Erik Henriksen

It is normally the Mercury‘s position to support liberal politics, and to do so with an obnoxious persistence. We expend no small amount of ink decrying positions we find ill-informed or touted by jackasses. That said, we’re with the jackass on this one. In this case, he’s California assemblyman Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), whose latest […]

Sky Blue dirs. Kim and Sunmin Opens Fri Feb 25 Cinema 21 There’s no denying that Sky Blue–the Korean anime that’s known overseas as Wonderful Days–is visually stunning. With 2D cel animation placed over 3D backgrounds, the film’s beauty comes less from its technical aptitude and more from its sense of style–made up of shadowy […]

Constantine dir. Lawrence Opens Fri Feb 18 Various Theaters “You’re fucked,” archangel Gabriel tells John Constantine. As God’s messenger, Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) is in a position to know. But Constantine (Keanu Reeves) isn’t quite ready to give up. Sure, he’s doomed to go to Hell for committing murder–but in a futile effort to get back […]

Hitch dir. Tennant Opens Fri Feb 11 Various Theaters Since 1998, Kevin James has written and starred in King of Queens, TV’s most underrated sitcom. Despite Queens‘ sharp writing and solid cast, its focus has always been showcasing James’ exaggerated, everyman-inspired comedy. It was only a matter of time until James got tagged for a […]

As soon as the news hit–on the internet, of course–the message boards started buzzing. Some were upset, some were vindicated, and most–well, most didn’t give a shit. Last Wednesday’s news that the fifth Star Trek series, Enterprise, had finally gotten cancelled–after four years of low ratings and critical flagellation–didn’t really surprise anyone. While the loyal […]

Women I Love Last week, Katie Shimer recommended films featuring actors she is desperately in love with. Not only was it shallow, sexist, kind of creepy, and somewhat offensive, it was also clearly unfair–there are just as many films worth recommending due to their hot leading ladies. Therefore, I present a similarly shallow, sexist, kind […]

The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg dir. Aronson Opens Fri Jan 21 Hollywood Theatre Biographies are tricky. If you’re going to sit down for two hours and watch a non-fiction film about one person, that means you’re already interested in said person–which also means you probably know some stuff about them. Ideally, documentaries offer […]

It might sound like meaningless techno-babble now, but within the year, it’s going to affect everybody who watches movies. Succinctly, it’s known as a “format war”; more accurately, you’ll call it “a pain the ass.” Regardless, two wannabe successors to the DVD format will soon be competing for cinephiles’ hearts and consumers’ wallets. First, some […]

White Noise dir. Sax Opens Fri Jan 7 Various Theaters As fear-inducing fictions go, ghosts have been around forever–which means anyone writing a ghost story has to make them both relevant and modern. For an excellent example of how not to do this, see White Noise. Beginning in an idyllic, boring tone–architect Jonathan (Michael Keaton) […]