NW indie ‘All Sorts’ puts a surreal spin on office drudgery
September 21, 2022
File this one under “to see”: Director J. Rick Castañeda and Portland-based composer Nick Jaina talk with Marc Mohan about their new film comedy.
File this one under “to see”: Director J. Rick Castañeda and Portland-based composer Nick Jaina talk with Marc Mohan about their new film comedy.
A rigorous and revealing three-hour look at what’s made the movies the movies; the story of an irascible insider who helped shape a golden cinematic age.
The French director, who never stopped reinventing forms and challenging beliefs, changed the face of cinema, Marc Mohan writes.
A contemporary riff on Fassbinder, the private life of a classic suspense writer, and a host of good revivals: It’s a movie week for looking back.
With “Colors,” a rare chance to revisit three highlights of 20th century cinema (and wonder where the magic’s gone).
The live-theater company, which adapted to film when the pandemic hit, liked what happened and returns with a fresh quartet of topical films.
Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton play the genie-in-a-bottle game in George Miller’s newest; a documentary reveals a battle between cultures in the Amazon rainforest.
Hopes for revival after a beloved neighborhood movie house burns; a crime movie pays off; small gems to stream from student filmmakers.
The Portland Claymation studio founder and Oscar winner had big dreams – and lost them in a legal battle with the Knights.
A tale of a 32-year-old “teenager”; a dad who goes way, way too far; the Criterion Channel’s exquisitely timed look at a chapter in Hollywood’s spotty racial history.
“A safe place inside a dangerous place”: A dozen years in the making, and three after its director’s death, a rare collaboration with inmate actors comes to the screen.
Two brothers with different mothers. One mother who disappears. A quest to find her again, and a family tale 25 years in the making.
A feature documentary on a famous song opens a window on genius and packs an emotional punch.
The director of “the biggest documentary sensation of the summer” tells the volcanic tale of creating a film about fire and ice.
Jordan Peele’s “Nope” is a thrilling summer blockbuster, even if it doesn’t quite fit together; why are good bets skipping Portland’s indie houses?
An Oregon writer and director’s pandemic-delayed feature makes its debut at Portland’s Hollywood Theatre.
A radiant Juliette Binoche adrift in a simplistic story; a fierce and rhythmic and promising debut tale of magical realism; an insane visual spectacle in search of a story.
From a Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas showbiz satire with a dark twist to a toothless take on an Austen-esque romcom.
From old movie trailers to car culture to “educational” reels to documentaries by the great Les Blank, if it’s 16 mm and offbeat, the Portland film curator is on it – and putting on a show.
Baz Luhrmann’s latest is myth, not history, but Austin Butler is a knockout as The King. And if you’re up for the joke, the gory “Evil” is a hoot.
A new feature documentary from former Portlander Warren Pereira talks about his quest to discover the answer.
Emma Thompson, Mark Rylance, Dakota Johnson and some fresh faces shine in a trio of movies for grownups.
From battered up to batter up: A week at the movies that runs from Cronenberg’s eviscerations to the 30th anniversary of the women’s baseball classic.
Cronenberg’s newest in hiding? A trio of tales steps up, including a Calabrian mob story, a look at the life and times of poet Siegfried Sassoon, and a terse little terror.
As theaters gear up for big-budget Summer Movie Season, several intriguing small films slip into town. Plus: some big, loud flicks that AREN’T “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Set against Big Sky country, the filmmaking duo’s intimate tale of family conflict is rooted in the past but unfolds resolutely in the present.
An unrepentant (and successful) outsider talks from his Oregon coast home about indie movies, American imperialism, and the pleasures of a good beer and a good dog.
Some like it hot, or just out on the edge. Here comes a handful of boundary-pushing flicks. Enter at your own risk.
The timely topics of abortion and suicide get searing attention onscreen. Plus: A demented take on Shakespeare and a King Crab fable.
Two beautifully performed films – one with child actors, one about old age – defy the ordinary in welcome ways. Plus, streaming picks.
What’s up with the film center’s relationship with the Portland Art Museum and its sharp but uncertain shift in direction? It’s complicated – and not everyone’s happy about that.
A fresh and poignant Iranian road trip, a David Lynch mind trip, an affair in Estonia, witchery on Clinton Street, decadent Berlin and mind games in a rural house.
Tilda Swinton teams fascinatingly with an inventive Thai director; big-budget bloody battles Viking style; Nic Cage playing (sort of) himself in an action-comedy spy caper.
This week at the movies: From the busy bedrooms of Paris to a pasture near London, with a pop star and a startling prison tale between.
Portland documentary filmmaker Jan Haaken talks about the Columbia Gorge, oil trains, civil disobedience, and her newest film.
On beyond streaming and big screens: “Old” technologies give a fresh lease on life to some eye-opening cinematic rediscoveries.
Alternate universes, an IRS office, hot dog fingers, and tons of fun. Plus: Israel, Palestine and “Ahed’s Knee”; French “Gagarine.”
“We’re looking to be Ashland, but with the clout and the power of Sundance”: Virtual or not, the festival opens up to a wider world.
The Project resurfaces with vivid works by Berlin video artist Anouk de Clercq. Plus what’s new on home and big screens.
Mobsters and Mark Rylance with scissors in the entertaining “Outfit,” “X” marks the slashers, plus new & revival releases around town.
Two foreign-film winners: Archaeology and understanding on a Russian train; moral complexity in the Palestinian West Bank.
The stars show up, a cinemonster crashes the party at Tuesday night’s Cinema Unbound Awards – and the film center forges a new identity.
A fascinating and empathetic sci-fi family drama explores the ever-thinning line between artificial and “real” intelligence, and what being human is.
ABC has dropped several categories from its live Oscars telecast. In the process it’s dismissing some of the year’s best work.
Marc Mohan reviews Dennis Hopper’s punk masterpiece “Blue” and Kentucker Audley’s surreal futuristic “Mansion.”
Musician, writer, and ecdysiast Viva Las Vegas, who’ll talk at a screening at the Hollywood Theatre, declares the artistry of the naked body.
A smart, engaging, crowd-pleasing winner from Norway; a probing of race in America with righteous resolve and firm facts.
The Film Center honors a “Portlandia” progenitor and other trailblazers; the Cascade Festival of African Films begins, Tim Roth quietly shines.
Also this week: An extra-noirish “Nightmare Alley” and a host of good revivals strut their stuff.
Oscar best-foreign-film candidates from Japan’s Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Spanish master Pedro Almodóvar highlight Portland’s movie week.
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