Woody wagon
Instead, Mr. Lott appears to have phoned in a meta-review, a review of a review. Less of an examination of the film itself, Mr. Lott chose to devote much of his column for lobbing thinly veiled barbs in the form of unsourced reviews, generalizations and his own insecurities about Mr. Allen, his reputation and his…
‘Chain’ reaction
Regarding “Why chains suck” (Jenny Coon Peterson, June 15, Gazette), I haven’t quite broken the habit of eating at chain restaurants, but I’m getting close. The trouble lies when my buddies from EdmondRunWalk.org and I are finished with our Sunday morning excursion. No local coffee and bagel places are open at 7 a.m. We like…
Adam and Eve 101
It should first be explained how mankind multiplied from the Garden of Eden. Genesis is fascinating, and the story about the first family is thumbsup. So, for those who want to see creationism taught, they certainly must agree to begin with the “beginning”: Adam and Eve 101. In the beginning era, Adam and Eve had…
Trailers from Hell! Volume Two
It’s a deliriously entertaining collection of 20 coming attractions from yesteryear, delivered with intro and commentary by B moviemakers who love B movies. While born from the website created by director Joe Dante (“Gremlins,” “Piranha”), these are original to this Shout! Factory disc, so you’re not paying for something you can see for free (although…
Deliver Us from Evil
The script establishes an interesting dichotomy of two brothers who share nothing beyond blood and a last name. Johannes (Lasse Rimmer) is a happy, successful family man; Lars (Jensen Andersen) is a good-for-nothing truck driver and effed-up model of domestic disturbance. Just how effed-up is what gives “Evil” its initial drive. Driving carelessly on his…
Wild Cherry
That moment occurs when lead character Helen (Tania Raymonde, TV’s “Lost”) begins to masturbate in the kitchen with a carrot before giving up in frustration. The second she leaves it carelessly on the counter, you just know her single dad (Rob Schneider, “Grown Ups”) is going to eat it. Cut to: He’s making a salad!…
The Nesting
According to the trailers and TV spots in the extras, “it’s the terror that hides inside your mind” — oh, OK, that clears it up. It matters not, because it’s a good movie, dangerously low IMDb rating be damned. The Gothic ghost story with then-newfangled slasher elements looks great on Blu-ray, which is more than…
June tunes
It’s hard to emerge from the shadow of a legend, but Murali Coryell has made peace with the fact that his father is famed blues guitarist Larry Coryell. “He does things I can’t do. I do things he can’t do. We’re equal. So let’s play together!” the younger Coryell said. And they will, as both…
The Tree of Life
The latest work from notoriously deliberative writer/director Terrence Malick (“The New World”) is, by turns, ambitious and audacious, bold and bewildering. Not many pictures are so adventurous, pretentious and/or flatout ballsy — take your pick — as to interrupt its principal story to reveal the origin of the cosmos, but “Tree” does just that. It…
Make Merry
After a sojourn last summer in Bicentennial Park during major construction at its home theater, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park has returned to the Myriad Botanical Gardens Water Stage. This homecoming’s a welcome return. Moving to the Water Stage three years ago is the best thing that ever happened to OSP, and once the kinks…
Two-carb Garage
That’s the question the minds behind The Garage, 307 E. Main, faced when formulating the idea for a new bar and hamburger grill in the college town. They opted for something familiar but entirely new. “It’s not the run-of-the-mill hamburger joint or sports bar,” said Dustin Wall, general manager. “You can take a look around…
The Gardes — Make Out the Sound
If you chuckled just now, you have the right sense of humor to enjoy the goofy, low-key songs contained in “Make Out the Sound.” Its nine, seemingly off-the-cuff performances are marked by low-to-mid-fi acoustic guitar, tambourine and a general feel of gleeful subversion, making early Mountain Goats and They Might Be Giants equally effective RIYLs.…
Brine solution
Norman native Brine Webb’s debut album, “O You, Stone Changeling,” wasn’t a lifelong process, but it was pretty damn close. “It’s taken forever to do. It’s obscene,” Webb said. “For basically my entire adult life, I’ve been working on this project that should have taken six months … I was squandering all my time. That’s…
Calling it quits
