Dark Water dir. Salles Opens Fri July 8 Various Theaters Desperate to move away from the deadbeat father of her child, Dark Water‘s Dahlia (Jennifer Connelly) and her daughter, Ceci (Ariel Gade), find an apartment complex that resembles a penal colony. The dingy, cracked walls, cement floors, and ancient, skeletal elevator that plague this destitute […]
Justin W. Sanders
Posted inMusic
Chops, Beards, and Handlebars
A Visual Guide to the Evolution of Southern Rock Facial Hair
Posted inMovies & TV
Up and Coming
Small Fest Has a Big Heart
The Forest Film Festival dirs. Various Thurs May 19- Sun May 22 Clinton St. Theater With hefty press packets and an impressive website (hit forestfilmfest.com for the full schedule), the Forest Film Festival has some pretty glossy packaging… and yet it’s based out of Beaverton, accepts only film and video shorts, and is running at […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Pain ‘n Pathos
A Cheery Conversation With Todd Solondz
Palindromes dir. Solondz Opens Fri May 6 Fox Tower Having already watched him broach the cruelties of middle school children (Welcome to the Dollhouse), pedophilia (Happiness), and the true, ugly impulses that motivate artistic expression (Storytelling), I wondered going into Palindromes what new topic filmmaker Todd Solondz could use to make me feel uncomfortable. The […]
Posted inNews
Laying it Down
Patrick Leyshock: Crash Survivor
On November 6, 2003, Patrick Leyshock ripped his pants. Downtown to give a lecture on educating the public about motorcycle riding, Leyshock was dressed to the nines in his best suit, which included a pair of ill-fitting pants. His choice of style over comfort would have disastrous consequences. Just prior to his presentation, Leyshock bent […]
Posted inMovies & TV
A Pound of Flesh
Merchant: It’s Jew-licious!
The Merchant of Venice dir. Radford Opens Fri Feb 25 Fox Tower Like its infamous Jewish merchant Shylock, Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is a troubled piece of work. Somber strains run through its allegedly comedic plot like diseased veins, preventing it from entering the world of full-on whimsy. With gruesome revenge plots, an ugly […]
Posted inMovies & TV
One Life to Live
The Sea Inside Tackles Assisted Suicide
The Sea Inside dir. Amenábar Opens Fri Feb 4 Fox Tower Some folks are still adamantly resistant to the notion of “death with dignity,” but you don’t hear much from them anymore. In America nowadays, you can off yourself gently and theoretically painlessly at the hands of a trained medical professional–in fact, our very own […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Richer Than You
Travolta Takes Pay Cut; Still Overpaid
A Love Song for Bobby Long dir. Gabel Opens Fri Jan 28 Various Theaters As he has gotten older and fatter, John Travolta’s on-screen persona has evolved from a smirking pretty boy to a sad, bedraggled, smirking pretty boy. A few filmmakers (like Tarantino and Sonnenfeld) have used this otherwise noxious presence to stunning effect, […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Hijack Hackery
A Failed Assassination of President Nixon
The Assassination of President Nixon dir. Mueller Opens Fri Jan 21 Fox Tower In the years following 9/11, many films have been delayed, canceled, or outright altered due to “sensitive” content (terrorism, the hijacking of airplanes, the senseless destruction of important, well-populated buildings, etc.). But first-time director Niels Mueller’s The Assassination of President Nixon tackles […]
Posted inNews
Keep that Frown Upside Down
Tips on Party Fun from a Drunken Curmudgeon
Christmas time mistletoe, New Year’s champagne, and the slutty costumes on Halloween: all carry the promise of a good time–a promise that is never delivered. Yes, there can be no denying it: the Holiday Party Season is a dark time of disappointment and shattered dreams. Fortunately, much like your daily life, you can deal with […]
Posted inNews
“Yes” is “No”
Local Activist Mocks Local Bigots
“Defense of Heterosexual Breeding.” “Traditional Prejudices.” “The Beaver State Defense of Beaver.” These are some of the coalitions supporting Ballot Measure 36 that you may not have heard of this election season. Why? Because they’re really not supporting Measure 36 at all. “My calling in life is to be a satirist,” says M. Dennis Moore, […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Travels With Che
Motorcycle Diaries’ Special Road Trip
The Motorcycle Diaries dir. Salles Opens Fri Oct 1 Fox Tower I walked into The Motorcycle Diaries with nary a clue as to what the movie was about. Then the movie started, and I managed to completely phase out during the initial introductions of all the characters. Undaunted, I was nonetheless quickly engrossed in the […]