Over the past few decades, kayaking has evolved, with boats from the ’80s seeming more like relics belonging in the Smithsonian than in the river; so why shouldn’t it be expected that kayaking films also have matured into sophisticated and sleek art pieces as well? “Cascada,” one of the short films that is bundled as […]
Phil Busse
Phil Busse has done his tour of duty with alt-weeklies, starting in 1992 right after graduation from Middlebury College as the first environmental beat reporter for San Francisco Weekly. After a brief detour through the University of Oregon School of Law, Phil returned to writing as the first Managing Editor for Portland Mercury. In 2006, he started the Media Institute for Social Change in Portland, through which he continues to host a summer program teaching college students to produce documentaries.
Until he was 25 or so, Phil thought that he would be a spy, and took scuba lessons to prepare, and learned to drive a motorcycle and an 18-wheeler. Perhaps, then, it is unsurprising that his favorite holiday is the Fourth of July (he loves blowing stuff up). He feels at home with Joseph Conrad's fictional characters.
Posted inNews
Better Than Free: The Grand Anderson
Even better than free, our Grand Anderson Film Series GIVES AWAY stuff! That’s right: Come for free, leave with gifts! Like, a chocolate pig-out party at Sunriver! The Grand Anderson (showing “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Wedn. 7 pm, Old Stone Church)
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What In The (Olympic) World?
Is anything else happening in the world right now beside Sochi? The biggest protest of the Games were yesterday. No, not about gay rights. But about hockey, as frustrated Russian fans chanted outside the US Embassy about a disallowed goal, as if the US diplomats had anything to do with the referee. Also, showing emotion, […]
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Taking Shape
Bend cultural tourism fund forms
In November, voters approved Ballot Measure 9-94. That measure approved a bump in the fees charged to visitors staying in City of Bend hotels and resorts from 9 to 10.4 percent. It is a modest increase—especially considering that the so-called Transient Room Tax rate hasn’t increased in Bend since 2003, while cities like Portland and […]
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Skiing Loves Me; Skiing Loves Me Not
Breaking up with a sport can be hard to do
They were only four years apart as the icons of two Winter Olympics, but the speedskater Eric Heiden and downhill racer Bill Johnson could not be any more different. In 1980, Heiden, covered toe to head in a gold skintight suit, dominated the speed skating track at Lake Placid. He had declared he would win […]
Posted inCulture
No Mickey Mouse Films Here
Animated shorts is the Oscar’s most imaginative category
Last year, Disney won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film with “Paperboy,” a short, visually pleasing and, not surprisingly, predictable, easy-to-like, love story. It beat out other clever entries from much smaller crews, like “Fresh Guacamole,” a quick-witted visual treat from a one-man animating team. It hardly seems fair. Again, this year, Disney has […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Pour Me Another!
Watch the Olympics at The Pour House Grill and drink up
“This is a bad place for a diet,” the top of the menu at the Pour House Grill announces. It is a fair warning, with the rest of the menu listing choices of ribs, chicken wings, piled-high burgers and other offerings of meat slathered in various rich barbecue sauces. There is a brief section for […]
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A free wedding cake. Seriously!
Yes, you and yours CAN have your cake for free – and eat it! Sweet and Swanky Cakes has generously put up the offer to make a cake for someone’s upcoming wedding: Find out the rules for entry. And good luck!
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Is “Drone” a Dirty Word?
A new world takes (unmanned) flight
In 1959, a year before Bono was born, U-2 was the name for a classified, unmanned plane that flew past the Iron Curtain and across the restricted airspace in the Soviet Union. Concerned about sending pilots into hostile air space, the US Air Force launched a program—code name “Red Wagon”—to send “unmanned aerial vehicle”—or, what […]
Posted inCulture
Short, But Powerful
Tin Pan Screens Oscar Nominated Short Films
Short stories are a different creature, with quicker, more nimble storylines than their feature length counterparts, and often populated with instantly dynamic characters. Without time to meander, the narratives and characters often spring right into action, hurtling directly toward the conclusion. They are exciting, punchy creations. The short film category—including live action, animation, and documentary—also […]
