Author Archive
Movie
While writer-director Spike Jonze’s new film Her makes the most of a good gimmick (man falls in love with Siri-like computer voice), Her transcends the subject matter. Part of the credit belongs to Joaquin Phoenix, who turns in...
Q&A
When you look back at their collective output from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Toad The Wet Sprocket turned out an extremely consistent set of albums during their initial run which wrapped up when they decided to disband in 1...
Eats & Drinks
In 2013, acclaimed record producer (Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World) and drummer (Drive Like Jehu) Mark Trombino began a new career when he launched Donut Friend in Los Angeles, California. The store’s motto is: “Donuts Done D...
Flicks
This year there were, of course, blockbusters we enjoyed—films like Star Trek Into Darkness, This is the End and The Heat. There were also somewhat smaller films that built enough buzz and praise to crack Box Office Mojo’s 100 ...
Beer
Portland has recently been through a cold snap, and I figured it was time to delve into a winter ale tasting. I raided the beer aisle at my neighborhood Safeway store in hopes of finding more nationally accessible seasonals. Wh...
Beer
In another example of how fortunate I am to live in Portland, Oregon, the 18th annual Holiday Ale Festival met and surpassed expectations in several ways. (And I only attended two days out of five – I shudder to think of all th...
Movie
There comes a time when children find themselves taking on some of the roles of parent to their own parents. That’s at the heart of Nebraska, the new drama from Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt, The Descendants). Filmed...
Movie
Down-and-out drifters Frank (Emile Hirsh) and Jerry Lee (Stephen Dorff) Flannigan grow up together on the run – from their circumstances, from the law and from their own demons. What passes for home in The Motel Life is any pla...
Movie
We’re not ones to quote other reviews but we laughed out loud at the summary of one review of The Book Thief, the new film based on the popular book by Markus Zusak: “Book Thief is tasteful but dull.” Well, yes, it certainly is...
Beer
Let’s start with the name. Eugene, Oregon’s Ninkasi Brewing Company was clearly inspired by arch metal band, Slayer. Regardless of how you may feel about the genre, Slayer is far and away one of its best, most highl...