Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Co-directors Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster) have chronicled the so-called “West Memphis Three” almost as long as the three young men at the story’s center were affixed with that unfortunate label for being accused of and convicted of killing a trio of boys in small-town Arkansas in 1993. The first…
The Viral Factor
Best known on our shores as Kato to The Green Hornet — and on others, in the likes of Kung Fu Dunk — Jay Chou stars as Jon, the International Security Affairs agent in charge of preventing disaster. In the exciting, extended prologue fueled by plenty of firepower, he takes a bullet to the head.…
The Chapman Report
Based on a novel that itself was based on Alfred Kinsey’s landmark, controversial survey of human sexuality, The Chapman Report — now on MOD DVD from Warner Archive — dramatizes the data-collection efforts of Dr. Chapman (Andrew Duggan, It’s Alive) and his assistant, Paul Radford (Efrem Zimbalist, TV’s The FBI) in one particularly prosperous California…
Juan of the Dead
As played by Alexis Díaz de Villegas, Juan is a middle-aged, self-“employed” fisherman in Cuba whose layabout life gets some much-needed excitement when zombies dissidents invade their economically ravaged, crime-ridden village. Ironically, it motivates Juan and his otherwise lazy gang, as they start a dissident-extermination business whose motto is, “We kill your loved ones.” Armed…
The hell you say
Just ask Kaitlin Nootbaar, the last academic year’s valedictorian of Prague High School. Her reference of Hades’ hangout in her valedictory address last May so irritated school administrators that they’ve withheld her diploma until she writes letters of apology to everyone short of the school’s janitorial staff. Kaitlin’s father, David Nootbaar, said he and his…
Why we need health care reform
There were more than 30 million Americans without health insurance of any kind. We spend more per capita on health care than any country on earth. The World Health Organization ranked the U.S. 37th in access/affordability/quality of health care among the nations of the world. We spend 25 percent more per capita than the country…
Stupendous sushi
Not only was it a sushi bar, it was — and is today — a really good sushi bar, and we’ve eaten lots of sushi in a lot of different places, including many in Japan. I was, frankly, shocked to see Tokyo come in third in this year’s ”Best of OKC.” Sushi Neko usually gets…
Creating violence
For years there have been groups protesting music, movies, and video games. But their arguments seem to break down over time. Remember how AC/DC was supposed to mean Anti-Christ/Devil’s Child, and the band was indoctrinating children into devil worship? Madonna’s famous onstage simulated masturbation clearly led to a rash of adolescent self-discovery. Marilyn Manson’s loud,…
Mickey and Me
On one hand, I feel like local filmmaker Mickey Reece should be run out of town. He is too talented not to be making “real” movies for a living on the coasts. On the other hand, I’d sure hate to lose him. His latest feature, Mickey and Me, premieres Saturday at City Arts Center. Musical…
Fablecar — Fablecar
“Diamond Slice” sounds like a song that Pink Floyd would have written in 1999, had the band been recording then, thanks to a “Money”-inspired groove. The following anthem, “Threes,” hits more in line with Interpol — or, maybe more appropriately, Joy Division. With the ease that it’s executed, I can only imagine this is where…
Bad traffic
Zule Farms in Lexington Credit: Mark Hancock The evidence that Mexican drug cartels are doing business in Oklahoma appears overwhelming, and while the state has not seen levels of cartel-fueled violence even close to that occurring in Mexico, the Sooner State does play an unfortunate role in the madness. Situated almost squarely in the middle…
Hard more in Ardmore
Credit: Brad Gregg When he’s not writing best-selling novels and acclaimed screenplays, McMurtry (The Last Picture Show, Lonesome Dove, Brokeback Mountain) deals in rare and used books. An Aug. 12 profile in The New York Times detailed how McMurtry was consolidating all his inventory into one store in Archer City, Texas. Such efforts required an…
Home, luxury home
Escape to the indoors and discover new ways to live in luxury. Local builders have come together to showcase the latest in building products and design trends for a tour benefitting the Variety Care Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing primary health care to low-income families. “These homes represent two versions of complete luxury for…
The girl from Madill
Credit: Brad Gregg State Sen. John Sparks, D-Norman, first met Janna Little in Boston in 1987, when he was at Harvard University and she was attending Wellesley College. The Okie expatriates became fast friends. After graduation, they wound up working together in the Washington, D.C., office of then-U.S. Rep. Bill Brewster, D-Marietta. “She is charming,…
No joke
Rapping might have started off as a joke for Oklahoma City native Waylon Clark, who performs as Warrbuckss, but he’s gotten seriously good. “I started when I was young, just freestyling to make people laugh. I would DJ house parties and rap to instrumentals for fun,” Clark said. “About three years ago, I started taking…
Tuff enuff
Few album covers capture a sound as well as King Tuff did on his self-titled disc in May: A demonic bat clutches a Gibson guitar in one claw, a wizard’s wand in the other, with “King Tuff” scrawled across the creature’s chest in a font that merges “Puff, the Magic Dragon” with The Dark Crystal.…
Getting cocky
Hey, gents: Have you ever seen a production of The Vagina Monologues and wondered why your naughty bits don’t get equal treatment onstage? Say hello to Beneath the Zipper. Using a mixture of monologues and short skits, Oklahoma playwright Robert Matson’s “theatrical celebration of the penis” will be performed at Chicago’s Fringe Festival at the…
