The battle for supremacy between “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” has finally begun and, while there is a clear winner, it’s not really what you might think. As of this writing, “Barbie” has made $337 million worldwide ($155 million domestic) and “Oppenheimer” has pulled in $174 million globally (and $80.5 million domestically). Those numbers are huge, regardless […]
Jared Rasic
Film critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
Posted inFood & Drink
Every Day Can Be a Buffet Day
All-you-can-eat Chinese is always a good idea.
This time, it’s King Buffet.
I have a buffet problem. Look, I’m not saying Bend would be a better place with a Hometown Buffet or a Golden Corral, but I will say that people are much happier when all you can eat mac & cheese and mashed potatoes are an option in life. Now that I’m thinking on it, that would […]
Posted inCulture
Improbable Missions, Impossible Lives
Will symbiosis save the theatrical experience?
No other actor alive cares more about saving and protecting the theatrical experience more than Tom Cruise. We used to have dozens of movie stars: actors that would put butts in seats just due to their presence in a film, regardless of the quality or content. Back in the day it was Jimmy Stewart and […]
Posted inCulture
Three Reviews for the Price of One
"Blue Jean," "Biosphere" and "The Red Door"
After the crushing disappointment I felt last week after watching the new Indiana Jones, I needed to scale back a little and watch some films that weren’t so deeply connected to my childhood. I went to four movies in the theater this weekend (one of which I won’t write about because I don’t need the […]
Posted inCulture
Raiders of the Lost Art
Indiana Jones goes out on a low note
The opening of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is set in 1944 during the Allied liberation of Europe at the end of the second World War. Indy is captured by Nazis as they search for an artifact called the Lance of Longinus and he has to swashbuckle his way off a train filled […]
Posted inCulture
May the Source Be with You: July Edition
Best shows and podcasts of the year…so far
Everyone says the older you get, the faster time moves along its ever-shrinking path into the future, but the fact that we’re already halfway into 2023 feels like someone is playing games with all the clocks in my house. It’s been a half-decent half-year for movies, but the real joy for me has been found […]
Posted inCulture
Take Me Down to Asteroid City
The Wes Anderson dilemma
I struggle with writing about Wes Anderson movies after only a single viewing. Yes, it’s possible to get a solid grasp of the themes and subtext of his films after seeing them once, but his frames are packed with so much nuance and hidden detail that there isn’t a single Anderson movie that doesn’t improve upon […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A Bit of Havana in Bend
Cuban Kitchen returns, better than ever
If you live somewhere long enough, you see a lot of businesses come and go. It’s easy to get attached to the ones you like, especially if it’s a restaurant that brings you comfort and happiness. There are a few in Bend that have closed over my 22 years here that I still haven’t gotten […]
Posted inCulture
The Flash vs. Moral Relativism
Should we separate art from the artist?
Here’s the thing: the older I get, the easier it’s becoming for me to separate the art from the artist. But because my brain is an exhausting wasteland of contradictions, overthinking and burrito dreams, I also think a lot of artists are self-destructive, partly broken and mercurial creatures, who act more with their primordial lizard […]
Posted inCulture
May the Source Be with You, June Edition
'SmartLess,' 'Somebody Somewhere' and 'Spider-People'
Well, we’re finally hitting that time of year where some days are so hot that it’s nice to pop into a dark and air-conditioned movie theater, just to watch anything, and get cooled down after a long day in the sun. This last week I saw “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” (the entire soundtrack is […]