All this happened on June 15, the date Oklahoma Gazette published exclusive excerpts of her new book, which has the mouthful title of “The Stoning of Sally Kern: The Liberal Attack on Christian Conservatism — and Why We Must Take a Stand.” Saving you from spending $14.84 (it is a recession, after all), the article…
The spat patrol
Jerry Seinfeld’s “The Marriage Ref” is an original game-show idea, beautifully executed. A panel of funny judges insert themselves into a marital spat, offering opinions on which spouse is right. The winner in each episode gets $25,000, plus a billboard proclaiming that he or she “was right.” The scenario offers a pretext for the comedians…
Take a near-cation
A full quarter of travelers plan to take a “near-cation” — that is, to stay close to home. The Cambria Suites survey found that 93 percent of those travelers cited money-related reasons for doing so. Not surprisingly, prices at the pump remain a key element in determining vacation plans, with 56 percent citing rising fuel…
Canadian independence
With Cody Canada’s name now on the marquee, one might think it would put more pressure on the leader of reddirt favorite Cross Canadian Ragweed, which went on indefinite hiatus. Instead, it’s been quite the opposite. “There’s a lot more freedom. I’m not singing all the songs, and I’m not playing on the leads. It’s…
Heading out
People: Take your damn vacations. We’re all a lot happier for it. It doesn’t matter if you’re heading to Thailand or just a time-share in Texas: Vacation is important. Also important? Packing right. I have become a pro at packing smart and light over the years. Seriously, it’s not cute when you overpack; it’s annoying.…
‘Oliver!’ twist
Lyric Theatre kicks off its summer run at the Civic Center Music Hall this week with “Oliver!” Based on Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist,” this musical adaptation tells the story of the young orphan who escapes the misery of a workhouse by joining a group of pickpockets. The production is being helmed by Michael Baron, Lyric’s…
Saturday brunch
Sunday, for whatever reason, seems to be the de facto day of the week for brunch. Yet, there is no rule for why it must be Sunday. People eat on Saturdays too, after all, and many have the day off, making a couple of glasses of wine at brunch a lovely way to kick off…
Penthouse pizza
It fits right in on the hip Classen Curve, with Whole Foods under construction across the street and the attractive, blocks-long Chesapeake Energy campus on view from the dining room. Nichols Hills’ ladies who lunch barely get the Jaguar warmed up driving here. Once inside, trendy goes into overdrive. It’s one big asymmetrical room, with…
Church abuses
Jezior, who moved to Oklahoma City from Ohio last year, is the founder of the metro’s Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) chapter. Ironically, the group’s first meeting last week was scheduled on the day the nation’s Catholic bishops were in Seattle to discuss revisions to the church’s policy on protection of minors.…
!Women Art Revolution
Pop quiz, hotshot: Can you name three female artists? If you can’t immediately, there’s a good reason: Because for the near-entirety of our nation’s history, they’ve been denigrated, rather than displayed. It took a transformative, feminist movement known as Women Artists in Revolution birthed in the late 1960s to change that, and documentarian Lynn Hershman-…
Disney channel
He uses photographs he has taken as inspiration. He shoots while traveling the national festival circuit because, wherever the good weather and art goes, he goes. The Czech Republic, England and Australia are a few of his many destinations, but he always remembers his Oklahoma roots. “I want to be more Oklahoma-focused,” Disney said. “Cityscapes”…
Near-‘Midnight’ movie
VZD’s Restaurant & Club, 4200 N. Western, hopes to change all that starting Friday night with the first-ever “The Midnight Movie at VZD’s” event. The screening is free. Appropriately enough, the inaugural film even has “Midnight” in its title: “15 Till Midnight,” an independent, R-rated, sci-fi film released last year. Made for an estimated $200,000,…
Get proud
Everyone loves The Pointer Sisters. Gay, straight, Republican, Democrat, Christian, atheist — no one is immune to the trio’s intoxicatingly upbeat pop/R&B stylings. OKC Pride is banking on the diverse drawing power of the sibling act, as well as comedian Ant, to bring swarms of Oklahomans across the sociopolitical spectrum to the gay district for…
Join the circus
Running Thursday through Sunday at Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, “Barnum 200” features 130 performers, including nearly 100,000 pounds of elephants. Joe Frisco Jr. has handled pachyderms professionally for five years, having grown up around them in Peoria, Ill. “I’m a third-generation elephant presenter and handler,” Frisco said, “and with my three kids, that…
