If Sen. McCain’s choice of the largely unknown Alaska Gov. Palin as his veep choice seemed out of nowhere then, there’s good reason: Because it pretty much was. McCain, here played by Ed Harris (Man on a Ledge), wanted Sen. Joe Lieberman, but was talked into someone “more transformative” by hired gun Steven Schmidt (Woody […]
movie reviews
Posted inArts & Culture
Friends with Kids
Although long a screenwriter (Kissing Jessica Stein) and an actress (TV’s Notes from the Underbelly and 24), Westfeldt makes her directorial debut with this romantic comedy that co-stars four members of the Bridesmaids cast and opens Friday. She stars as Julie, best buds to Jason (Adam Scott, TV’s Parks and Recreation). Their relationship is pure […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Viral Factor
Directed by Dante Lam (The Stool Pigeon), the action-thriller 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. Best known on our shores as Kato to The […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A Cat in Paris
Dino, the tabby at the center of “A Cat in Paris,” brings new meaning to the term “cat burglar.” He purrs his way between a petty thief on the job and a little girl at home, befriending both and inadvertently tying their disparate worlds. That occurs after the two-bit bandit gives Dino a fenced, fish-shaped […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Knights of Malice
While “Knights of Malice” is not the best effort from local director Mickey Reece and his version of the Mercury Theatre players, it carries the most distinctive opening: that of the “Star Wars” crawl. Turns out, there’s a reason for the Jedi-rific reference, but I leave that for audiences to discover when the film debuts […]
Posted inArts & Culture
In the Land of Blood and Honey
Set in the mid-1990s against the backdrop of genocide in Bosnia- Herzegovina, it details random killing, rapes, the tossing of a baby from a balcony and the use of women as literal human shields. This is not for the faint of heart. Showing Friday through Sunday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the film […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Man Nobody Knew
It’s a life explored, as much as one can explore a life mired in obfuscation, by Colby’s son, Carl Colby, in “The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby.” The documentary screens Thursday night at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Despite the familial connection between documentarian and subject matter, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Reel good
Rod Lott’s picks With even fewer great movies in 2011 than 2010, I was unsure whether I’d be able to find enough to fill the standard 10 slots. (Oddly, Tom Cruise to the rescue!) I’m also unsure what it says about me that I know general audiences would not be able to handle four of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of The Toynbee Tiles
Imagine coming across a homemade tile on a city street or sidewalk bearing the enigmatic, four-line message of “TOYNBEE IDEA IN MOVIE 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER.” Now imagine coming across dozens of such tiles. Starting in 1994 on the East Coast, Justin Duerr did, and wondered what it meant. The more he encountered […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of The Toynbee Tiles
Imagine coming across a homemade tile on a city street or sidewalk bearing the enigmatic, four-line message of “TOYNBEE IDEA IN MOVIE 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER.” Now imagine coming across dozens of such tiles. Starting in 1994 on the East Coast, Justin Duerr did, and wondered what it meant. The more he encountered […]