Plastic vs. Celluloid

Films based on toys: are they ever any good?

Movie Reviews & Stories The latest film based on the G.I. Joe action figure, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, is not being screened for critics. Is there any chance it won’t be a steaming pile of shit? Our culture scientists ana   More

 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013 RUTH BROWN

Brew Views: Batman

A brighter bat.

Brew Views In a post-Dark Knight world, it seems laughable that Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman—with its Prince soundtrack, delightfully hammy Jack Nicholson performance and lack of horribly disfiguring facial    More

 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013 RUTH BROWN

…And Justice For None

Peter Jackson leaves Middle Earth to investigate a wrongful conviction.

Movie Reviews & Stories West of Memphis is a compelling documentary—surprisingly so at a butt-numbing 147 minutes—that unwittingly provokes serious ethical questions.
   More

 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013 RUTH BROWN

Hotseat: Wil Wheaton

The iconic geek talks about tabletop gaming and the merits of being a douchebag.

Q & A There was a time when Wil Wheaton was best known as a Teen Beat heartthrob and worst as "that annoying kid from Star Trek." Though he would forever be Gordie Lachance in our moss-encrusted Oregon hearts   More

 

Wednesday, February 27, 2013 RUTH BROWN

Tomahawk: Wednesday, Feb. 13

When weird goes pop.

Music Stories [PATTON POP] Kristen Mystirie Calderon, a club hostess and makeup artist from Los Angeles, does not like Tomahawk’s new single.  “Tomahawk, your music made me wet—juicy even!” she wro   More

 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013 RUTH BROWN

Hotseat: Cory Doctorow

The Boing Boing co-editor and novelist discusses surveillance, jailbreaks and the impact of his friend Aaron Swartz's suicide.

Arts & Books Cory Doctorow is very worried about the future of your cellphone. As the co-editor of massively popular blog and self-described “directory of wonderful things” Boing Boing, Doctorow finds all the links you will be looking at two weeks later on Reddit.
On the day we speak, he’s written about a ...   More

 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 by RUTH BROWN

Portland Wins 2013 NW Barista Competition

Portland rules, Seattle drools.

Food & Drink Even if you don't give a toss about the Sounders-Timbers rivalry (and we don't [Speak for yourself! -Ed.]), there's still a cheap thrill to be had every time Portland beats Seattle in another competitive arena of physical prowess: making coffee. Portland dominated at last year's Northwest Regional Barista Competition...   More

 

Monday, February 4, 2013 by RUTH BROWN

The NYT Finally Prints That Portland Karaoke Article

Arts & Books We don't usually bother mentioning every time the Grey Lady writes an article about Portland, but this one is worthy of note:Back in August last year, we got wind that someone from the Times was in town working on an article about Portland's karaoke scene. [Edit 1/19: Dan Kois was here in March 2012.] We decided to pip them at the post (because we're mature like that) by sending...   More

 

Friday, January 18, 2013 by RUTH BROWN

Base Camp Brewing: Social Climbers

Bar Reviews Base Camp Brewing is basically REI in bar form: a cavernous, urban ski lodge decked out with tables made with rocks and timber from Klamath Falls, bungee cords, carabiners, camping lanterns and a huge upturned canoe on the ceiling.   More

 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012 RUTH BROWN

’Couve Crawl

A night out in Portland’s northern neighbor.

Featured Stories Vancouver’s nightlife is not bountiful, but it is comprehensive. Along downtown’s Main Street corridor, you’ll find an Irish bar, a sports bar, a martini bar, a wine bar, a discoteca, a br   More

 

Wednesday, December 5, 2012 RUTH BROWN, MARTIN CIZMAR, REBECCA JACOBSON, MATTHEW SINGER