 21+. $5; all proceeds support Eugene’s Emerald City Roller Girls. — Molly Templeton
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519