AltWeeklies Wire
Is This the Year the Portland International Film Fest Will Matter?new
Despite cramming a ridiculous number of hard-to-find films into a relatively short timeframe, the Portland International Film Festival simply isn't on the radar for most Portlanders. But this year, people are talking about PIFF. Call it the Coraline Effect.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
02-05-2009 |
Movies
Cash Documentary Says Nothing Newnew
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison is not especially penetrating; it's more of a puff piece using archival photographs and current-day interviews.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
02-05-2009 |
Reviews
'He's Just Not that Into You': The Longest, Most Unnecessarily Complicated Chick Flick Evernew
He's Just Not That Into You looks like a fun, awesome chick flick, and parts of it live up to that promise —- but unfortunately, this bitch is long, and by the time it finally ended, it felt more grueling than any bad date I've ever had.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
02-05-2009 |
Reviews
Reading Is Magical!: Too Bad 'Inkheart' Is a Movienew
Inkheart is intent on letting you know that books are magically wonderful, and thusly shoots itself in the foot—you'll wish it would hurry up and end so you can go home and read.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
01-22-2009 |
Reviews
Weighty Matters Get Treated Carelessly in 'Seven Pounds'new
Pounds' moral preaching is kinda twisted, yet it's delivered up on the same kind of redemptive platter -- swelling music, tears, and all. You've gone too far, guys, with the angel act, and God's gonna smite you down.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
12-19-2008 |
Reviews
'Azur & Asmar' Restores Fantasy to Animationnew
In the age of infinite Shreks and perfectionist CGI, the French animated feature Azur & Asmar feels like a throwback in more ways than one.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
12-12-2008 |
Reviews
Jean-Claude Van Damme's JCVD is ... Brilliant?new
Before you think JCVD is just another excuse for the aging action star to try and roundhouse kick his way into our hearts one last time, wait up: JCVD is as wildly entertaining and daring as cinema comes, and that's something you don't necessarily associate with the train-wrecked career of the weathered action star.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
11-20-2008 |
Reviews
'Twilight' Makes a Far Better Movie Than Booknew
Largely freed from Stephenie Meyer's ponderous prose, the movie is surprisingly campy and fun, with a cheerful sense of humor about its own ridiculousness.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
11-20-2008 |
Reviews
Chris Smith Takes up Fiction... In Indianew
For a film with so many elements seemingly at odds, The Pool is distinctly relatable. It is the work of Chris Smith, who we know best as the documentarian behind American Movie and The Yes Men. The Pool, on the other hand, is straight-up fiction.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
10-31-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Chris Smith, The Pool
Patti Smith Gets the Documentary She Deservesnew
With Dream of Life, director (and Smith superfan) Steven Sebring has assembled a strange and beautiful tribute to Smith, equal parts biography, music video, and love letter.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
10-31-2008 |
Reviews
'The Hills': Summer's Eve for the Brain!new
That's right, I admit it. I watch The Hills -- but only for its medicinal purposes! See, whenever I watch an episode, my brain activity slows down to the point where it almost flatlines.
The Portland Mercury |
Wm. Steven Humphrey |
10-24-2008 |
TV
Portland Designer Leanne Marshall on Winning 'Project Runway'new
Marshall talks about leaving Portland for New York, soundtracking her Bryant Park debut to a song called "Cookie Breath," and what was up with that hiphop walk.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
10-24-2008 |
TV
A Survey of Milos Forman's Worknew
Orphaned at a young age during World War II, Miloš Forman became one of the prominent directors of the Czech New Wave in the 1960s.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
07-31-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Czech New Wave
Brendan Fraser Ruins Everythingnew
With this week's release of a third Mummy movie following Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, we've been cursed with an unholy attack no other generation has had to endure: Two Brendan Fraser movies in a single month.
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
07-31-2008 |
Movies
Brendan Fraser Meets Another Mummy ... and Some Yetisnew
Based on The Mummy franchise alone, it would be real easy to hate Brendan Fraser ... but, damn if the dude isn't totally harmless and likeable.
The Portland Mercury |
Courtney Ferguson |
07-31-2008 |
Reviews
