Movies & TV

Fox Searchlight Pictures Once, long ago, I was driving around with a friend, listening to French electronic music group M83. “I could sell Coca Cola to this” my friend said wryly, because she worked in advertising and she spent a lot of time thinking about how to sell Coca Cola. I say this because Benh […]

Universal Pictures While other movies are seeing their releases postponed thanks to coronavirus, the controversial horror-comedy The Hunt—which was already postponed from its September release date—is still opening tonight. Whether or not you venture out to a theater to see it, it’s worth seeing: Pulpy and bloody, it’s a B-movie with smarts. More than anything […]

Nothing bad happens to the cow.

Feel like getting some basketball-fueled insanity into your life, but can’t commit to all the brackets, betting, and institutionalized exploitation that is March Madness? GOOD NEWS: Basketball is also a fertile ground for filmmakers! Sometimes that ground sprouts weeds like Space Jam (fucking traaaaaaaash), but if you seek solid hardwood storytelling, find these films on […]

Box Hill Films From the moment Mr. Woodhouse (Bill Nighy) bounded down the steps of his staircase in full scowl, I wanted to see Emma again. Though this film is merely the latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel about a wealthy, independent heiress who creates mischief with her matchmaking schemes, I went in pretty hyped […]

Frank & Zed Jesse Blanchard The Northwest Film Center’s office is undergoing some changes. When I visited in early February, some ancient carpeting had just been removed, leaving behind a telltale stain on the concrete. They were working to transform the lobby into a gallery space in time for this year’s Portland International Film Festival […]

Disney / Pixar Especially when compared to Pixar’s best, there’s definitely stuff to nitpick in the studio’s latest, Onward. Fair? Maybe, but then again, even Pixar movies can have a hard time living up to Pixar movies. But to focus on Onward‘s benign, minor missteps—none of which detract from the story’s surprisingly emotional arc—is to […]

On Saturday, April 11, director John Woo will be at the Hollywood Theatre for a rare 35mm screening of The Killer—the 1989 classic starring Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee that changed the way action movies are made. The Hollywood’s screening of The Killer will feature a post-film Q&A with Woo, and there’ll be plenty to […]

Mark Rogers/Universal Pictures Film students and theorists are going to be studying the career of writer/director Leigh Whannell for decades, trying to suss out how this young Australian has mined piles of gold from high-concept but low-budget popcorn fare. Whannell’s been responsible for bringing two hugely successful horror franchises into the world—the sagas of Saw […]