The World According to Bush dir. Karel Opens Fri Oct 29 Clinton St. Theater I have this sickening hunch that a lot of the political filmmakers who’ve been cranking out anti-Bush films for the past few years are secretly going to vote for him. Why? Because if he loses, their whole cottage industry will implode–making […]
Erik Henriksen
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.
Posted inMovies & TV
Holding A Grudge
Buffy vs. Ghosts and America vs. Japan
The Grudge dir. Shimizu Opens Fri Oct 22 Various Theaters There are some things that American film, for all its financial and technical dominance, can’t do as well as other countries. At the top of that list is horror, in which Japan is consistently growing more superior–largely thanks to films like Hideo Nakata’s Ringu and […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Fear Gere!
Quick Reviews for the Discerning Cinephile
Shall We Dance? Dir. Chelsom Opens Fri Oct 15 Various Theaters A good dancing movie is like a porno you can watch with your mom–hot young things dry hump to sexy music, usually followed by a makeout session that tastefully fades to black, allowing your dance-fevered imagination to fill in the blanks. Shall We Dance?, […]
Posted inMovies & TV
I’m Staying Home
Azumi Japan, 2003, dir. Kitamura On the surface, Azumi is little more than a kickass action movie. Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus), the film opens with a little girl, Azumi, getting orphaned. Skip ahead a few years, and the teenaged Azumi (Aya Ueto) has been raised by Master Gessai (Yoshio Harada), a samurai who’s decided […]
Posted inVideo Games
Fable
Fable for the Xbox (Lionhead Studios) Well, I finally managed to get laid. It took me long enough. First I had to deck myself out in nice clothes and get a haircut. Then I had to buy like a billion roses and chocolates from a merchant, and then I had to flirt, flex my muscles, […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Pop Philosophy
The Inexplicable Charm of I ♥ Huckabees
I ♥ Huckabees dir. Russell Opens Fri Oct 8 Various Theaters When you watch a movie, you can usually tell within the first 10 minutes or so how the film’s going to be remembered in the popular cinematic canon (or, for that matter, if it’ll even enter the canon at all). Ishtar. The Royal Tenenbaums. […]
Posted inUncategorized
Autumnal Ales
‘Tis The Season For Getting Drunk
Ahh, autumn. As I savor the brisk, clean sensation of early fall air in my lungs, and delight upon the peaceful drift of brilliantly colored leaves as they descend from tall trees, spinning and dancing like tiny ballet dancers, I find myself yearning to do one thing: Get delightfully drunk off of seasonal beer. Local […]
Posted inNews
Defining Marriage Defines “Brilliant”!
A Cinematic Review of the DMOC’s Instructional DVD
Defining Marriage: A Conversation With Oregon Now Playing at www.defenseofmarriagecoalition.org/index.php Step aside, tearjerkers. Beaches, Steel Magnolias, You Can Count On Me… none of you have anything on the sheer cinematic power of the Defense of Marriage Coalition’s Defining Marriage. This instructional video from the creators of the “Yes on Measure 36” campaign, deals with the […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Shark Flail (Pun Intended)
Shark Tale Tries Too Hard
Shark Tale dir. Jenson, Bergeron, Letterman Opens Fri Oct 1 Various Theaters C’mon, you know it already: Shark Tale isn’t even half the fun of that other computer animated fish flick, Finding Nemo. Is that Shark Tale‘s fault? Well, yes and no. Nemo, from the nearly infallible Pixar (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life), was pretty […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Life, Love, and… Zombies
The Flat-Out Brilliant Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead dir. Wright Opens Fri Sept 24 Various Theaters Shaun (Simon Pegg) is the very definition of a normal guy. In his late 20s, he’s bright, yet hardly motivated. Working at a monotonous, unfulfilling job, he comes home to a suburban house that he shares with his slacker friend Ed (Nick Frost) […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Vote Film in 2004!
The Manhattan Short Film Fest Hits PDX
Manhattan Short Film Festival dir. Various Thurs Sept 16 Hollywood Theater Alright, hotshot. You fancy yourself quite the film expert, don’t you? Yep, there you are, just bursting to shout out your opinions about everything from Takashi Miike to Harry Potter. But who gives a damn? There’s one guy who does: Nicholas Mason, the festival […]
Posted inNews
How to Kill a Zombie
The stupid government is always offering worthless classes–food handling, CPR, driving–but in their attempts to curb supposed dangers like “salmonella,” “choking,” or “vehicular manslaughter,” they’ve ignored the far more likely, far more dangerous threat of ZOMBIE INFESTATION. Thankfully, the zombie-killing experts at the Mercury are around to save your ass. Cut out this guide, post […]