When I was in fifth grade, my mom got married to a man with two boys—one my own age and one several years older. We all moved to a big ranch house with a barn and an old Quonset hut filled with bits of scrap metal, broken records and cobwebs. My older step-brother moved out […]
Film
Posted inCulture
Skate or Die
Mid90s beautifully captures an era
They don’t put an exact date on when “Mid90s” is set, but based on the music and some of the clothes, I’m guessing it’s either 1994 or 1995. I was 14. The main character in this film that represents Jonah Hill’s filmmaking debut is 13, thus making the movie one of the most personal experiences […]
Posted inCulture
Does First Man Have the Right Stuff?
Baby Goose in space
Some film critics judge a movie based on what they want it to be, as opposed to what made it onto the screen. Yes, it’s easy to spot missed opportunities, shaky structure and sloppy characterization, but the real central tenet of any kind of criticism should center around whether the artist achieved their vision…whether that […]
Posted inCulture
May the Source Be with You: Halloween edition
I have a bit of an obsession with the macabre year-round, so using Halloween as an excuse to talk about scary stuff is a bit disingenuous. Still, I’ll take what I can get. There are so many different sub-genres of horror that people with a deep aversion to, say, clowns, can avoid Pennywise and all of […]
Posted inCulture
Speaking to the Artist’s Heart
Three films from BendFilm that speak to the artist’s experience, and how to get them post-festival
It may seem strange to tell you about films that played last weekend at BendFilm, but these three films speak deeply to the artist’s experience of commerce, inspiration and the changing role artists play in the world. Plus, you can still access them. “The Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin,” a documentary from first-time filmmaker […]
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Pulpiest Fiction
The El Royale is worth checking into, mostly
I don’t blame “Bad Times at the El Royale” for my inflated and impossible expectations, but I’m tempted to try anyway. I’m what some may call a mega-fan of writer-director Drew Goddard, the man responsible for some of my favorite episodes of “Lost,” “Buffy” and “Alias,” as well as the deeply misunderstood “Cabin in the Woods.” […]
Posted inCulture
Hardy-Har-Har
Venom bites off more than it can chew
I‘ll sometimes bend over backward to justify why a bad movie is entertaining and worth a viewing. Bad acting, clunky writing or flat direction can all be forgiven if the film is unintentionally hilarious or shows signs of something good buried beneath all of the awful. “Venom” manages to be boring, exciting, terrible, brilliant hot […]
Posted inCulture
A Star is Reborn
Gaga and Cooper make beautiful music together
It’s that feeling. For some people it comes from a song lyric or a passage from a book that feels so authentically human that it reminds us we’re all a part of a greater whole. It’s a feeling that makes incredibly personal art feel universal. As the closing credits for “A Star is Born” started […]
Posted inCulture
A Schedule to Die For
A film geek’s guide to BendFilm
It doesn’t matter how well you plan your schedule at a film festival, because there’s always something interesting you’re going to miss. Any good fest will have a program so pregnant with choices that even if you plan everything down to the second, there’s just no way to see it all, even if you skip […]
Posted inCulture
Tonight! The First Oregon-only Backcountry Snowboarding Film
Tower Theatre hosts “Low Pressure,” featuring stellar local athletes
It’s no secret that Central Oregon has more than its fair share of stellar athletes in many sporting categories—including a host of awesome snowboarders who live for nothing more than a steady diet of fresh powder in the backcountry. Some of those athletes will be on display in the new all-Oregon backcountry snowboard film—the first […]
