Before we get into the review proper, I thought I would state the obvious. All criticism is subjective. Just because I think one of the best films of the year so far is a flick about a sausage trying to have sex, find God and dose humanity with bath salts doesn’t mean everyone else will […]
Jared Rasic
Film critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
Posted inCulture
Ain’t No Party Like a Small Batch Party
Little Woody has aged to perfection
Way back when, The Little Woody started with a small group of local brewers getting together to share the barrel-aged beers they were producing. The small batches of brew were made as a way to celebrate craft brewing as an art form, back when every element of beer culture wasn’t soaked up by the general […]
Posted inMusic
So Many Keyboards
Headwaves is coming for us all
You probably haven’t heard of Seattle’s Headwaves, but you will. The four-piece’s mix of dreamy fuzz pop and synth-heavy, vocal-driven soundscapes will nail the pleasure points of fans of acts like “Portugal. The Man,” and “Beach House.” Their debut record will be released in October after they tour the West Coast spreading their delightfully modern, […]
Posted inMusic
Not Folking Around
The 21st Annual Sisters Folk Festival arrives
The Sisters Folk Festival has come a long way since its inception in 1995. For one, the number of bands and popularity of the acts has grown considerably. Eleven venues from all over Sisters participate—and this year included—the festival sells out weeks before the event. Central Oregon might have several music festivals throughout the year, […]
Posted inCulture
BendFilm Profile
The BendFilm festival begins Oct. 6. Ahead of the event, the festival asked community members to share their relationship with film. Ryan Tennant Job: Starbucks Barista Bio: Ryan is a recently graduated biology student from the University of Oregon. He is a recently promoted Starbucks shift manager, as well as working with one of his […]
Posted inCulture
The Death of the American Dream
“Hell Or High Water” is a funeral march for the West
There’s a moment early on in “Hell or High Water” in which two Texas Rangers are driving through the West Texas countryside headed to a crime scene. A large brushfire has taken control in the fields and a group of middle-aged cowboys are herding some cows across the road, away from the burning plains. When […]
Posted inCulture
How Horror Got Its Groove Back
“Don’t Breathe” lives up to the title
Growing up, I thought it was really easy to make a horror movie. Just a few gallons of blood, a tall chap in a mask with something sharp, some screaming teenagers running around hoping for the best, and you’re good. Sadly, as I’ve gotten older I’ve needed a bit more from my horror films. Don’t […]
Posted inNews
RIP Gene Wilder
“Nowhere special. I always wanted to go there.” This year has been a terrible one when it comes to the deaths of beloved actors, musicians, writers and athletes that shaped our lives. David Bowie, Ali, Prince, Alan Rickman, Harper Lee, Phife Dawg, Garry Shandling, Michelle McNamara, Anton Yelchin, Elie Wiesel, Michael Cimino, Garry Marshall and […]
Posted inCulture
No Strings Attached
Oregon’s Laika Studio delivers a melancholy masterwork
By the end of the year, there will most likely be at least three American animated films on my Best Films of 2016 list. “Finding Dory,” “Sausage Party,” “Kung Fu Panda 3,” “Zootopia” and now “Kubo and the Two Strings” have all been wonderfully entertaining works—and we still have a few more probable greats to […]
Posted inCulture
Morality Fail
“War Dogs” is fun and forgettable
Back in the 1950s and 1960s, studios would release films specifically designated as “Morality Tales.” They were films that existed to show American audiences characters who were rough around the edges, given a choice between doing the right thing and the easy thing. As American filmmaking entered the glorious mid-’60s, characters took on the anti-hero […]
