Here we are, smack dab in the middle of winter—a time when many people are snapping on their bindings and winter gear to ski, snowboard or snowshoe. Meanwhile, others look for warmer and less-physical ways to break our legs. High stakes poker with the Russian mob, perhaps? Based on the trippingly-titled memoir, “Molly’s Game: From […]
Film
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So Many Movies, So Little Time
A look at the films of 2018
Surprisingly, last year turned out to be the best year for films in recent memory. From lovingly crafted indies such as “Lady Bird” to the challenging and eye-popping spectacle of “War for the Planet of the Apes” — 2017 gave us some all-timers. Obviously, it’s too soon to tell whether 2018 will be just as […]
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Top 10 Films of the Year
An amazing year, at least in film.
This is the hardest it has ever been for me to come up with a Top 10 Films list. The year 2017 will be remembered as the finest year for cinema of the new century (alongside 2007, which brought us “There Will Be Blood,” “No Country for Old Men” and “Zodiac,” among others). This year […]
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The Best of Pop Culture
Top Ten shows of 2017
This week in a very special May the Source Be With You, we’re sharing some of our favorite things over the past year. It’s December. We make lists in December. It’s just how it goes. In Pod We Trust: There are so many podcasts now that’s it’s genuinely impossible to listen to them all. I […]
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Return of the Space Wizards
"The Last Jedi" defies expectations
Audiences are going to hate “The Last Jedi” because of “The Force Awakens.” Even though “TFA” gave us interesting new characters including Rey, Finn, Kylo and Poe, it was still designed specifically (and expertly) around capturing an audience’s nostalgia. The story for “TFA” was so similar to “A New Hope” that it almost plays as […]
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Words for Willis
Local filmmaker goes hollywood
I met Nicolas Mezzanatto through a mutual friend. He had just moved to Bend and was looking for someone to write movies with. We struck up an instant partnership that’s been one of the best working relationships of my life. While we were writing together, he would periodically update me on another project he was […]
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The Room with a View
Oh, Hai James Franco
There’s this word that I love which I never use because when I do I sound like a pretentious ass. The word is schadenfreude, which basically means taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune. Unless you’re a full-blown sociopath, schadenfreude comes when witnessing someone who has either wronged you or someone you care about “getting what […]
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Play Through the Pain
Three Billboards paints a darkly hilarious picture
I am not what you would call an unbiased observer when it comes to the work of Martin McDonagh. He’s responsible for my favorite play ever written, “The Pillowman,” which I’ve driven several hours to see performed live and also directed locally. I’ve seen his show “A Behanding in Spokane,” on Broadway during its original […]
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A Bingeworthy Winter
“Dirty John,” “Game of Thrones” and addictive German TV
Welcome back, everyone! We took a few weeks off because of all the exciting movies coming out, but it’s time to dive back in to all things bingeable. In Pod We Trust: It’s been a while since we’ve looked at some of the brand spanking new podcasts, and it’s downright intimidating how many there are […]
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Coco = The Little Death
Pixar succeeds in spite of Disney
You can be around 35 minutes late to see “Coco” if you want. No need to rush through the concessions line or have the grandparents hurry up and get out of the car, because there’s a secret waiting for you once you get into the theater: Every Pixar movie has a short animated film that […]