Rock for the causes
First, on Friday, $5 or five nonperishable food items get you into “Bands for Cans,” a Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma benefit at Campus Corner’s 747, 747 Asp in Norman. On the 8 p.m.-to-midnight bill are Red Hot Iguanas, Skating Polly, Trent Tiger of Left Foot Sally, Meant 2 Be, The Fixin’s, A.Dd+, a Willie…
Doctor’s orders
Ben Franklin once said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and local orthopedic surgeon Dr. John F. Tompkins II agrees. He completed his first book, “An Ounce of Prevention: The Truth About Our Health,” with the help of his father, the late S. Fulton Tompkins, who was also a surgeon.…
Bite size
Your top-notch restaurants: “American — Cattlemen’s; Asian — Fung’s Kitchen; Mexican — Mama Roja; and Indian — Gopuram.” Favorite comfort food: “Rice, especially the rice served at Cafe do Brasil.” Favorite cocktails: “The caipirinha, also served at Cafe do Brasil, and the Persephone at the Paseo (Grill).” Culinary stars you would love to meet: “Rick…
smag 7
Just a piece, please Think you know pizza? Consider this: In Japan, pizza fans may put squid or sweet corn on their pie, and in India, the choice may be pickled ginger, minced mutton or tofu. Guess we’ll stick with our gooey, messy, pepperoni-and-cheese pizza, the No. 1 choice of many hungry Oklahomans. —Carol Smaglinski,…
Hard-core hydration
When it’s hot, the body sweats more to help cool itself, and depending on the temperature and humidity, sometimes it’s hard to tell how much you are perspiring. Relying on thirst alone isn’t enough, said David Roush, COO of Next Level Nutrition in Oklahoma City. To keep muscles healthy, what you drink before, during and…
Missing: one TARDIS
Kind of. The iconic blue police box is missing, but it’s not the made-in-Gallifrey TARDIS variety (that’d be Time and Relative Dimension in Space) — it’s the variety that a dad and daughter built themselves. According to KFOR-TV, Tom Iadevaia and his daughter, Kaitlyn, of Little Axe, built the 300-pound structure to sit in their…
CFN Quote of the Week
—from an Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum press release announcing plans to welcome its 2 millionth visitor
Super intentions
“It is so very exciting. It is fast-paced. This is a 24/7 job. There is not downtime,” Barresi said. “This is so incredibly rewarding and so exciting to have the opportunity to be of service to my state and to the children of the state to truly reform education and to bring effective instruction.” In…
The pursuit of happiness
“Lots of people think the ‘pursuit of happiness’ is a linear process, so they live in a state of expectancy,” said Marti MacGibbon. “But you can experience happiness in the present moment, without waiting, if you give yourself permission.” To do that, she recommends these tips: —Recognize that happiness is available now: “You can do…
PR BS
—“Dream Foods International Donates 70,000 Lime Burst Squeeze Bottles to Feed The Children” —“First Flush, Shincha, & High Mountain Oolong: Seasonal & Artisanal Tea from TeaTrekker” —“GWEN STEFANI HOSTS PRIVATE HARAJUKU-THEMED TEA PARTY AT ROYAL/T TO SUPPORT SAVE THE CHILDREN’S JAPAN EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY FUND” —“News Release” —“Dinner Made Easy with EcoZip! Yes it is Possible!!…
Musical gifts
When local folk rockers O Fidelis approached music photographer Doug Schwarz last year about throwing a concert for his birthday, he offered his plot of land outside of Yukon in lieu of a venue. They thought of everything — electricity, staging, sound equipment — except for bathrooms. “The majority of people ended up using the…
Spice boys
Around 30 airmen were to be discharged after investigators at the base discovered they had possessed or used a drug known as “Spice” following a tip, The Oklahoman reported. Sold under brand names such as K2, Spice is comprised of herbs sprayed with chemicals that mimic the active chemical in marijuana, THC. The drug is…
When you assume …
Regarding David Grow’s “Real ‘science’” (May 25, Gazette): Mr. Grow crows about his knowledge of science and castigates my letter for being ignorant “of basic science and evolution in particular.” He must not have read my commentary (Letters, “‘Designer’ debate,” May 18, Gazette) in which I said “evolution works.” I do not have a problem…
Counterpoint: Soul concern
