I think Aziz Ansari meant well when he sat down to write ”Good Fortune” and really thought he was trying to unpack the unfairness of the gig worker system in America, and how easy it is to make one or two small mistakes and end up homeless and destitute. While “Good Fortune” has some solid […]
Jared Rasic
Film critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
Posted inFilm
It’s a Block(buster) Party
Blockbuster hits middle age
I think Bendites and Central Oregonians take for granted that they live alongside the Last Blockbuster on Planet Earth. While there are still several incredible and iconic video stores across the West Coast (the dreamy “Movie Madness” in PDX and the deeply quirky and cavernous “Scarecrow Video” in Seattle are two of my favorites), our Blockbuster is a genuine Mom and […]
Posted inChow
A Diversity of Flavor
The Crown Curry instantly impresses
The first thing I noticed about The Crown Curry upon entering is the unpretentious warmth of the vibe. More than the dearly departed Nome Italiano or Balthazar’s before that, The Crown Curry has a casual peacefulness that I appreciated. It doesn’t feel stuffy inside; instead, it asks that you take a load off and relax […]
Posted inFilm
Score One For Ross and Reznor
Nine Inch Nails save Tron: Ares
The “Tron” franchise is an interesting one. The original from 1982 is groundbreaking in terms of filmmaking and special effects, but it didn’t perform well critically or financially. At the time, Disney had to write off most of the budget, and the film was seen as a failure (except by Roger Ebert!). Over the next […]
Posted inMovies
Revolution and Other Lovers
“One Battle After Another” is an instant classic
Let me get the hype out of the way right from the jump so it doesn’t seem like I’m hyperbolically gushing over this movie for too many paragraphs in a row: “One Battle After Another” isn’t simply just an instant classic (which it is). Neither is it just another great Paul Thomas Anderson movie in […]
Posted inFilm
The Best Fest in the Northwest
A quick peek at BendFilm 2025
To try and describe the exact vibe of the Bend Film Festival is nearly impossible because no two have ever been the same…and I should know because I’ve seen at least one movie at every fest since the first one in 2003. That year, I sat in a frigid Midtown Ballroom and watched a midnight […]
Posted inMovies
Post-Modern Romance
Two love stories of equal or lesser value
One of those little cliche nuggets of wisdom about cinema that people like to bandy around has been stuck in my head after watching two romances back to back this week: movies are a visual medium. Obviously, that is a true statement because the illusion of a motion picture doesn’t even work unless you are […]
Posted inCulture
The Long Walk and Other Tales
Stephen King at the movies
Reading your first Stephen King book has always seemed like a rite of passage as one transitions from reading young adult and children’s books to novels for grown-ups. The first book aimed at adults I can ever remember cracking open was King’s 1983 “Pet Semetary,” which not only scared the sweet, innocent hell out of […]
Posted inFood & Drink
What Makes a Perfect Burger
Is Killer Burger among the very best?
The thing about burgers, killer and otherwise, is that everyone seems to want something different from them. Some people want fat, thick and juicy, some want a delicate smash patty all crispy and lean, others prioritize flavor over texture and toppings, while even others realize that the true secret of the perfect hamburger lies in the […]
Posted inFilm
Based On A “True” Story
We watched nine Conjuring movies, so you don’t have to
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,” […]