Filmlandia!: A Movie Lover's Guide to the Films and Television of Seattle, Portland, and the Great Northwest

by David Schmader

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
• Hilarious, insightful synopses
• Behind-the-scene facts and trivia
• Regional scenic highlights

In addition, sidebars pepper the pages,
• 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In, Pop Culture, History

160 pages, Paperback

Published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little encyclopedia of films shot in Washington or Oregon. I added some more titles to my to-watch list.

[Tabitha (Reading Tabby) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Sasquatch book for an advanced copy. As a recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest (five years now!) who still plays tourist in Oregon and Washington and loved film, film history, and traveling to filming locations, I was super stoked to get my hands on this! Though I would have eventually bought it lol

David Schmader, in the easily digestible modern format of "listicle", succintly and almost completely tells the reader of almost every film and television show shot in Oregon and Washington... even if it was just an establishing cityscape, or a well-known landmark's photobomb. Everything you can think of, and more, will have been mentioned, except for those who've fallen victim to the ol' "Vancouver Switcheroo", confusing something shot in Canada for something, well, not.

Schmader keeps mostly to the listicle of Title + 3-5 sentences of description/summary/fun fact. Where Filmlandia shines though are the tangents the author takes on subjects like queer cinema, documentaries, studios (love LAIKA), adult films, the PNW standing in for the post-apocalyptic landscape, and local celebrities (pages are dedicated to the likes of Bruce Lee, Gus Van Sant, and Kurt Cobain). The two pages on "Oregon's frontier epics" was one of the most fascinating reads in the book. Honestly, while I don't mind the efficiency in which the book's topic is presented, I do wish Schmader went more in-depth like this because, frankly, the rest of the content is easily found online (and on more than one site), and Schmader has a such an approachable tone that it feels like being told a story by an excitable and witty friend.

I also wanted to make a quick comment on the artwork by Ashad Simonian - every few pages are fun, colorful, pop art representations of one of the recent mentions and they are a joy. I want a poster of the Harry and the Henderson's page for a friend lol If I could I would insert a pic here of myelf with the Harry statue, off the highway in Index, WA (surprisingly unmentioned by Schmader!).

Oh, and one more thing! I am both offended by, and giggling at, the description of Keanu Reeves as "cinema's most soulful mannequin". How dare you! lol

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filmlandia! by David Schmader is a fun glance at the many film and television productions filmed or taking place in the Pacific Northwest.

There are about 200 productions covered here, so obviously this is not going into minute detail on each film or television show. That would require and encyclopedia, and I will assume an intelligent reader isn't going to actually expect, in under 200 pages, for about 200 films and television series to be covered in great detail. That is neither the purpose nor the intention of this book. This does, however, include a wide variety of productions in enough detail to send an interested reader off in search of more information on whatever might interest them.

A quick aside about all these "experts" that find so-called errors. I don't doubt there are a couple of errors in the book. But the examples I've seen where the people actually specified what they called errors was actually better described as possible anecdotes that make the rounds when people love a movie and want to "know" just a little bit more than the other fans. In other words, this is not an error-filled book. The vast majority of entries are about a paragraph, so to be "full of errors" is overblown at best and probably just posturing to (unsuccessfully) demonstrate that reader's "knowledge." If there is an error in a movie you happen to love, don't extrapolate out, that would be as childish as using a Sharpie to visually demonstrate one's stupidity.

If you love movies and have some connection(s) to the Pacific Northwest, you will find a lot you probably forgot about here, plus some you didn't know (or maybe hadn't even heard of). If you're just a film lover who enjoys lists of films that have some common feature, this will be fun also, and you may find a few movies you want to watch.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[AnnieM · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly entertaining movie lover's guide to films and television shows that take place in Seattle, Portland and the Great Northwest. I loved the book right away - from his opening dedication to his mom to the well known and obscure blurbs on the many movies and tv shows from the Northwest. The artwork is great and does a nice job supplementing the blurbs. Directors such as Gus Van Sant and Kelly Reichardt and of course TV shows such as Twin Peaks are all in this book. But who knew Bruce Lee lived and is buried in Seattle? I like the emphasis on queer cinema such as a recent film "Potato Dreams of America" which I saw at SXSW online during Covid and is a must-see. I particularly liked the thematic binge lists included at the end to seek out a wide range of films and tv shows. Each film has a brief blurb and some of these were laugh out loud funny! This is a fun, quick read and is a great reference guide. I recommend this book for all movie lovers!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sasquatch Books for a free advance copy and I wrote this review voluntarily.