That ruling overthrew all state sodomy laws. In his dissension, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, “The court has taken sides in the culture war.” The court’s decision was a huge victory for the LGBT movement across the nation and in Oklahoma. It was seen as a validation of the homosexual equalrights movement that started back in…
Point: This is not a culture war
I’m a former Eagle Scout, a former U.S. Air Force officer, and a Vietnam veteran. I’ve attended church regularly for over 60 years. I married my high school sweetheart. Together, the two of us raised three wonderful children who share our same values. Our eldest son is gay, and he married another man. We wouldn’t…
‘Peake performance
McClendon and Nickles, chairman of Chesapeake’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, had both come under fire by Institutional Shareholder Services Proxy Advisory Services, an advisory firm that recommended that shareholders not re-elect McClendon as chairman and vote to oust Nickles from the board. It is estimated McClendon has been compensated more than $152 million since…
Filling a niche
The Gayly’s first issue was in March 2011, and will hit stands the first of every month. “We were in an opportunity to bring the paper back around the middle of February,” said Cory Cart, the paper’s editor-in-chief, publisher and owner. “We literally, from deciding to do this until the first issue came out, put…
Conventional concerns
Two timelines, which were created by Architectural Design Group, were presented to the City Council at its June 14 meeting, and to the MAPS 3 park and modern streetcar subcommittees at their June 15 meetings. MAPS 3 Program Manager Eric Wenger said the issue was not voted on at the City Council meeting because council…
Keeping up appearances
The design motifs, typefaces and color choices were great! Love the color blocks for each page! I also enjoyed the deadCENTER Film Festival layouts. The schedule was easy to follow, and I loved that it matched the design materials from the festival. The strong information design was continued in the swim map (Jenny Coon Peterson,…
Tetsuo: The Bullet Man
A cold, harsh, industrial orchestra of stylized cyberpunk violence, the Japanese film follows family man Anthony (Eric Bossick) into madness and metal after his young son is run over on purpose by some asshole driver (Tsukamoto). While Anthony’s wife (Akiko Mono, “Samurai Fiction”) grieves, Anthony pledges retribution, evolving into a literal machine, part by part.…
Mega Python vs. Gatoroid
It attests to the overall laziness of the “we have the title, so just crap it out” production. So do all the shadows that give away the day-for-night shots, and the green-screened elements sporting rough edges. Once competitors on the ’80s pop charts, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany are competitors in this swamp-set sigh-fi thriller. Deb’s…
Haven: The Complete First Season
Not until each of its 13 episodes reminds you that its roots spring from the 2005 Hard Case Crime book “The Colorado Kid” is the viewer jarred back into remembering. In other words, the show succeeds in crafting an identity that stands outside the large, looming shadow of its superstar source material. For one thing,…
Brotherhood
I knew there were reasons I didn’t bother to join a college fraternity. One is that I struck me as enormously stupid and narrow to define myself or judge others based on two or three Greek letters. The characters of “Brotherhood” could’ve saved themselves a lot of pain and suffering had they realized that. When…
Breaking Bad: The Complete Third Season / The Big C: The Complete First Season
There’s a reason Bryan Cranston has now denied “Mad Men”’s Jon Hamm a Best Actor Emmy for three years straight now: He’s just damned excellent as Walt White, the cancer-ridden chemistry teacher turned secret meth dealer to secure a nest egg for the family he’ll leave behind. In season three, that egg grows into the…
Delay Trees — Delay Trees
Delay Trees’ self-titled album is the best DCFC album that Ben Gibbard didn’t write. It’s put out by four Finns, proving once more that Scandinavians are just cooler and better than you. The resemblance is eerie at first: Rami Vierula’s easy-going, high-pitched keen echoes Gibbard’s, while the band’s dreamy soundscapes within indie-pop structures call up…
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. — It’s a Corporate World
Ben Folds has it: Pretty much anyone can cover a Folds tune and it will be money. MGMT was apparently able to write two of the best pop songs of last decade (“Kids” and “Time to Pretend”), but no more. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. has already been anointed with the MGMT mantle as the next…
A response to ‘Stoning of Sally Kern’
