Oregon-connected entertainment that made audiences laugh, scream and listen in 2024

From an array of cat statues inspired by the animated classic “Coraline,” to movie thrillers either set or filmed in Oregon, 2024 offered plenty of diversions that helped take our minds off sometimes alarming news. As 2024 winds down, here’s a look back at some of the TV shows, movies, podcasts and more that had Oregon connections, and entertained local audiences.

“Sometimes I Think About Dying”: Daisy Ridley (”Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) starred in this sometimes sad, sometimes quietly amusing movie as Fran, a woman who works in an office located in an Oregon coastal town. The movie made effective use of its Astoria locations, and as Ridley said in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive, the experience of filming in Astoria was gratifying, from the “wonderful community” to shopping at the Astoria co-op grocery store. (”Sometimes I Think About Dying” is available to rent on platforms including Amazon Prime Video.)

“Little Wing”: Filmed on location in the Portland area, this film (inspired by a New Yorker article by former Portlander Susan Orlean), is the story of the unlikely relationship between an alienated teenager (played by Brooklynn Prince) and a gruff Vietnam veteran (played by “Succession” star Brian Cox), who is a veteran practitioner of the art of pigeon racing. The cast also includes Kelly Reilly (who plays Beth on “Yellowstone”) as the teen’s mother.

In an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive, director Dean Israelite said filming on location in Portland added to the movie, because the Rose City “felt like a place that was so full of texture and character, and felt like it really fit the lives, the DNA of these people, and the themes in the film. From the moment I saw the location photos, I was in love with going to shoot in Portland.” (”Little Wing” is streaming on Paramount Plus.)

“Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill”: In this affecting documentary, Portland-based filmmaker Brian Lindstrom and his co-director, Andy Brown, explored the now little-remembered career and impact of the late Judee Sill, who was part of the vibrant Los Angeles music scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Unlike fellow denizens of that world, such as Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne, Sill — for a number of reasons — never found mass popularity or strong record sales, despite her talent as a singer-songwriter.

The documentary includes interviews with several people who knew Sills, including David Geffen, Ronstadt, Browne and Graham Nash. “It was really affirming, because first of all, everyone was so excited we were making the film because they dearly loved Judee, and they wanted her music to be out there, and to find a wider audience,” Lindstrom told The Oregonian/OregonLive. He appreciated the interview subjects perspective on Sill “as a very light-filled personality, and she was also fun to be around,” Lindstrom said, “the antithesis of the doom-and-gloom Wikipedia version of Judee Sill.”

The 15th anniversary of “Coraline”: The first animated feature from Hillsboro’s Laika studio, “Coraline” was a success when it opened in 2009. But the movie’s 2024 15th anniversary showed just how lively “Coraline” remains. Among the celebrations were a limited engagement re-release of the movie, and “Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail,” an installation of 31 cat statues decorated by artists, which were placed in locations around Portland and finally auctioned off to raise money for OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. (”Coraline” is available to stream or rent on platforms including Amazon Prime Video.)

The horror! The horror!: For some reason, 2024 saw an upsurge in the number of horror movies that were either set, or filmed, in Oregon locations. Viewers could get their scare on watching “Longlegs,” “Strange Darling,” “It’s What’s Inside” and “Cellar Door.” Of the three, “Longlegs” was a surprise box-office hit, and though set in 1990s Oregon, was filmed in Canada. “Strange Darling,” “It’s What’s Inside” and “Cellar Door” were filmed in Oregon locations, however. (You can stream “It’s What’s Inside” on Netflix; “Strange Darling” is available to rent on Amazon Prime VIdeo, as are “Longlegs” and “Cellar Door.”)

“Happily Never After: Dan and Nancy”: The podcast from Wondery and The Oregonian/OregonLive explored the strange-but-true story of Nancy Crampton Brophy, the self-published romance novelist who was found guilty of killing her husband, Daniel Brophy, a culinary instructor in Portland. The case drew national attention in part because Crampton Brophy wrote an online essay in 2011 with the provocative title, “How to Murder Your Husband.”

