Here are the films you certainly don’t want to miss at the annual Bend Film Festival.
Jared Rasic
Film critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
Posted inCulture
NXNW
From ski legends to legendary producers, there’s lots to love at the 16th annual BendFilm Festival
BendFilm is back and celebrating its 16th year as a destination film festival for the Pacific Northwest, once again shepherded by executive director Todd Looby, festival programmer Erik Jambor and a small army of volunteers. In keeping with tradition, this year’s fest has seen another 72-hour Filmmaker Scramble and Future Filmmaker events, while also having […]
Posted inCulture
Braddy Issues
Neptune is the Pitts in "Ad Astra"
James Gray is the most underrated director in Hollywood and, in a just world, “Ad Astra” should make him huge. From the cinematography to the score to the special effects, “Ad Astra” is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous film. Gray conjures moments and images that will stay with me for the rest of my life. But the […]
Posted inCulture
Red Schlocks
Enjoying the dumpster fire at Redbox
I love bad movies—ones that are so bad it makes you want to re-examine your life choices and call someone who loves you; movies so incompetent that it’s hard not to have a smile on your face for the entire running time as you imagine the director deciding to take up a new career in reflexology […]
Posted inCulture
IT Kinda Sucks
Evil clowns should be scarier than this
Don’t get me wrong; most filmmakers balance along the knife’s edge of borrowing and stealing. Stealing from the best has resulted in some of the most inspired movies ever made. We’d never have “Tree of Life” without “2001: A Space Odyssey” or “Joker” without “The King of Comedy.” But writer Gary Dauberman and director Andy […]
Posted inCulture
May the Source Be with You
September Edition
Good news, everyone! It’s my birthday month! I will be accepting donations of scented letters and wilted flowers, many thanks in advance. Also, September is usually a pretty good month for movies, so hopefully we get some bangers over the next few weeks. I’ve been underwhelmed by way too many movies this year (as good […]
Posted inCulture
On the Ropes
“The Peanut Butter Falcon” wants us to love each other
Sometimes a movie makes you feel so good and so attuned to the human race that it’s easy to overlook the flaws. It seems like we’re more divided now than ever, and even things that everyone used to agree on are able to court some level of controversy. A few weeks ago, I posted a […]
Posted inCulture
Run, Rabbit
“Ready or Not” hides from the bigger ideas
Every once in a while, a premise comes along that’s so simple and elegant that it’s astounding it hasn’t been done before. While there are definitely aspects of “Ready or Not” we’ve seen before, the film is executed with such gusto that it’s hard to really be mad at it over the dumb stuff. This […]
Posted inCulture
They All Float
“47 Meters Down: Uncaged” is shark schlock
Shark movies are, at heart, monster movies. Yes, sharks exist in the world and are much different than say, some weird and creepy creature designed by a filmmaking team, but their goal is the same regardless: killing teenagers. Whether it’s a shark, an alligator, Bigfoot or a redneck, they populate horror movies to rack up […]
Posted inCulture
Alone Together
“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” is a missed opportunity
As a filmmaker, Richard Linklater is what you might call affable. In his movies, going all the way back to “Dazed and Confused,” he loves to find the truth in human interaction, but seems uncomfortable with pain that isn’t easily fixed. His best work (The “Before” Trilogy) comes close to really exploring damaged individuals, but […]