She attempted this with failed legislation and through complaints to the Metropolitan Library Commission, which led to a series of heated public meetings. Take note of what this action signified: A public library is supposed to represent and serve the broad public. Materials are to be freely available and easily accessible. We live in a…
Rio Conchos / Take a Hard Ride
From 1964, “Rio Conchos” — which, according to Google Language Tools, translates to English as, um, “Rio Conchos” — is a standard B Western of insignificance, other than the names among its cast: Stuart Whitman, Richard Boone, Tony Franciosa, Edmond O’Brien and Jim Brown. It’s a slight variation on the cowboys-vs.-Indians theme in that it’s…
Report to the Commissioner / Harry in Your Pocket
So ripe were the 1970s for great crime thrillers that we’ve forgotten about a lot of them, through no fault of our own. MGM’s Limited Edition Collection brings two choice selections back to top of mind with the long-overdue DVD releases of 1975’s “Report To The Commissioner” and 1973’s “Harry In Your Pocket.” “Commissioner” is…
Forget Me Not
After introducing us to a few characters too many, feature-debuting director/co-writer Tyler Oliver gets to his proper stars in former tween-TV players Carly Schroeder and Cody Linley (from “Lizzie McGuire” and “Hannah Montana,” respectively) as sibs Sandy and Eli Channing. Headed for a full ride at Stanford, they’re in the mood for a little celebration,…
Erasing David
It’s a great idea for a stunt film, but terribly executed — a doc for the overly paranoid and the flat-out clueless. Before going off the grid, Bond requests documents from companies he’s done business with and is absolutely stunned — stunned — at the devious, nefarious things he learns. Amazon knows everyone he’s sent…
Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer
I find myself wishing that this “Cyrus” were a sequel to that “Cyrus,” as this true-life crime chiller is unpleasant on many levels. But if Hill were playing the role for laughs? It’d be equally tasteless, but something to see. Here, Cyrus (Brian Krause of TV’s “Charmed”) is the so-called “County Line Cannibal” in a…
Tech N9ne — All 6’s and 7’s
He may get criticism for his at-times controversial subject matter, but as far as lyricism and flow goes, Tech is on-point from start to finish. Sure, “All 6’s And 7’s” may speak of violence and sexual deviancy, but that’s hip-hop, right? Well, not necessarily, but it’s certainly not out of the ordinary … especially with Odd…
Color Me Badd reunited (and it feels so good)
The reunited CMB consists of local Badd boy Bryan Abrams, Mark Calderon and Kevin Thornton. Sam Watters, long dogged by Kenny G comparisons, declined the reunion. CMB hit it big with “I Wanna Sex You Up” in 1991. Two more No. 1 singles followed, with the band releasing a triple-platinum debut album and nine Top…
So Money
Asked a few years ago what it’s like to go from top of the charts to playing amusement parks, as he will again Saturday at Frontier City, Eddie Money replied, “I’m just glad people still want to see me.” He may be a shameless self-promoter — 35 years in the business can do that to…
Checks and balances
This is fact. This is science. It is provable and repeatable. It doesn’t matter how you apply it or what you apply it to, it always adds up. Two feathers plus two feathers equals four feathers. Two houses plus two houses equals four houses. You can even mix things up, and the total amount remains…
Kern doesn’t get it
He also admits that there is strong evidence for “micro” evolution. There is a pretty simple equation that he doesn’t seem to get, though: Micro-evolution plus enough time equals macro-evolution. Kern brings up two examples, which he thinks qualify as topics to be discussed in high-school curricula. This is a simple misunderstanding on the nature…
Gravity debate, anyone?
Why not debate the theory of gravity? Astonishing. —Randall L. Smith Oklahoma City
The gospel according to a ‘liberal’
His comment (Letters, “Discouraging words,” June 1, Gazette) only serves to show how myopic and polarized he really is. As it goes, I certainly don’t appreciate being called a “libtard,” “Dumbocrat,” “Marxist,” “Commie,” “pinko,” “bleeding heart,” “hippie” or “progressive” by his ilk. The latter of which is ironic, because the name itself implies progress, and…
Get out of ‘la la’ land
Yes, accidents do happen due to catastrophic events such as the BP blowout in the Gulf and the earthquake in Japan. Whereas human error and a lapse in judgment caused one event, and lack of proper design and planning the other, Mother Nature will heal herself over time. The oil sands in Canada and oil…
