Can a piece of theater still be considered underrated if it has won the Pulitzer Prize for drama and the Tony Award for Best Play? I mean, that’s a pretty serious amount of acclaim, but if it’s not a part of the culture lexicon like “Cats” or “Hamilton,” then what are we even doing here? […]
Jared Rasic
Film critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
Posted inBest Of Central Oregon
Best Wings
Fire on the Mountain
At this point, Bend has so many pubs, breweries and restaurants in general, that it’s almost harder to find a place that doesn’t serve wings than one that does. Upscale bistros, dive bars, Asian fusion kitchens…they all have their own take on the wing, and some do it much, much better than others. When choosing […]
Posted inBest Of Central Oregon
Best Sandwich/Deli
Valentine’s Deli
Bend has a lot of sandwiches. Several are downright mediocre, some are pretty damn good, but only one or two are genuinely great. For the last several years in a row, Valentine’s Deli has won the award for Best Sandwich and, for anyone who has ever enjoyed a lunch there, it’s easy to understand why: […]
Posted inCulture
The Bad, the Worse and the Horrendous
‘Borderlands,’ ‘Cuckoo’ and ‘Trap’ ruin my day
As someone who has spent a majority of their life writing, acting, rehearsing and basically doing anything and everything they can to make it into the motion picture industry, I can’t bring myself to be cynical about movies, even while knowing there’s lots of cynicism to spread around. While it’s easier now to make a […]
Posted inBest Of Central Oregon
Best Bookstore
Roundabout Books
To be a truly remarkable bookstore is to find an alchemical balance that can’t really be explained to someone with only a passing interest in the literary arts. Bookstores have outlasted most CD shops, video stores and video game stops and remained near-sacrosanct spaces for people to search for knowledge, enlightenment and some good old-fashioned […]
Posted inCulture
Underdogs No More
Deadpool and Wolverine vs. cinematic elitism
You know, it’s funny. I watch everything. Everything. From Slow Cinema masterpieces like “A Ghost Story” and “Memoria” to every new Adam Sandler movie that comes out to all the random art and schlock in between. Comic book movies, South Korean revenge stories, queer Western romances, science fiction slapstick comedies…all movies deserve a chance to […]
Posted inCulture
Halfway Check-In
The best movies and shows of the year so far
We’re a little more than halfway through 2024, which seems like an appropriate time to look back at some of the best movies and shows of the year that I’ve seen. Usually, the real bangers come in the fourth quarter, but 2024 has been pretty solid so far when it comes to films that are […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Hot Dogs, Buddha Bowls and Cocktails, Oh My
WildWood offers affordable eats and delish drinks in the Box Factory
The most refreshing thing about WildWood, the new taproom, food cart, cocktail lounge combination located in the spot formerly held by The Brown Owl, is that it’s one of the first new places to open in Bend in a long time that doesn’t feel prohibitive to the pocketbook. The fact that the menu has multiple […]
Posted inCulture
An American Tale
Costner returns to epic filmmaking with "Horizon"
Kevin Costner is now and will always be an icon. Even with what could somewhat of a limited range as an actor, he’s always managed to instill the characters he has played with varying levels of flawed humanity and a certain unquantifiable vibe of old-fashioned movie star charisma, mixed with a ’50s-style drip of cowboy […]
Posted inCulture
Storm in the Heartland
"Twisters" embraces the formula while subtly subverting it
I don’t think I’m as much of a film snob as I’m supposed to be. Don’t get me wrong, I love a complicated and mind-bending independent film that melts my brain and inspires me to write 1,000 words on the cinematic language of the New Hollywood movement, but I equally love a good disaster movie or […]