Wednesday 19 Jun
 
 

Kanye West — Yeezus

Try as you might, but there’s no escaping Kanye West. Turn on the TV, radio, computer — hell, take a stroll downtown and you might see his mug projected on the side of a building. It’s an undeniable fact of life in 2013: Kanye West is bigger than Buddha, Krishna and The Beatles (today, anyway) and he’ll be the first to let you know about it.
06/18/2013 | Comments 0

John Moreland — In the Throes

With the soul of a poet and the look of a Sons of Anarchy extra, Tulsa’s John Moreland has been gifted the sort of gravely, booming voice that does Bruce Springsteen proud and a similar understanding of the universal human experience. It’s made for some fantastic records — both as a solo artist and with his dissolved Black Gold Band — and In the Throes is his best yet.
06/19/2013 | Comments 0

Jumpship Astronaut — Lights Burn Out

Oklahoma has never been the haven for electronic rock music that it is for country, folk and, as of late, psychedelic pop, but from the sound of Lights Burn Out, Oklahoma City upstart Jumpship Astronaut seems intent on changing that.
06/12/2013 | Comments 0

Various artists — Reaching Out

Like so many Oklahomans, the local music scene has responded with generosity and grace in the wake of last month’s tragedy in Moore. In the weeks since, droves of local musicians have banded together for benefit concerts and radio marathons to raise funds for the relief effort, and with extraordinary results.
06/04/2013 | Comments 0

Progress in Color — Get Well

It’s been a long, bumpy ride for Glenpool’s Progress in Color, which saw a record deal with Epic evaporate before even one record could come of it, but it’s led the outfit to where it was supposed to be.
06/04/2013 | Comments 0
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A classic comic strip brought to life, 'Marmaduke' is one lame Great Dane that should be put down


Doug Bentin June 17th, 2010

So I'm sitting there, no child to guide me, watching "Marmaduke" and thinking that the picture will satisfy its demographic " a group I won't define, because you know who you are and I don't want to u...

marmaduke
So I'm sitting there, no child to guide me, watching "Marmaduke" and thinking that the picture will satisfy its demographic " a group I won't define, because you know who you are and I don't want to upset you so much that you can't color within the lines anymore. And then something happened, and my critical generosity vaporized. More on that later.

Based on a newspaper comic that has been bringing smiles to the faces of the easily amused since 1954, "Marmaduke" follows the Winslow family as they move to California from Kansas. Father Phil (Chickasha native Lee Pace, "A Single Man") has taken a job as head of marketing for an organic dog-food company owned by Don Twombly (William H. Macy, "The Tale of Despereaux"). He has only a few days to get the product on the shelves of every PETCO store in America.

Phil's kids pay no attention to him. His teen daughter, Barbara (newcomer Caroline Sunshine) hates leaving her BFFs in Kansas. She's such a snotty little jerk, you'd think she'd fit right into the SoCal teen scene. Mom Debbie (Judy Greer, "27 Dresses"), in true sitcom fashion, is the voice of patience and reason.

The family's 200-pound Great Dane, Marmaduke, narrates the story, and his adventures mirror those of Barbara. Because of his size, the neighborhood canines think he's a freak. He has to hang out with the dog losers, mainly a tomboy named Mazie (Emma Stone, "Zombieland") and a too-smart-for-school mutt named Raisin (Steve Coogan, "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief"). The cool dogs in the park are the bully, Bosco (Kiefer Sutherland, TV's "24"); his vain girlfriend, Jezebel (Stacy Ferguson, "Nine"); and his hangers-on, Thunder and Lightning (Damon Wayans Jr. and Marlon Wayans, "Dance Flick"). When the cool dogs find out that Marmaduke lives with a cat named Carlos (George Lopez, "Valentine's Day"), his stock falls faster than BP's.

If you're over the age of 7, the storyline is painfully predictable, but my guess is that it would all work for the tots. There really isn't anything here for older kids, and adults might as well buy a ticket to stare at a blank screen.

As the voice of Marmaduke, Owen Wilson ("Fantastic Mr. Fox") has to carry the movie, and he does his job well. He has always had a likable quality to his voice, and never sounded like one of those actors who really has to work hard to not sound like an actor. In fact, the whole cast is good, although I'm getting tired of Lopez's second-rate Cheech Marin shtick.

It's at the film's conclusion that director Tom Dey ("Failure to Launch") made the fatal error of turning to the CGI team loose to force all the dog characters to dance in sync to The Romantics' "What I Like About You." It's ghastly and completely out of character for the movie we've just seen.

Even the kids in the audience didn't laugh, and it was the deal-breaker for me. "Doug Bentin
 
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
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