[Sara Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to not hate this book. As someone from Eastern Washington, I was constantly irritated by the lack of representation of an entire half of the state. We did get a nod with Benny and Joon and Red Dawn. But with the hundreds of obscure films in the list, you would think that we'd get the standard google list of movies. Not even Z Nation was mentioned which was an absolute missed opportunity (the author mentioned several tv shows).
To add to the frustration, this book is not accessible for those with sight issues. Lots of colored backgrounds that look cool but are a pain to read the text printed over them.
I don't not recommend this book - if you are curious about movies mostly filmed in Seattle, it's decent. I learned a few things. I just think it could have been so much better than it was.

Oh and look up Mumblecore before reading. Not a thing I knew and the author uses the word frequently when describing movies.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an ARC provided by NetGalley.

I absolutely adored this book and as someone who has read A LOT of movie books in his day, this one definitely stands out.

The collection and arrangement of movies in Filmlandia! does what all great film books should aim for, it tells a story. The Pacific Northwest's history is tackled in all forms from the good to the bad through the lens of cinema and this book doesn't shy away from it.

Incredibly funny, with gorgeous artwork this one needs to be experienced in full colour. I had erroneously sent this to my kindle at first and am very glad I kyboshed that as it didn't allow for the full impact of the work.

Short, sweet, and with plenty of films to add to my watchlist, I couldn't be happier.

[Maudeen Wachsmith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although a good compendium of movies set and/or filmed in the Pacific Northwest, information is not detailed for most entries instead giving a rather generalized location. For one movie in particular, the main location of the filming isn’t mentioned at all. This movie was mostly filmed in the town I lived in and nary a mention is given though the information is listed on its IMDb entry. I can’t help but think if there is an error in a movie I’m particularly familiar with, what about films I know little or nothing about? For the movie buff interested in what movies were filmed in Washington or Oregon but not for fans wishing to visit exact sites.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably like a 3.5

Good index of PNW set/filmed movies, but as a read-through it can be a little monotonous when each entry is "Plot synopsis, filming locations".

Also, the entry for PORTLANDIA of all things is weirdly short.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read multiple inaccuracies for one blockbuster film it made me question the accuracy of everything in the book.

[Mark Schiffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breezy collection of capsule reviews covering movies shot in the Pacific Northwest. Didn't change my life but the writing/artwork was quite fun!

[Carly Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with pithy and fun descriptions of hundreds of PNW based movies. Definitely added a lot of them to my movie bucket list!

[Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and fun read!

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and easy (if not comprehensive) guide to movies and shows set and filmed in the great Pacific northwest. From the Seattle journalist responsible for the infamous "Showgirls" dvd commentary.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps I am biased.

Definitely needed more Smoke Signals though.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting at first, but for me, quickly lost its bloom. Dnf.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does what it says on the tin: runs through a well-researched compendium of movies filmed (or sometimes just set) in the Pacific Northwest. Breezy writing and the right amount of opinionated.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and funny, well researched reviews and short essays about more than 200 film and television entertainments created and featuring Seattle, Portland, Spokane and the Greater Pacific Northwest, by Seattle-based writer David Schmader. He discusses films dating back to the early 20th century and entertainment through 2021, as well as many of the actors, directors, musicians and other artists involved in the creation of the films and television products. This was a thoroughly entertaining book and a “must read” for those wanting to learn about or relive the Northwest’s entertainment history. The artwork, cartoons and sketches are a treat as well!