Among the pop-culture treasures of Mad magazine is its venerable “Spy vs. Spy” series. With its two saboteurs hell-bent on doing each other in, the comic strip is a wry send-up of dastardly high-tech espionage. “Despicable Me,” a new computer-generated, 3-D animated movie that involves a pair of adversarial supervillains, is at its best when […]
Phil Bacharach
Posted inMusic
With ‘The Last Airbender,’ M. Night Shyamalan makes what may be his worst film yet
Chunks of “The Last Airbender” are so spellbindingly awful, they approach a perverse kind of majesty. Larded with incomprehensible storytelling, flimsy characterization and dialogue so groan-inducing, it makes George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequels look like David Mamet, the movie’s missteps brush the heights of what might have been campy appeal. Alas, even those comparatively fun […]
Posted inMusic
Smart, witty and emotional, ‘Toy Story 3’ continues Pixar’s amazing winning streak
When it comes to movies, three is not typically a magic number. And so a bit of trepidation was natural when approaching “Toy Story 3.” The previous two entries in the franchise are in the rarified air of masterpieces. “Toy Story 3” has tough acts to follow. If anyone can prove the skeptics wrong, however, […]
Posted inMusic
Jackie Chan almost kicks new life into the 1980s remake ‘The Karate Kid’
Whether the world needed a new “Karate Kid,” however, is debatable. The original, where Ralph Macchio’s bullied teen was taken under the wing of a martial-arts sensei played by Pat Morita, was agreeably schmaltzy. Its patchwork of clichés — teen outcast, a wise mentor, the big match — proved as irresistible as it was shameless. […]
Posted inMusic
Letters to Juliet’ is pretty … and pretty superficial
“Letters to Juliet” opens with shots of kisses taken from classical paintings and vintage photos, a montage proudly proclaiming its chick-flick romantic-comedy bona fides. It also serves notice not to expect much in the way of sophistication, invention or emotional depth. That’s not necessarily a criticism. Romcoms aren’t exactly renowned for edginess, and “Letters to […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Road
A great work of literature doesn’t usually translate into a great movie. The language of cinema relies on externals as seen through the eye of a camera. It’s a far cry from the written word, which tends to be more internal and malleable to the interpretations of the reader. That difference is one reason why […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A Serious Man
Did I mention that “A Serious Man” is a comedy? The rap on the Coen brothers (“No Country for Old Men,” “Burn After Reading”) has long been that they’re gifted filmmakers, but hobbled by a sadistic streak with their characters. That criticism is unlikely to be dispelled by “A Serious Man,” a comedy so pitch-black, […]
Posted inMusic
Dionne Warwick ‘Walks on By’ Norman casino
A bona fide diva and five-time Grammy winner Dionne Warwick takes the stage at Norman’s Riverwind Casino on Friday. In the 1960s, her sophisticated but heartfelt vocal stylings made her a favorite of the powerhouse songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Warwick’s first hit with the pair came in 1962 with “Don’t Make […]
Posted inMusic
Dionne Warwick ‘Walks on By’ Norman casino
A bona fide diva and five-time Grammy winner Dionne Warwick takes the stage at Norman’s Riverwind Casino on Friday. In the 1960s, her sophisticated but heartfelt vocal stylings made her a favorite of the powerhouse songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Warwick’s first hit with the pair came in 1962 with “Don’t Make […]
Posted inNews
Reaching a critical mass with veteran film critic
Doug Bentin has been an Oklahoma Gazette contributor for more than 20 years, nearly a decade of that as a weekly film critic. He watches seven to 10 movies a week. Often curiously contrary, his reviews are endlessly entertaining and almost always unpredictable. Almost. “I’ve been accused of adoring ‘spectacle movies,’ but that isn’t entirely […]