Time to Leave is great-looking film, and the first five minutes of it are tons of fun. Romain (Melvil Poupaud) is a foxy French photographer snapping pictures of hot foreign models, and everyone is well dressed and beautiful. Call me shallow, but I was into it. And then we find out that Romain has a […]
Alison Hallett
Alison Hallett served nobly as the Mercury's arts editor from 2008-2014. Her proud legacy lives on.
Posted inTheater & Performance
The Pavilion
Third Rail Repertory Theatre has a crush on playwright Craig Wright. In case their selection of yet another Wright script didn’t make their feelings abundantly clear, director Slayden Scott Yarbrough comes right out and says it in the show’s program: They love him. And it’s easy to understand why, given Wright’s smart, evocative writing. Now […]
Posted inMovies & TV
The New Bud Cort
Ron Weasley: Afraid of Spiders, In a Crappy Movie
Simply put: Driving Lessons is pretty much Harold and Maude, but without the fucking. Sure, it’s a lazy comparison, but I feel okay about it, since the British Driving Lessons is a pretty lazy movie. Ben (played by Rupert Grint, who’s better known as Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter movies) is an emotionally isolated […]
Posted inBooks
Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
Stephen King is remarkable for his ability to make banal, everyday things seem horrifying: cars, cell phones, dogs, you name it. With Lisey’s Story, he uses the same old trick, only here he turns a gentler pen to more ambitious subjects (creativity, love) and the scope of the book expands accordingly. Lisey is a middle-aged […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Theatre du Grand Guignol
Sketch comedy troupe The Tragedies made a bold transition this season, adopting the guise of the Grand Guignol, a famed French theater known for its shockingly graphic, perverse productions. Performed in a converted church, Theatre du Grand Guignol is an attempt to capture the sordid amalgam of sex and gore that so titillated Parisian audiences […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
The Portland Catacombs
I was all kinds of excited when I heard that Fever Theater and Hand2Mouth Theatre had teamed up for The Portland Catacombs. Unlike a dismaying number of companies in this town, these kids share a knack for making theater feel relevant, and I always look forward to their boundary-defying work. This time, along with the […]
Posted inUncategorized
NKOTB
Two Brothers Move In
I used to hate catching the bus at SE 39th and Belmont. Between the super-sketchy Chinese place on the corner, and the laundromat across the street whose initials spelled out KKK (Kwicky’s Kleen Klothes, or something), the bus stop had a distinctly seedy air. Now the scary laundromat has changed names, and the Chinese place […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Mr. Marmalade
The Artists Repertory Theatre (ART)’s Second Stage is in only its second season, but the space is already defined by a series of edgy, engaging works. Their inaugural production, Bug, was a paranoid, claustrophobic hallucination of a play, while last spring’s Assassins gave musical theater (and the American dream) a sinister twist. Mr. Marmalade is […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Orestes
Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon’s production of Euripides’ Orestes moved indoors last weekend, taking up residence at the West End after a few weeks at Reed College’s outdoor amphitheater. Orestes is a surprisingly fresh, clever piece; the clear vision of artistic director Keith Scales expertly steers the production on a sure course between melodrama and […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Camping for Jesus
Archery, Swimming, and Saving Heathens
Jesus Camp falls into the category of films that I wanted to like more than I did. In some ways, it’s a dream of a documentary: an intriguing, inflammatory idea combined with apparently unrestricted access. Unfortunately, filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (who previously teamed up for the acclaimed Boys of Baraka) can’t resist the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Tiny Tapas, Big Bill
Graze Won’t Fill You Up
Located in the former home of the reviled Nina’s Place, Graze is a dinner-oriented eatery that also features a Sunday brunch, a happy-hour menu, and a creative list of house cocktails. Graze goes for a white tableclothed but casual vibe, and it succeeds in part: Outdoor seating is pleasant, and on sunny days a great […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lunching at Navarre
Don’t Fear the Cheez Whiz
Nestled next to Starbucks on NE 28th, Navarre is a cozy, unobtrusive space with high ceilings, mismatched chairs, and bowls of plums and tomatoes lining the counter. Long a dinner favorite for their unpretentious yet elegant tapas-style meals, Navarre has recently begun offering breakfast and lunch seven days a week. Unlike their dinner menu, which […]