As with Hillary Swank’s recent, largely overlooked Freedom Writers, The Great Debaters is a based-on-a-true-story film about a selfless teacher who changes the lives of his students through the good old-fashioned values of perseverance and hard work. As did Freedom Writers, Debaters has its fair share of eye-rollingly contrived moments—but it’s also surprisingly clear-headed when […]
Alison Hallett
Alison Hallett served nobly as the Mercury's arts editor from 2008-2014. Her proud legacy lives on.
Posted inTheater & Performance
As Is
Key Productions at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center
For those of us who weren’t around during the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, it can be hard to imagine how much terror the disease must have inspired, when no one quite knew what it was or how it was transmitted. As Is, from newish, gay-themed theater company Key Productions, does […]
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Fun to Look at, Fun to Eat
Pretty (Delicious) Food at sel gris
When asked to describe his approach to cooking, Daniel Mondok reels off his mission statement without hesitating: “American contemporary with an emphasis on French techniques and Northwest accents.” It’s no wonder he’s got his spiel down pat: He’s been refining his approach for 20-plus years, from a stint at Napa Valley’s famous The French Laundry […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Roger and the Cave Monster
Portland Ensemble
Roger and the Cave Monster can be summed up in four words: hipster version of Nell. Unfortunately, the rest of this column must be filled, so read on if you need the particulars. Three predictably dysfunctional twentysomethings are lost in a cave. They’ve gone spelunking for the day, despite the fact that none of them […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Gone in 60 Sketches
The 3rd Floor at the Miracle Theatre
At this point in time, I approach every 3rd Floor sketch comedy show with trepidation, afraid that their new show won’t be as funny as the last oneโbecause they’ve been around for a while (like FOREVER), and they’re getting older, and everyone knows old people aren’t as funny as young ones. But as their current […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Twee Men and a Baby
Juno: Pregnancy Has Never Been So Precious!
There’s a perfect little gem of a movie buried inside of Juno, an off beat-yet-honest portrayal of a precocious high school girl, Juno (played by an acerbic Ellen Page), who gets pregnant, finds herself unable to go through with an abortion, and decides to give the baby up for adoption. She finds the perfect baby-seeking […]
Posted inMovies & TV
God Is Dead
Just Kidding! He’s Fine!
Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy has gained a loyal fanbase in the 10 years since the first book, The Golden Compass, was published, and for good reason: Pullman’s universe is metaphorically dense and dizzyingly imaginative, populated by tremendously likeable characters fighting for the highest stakes imaginable. The bulk of the series is set in […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Too Many White People
Holly: Yes, Sex Slavery is Bad
Patrick (Ron Livingston) is a down-on-his-luck poker player, bumming around Bangkok because he’s got nothing much else to do. When a chance layover in a Cambodian brothel leads him to befriend young Holly (Thuy Nguyen)—a Vietnamese girl sold into prostitution by her parents—he becomes fixated on the idea of rescuing her from a life of […]
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Indian, Incognito
Tandoor’s Too Good to Hide
Anonymity is an important part of a restaurant reviewer’s job: The idea is to get a sense of what the average dining experience is like, not to attract special attention by flaunting press credentials (plus I have a secret fear that most servers wouldn’t be that impressed by my Mercury business card anyway). At Tandoor, […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
The House of Yes
Fall Guy Theatre at Theater! Theatre!
Ah, hooray. The House of Yes. A play by Wendy MacCleod, popularized in the 1997 film starring Parker Posey and Freddie Prinze Jr., which boldly and hilariously tackles the big issues: incest, celebrity, obsession, and how money and isolation can turn smart people into raving lunatics. The House of Yes is the inaugural production from […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Limited Engagement
Margot at the Wedding: Hooray for Family!
Those looking for the poignancy and humor of writer/director Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale will find little of either in his latest, Margot at the Wedding. While The Squid and the Whale was a brutally honest depiction of a disintegrating marriage, it also offered moments of genuine tenderness. If there’s tenderness in Margot, […]
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Got Cha!
Cha Taquería Aims High
After an unsuccessful attempt a few months back to enjoy some Mexican food on NW 21st (is Taste of Mexico still in business?), I decided to give the strip another shot and hit up Cha Taquería and Bar, a new, relatively upscale venture from the folks who own the burrito chain Cha! Cha! Cha! I […]