Marc Mohan

Marc Mohan moved to Portland from Wisconsin in 1991, and has been exploring and contributing to the city’s film culture almost ever since, as the manager of the landmark independent video store Trilogy, the owner of Portland’s first DVD-only rental spot, Video Vérité; and as a freelance film critic for The Oregonian for nearly twenty years. Once it became apparent that “newspaper film critic” was no longer a sustainable career option, he pursued a new path, enrolling in the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College in the fall of 2017 and graduating cum laude in 2020 with a specialization in Intellectual Property. He now splits his time between his practice with Nine Muses Law and his continuing efforts to spread the word about great (and not-so-great) movies, which include a weekly column at Oregon ArtsWatch.

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘Over the Kitchen Table,’ ‘Fackham Hall,’ ‘100 Nights of Hero,’ and more

December 4, 2025Marc Mohan

This week, an Oregon filmmaker tells the story of how her mother helped build the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and "Downton Abbey" and its ilk get an "Airplane"-style parody in "Fackham Hall."

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘Eternity’ with Miles Teller, ‘Rebuilding’ with Josh O’Connor, and more

November 26, 2025Marc Mohan

Also this week: Benedict Cumberbatch plays a grieving widower in "The Thing with Feathers," and "WTO/99" chronicles the Battle of Seattle.

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’ ‘Nuremberg,’ ‘Wicked: For Good,’ and more

November 20, 2025Marc Mohan

In a slow week for big releases, a few under-the-radar movies get a turn in the spotlight before Thanksgiving weekend.

FilmWatch Weekly: Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ and Trier’s ‘Sentimental Value,’ plus much more

November 13, 2025Marc Mohan

Also this week: the charmless "Now You See Me: Now You Don't," Edgar Wright's "The Running Man," and Nicolas Cage in the Gnostic horror film "The Carpenter's Son."

‘A Larger Reality: Ursula K. Le Guin’ honors the work and the life of the iconic novelist

November 13, 2025Marc Mohan

An expansive exhibit at Oregon Contemporary, curated by the late, great Portland writer's son, opens up the speculative worlds she created and how she shaped them in words.

FilmWatch Weekly: Jennifer Lawrence in ‘Die, My Love,’ Sydney Sweeney in ‘Christy,’ Predators in ‘Predator: Badlands,’ and more

November 6, 2025Marc Mohan

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, and LaKeith Stanfield, Lynne Ramsay's first feature film since 2017 depicts a woman's frenzied descent into psychosis.

2025 Bend Film Festival: A cinematic cornucopia over five days features Oscar candidates, copious shorts, Indigenous stories, and more

November 4, 2025Marc Mohan

Oregon's most prominent film festival returned for its 22nd year with panel discussions, social events, and more than 100 movies from around the globe.

‘Clint: The Man and The Movies’: Shawn Levy’s latest celebrity bio is his most successful yet

October 31, 2025Marc Mohan

The Portland author's 560-page biography of the Hollywood icon has received rave reviews in The New York Times and The New Yorker.

FilmWatch Weekly: Yorgos & Emma keep going with ‘Bugonia,’ Jafar Panahi’s Cannes-winning ‘It Was Only an Accident,’ and more

October 30, 2025Marc Mohan

Also this week: the Australian animated film "Lesbian Space Princess," Colin Farrell in "Ballad of a Small Player" on Netflix, and "Mr. Scorsese" on Apple TV.

Brad Majors at 50: Barry Bostwick talks a half-century of ‘Rocky Horror’

October 26, 2025Marc Mohan

Bostwick, who starred as Brad, will be at a pre-Halloween screening of the enduring cult movie Oct. 27 at Portland's Schnitzer Hall, along with the Clinton Street Cabaret.

FilmWatch Weekly: Springsteen, ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘The Mastermind,’ ‘Blue Moon,’ and a whole lot more

October 23, 2025Marc Mohan

Plus: Portland's QDoc Film Festival, "Last Days," and the horror comedy "Queens of the Dead."

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘Urchin,’ ‘An Officer and a Spy,’ Hal Hartley’s ‘Where to Land,’ and much more

October 16, 2025Marc Mohan

Also this week: Coming of age in '70s and '80s San Francisco in "Fairyland," plus the documentaries "The Man Who Saves the World?" and "American Skyjacker," the madcap tale of a D. B. Cooper copycat.

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘Orwell: 2+2=5,’ ‘Tron: Ares,’ ‘A House of Dynamite,’ and more

October 9, 2025Marc Mohan

Filmmaker Raoul Peck's portrait of the author of "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and "Animal Farm" draws comparisons between Orwell's prescient social criticism and today's political climate.

FilmWatch Weekly: Dwayne Johnson in ‘The Smashing Machine,’ Daniel Day-Lewis in ‘Anemone,’ and a whole lot more

October 2, 2025Marc Mohan

Also this week: a dog's-eye view in "Good Boy," June Squibb in "Eleanor the Great," plus "Plainclothes" and the Venezuelan "Zafari."

