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With honor and distinction, Erik Henriksen served as the executive editor of the Portland Mercury from 2004 to 2020. He can now be found at henriksenactual.com.
Ostensibly, Underworld: Evolution is a film about vampires and werewolves fighting each other. And they do fight, at least twice, at the very beginning and the very end. Plus, in the middle, some other stuff happens: a whole lot of talking, mostly. But hey—it’s hard to go wrong with a movie about vampires versus werewolves, […]
Albert Brooks is funny. Even when he’s in not so great stuff (like The In-Laws or Doctor Doolittle) he’s enjoyable, and when he’s in great stuff (say, Finding Nemo or Out of Sight), he’s damn near sublime. So his new film, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, is worth seeing for him alone, if […]
Where can I even fucking start with Trapped in the Closet? Luckily, I don’t need some exposition-y lead; chances are you’ve already heard of R. Kelly’s epic “hiphopera.” Even if you haven’t, though, it’s easy to get caught up—Kelly’s recently released DVD collects Chapters 1-12 of his episodic soap opera/music video, which kicks off with […]
I’ve got kind of a soft spot for James Franco. I don’t know why—his acting’s questionable, his charisma’s near nonexistent, and his best performance to date is a so-so turn as Spider-Man’s Pal™ Harry Osborn in Spider-Man. I’ve also got an affinity for mediocre director Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld, Count of Monte Cristo)—though I’m certain why: […]
IN ORDER TO DISCUSS what a badass Kris Kristofferson is, we need to begin—and end—with arguably the greatest work that art cinema has yet produced: Guillermo del Toro’s 2002 magnum opus, Blade II. Granted, when a film contains so many astonishing moments (like when Wesley Snipes’ vampire hunter, Blade, kills all those vampires, or that […]
Wm. Steven Humphrey, Marjorie Skinner, Scott Moore, Amy Jenniges, Erik Henriksen, Adam Gnade, Justin W. Sanders, and Chas Bowie As human beings evolve, doesn’t it make sense that things should get better? Then why are there still so many annoying things annoying us? Well, we’re putting an end to all things annoying RIGHT NOW. Here’s our list of things from 2005 that AREN’T invited back to 2006! Vancouver, WA Take a drive up I-5 […]
The big news: Anti-Semitism exists. That’s the sole revelation that the 90-minute-long Protocols of Zion ultimately arrives at. Granted, that not-so-profound statement isn’t all Protocols of Zion aims to say, but it is pretty much the only thing that comes out. It is, if nothing else, a documentary based around a fascinating conceit: examining why […]
How cool are samurai? Way cooler than you’ll ever be, chump. And thanks to the Criterion Collection, now you can revel in their coolness like never before. Criterion’s Rebel Samurai: Sixties Swordplay Classics set just hit, and its four ’60s samurai flicks come with restored digital transfers, improved subtitles, and even some hoity-toity essays and […]
There are two Steven Spielbergs. There’s the fun one—the guy who did Jaws, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park—and the serious one—the guy behind Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. One makes summer blockbusters; the other makes holiday Oscar winners. They both make kazillions of dollars. It comes as little surprise that Munich—which deals with the […]
Zzzzzzzzzzzz… ah? Snort! Wha? Who—where?—ah, yes. Sorry, I must’ve nodded off there for a moment. We were going to discuss Memoirs of a Geisha, yes? Well then, let’s get started! Memoirs of a Geisha is about a Japanese girl who… who… who becomes a gei… a geish… gei—zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Ah? Snort! Wha? The?—ah, yes. Again, apologies. […]
NOTE FROM MERCURY FILM EDITOR ERIK HENRIKSEN: In last year’s Mercury Online Charity Auction, one of the items we auctioned off was the opportunity to write this very column for a week. Little did I know that lurking in the shadows of eBay was my dad, Phil Henriksen, who would bid on—and win—the column, much […]
For only being a plus-size gorilla, King Kong has still become one of American cinema’s biggest stars, appearing in a slew of films over the past 70 years—and almost all of them have sucked. • King Kong (1933)—With still-amazing special effects and an epic but fast-paced story, the original King Kong is so rad that […]
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