Let’s talk about “The Conjuring” Universe for a second, just in case the newly released “The Conjuring: Last Rites” truly is the last film in the franchise. “The Conjuring” Universe is the only successful interconnected series of movies, post-Marvel, that Hollywood has successfully managed to launch (RIP Universal’s Dark Universe). Starting with 2013’s “The Conjuring,” […]
Jared Rasic
Film critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
Posted inMovies
Two Remakes and an Adaptation
Spike Lee, Darren Aronofky and a war of the Roses
We’re in that weird, transitional part of the year where the summer blockbusters have died out, but the prestige Oscar-bait is still being held for another month or two. August and September are a crapshoot when it comes to the quality of the films, as it’s typically when studios release movies that they’re unsure about […]
Posted inFilm
When Good Directors Make Bad Movies
Ethan Coen and Ron Howard fail to evolve with “Eden” or “Honey Don’t”
I would never make a ridiculous statement like Ron Howard and the Coen Bros. are remotely in the same league as filmmakers, but I also think Howard isn’t necessarily accorded the respect he deserves from his nearly 50 years a director. Sure, he introduced the world to JD Vance with “Hillbilly Elegy,” which is definitely […]
Posted inFilm
Whistleblowers, Nervous Breakdowns and TPS Reports
Celebrating Labor Day at the movies
I have no idea how you feel about your job. Some people live the dream every day by being doctors, lawyers, marine biologists, or celebrity chefs, while others wake up with a pit of dread in the morning as the alarm clock wrenches them from the sweet release of dreams of a different life. The […]
Posted inFood & Drink
An Old Bend Rebirth
Simón leads with classic flavors and vibes
I’ve lived in Bend for a long time and seen some amazing restaurants come and go, some of which whose absence I still miss on the daily. One of those places I still miss is the Taco Stand in Old Bend off Hill Street. In college, that was one of the few places I could […]
Posted inFilm
Naked Guns and Being Alone Together
A very strange double feature
If you want to go to the movies and watch a double feature so insanely polar opposite from each other that it factory resets your brain, then look no further than the mind-melting combination of “The Naked Gun” and “Together.” One is a gruesome, body-horror deconstruction of toxic relationships and codependency and the other is […]
Posted inMovies
The Art of Being Scared
Weapons and the limitlessness of horror
My whole life, people have made fun of me for my deep and abiding love of horror movies. When I was a kid, running around excited, trying to explain the plot of “Evil Dead II” to my family, they would not only question what kind of people come up with such disturbing ideas, but what […]
Posted inFilm
Marvel Goes Retro
Fantastic Four looks to the future
I don’t know if I’ve ever admitted this to myself, but sometimes I think I was born into the wrong time. Don’t get it twisted: being there for the birth of the internet, social media, AI, virtual reality and all kinds of other tech breakthroughs has been cool, but as a child of the ’80s, I […]
Posted inCulture
Marvel Goes Retro
The Fantastic Four looks to the future
I don’t know if I’ve ever admitted this to myself, but sometimes I think I was born into the wrong time. Don’t get it twisted: being there for the birth of the internet, social media, AI, virtual reality and all kinds of other tech breakthroughs has been cool, but as a child of the ’80s, I […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Immaculate Vibes
It’s a hot patio summer
Look, if there’s one thing that Bendites love, it’s a patio in the summer with a happy doggo, a microbrew and some delectable cuisine. In fact, patios have become so synonymous with the Central Oregon experience that you’d be hard pressed to find a spot without one that doesn’t offer some combination of good beer, […]