There’s something impossible to explain about the magic of a film festival, and while watching movies with the artists who made them is part of it, it comes down to the personal moments even more. Every year I say something along the lines of, “Oh, this was by far the best year,” but I can’t […]
Film
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Four Days/100+Movies: Bend Film Festival and You
Choose-Your-Own-Schedule
For the last few years, I’ve been writing a mock schedule in the Source Weekly for the four days of the Bend Film Festival, and how I would circumnavigate the fest if I wasn’t working at the beautiful behemoth. But I’ve been doing it wrong. Instead of writing about what I would be going to […]
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Central Oregon's Premiere Arts Event Returns
BendFilm Festival celebrates its 20th
I’ve been writing about the BendFilm Festival for a decade, but, in the spirit of complete transparency, this year I’ve had more of a behind-the-scenes role than ever before. The year 2023 marks the 20th annual BendFilm Festival, and I think I’ve seen at least one movie at every fest since the inaugural year, watching […]
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California by Way of Afghanistan
Fremont is a low-key gem
What do you want from the movies you watch? Do you watch films to gain a deeper understanding of the human condition? Do you treat cinema like it’s an art form worthy of dissection and in-depth examination of the deeper ideas and themes? Or are movies just a way to be transported out of your […]
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Fight Clubs, Literary Detectives, Aliens and More
Four theatrical movies across two days
I haven’t been to the movie theater in weeks (damn you, COVID), so this weekend I went to four flicks across Saturday and Sunday. I love the chaos of packing as many different movies into a short period of time as possible because I find that mainlining so many varied emotions and confronting myself with a […]
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May the Source Be With You: September Edition
Crossing the Streams of Netflix, Peacock, Disney and more
For last month’s May the Source Be With You column, I gave you some ways to become less overwhelmed by the sheer staggering number of podcasts and tips to cut through the noise and find the ones you actually want to enjoy. It’s even harder when trying to parse what to watch on streaming services, […]
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Oldboy, Parasite, Burning and So Much More
A Look at the South Korean New Wave
Last weekend, Tin Pan Theater opened the 20th Anniversary, 4K remaster of “Oldboy,” the movie that got me irrevocably obsessed with the cinema of South Korea. To this day, “Oldboy” remains one of the finest revenge thrillers of all time. Neon rereleasing it in 2023 is brilliant, as it’s the perfect time for modern audiences […]
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The Cold-One Canon
Movies to drink by
If you’re reading this, then you probably know that Bend is basically Beertown, USA. Between Deschutes, Bend Brewing Company, Silver Moon, McMenamins, 10 Barrel, Boneyard, GoodLife, Ale Apothecary, Crux, Worthy, Oblivion, Bridge 99, RiverBend, Monkless, Craft, Kobold, Immersion, Spider City, Bevel, Boss Rambler, Van Henion (and other Central Oregon favorites like Cascade Lakes, Sunriver Brewing, […]
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Extraterrestrial Ideas
One genre, endless stories
This weekend I went to two movies that on the surface are both about aliens, but honestly could not have been more different. One is a blockbuster DC Comics movie, while the other is an absurdest arthouse genre bender, yet both are attempting to do different things with a genre that has been pretty stagnant […]
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Dracula and Other Monsters
Having a bloody good time with vampires
I went to the movies this weekend specifically to watch and review, “The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” a new vampire flick based on “The Captain’s Log” chapter from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” The film is solid, if unremarkable, with a few good scares and a pretty disturbing design for Dracula himself, but there isn’t much more […]