The pandemic shut down theaters across the globe (including Shakespeare’s Globe in London) and ever since they slowly started reopening…I’m guilty of not attending. It’s terrible how hypocritical that makes me because at the height of the pandemic, The Globe and several other theaters across the world put their plays on YouTube to try to […]
Jared Rasic
Film critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
They Shoot Horror Films, Don’t They?
Now, don’t get me wrong, there have been a few quality horror films that were released so far in 2022, but this has also been one of the worst years for horror movies I’ve ever lived through. Even the best horror flicks of the year still lose steam in their third acts or fall apart […]
May the Source Be With You: Special BendFilm Wrap-Up Edition
Last week, the 19th Annual BendFilm Festival concluded and gifted me with one of the most magical experiences of my life. To my very specific wavelength, I’m not sure there’s anything more fascinating than experiencing a piece of art and then immediately getting to interact with the creator and learn about their process and intention. […]
Making the Moments Count
Between working for BendFilm, Tin Pan Theater and the Source Weekly, I haven’t been able to go to the BendFilm Festival just as a spectator in several years. I’m either working at one of the venues, writing about the movies or, if I’m really lucky, interviewing the filmmakers as they roll through Bend. This year […]
The Empathy Machine
This makes me feel incredibly old, but I’ve seen at least one movie at every BendFilm Festival since its inception 19 years ago. Having watched the fest go from folding chairs in Midtown Ballroom at midnight (checking out Ti West’s first feature, “The Roost”) to interviewing indie legends like John Sayles and Debra Granik, BendFilm’s […]
Growing Places
I‘ve been a part of the Bend theater scene on and off for a long time, and there aren’t very many predictable aspects of that world. I’ve acted in a few dozen plays, stage managed a handful and directed two of them, so I tend to feel like I have skin in the game when […]
It’s Viola Davis’ World
I know this is incredibly obvious, but most movies are full of crap. If it’s not a documentary, it’s definitely full of crap, and if it says, “Based on a true story,” it’s usually just as full of crap as the rest. Look at “The Conjuring” franchise. There’s more evidence that the Warrens were snake oil […]
BiBimBreathtaking
The food scene in any city exists as something of an ecosystem. It has its own microclimates, apex predators and geographic anomalies, while still allowing for an invasive species to show up and create a bit of culinary chaos. Some restaurants have dominated the pecking order for so long that when a brash young upstart […]
Here We Come, Sweater Weather
I‘m shocked that summer is almost over since it feels like I just started complaining about being ready for summer to be over. I thought I had months of freestyle whining left. Oh well, now I can enjoy the weather for a couple of months before I have to start complaining about winter and looking […]
May the Source Be With You
So many nerdy things are happening in the realm of TV and podcasts that, dare I say, it’s an exciting time to be alive for dorks like me. I’ve already expressed my love of comics and superhero movies plenty of times across these pages, but now my lifelong obsession with fantasy is finally paying off. […]

