Sci-Fi
Rod Lott
Cinema’s current master of disaster, Roland Emmerich (2012), produced but did not write or direct Hell, a post- apocalyptic film smaller in scope than what the man is used to, yet better crafted.
Monday 20 May
OKG Newsletter
Topic: torrent
Hell
The future’s so bleak, I gotta wear shades.
Lisztomania
Sex, symphonies and slapstick — all key to Ken Russell’s cult classic.
Comedy
Rod Lott
Ken Russell was either a genius or a madman, but more likely both. The iconoclastic filmmaker made movies that were loved by many — Tommy, Altered States, The Devils, Crimes of Passion — but despised by many, many more. Regardless of your opinion of them, one cannot deny they are different.
Fablecar — Fablecar
Rock
Joshua Boydston
Yukon’s Fablecar seems to have emerged from whatever year the Pixies and U2 would have crossed paths with David Bowie. It’s a big, ambitious, self-titled debut, one that stands tall more often than falling flat. Even the missteps are forgivable, as it’s refreshing to hear a young band take a swing at something wholly original.
Tuff enuff
After working on others’ projects, Kyle Thomas is focused on the garage rock of his own King Tuff.
Music
Joshua Boydston
King Tuff with Audacity
9 p.m. Wednesday
Opolis
113 N. Crawford, Norman
opolis.org
820-0951
$10
No joke
Warrbuckss’ early foray into hip-hop might have been a gag, but these days, his rap is serious business.
Music
Joshua Boydston
Warrbuckss with Joe Average, Kneighbourhood, Myke Brown and more
9 p.m. Friday
The Dugout Bar & Grill
10909 N. May
751-0700
$5
Juan of the Dead
Experience the Cuban gristle crisis.
Comedy
Rod Lott
Don't call them "zombies" — call them "dissidents." That's one of a few well-aimed bits of political satire that populate the Spanish-language romp Juan of the Dead, but worry not: They're used sparingly and none come heavy-handed — a Castro polemic, this isn't.
The Chapman Report
The women of 'The Chapman Report' are as uncomfortable talking about sex as they are having it.
Drama
Rod Lott
Judging by the 1962 portrayed by The Chapman Report, everybody smoked cigarettes, LPs of poetry readings were a hot commodity, and the female orgasm had yet to be invented. While this film from legendary old-Hollywood director George Cukor (My Fair Lady) was determined to be earnest and serious in its time, it's quite a hoot today.
The Viral Factor
Warning: This Asian actioner can be infectious.
Action
Rod Lott
Directed by Dante Lam (The Stool Pigeon), the action-thriller The Viral Factor revolves around the world’s last two surviving samples of the smallpox virus, one of which is an arm’s length away from being used to develop a biological weapon to unleash of five of the world’s seven continents.
Dexter: The Sixth Season
Six years down ... and still killer.
Television series
Rod Lott
Sins and sons — those are the driving themes for the sixth season of Dexter, arguably the anchor of the Showtime cable network. Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall in his Golden Globe-winning role) is a Miami Metro PD forensics analyst who moonlights as a serial killer of serial killers.
The Heineken Kidnapping
'Heineken? F**k that s**t! Pabst! Blue! Ribbon!'
Thriller
Rod Lott
Beer brewing can be a risky business. Consider Alfred Heineken: In 1983, the CEO of the Dutch corporation that bears his name was kidnapped and held for a sizable ransom, all of which is dramatized in the near-epic film The Heineken Kidnapping. It's more engrossing than its generic title lets on.
