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 […]
Jared Rasic
Film critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
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 […]
Posted inCulture
BendFilm Preview
The BendFilm festival begins Oct. 6. Ahead of the event, the festival asked community members to share their relationship with film. Name: Cheryl Valdez Job: Social Media Specialist / Nosler Bio: Cheryl’s a California native turned Oregon enthusiast. She manages social media strategy for local Bend business, Nosler, and prior to moving to Oregon three […]
Posted inCulture
Head in the Clouds
“Pete’s Dragon” soars
There is this running narrative in Disney films that seems to say that adventure in life is OK, but only for a bit. Then you have to cut your hair, go to school and stop wearing a loincloth all day and get prepared for student loans, mortgages and death. “Pete’s Dragon” isn’t necessarily trying to […]
Posted inCulture
A Lavash and a Bagel Walk Into a Bar
“Sausage Party” leaves a lot to chew on (sorry)
I can picture it now. Seth Rogen is in a pitch meeting with Sony and Columbia Pictures and he’s got one hell of an idea. A hard R-rated animated comedy—in the vein of Pixar and Dreamworks animated films—about anthropomorphized food people coming to terms with their grisly fate. “Deadpool” proved that a “fun” movie can […]
Posted inCulture
Stand By Me Turns 30
SW sits down with the film’s cinematographer to reminisce
Going back and re-watching movies from your childhood is mostly an exercise in futility and disappointment. As an '80s kid, it’s impossible to recapture the same magic I felt watching “The Neverending Story” or “The Golden Child” as an eight-year-old. While some of the movies I loved as a kid are still inherently “good” movies, […]
Posted inMusic
A Rock and Roll Heart
Trampled By Turtles slowly and steadily win the race
Trampled By Turtles has a bluegrass surface with rock and roll infused in every note. Straight out of Duluth, Minn., the band has released eight albums since 2004 and continues to evolve with each one. The band's most recent record, “Wild Animals” (2014), is more relaxed and haunting than what came before, and easily the […]
Posted inBest Of Central Oregon
Best Blog
1st place | Living the Bend Life
If you’re new to town and looking to discover how things work around here, Living the Bend Life is the perfect blog. It features walkthroughs of Munch and Music, Bite of Bend, art exhibitions and tons more from the eyes of someone experiencing Bend’s local scene for the first time. LtBL creator Brenda Menzel and […]
Posted inCulture
General Excitement
Silent 1926 classic, “The General,” screens with a new, live score
In case you haven’t seen it, Buster Keaton’s “The General” is one of the greatest movies ever made. No hyperbole needed or used: the movie is the pinnacle of the silent film era, combining some of the most jaw-dropping stunts and hilarious physical comedy ever captured on celluloid. To see a screening of “The General” […]
Posted inCulture
John, Paul, George and MURDER
“The Beatles Die On Tuesday” premieres at 2nd Street Theate
It’s always interesting to look back on certain moments in history and wonder what you would have done. Would you kill baby Hitler? Launch Apple a few years early? Clinton Clark’s play, “The Beatles Die On Tuesday,” takes an interesting trip through history, following an alternate timeline to its logical and powerful conclusion. “The Beatles […]