“I Am: Celine Dion”: Portland-based filmmaker Irene Taylor directed this powerful documentary look at pop superstar Celine Dion, and created an intimate, sometimes devastating look at Dion’s struggles with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder whose symptoms include muscle spasms.

Though Taylor’s career has won her acclaim, awards and honors, “I Am: Celine Dion” was, as Taylor told The Oregonian/OregonLive, “Nothing like anything I’ve ever made, because I was so focused on telling the story about her. She told me very early on, I do not want other people in the film talking about me, that’s the only thing I ask of you. She just said, will you let me tell my story. And she thought she was asking me to do her a favor by not going out and having people opine about her. And I said, ‘Oh my goodness, this is music to my ears as a storyteller, because if you will give me yourself, I promise I will be as authentic as you are.‘ ” (’I Am: Celine Dion” is available to stream or rent on Amazon Prime Video.)

“Merchant Ivory”: James Ivory built a reputation as a director of such literate, British-set movies as “A Room With a View,” “Howards End,” and “The Remains of the Day,” but Ivory isn’t from the U.K. In face, he grew up in Klamath Falls, and attended the University of Oregon. The documentary “Merchant Ivory” chronicled the personal and professional partnership of Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, and how the team and their collaborators created their classic films. In an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive, Ivory said of his Oregon admirers, “They know I’m not English, so that’s good.” (”Merchant Ivory” is available to rent on platforms including Amazon Prime Video.)

“High Potential”: Kaitlin Olson, who has already earned fans for her work in such series as “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Hacks,” found herself starring in a hit with “High Potential.” The ABC series stars the Portland-born Olson as a “very flawed, very mouthy” character, as Olson said, whose advanced cognitive abilities help her assist the police in solving crimes. (”High Potential” is available to stream on Hulu.)

“Hysteria!”: Bruce Campbell, the cult favorite actor who lives in southern Oregon, was one of the stars in this Peacock series set in the 1980s about a small Michigan town whose residents are gripped by a fear that Satan-worshippers have taken over. Since Campbell has built a loyal fan base thanks in part to his demon-battling role in the “Evil Dead” horror franchise, it’s a bit surprising to see that in “Hysteria!” Campbell plays the town chief of police, who seems to be about the only level-headed person in the community.

“I’ve already done the big, wild-eyed stuff with chainsaws and blood,” Campbell told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an interview. “Let everybody else be crazy. It’s OK, I can be the rational guy now.” (”Hysteria!” is streaming on Peacock.)

“St. Denis Medical”: Using a mockumentary format that will be familiar to fans of “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation,” “St. Denis Medical” is a comedy that takes place in a regional hospital in the fictional town of Merrick, Oregon. (The series films in the Los Angeles area.) The impressive ensemble cast includes Allison Tolman, David Alan Grier and Wendi McLendon-Covey as Joyce, the hospital’s ambitious executive director.

In an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive, McLendon-Covey — whose sister, Shelley McLendon, is the owner and artistic director of Portland’s Siren Theater — sang the praises of the comedy mockumentary format.

“It’s smarter, in that there are jokes between the words, where you have to actually be watching the screen to see what those things are,” McLendon-Covey said. “And with a hospital there’s always something happening. And you hope it’s not funny when you’re the patient. But a lot of times, funny things happen. Whenever you’re trying to correct something that has gone wrong, something funny will happen, whether you want it to or not.” (”St. Denis Medical” returns to NBC at 9 p.m. Jan. 14; the series is streaming on Peacock.)

“Breakup Season”: Chandler Riggs (who played Carl in “The Walking Dead”) stars as Ben, and Samantha Isler plays Cassie, a couple who travel from their home in Los Angeles back to Ben’s hometown of La Grande, to celebrate the Christmas holiday with Ben’s family. What sounds like a potential premise for a Hallmark Channel “Countdown to Christmas” movie turns out to be more subtle and sensitive, as Cassie and Ben break up shortly after arriving in La Grande. Writer-director H. Nelson Tracey shows a gift for storytelling, the eastern Oregon locations are a treat, and the cast — which also includes James Urbaniak and Brook Hogan as Ben’s parents — are fine company. (”Breakup Season” is available to rent on platforms including Amazon Prime Video.)