Somebody get these sleepwalkers some coffee!
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
We Wanted to Review Stranger Things 3, But We Can’t Really Say Anything About It
Netflix Anyone who complains about having a job where they’re paid to watch movies and TV probably hasn’t ever had an actual job. Being a movie or TV critic is a job where, worst case scenario, you might have to sit through a Kevin James movie you aren’t particularly excited about. It is not a […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good Morning, News: Portland’s Tornado, a Rogue Border Patrol, and an Exciting Update About Sand
US Customs and Border Protection GOING ROGUE—Following yesterday’s distressing Congressional tour of an El Paso detention facility—and ProPublica’s horrifying exposé of “a secret Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents“—your hero and mine, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, declared Customs and Border Protection a “rogue agency.” THIS IS GOING TO BE EVEN WORSE THAN THAT SEQUEL […]
Posted inFeature
In an Era of Giant Multinationals, Is There a Future for Independent Craft Beer?
DOMINIC DEVENUTA If there’s anything the Pacific Northwest loves—besides rain, flannel, and the satisfying sense of superiority—it’s craft beer, the unique, sturdy brew that reflects the history and agriculture of where it’s made and is painstakingly created at independently owned and operated breweries. In Portland, we’re lucky: As one of America’s first craft beer hotspots, […]
Posted inFood and Drink
In an Era of Giant Multinationals, Is There a Future for Independent Craft Beer?
It’s harder than one would expect to find truly independent breweries.
Posted inMovies & TV
Go to the MOON with the Mercury’s July Picks at Movie Madness!
Revisiting humankind’s first trip to the MOON—now featuring obelisks and moon-men!
Posted inMovies & TV
The 42 Best Movies and Shows to Watch in Portland: June 21-July 4
Aladdin Disney’s live-action remake of 1992’s Aladdin is a loud, obnoxious concoction of demographic targeting, corporation-backed nostalgia pandering, and ugly CGI. It has all the urgency of a (very expensive) piece of community theater and all the artistry of a quarterly earnings report. Yet this ungainly, garish thing is not as detestable as these ingredients […]
Posted inMovies & TV
What We’re Watching: Fosse/Verdon, Jessica Jones, Movie-Nerd Manna, and More
Fosse/Verdon Pari Dukovic/FX Here at the Mercury, we watch stuff. Hey, we’re just like you! Here’s some of the television and streaming material we’ve been pointing our eyeballs at in recent weeks, so if you’ve been looking for something new to point your eyeballs at, we’ve got suggestions. I’m currently blazing though Fosse/Verdon, which is […]
Posted inMovies & TV
What to Watch This Weekend: New Jim Jarmusch, Old 70mm, and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Amazon Show
The Untouchables Paramount You’ve got a lot of stuff you can watch this weekend! Some of it’s great! Some of it’s awful! Ned Lannamann says Men in Black: International is… well, it’s generally not a great sign when a review begins, “Well, somebody must’ve wanted this.” In better news, the great Jim Jarmusch is back […]
Posted inMovies & TV
As Your Apartment Melts into a Boiling Puddle of Molten Glass and Smoking Brick, Here Are the Best Movies to See Excuses to Sit in Air Conditioning
John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum MARK ROGERS / LIONSGATE Today’s hot, and tomorrow will probably be hotter—this week, Portland’s temperatures will hit the high 90s—and yes, it’s only June, and yes, the world is growing more uninhabitable by the day, and yes, if your apartment is anything like mine, it won’t even last until the Water […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die Is Goofy, Gory, and Great
ABBOT GENSER / FOCUS FEATURES Jim Jarmusch has been on a streak lately. 2013’s Only Lovers Left Alive was one of the best films in the 66-year-old writer/director’s astonishingly rich oeuvre. Three years later, Paterson was just as good. And after that, he headed into documentary territory, sharply profiling Iggy Pop and the Stooges for […]
Posted inMovies & TV
The Dead Don’t Die Review: Jim Jarmusch’s Deadpan Undead
Look! Tilda Swinton with a samurai sword, going all John Wick on some zombies!