Mercury Things to Do Staff

FILM—Okay, so the first Hunger Games movie wasn’t so great. But the last one was fucking awesome, and director Francis Lawrence is back for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I—the first in a two-part finale that’ll have Katniss Everdeen redefining “badass.” Also, Julianne Moore is in this one, so guess what that means: BEST PICTURE […]

MUSIC—In addition to being one of the world’s best and most likeable actors, Jeff Bridges also plays music—his country songs are solidly charming and ragged in all the right places. Tonight he’s in Portland with his band the Abiders, who’re significantly better than his last two bands, the Starmen (1984-1990) and the Rockin’ Trons (1982-1983). […]

COMEDY—There’s on a roll, and then there’s on a roll. John Oliver falls into the italicized camp. He’s snatched the current events comedy crown with his amazing HBO series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, in which he and his staff report the shit out of the world’s problems before skewering them, roasting them, and […]

BLAZERS—When I was a kid, I’d load up EA’s Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs for the Sega Genesis and rewrite history; Terry Porter always scored 70 points a game, and Michael Jordan won nothing. Hopefully tonight, the real-life Bulls vs. Blazers will feature hardwood devastation on a similar level. BOBBY ROBERTSModa Center, 1 […]

MUSIC—Portland’s partying-est pizza-loving punks the Mean Jeans kick off their US tour tonight with a free show of dumb, great rawk played fast, loud, and goopy. They’ll be doing double duty as the backing band for tourmate Kepi Ghoulie, so let’s send ’em off with a bang. NED LANNAMANNw/Morons, the Lonesome Billies; White Owl Social […]

CHILDRENS’ TV—Technically Yo Gabba Gabba! is a children’s program with malformed monsters named “Foofa,” “Muno,” and “Toodee.” But it’s really for everyone. So don’t feel weird if you show up at the Schnitz (with—OMG—special guest Biz Markie!) all high on legal pot and grin even harder than all the little people and their parents. DENIS […]

FILM—Behold, the first omen of Oscar Bait Season: A Very Important Film about a Very Important Subject directed by a Very Well-Meaning Comedian. But wait! Early word on Jon Stewart’s directorial debut, Rosewater—about the imprisonment of BBC journalist Maziar Bahari, played by Gael García Bernal—is that it’s actually good. Maybe this Oscar Bait Season won’t […]

CLASSIC COMEDY—Fans of British comedy need no introduction to The Black Adder—comedian Rowan Atkinson’s side-splitting, insanely smart romp through British history. The Hollywood has chosen four of the best episodes from each season (spanning from the reign of Richard III to World War I) for a Black Adder Marathon that’s sure to win over newbies […]

GEESE—Here’s all you need to know about the Popovich Comedy Pet Theater—HOLIDAY CIRCUS!: It features fifth-generation circus performer Gregory Popovich and more than 30 rescued animals—wiener dogs! housecats! tiny mice! geese that have been trained not to be giant assholes!—doing all sorts of circus-y feats! Humanity has reached its apex, and its apex is training […]

VISUAL ART—Disjecta’s eighth annual art auction is your chance to see innovative pieces by artists like Delaney Allen (just-right interrupted portraits) and Claire Ashley (puffy, humanoid, very colorful installations), and to indulge your Medici aspirations (the art-collecting kind, GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER). Proceeds go to Disjecta’s operating budget, which means you’ll be […]

BOOKS—You’ve probably seen Megan Amram’s intentionally unflattering smoosh-faced selfie on Twitter, even if you don’t know who she is (a very funny writer, lately of Parks and Recreation) or how she got famous (tweets!) or the identity of her Portland-only tourmate (her mom!). Amram’s Science… for Her! makes well-deserved fun of lady magazines that encourage […]

HUMP!—It’s here! It’s here! The weekend that perverts have been waiting for all year! It’s the HUMP! amateur porn film fest, in which dirty birds like YOU produce five-minute filthy flicks, while the rest of us cram into Cinema 21 to laugh, shriek, and gaze upon them in awe and hilarious horror. WE! LOVE! HUMP! […]