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘One Battle After Another’ speaks to the moment, Emma Thompson kicks ass in ‘Dead of Winter,’ and more

September 25, 2025Marc Mohan

Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film, inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel "Vineland," stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a freedom-fighting stoner trying to rescue his daughter from a Christofascist colonel played by Sean Penn.

‘Our Mr. Matsura’: Director Beth Harrington discusses her new documentary about a historic Japanese-American photographer

September 25, 2025Marc Mohan

The Emmy-winning filmmaker's portrait of an early-20th-century icon of Okanogan, WA screens Sunday, September 28 at Vancouver's Kiggins Theatre.

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘The History of Sound’ makes a powerful echo, plus a fall film festival frenzy takes hold

September 18, 2025Marc Mohan

A busy movie week includes four Portland film fests, including the 30th annual H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival, plus documentaries spotlighting Kanye West, the making of Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis," and more.

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘Spinal Tap’ taps out and ‘The Long Walk’ is a dreary slog, but ‘The Baltimorons’ offers shaggy charm

September 11, 2025Marc Mohan

Also: "Democracy Noir" chronicles the rise of Hungary's far-right Fidesz Party, plus Jack Lemmon's Oscar-winning performance in "Save the Tiger" in a new Blu-ray release.

Portland filmmaker Rose Bond’s COVID-delayed ‘1968’ gets world premiere at Venice Film Festival: Q&A

September 11, 2025Marc Mohan

Originally scheduled to accompany a performance by the Oregon Symphony in 2020, the 10-minute VR animation finally debuted this summer under a geodesic sound dome.

FilmWatch Weekly: A trio of triangles with the Portland-shot ‘Twinless,’ ‘The Threesome,’ and ‘Love, Brooklyn’

September 4, 2025Marc Mohan

Also this week: Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman duke it out in "The Roses," plus the Seattle-set "Know Your Place" and more.

FilmWatch Weekly: Jude Law and Sydney Sweeney in ‘Eden,’ Hanabi Fest continues, local horror ‘Lilly Lives Alone,’ plus more

August 21, 2025Marc Mohan

Ron Howard's latest film tells the true story of European settlers in the Galápagos in the 1930s. Plus: a restoration and re-release of 1980's "Night of the Juggler" and Riz Ahmed in "Relay."

FilmWatch Weekly: Red Riding Hood revised in ‘To Kill a Wolf,’ plus the Hanabi Film Fest, Denzel and Spike’s ‘Highest 2 Lowest,’ and more

August 14, 2025Marc Mohan

Also this week: Vanessa Kirby in the Portland-filmed "Night Always Comes," Jack and Jill and supernatural thrills in "Went Up the Hill," and the life of Donn Beach, inventor of tiki bar culture, in "The Donn of Tiki."

Francis Ford Coppola wants to save the future, but he needs your help

August 12, 2025Marc Mohan

After a screening of "Megalopolis" at the Tomorrow Theater, the legendary filmmaker discussed education reform and the precarious state of modern American society, among many other topics.

FilmWatch Weekly: The Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation, and Technology features plenty of all three; plus much more!

August 5, 2025Marc Mohan

The horror film "Weapons," a Jeff Buckley documentary, and the bizarre comedy "Ebony & Ivory" also screen.

FilmWatch Weekly: Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s ‘Cloud,’ plus ‘The Naked Gun’ redux and the terror of being ‘Together’

July 31, 2025Marc Mohan

Also this week: Francis Ford Coppola comes to town, plus the Clinton Street Theater's Queer Screams Festival and more.

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ tries to live up to its name, plus much more

July 24, 2025Marc Mohan

Eager to reach a superhero-fatigued audience, the latest installment in the MCU skips the self-seriousness of recent entries, opting instead for the naïve altruism of its Silver Age comic roots.

FilmWatch Weekly: ‘Sovereign’ and Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’ explore American divisions

July 17, 2025Marc Mohan

Also this week: memories of the Rhodesian Bush War in "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight," the struggles of Palestinian refugees in "To a Land Unknown," and a hot spring shark attack in "Hot Spring Shark Attack."

FilmWatch Weekly: Eva Victor’s ‘Sorry, Baby’ is the stunning debut of a major talent

July 10, 2025Marc Mohan

Plus: John Malkovich in "Mr. Blake at Your Service!," life after Dracula in "Abraham's Boys," and a weekend of noir at the Hollywood Theatre.

‘Animation: Script to Screen’ highlights animators from near and far at Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts

July 8, 2025Marc Mohan

The three-day event at Lakewood Center for the Arts featured characters and objects from Portland-made films "Pinnochio" and "Wendell & Wild" and presentations by Oregon City native Bill Plympton and others.

FilmWatch Weekly: ScarJo vs. dinos in ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth,’ plus ’40 Acres’ and ‘The G’

July 3, 2025Marc Mohan

The half-hearted seventh installment in the "Jurassic Park" franchise heads a trio of new movies featuring all manner of bloodthirsty enemies, from dinosaurs and cannibals to a corrupt for-profit health care company.