AltWeeklies Wire
'Mongol': A Kinder, Gentler Warlordnew
Not your father's Genghis Khan, this despot is so sensitive that he's whatever the word for emo is now. Mongol plays like The Last of the Mohicans 2: Asia Minor, turning an otherwise excellent movie into something totally pretty and revisionist.
The Portland Mercury |
Kiala Kazebee |
06-19-2008 |
Reviews
Mike Myers Isn't Funny Anymore ... and It Makes Me Sadnew
Buried inside The Love Guru, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to Wayne's World, and man, is it depressing. I know Wayne's World isn't necessarily a work of cinematic genius, but it was funny when I was 12, and it's funny now -- which is more than I can say for Mike Myers' latest.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
06-19-2008 |
Reviews
Hulk Lack Emotional Resonance!new
More of a continuation than a remake of Ang Lee's critically mixed Hulk (2003), The Incredible Hulk seems intent on repairing the damage inflicted by its predecessor.
The Portland Mercury |
Wm. Steven Humphrey |
06-13-2008 |
Reviews
'The Happening' is Goofynew
The Happening is being marketed as the first R-rated film from Shyamalan, and it's also widely viewed as Shyamalan's last chance to remind everyone he used to make good movies. It's also so terrible as to be nearly unwatchable.
The Portland Mercury |
Erk Henriksen |
06-13-2008 |
Reviews
Indiana Jones Wants You Damn Kids to Get off His Lawn!new
Harrison Ford is, once again, funny and tough and cool, able to crack a bullwhip and punch out a stooge with the best of 'em. But the film doesn't feel the same. There's CG and sci-fi.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
05-23-2008 |
Reviews
David Mamet Knows Kung Funew
The ghosts of the Shaw Brothers haunt this tale of Mike Terry, a painfully noble Los Angeles jiu-jitsu instructor who, through a series of increasingly unlikely occurrences, gets sucked into a world of sketchy movie producers and unethical mixed martial arts fighters.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
05-09-2008 |
Reviews
'Son of Rambow': Getting Boners Over Rambonew
Son of Rambow is about two young boys and the remake of Rambo that they put together during an idyllic English summer (is there any other kind?).
The Portland Mercury |
Kiala Kazebee |
05-09-2008 |
Reviews
Two Girls, One 'Life Before Her Eyes'new
The most striking aspect of this film is its look: Beautiful shots of swimming pools, falling leaves, and dead birds intersperse the film's narrative scenes, taking some edge off the otherwise pensive pacing.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
05-01-2008 |
Reviews
My Only 'Iron Man' Complaint?new
With all of Iron Man's blockbuster-y action and sharp banter, only one thing's missing: Unlike in the comics, where Tony can't ever seem to put down the bottle, not once does he get drunk in Iron Man.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
05-01-2008 |
Reviews
'Expelled': Intellectual Bankruptcynew
The most bizarre thing about the new intelligent design propaganda film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed isn't that former Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein is being paid to extol a pseudoscience whose hypotheses can't be tested. It's that the filmmakers don't seem to understand the tenets of intelligent design.
The Portland Mercury |
Annie Wagner |
04-25-2008 |
Reviews
Solid Acting Helps 'Smart People'new
The cast is understated in painting a portrait of an unhappy, too-clever family in suburban Pittsburgh, writer/director Noam Murro hits several choice moments of sweet, sharp, and melancholy humor.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
04-10-2008 |
Reviews
Let's Fieldtrip to David Ayer's Los Angelesnew
Think Miami Vice minus the self-conscious cool, or The Departed minus the smarts, and you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect from Street Kings.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
04-10-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Keanu Reeves, crime, action, David Ayer, Street Kings, Common, cops, Forest Whitaker, Jay Mohr, The Game
I Might Be in Love with George Clooneynew
Set when professional football consisted of little more than "miners and farmers and shell-shocked veterans" beating each other up in turnip fields, Clooney's Leatherheads continues the star/director's steady march back through time.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
04-03-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: George Clooney, Leatherheads
'Stop-Loss' Is Frustrating Failurenew
Stop-Loss relies on stereotypes and cartoonish oversimplification to critique the US military. It's a frustrating failure, both ideologically and creatively.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
03-27-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Kimberly Peirce, Stop-Loss
'Run Fatboy Run' Should be Betternew
Everyone who's seen Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, or Spaced knows that Simon Pegg is hilarious. It is scientific fact. So -- scientifically speaking -- it follows that Pegg is hilarious in Run Fatboy Run, even though the movie pretty much defines mediocrity.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
03-27-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: David Schwimmer, Run Fat Boy Run