His name is Lucca
Tony Lucca might seem like a new arrival on the scene, but he’s no stranger. The longtime singer-songwriter has made regular appearances in Oklahoma City, including numerous shows at The Blue Door (where he will return in October). But Thursday’s performance at the Coca-Cola Bricktown Events Center is his first since his run to the…
OKG7 perfect patios
Cafe do Brasil 440 N.W. 11th 525-9779 Even if it’s still warm out, the rooftop terrace catches all the cool breezes before they flutter down on to the rest of the city. Here you’ll find authentic cocktails, delicious snacks (especially its chocolate chip muffins) and usually a live performance from a local musician. Flip’s Wine…
Our feature presentation…
The first business of its kind in the city, the unique multipurpose venue at 701 W. Sheridan incorporates a cafe and movie theater in one space. The Paramount’s local owners are film enthusiasts Melodie Garneau, Becky Kephart and Helen Goulden. The trio said they’ve worked hard to create a comfortable place to foster community for…
Seasonal selections
Many area restaurants use the equinoxes and solstices as inspiration for what Jonathan Krell, executive chef at Stella Modern Italian Cuisine, 1201 N. Walker, calls “a change of palate scenery.” He is among a number of city chefs planning fall menus right now; most will change in late September. “The primary reason to change menus…
For Tim Rhodes
I practiced law for over 30 years, primarily in Oklahoma County, observing the operations of the court clerk’s office and Oklahoma County government. I feel it’s important for you to give Tim Rhodes your consideration and hopefully your vote on Tuesday for many reasons. As a Republican, you no doubt favor limited government, but you…
Race to 88
Kay Floyd Kay Floyd came in first in the Democratic primary in June, but was unable to avoid a runoff against Mike Dover, who ran second. The victor of Tuesday’s runoff will face Republican candidate Aaron Kaspereit in the Nov. 8 general election. McAffrey gave up the seat earlier this year when he won a…
Before you GoGo
In summertime, the sidewalk outside GoGo Sushi is a miniature jungle. It’s covered by a profusion of exotic tropical potted plants. Inside is a spacious dining room and long bar with stools. The theme is Asian modern, with black lacquer tables and chairs, red vinyl booths and little ceramic fish on the wall. Nestled in…
Rumble at the runoff
Credit: Brad Gregg That’s a rhetorical question, of course. The answer is: damn near everyone. When lawmaker and alleged briber Terrill, R-Moore, announced he was not running for reelection, three Republicans squared off in the June 26 primary. The results forced a Tuesday runoff in which Moore businessman Mark McBride faces Norman resident Paula Sullivan.…
Lisztomania
Almost a year after his death, Warner Archive brings one of his wildest — and that’s saying something — to a long-overdue American DVD release with 1975’s Lisztomania. Based loosely — in every sense of the word — on the life of Franz Liszt, it’s a musical comedy horror sex fantasy unlike any you’ve ever seen.…
Hell
In the bleak thriller, director/co-writer Tim Fehlbaum imagines that our world of 2016 has ceased to exist — at least as we know it. Solar storms have raised the temperature by 50? Fahrenheit — something Oklahomans currently can sympathize with — and with resources bare, society has collapsed. Sisters Marie (Hannah Herzsprung, The Reader) and…
School work
The John W. Rex Charter Elementary School is the final school that will be built through MAPS for Kids. It is a partnership between Oklahoma City Public Schools and OKC Quality Schools Inc., a nonprofit group headed by former mayor Kirk Humphreys. Oklahoma City Public Schools will apply for the school’s charter to the University…
The Liquidator
Rod Taylor (The Birds, Hotel) is Boysie Oakes, a mistaken wartime hero with a silly name, whom the Secret Service hires as an assassin. The joke is that not only does Oakes not want to become Agent L, but he doesn’t have the stomach to harm a fly. “No more romping around the mulberry bush:…
One in the Chamber
Gooding is Ray Carver, a fixer who “solves” disputes between mob families. He also narrates from the start, so you know on whose side the movie stands; however, his softly spoken platitudes like “The past is the devil. You can’t run from it. It’s always behind you” put me squarely on the opposite side. Meanwhile,…
Hercules, Samson and Ulysses / The Slave / Sandokan the Great
The appeal of 1963’s Hercules, Samson and Ulysses is right there in the title, or as the trailer puts it with caps-lock hyperbole, “THE 3 OF THEM — TOGETHER!” Here, Pietro Francisci, director of the 1958 Steve Reeves smash Hercules, marries the mythical with the biblical in joining Hercules (not Reeves, but Kirk Morris, Hercules Against the…
Blade Anime
Therefore, I should love Blade Anime. And yet, even going in with no expectations to do just that, I don’t. Worse, I didn’t even like it. Collecting all 12 episodes — each about 20 minutes — the Japanese series offers strong visuals throughout, as it uses Blade’s origin as a diving board to tell an…
The Moth Diaries
Told from the perspective of 16-year-old Becca (Sarah Bolger, The Spiderwick Chronicles, In America), it chronicles a year at Brangwyn, a private school for girls. With the help of her best friend, Lucie (Sarah Gadon, A Dangerous Method), Becca is just starting to cope with her father’s recent suicide as the semester begins. A new…
Elevator
Last year’s M. Night Shyamalan-produced Devil, right? Well, yes, but also the new-to-DVD Elevator. Whereas supernatural forces were to blame in Devil, the indie Elevator boasts something even more evil: mankind. Going up in a metal box to a corporate fundraising party are nine people, including:• the CEO (John Getz, The Social Network) and his…
