Support Smart, Local Journalism
Make a Small Monthly Donation

Give now

Movies & TV
Posted inMovies & TV

Barbenheimer: A Purely Scientific Review of Two Very Dissimilar Films

We compared Barbie and Oppenheimer on their reframing of iffy history, portrayal of the legal system, ken-ergy, and HORSES.
Avatar photo Sam Machkovech

It’s natural to find (or even invent) patterns when major media properties or historical moments collide. They wind up inextricably linked: Think of Dark Side of the Moon as synced with Wizard of Oz, or a Bagel Bites commercial that rewrote a country standard for a new snacking generation, or that Coup album cover with […]

Posted inMovies & TV

Clinton Street Theater’s Hanabi Japanese Film Festival Celebrates Cult Cinema and Local Businesses

See Tampopo on the big screen, while snacking on goods from nearby Japanese convenience store Kashiwagi.
Avatar photo Robert Ham

In many regions of Japan, late summer is synonymous with hanabi festivals—celebratory fireworks displays that, in some towns, can go on for the better part of two hours—with vendors on hand to keep attendees fed with meals and snacks. Sadly, this tradition hasn’t made its way here, even with the Japanese diaspora already established throughout […]

Posted inMovies & TV

Director Celine Song Talks About Her Stunning Debut Film, Past Lives

We also chatted about cannibalism, memory, and what comes next.
Avatar photo Chase Hutchinson

When writer-director Celine Song’s acclaimed debut feature Past Lives recently opened the 49th Seattle International Film Festival, it represented a fittingly poetic full-circle moment of sorts. It turns out this was not the only time Song had come through the Pacific Northwest with one of her stories to share. “I keep wanting to tell people, […]

Posted inMovies & TV

What Does MoviePass 2.0 Mean for Local Theaters?

Local cinemas may not have agreed to be part of this reincarnated movie subscription service—but they’re going along for the ride anyway.
Avatar photo Robert Ham

In 2011, an upstart start-up arrived on the scene with the intent of disrupting the traditional methods of moviegoing—before flaming out spectacularly eight years later.  While active, the folks behind MoviePass—a service that at one point allowed subscribers to watch a movie per day for a ridiculously low monthly fee—burned through millions of dollars and […]

Posted inMovies & TV

Film Q & A: Wild Life Questions Conservation and Capitalism

The new documentary from the directors of Free Solo paints complicated portraits of former Patagonia and North Face executives Kris and Doug Tompkins.
Avatar photo Chase Hutchinson

Opening at Cinema 21 on Friday, “Wild Life” is a new documentary from the directorial team who made “Free Solo,” about former Patagonia and North Face executives Kris and Doug Tompkins, the relationship between conservation and capitalism, and who gets to determine environmental protection’s path forward.

Ahead of the Portland run of “Wild Life,” a new documentary from the directors of “Free Solo,” Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi spoke with the Mercury about the film’s subjects—former Patagonia and North Face executives Kris and Doug Tompkins—the relationship between conservation and capitalism, and who gets to determine the environmental path forward.

Film Q &A: Wild Life Is the New Documentary From the Directors of Free Solo About Former Patagonia and the North Face Executives

Posted inMovies & TV

Film Q & A: Kelly Reichardt’s Showing Up Was Shot at the Oregon College of Art and Craft—After It Closed

The director shot her latest film in Portland, collaborating again with writer Jon Raymond and actress Michelle Williams.
Avatar photo Chase Hutchinson

Kelly Reichardt is one of contemporary cinema’s great filmmakers. The director of indie hits like Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, and Night Moves, critics have labeled her modern portraits of the West—even the bumbling pioneers in First Cow felt revisionist—as feminist, minimalist, and slow. However, fans of her work will tell you every pregnant pause, […]

Posted inMovies & TV

Review: The Super Mario Bros. Movie Is a Dazzling Journey as Hollow as a Big, Green Pipe

While it may have exceptional CGI, Nintendo fans are dragged along on a mediocre journey.
Avatar photo Sam Machkovech

Before I take you to the bummer circus that is a critical review of a children’s movie, I want to talk about something Nintendo is typically good at: protecting its plumber pal Mario. Look at Nintendo’s history as a game maker, and you’ll find very few Mario-centric games per decade. They’re rare, and they’re typically […]

Posted inCulture

Workers at Portland’s Living Room Theaters Vote to Form an Independent Union

Following an unfair labor picket in January, the movie theater staff voted to form United Cinema Workers.
Avatar photo Jeremiah Hayden

Employees at Portland’s Living Room Theaters voted Wednesday to form a new independent union, United Cinema Workers (UCW). Workers won the election 6-4.  “Did you hear? We won,” Audra Sweetland asked the Mercury, as she poured drinks for a handful of moviegoers. Sweetland is a server at the movie house and also president of the […]

Posted inMusic

FREE TICKETS THURSDAY: Win Free Tix to See G. Love and Special Sauce and the HUMP! Film Fest!

Avatar photo Wm. Steven Humphrey

Who’s ready to see some shows? Well, the Mercury is here to help with FREE TICKETS to see some of Portland’s best concerts—our way of saying thanks to our great readers and spread the word about some fantastic upcoming performances! (Psst… if you want to say thanks to the Mercury, please consider making a small […]

Gift this article