I‘m coming up on my 25th year as a resident of Bend, and as great as the food scene is here in 2024, there are still some spots that have closed over the years that I still miss on the regular. Colors was, to this day, the best breakfast spot ever in Central Oregon and […]
Jared Rasic
Film critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
Posted inCulture
The Inscrutable Weight of Questionable Talent
In spite of his rage, he’s still just Nicolas Cage
I understand and, to a lesser extent, accept, that Nicolas Cage isn’t for everyone. He goes so big that it’s sometimes hard to know whether he’s acting or just becoming the character, transcending this planet we call Earth and becoming a being of pure mega-acting. As a performer, his talent is questioned by everyone from my […]
Posted inCulture
Tempered Expectations
Jared goes hard at the movies
We’re at that time of year where the number of movies being released outweighs the number of hours in the day in which to watch them. This past weekend I hit up a few different local theaters to try to catch up with some of the titles I’ve been missing, with decidedly mixed results. Was […]
Posted inCulture
A Beautiful Thought
Bend poet Broderick Eaton publishes "the under story"
“I forget what I’ve criedover where I’ve leftmy blood in this world.” -Broderick Eaton “the salt we leave behind,” finalist for the 2023 Crosswinds Poetry Prize Truly great poetry grows in the mind and can change how you view yourself and the world. As an art form, it hasn’t received the respect it deserves in […]
Posted inCulture
May the Source Be With You: July Edition
The Bear, bingeing and the Loch Ness Monster
I have been remiss in my duties as your Friendly Neighborhood Cultural Writer. With the weather so lovely over the last week and my deep and abiding love of walking around Bend and listening to early aughts hip-hop music, I haven’t been dedicating enough time to podcasts and streaming services lately. Luckily, I binged just enough […]
Posted inCulture
Sam and Frodo Take Manhattan
Michael Sarnosky breaks the prequel curse with "A Quiet Place: Day One"
Hollywood has this habit now that rarely pays off. Some young/new/hungry filmmaker makes a gorgeous independent feature or two on a small to medium budget, Hollywood notices and hires them to make a $100-million blockbuster that, more likely than not, tamps down their directorial style and attaches their sensibilities to filmmaking-by-committee, thus losing whatever spark […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Pub Food, Elevated
At the newly renamed Mill Works Pub, craveable Korean chicken and specials you’ll beg to have on the regular menu
The first time I walked into Mill Works Pub, I knew it was gonna be something different. Normally when you walk into a place with “Pub” in the title, the TVs scattered throughout the place will have some type of sports ball playing on them (or multiple). But here the TV near the bar was […]
Posted inCulture
In Pixar I Trust
Franchises, communal theater-going and the state of independent cinema
I get that it’s always been “cool” to dislike something once it becomes popular or to root for the downfall of something if it gets too big…but I still like Pixar. I get that they’re Disney now and the Mouse House is very much an Evil Empire that owns Marvel, 20th Century Films, Star Wars, Indiana […]
Posted inCulture
Grief is a Thing with Feathers
"Tuesday" takes you there and back again
I‘ve watched so many movies that if I tried to give you a ballpark number you would quite possibly think I’ve either spent too much of my life in front of screens or that I don’t sleep enough. Both and neither are true. It’s becoming more of a rarity for me to come across a […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Prepped for Adventure
A chat with Luckey’s Woodsman Owner/Chef Jackson Higdon, who helps fuel locals for the outdoor Central Oregon lifestyle
I think I took for granted how good the Luckey’s Woodsman food truck was when it was over at the PowderHouse. Since closing the doors of the truck May 19, if you want the Woodsman’s special blend of hearty, healthful and foraged food, you have to go to the Trailside Kitchen in Sisters to luxuriate in […]