Woodland Grey Franky Films Watching horror can feel like a strange undertaking right nowโas there is, after all, more than enough to be scared of out in the real world. Yet to many, horror films offer a sense of respite and catharsis. They allow us to experience fear at a distance while still diving headfirst […]
Movies & TV
Posted inMovies & TV
Portland Queer Icons Jumping from Stage to the Screen: Jinkx Monsoon, House of Ada, and More!
House of Ada on Legendary JOHN JOHNSON / HBO MAX There’s no denying the city has acquired a weird reputation. Where once Portland was a place people visited to sup on vegan delights and buy bird-adorned keepsakes, it hasโfor the past few yearsโgained a different notoriety. But our girl’s character is primed for a comeback, […]
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Pride Northwest and QDoc Collaboration, “Pride Pics,” Centers Black Filmmakers
Sunday’s Being BeBe tells the behind-the-scenes story of drag star BeBe Zahara Benet . Courtesy of Work and Serve Productions LLC For a second year, Portland Pride festival attendees can enjoy two nights of outdoor queer film screenings, as part of the weekend of LGBTQIA+ community programming in downtown Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The showingsโdubbed […]
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Smoke Signals Director Chris Eyre on His New TV Series About a Native American Police Chief Searching for Justice
Chris Eyre (center) with Zahn McClarnon (left) and Kiowa Gordon (right) at a Dark Winds premiere in Sante Fe. Jim Weber for AMC Networks Filmmaker Chris Eyre loves to discuss the craft of cinematic storytelling, especially where the intersection of Native American experiences and the western film genre overlap. A member of the Southern Cheyenne […]
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REVIEW: Fire Island Is a Gorgeous Gay Throwback
Hulu At the start of Fire Island, our heroes head out to a weekend getaway. On their way out, a character expresses relief about not having to see a heterosexual for the next seven days, which sets a nice tone for a big-hearted gay rom-com that follows the well-worn contours of both Pride and Prejudice […]
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Never Before Seen 360-Degree Films Made by Homeless Youth Screen at OMSI Planetarium
A still from the short film Masks Courtesy of Outside the Frame The six-minute short film Masks tackles a perspective that many can’t even imagine: what its like to live with schizophrenia. The audience follows the film’s writer and mononymous main star Cole as they walk along NW Broadway, buzzing the hair off their head. […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Legendary Recap of Episodes 1-3: Portland’s House of Ada Struts Onscreen as Fairies, Then Frogs
House of Adaโs frenzied poison frog mating ritual Photograph by John Johnson/HBO Max Are you invited to a HBO’s Legendary screening tonight, but you don’t know what happened in the first three episodes? Do you want to root for Portlandโs House of Ada as the belles of the ball, but havenโt gotten someone elseโs HBO […]
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Portland Indie Movie Theaters Add Open Caption Screenings
<img title="The Cinema 21 marquee on the opening night of a film that should have been called Mr. Batman.” src=”https://media1.fdncms.com/portmerc/imager/u/large/41815800/1651268395-cinema21_pcsuzette_smith.jpg” alt=”The Cinema 21 marquee on the opening night of a film that should have been called Mr. Batman.” /> The Cinema 21 marquee on the opening night of a film that should have been called […]
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Film Review: The Brilliant Memoria Is All About Cinematic Vibes
Writer-director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s drama about a Scottish woman on a mystical trek in Colombiaโand it’s brilliant. NEON The cinematic event Memoria is an experience so poetic and profound, it left acclaimed film critic Justin Chang bowing down in front of the screen in what he described as a โquasi-religious posture that cinema at its most […]
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Everything Everywhere All at Once Review: You Will Remember Where You Were When You First Saw It
Courtesy A24 Evelyn Wong has come unstuck in the multiverse, and you are invited to join her. The literally-otherworldly Everything Everywhere All at Once is not merely a film but something like a neurological experiment. Or perhaps the last hundred years of cinema was an experiment leading up to this? You will remember not just […]
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YOUR SUNDAY READING LIST: Controversial Monuments, Protecting Trans Kids, and a *Chef’s Kiss* Craigslist Missed Connection!
“Yes, I hear you calling, and I’m CHOOSING to finish this Mercury article!” ะัะธะฝะฐ ะะตัะตััะบะพะฒะฐ / iStock / Getty Images GOOD MORNING, SUNDAY! It’s the perfect time to catch up on some of the great reporting and stories the Mercury churned out this week! (PRO TIP: If you despise being “the last to know,” then […]
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CINE / SEEN’s First Year Spotlights Portland’s Underrepresented Filmmakers and Comedians
Courtesy of Cine / Seen When Portland filmmaker Ali Godil was working on his short film, the close-to-home Americanistan, he didnโt expect to immortalize the final days of one of the areaโs most iconic institutions: a McDonald’s on Swan Island. โWe filmed out front, the workers didnโt care,โ Godil told the Mercury. โA month later […]