Maybe black Americans and foreigners are cast as stereotypical characters in Hollywood as a result of equal opportunity employment. Or, in the case of Derailed, maybe they’re filling in for prevalent racist and xenophobic notions that already torture the guilt-ridden white American psyche. Clive Owen plays a white everyman who, after a lapse in marital […]
Evan James
Posted inArt
Back Room Sessions
Matthew Stadler is writer in residence for the ripe culinary complex. It sounds odd, but
Posted inBooks
Shoot the Buffalo
The latest offering from Clear Cut Press (aside from being adorably pocket-sized as
Posted inComedy
“Oh, I Love the Stockholm Syndrome!”
An Interview with Comedian/Author Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho is an actor, comedian, and author famous for her hilarious take on culture and politics from the perspective of a Korean-American feminist. She’s coming to Powell’s this week (1005 W Burnside, Thurs Nov 3, 7:30 pm, free) in support of her new book, I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight, the title of […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Elysium
When I first saw the flyer for this musical, I felt a little suspicious: Across the top, bold letters declare “THIS PLAY IS
Posted inMovies & TV
The Los Angeles Accent
And Other Rare Phenomena Witnessed in Zorro
In The Legend of Zorro, a fabulous drag queen (Antonio Banderas) saves Mexican California from Slovenian soap terrorists while riding a pipe-smoking stallion on top of a speeding train. The drag queen, Zorro, is married to the equally heroic Catherine Zeta-Jones, a busty, sword-fighting spy who goes undercover as a terrorist’s wife to protect the […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Criticizing the Critics
Fighting Over the Complexly Rewarding Capote
Capote, predictably enough, is about Truman Capote—the film follows the writer during the creation of In Cold Blood, a nonfiction novel derived from Capote’s deep investigation of a Kansas family’s murder. While In Cold Blood made
Posted inBooks
Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior
It would be a dreadful mistake to continue associating the entire concept of etiquette
Posted inMovies & TV
Israeli Rockers, Preachy Ghosts
Succinct Reviews for the Discerning Cinephile
For a nation in which military service is mandatory beginning at the age of 18, it’s difficult
Posted inUncategorized
International Relations
Baraka Blends Moroccan Taste and PDX Style
Here in hyper-creative Portland, there are a lot of restaurants that try too hard to be everything to everyone. Every now and then I’ll hear about