Educare, a preschool program for at-risk youth, is credited as one of Oklahoma’s high points for early childhood education. Credit: Shannon Cornman Oklahoma was one of two states with the greatest gains in overall child well-being, moving from 40th place to 36th in the 2013 Kids Count Data Book, an annual study by the Annie […]
Kids
Posted inArts & Culture
Come Out and Play
Francis (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Lola Versus) and the very pregnant Beth (the genetically blessed Vinessa Shaw, Side Effects) rent a boat to explore the nearby island of Punta Hueca (can’t-be-accidental translation: Hollow Point). Under a sweltering sun, they find a few kids at the dock and seemingly no else along the village’s roads or in its […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jack the Giant Slayer
The film’s fatal mistake? Perhaps it was director Bryan Singer embracing the 19th-century nature of the story as tightly as he did Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie for his own Superman Returns. These days, to satisfy family audiences, it’s evidently not enough to revive an old-fashioned tale; you have to hip it up with nods […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Tennis, anyone?
Credit: Shannon Cornman Add to the mix a new program for underserved youth and it becomes apparent the public tennis scene in OKC is moving forward. The Oklahoma City Tennis Center, 3400 N. Portland Ave., has long been considered a top-notch facility, but it’s on the cusp of reaching new heights thanks to a $2.88 […]
Posted inMusic
Beat street
Making electronic music is more complicated than you might think. The virtually endless spectrum of sounds capable of being produced by a computer is matched only by the equally broad variety of kits, patches and plug-ins tailored for each piece of production software — an often daunting wormhole suited only for those seeking a truly […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Aquabats! Super Show! Season One! 2012
A surf-rock band I recall running across in the mid-1990s, The Aquabats have been reborn as superheroes in these utterly insane adventures, drawing more influence from ’70s-era Asian monster matinees à la Infra-Man than anything else. In each half-hour, our costumed quintet fights some rubber-suited creature (Manant and the Floating Eye of Death among them), […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Bowery Boys: Volume Two
For this four-disc follow-up to 2012’s set, Warner Archive again mined its vaults for 12 of the Boys’ Poverty Row features. The best way to describe their style is that it comes from the “why I oughta!” school of comedy. I’m unsure if it ever graduated, given exchanges like “How can you read in the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Sorcerer and the White Snake
Luckily, it’s the kind of family film that parents won’t equate to a chore. Li is a monk who specializes as a demon hunter, but the film’s focus is on Xu Xian (Raymond Lam), a young herbalist saved from drowning by the kiss of a thousand-year-old snake demon (Eva Huang, Kung Fu Hustle). She’s able […]
Posted inNews
Chosen ONEs
Two dozen organizations statewide, including eight from the Oklahoma City metro, have been selected as finalists. The state’s top nonprofit — and winner of $10,000 — will be announced at the annual ceremony on April 20. Oklahoma’s nonprofit organizations make a difference in a variety of ways. Whether it be educating children, taking care of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Diving in
Three local entities in that city — the YMCA, Edmond Public Schools and its municipal government — have joined forces to nourish a rapidly growing community. After 15 years of discussion, The Mitch Park YMCA Recreation and Aquatics Center plans to open its doors by December of this year. The $24.8 million project is a […]