(2013) Dean Koontz’s series of Odd Thomas novels now numbers six. I stopped reading after book four because an initially good concept had grown patently awful, succumbing to the law of diminishing returns. By contrast, Stephen Sommers’ film adaptation, a would-be franchise-starter itself, never gets the chance to devolve into tedium; it is that from […]
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Posted inArts & Culture
Carrie / Dario Argento’s Dracula 3D
His split-screen treatment of the senior-prom carnage becomes her condensed Final Destination sequel; his shock ending becomes her anti-bullying message. Pay no mind that the entire story is already that, with outcast Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz, Kick-Ass 2) becoming even more of a social punching bag after she mistakes her first menstruation as bleeding […]
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New look
His work experience is mainly in “labor work, construction, roofing and painting.” He is a high school graduate who has a lifelong love of writing and of films. Powell recently published one of his stories, “Sasquatch,” online through bookcountry.com. Like any writer, certain works inspire him. “The writer I’m probably most influenced by is Stephen […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The art knight rises
Marilyn Artus “Comic books are a billion-dollar industry,” Kovash said. “They’ve become an important part of American art. The Museum of Modern Art (in New York City) has been collecting comic books for a long time. It’s a legitimate art form, and I think The Art of the Comic Book will help give people who […]
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Detective in underpants
Many of us were concerned when Andy Samberg retired from Saturday Night Live last spring. Would the comic genius get trapped in more forgettable movies like Hot Rod, then disappear? We needn’t have worried. Samberg stars in Brooklyn Nine- Nine, a single-camera sitcom that perfectly showcases his talent (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Fox). He plays hotshot detective Jake Peralta, who […]
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‘Ex-gay’ ministry
Left, Sam Storm, Pastor of Bridgeway Church, and Stephen Black, executive director of First Stone Ministries, stand in the auditorium at Bridgeway Church. On the Board of Reference there also is Sam Storms, lead pastor of Bridgeway Church, the website shows. Restored Hope Network began with a leadership meeting in Orlando, Fla., in 2011. According […]
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An American Ghost Story
The Breaking Glass Pictures release is not to be confused with the FX hit series American Horror Story, although I’m sure Breaking Glass won’t mind if any potential renters do. Early in the no-budget picture, the main character tells his girfriend, “Anything to do with paranormal activity is really hot right now,” and that feels […]
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Passion play
A, B, A, B, B, A, up, down, up, down, select. If that means anything to you, you’re the exact type of patron who Stephen Kovash, the founder of the Istvan Gallery, wants. “The Istvan is one of the few commercial galleries in Oklahoma City that actually show urban, street, young people, hip — whatever […]
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Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal
Boris Rodriguez’s low-key Canadian comedy concerns Lars (Thure Lindhardt, TV’s The Borgias), who moves to a small town to become an art teacher at a tiny, underfunded school. Once was a gifted painter himself, Lars has been stuck in a 10-year creative rut. One of his students is Eddie (Dylan Scott Smith, 2012’s Total Recall), […]
Posted inMusic
‘Vital’ signs
Eleven years in, and few alternative bands can claim the sort of consistent success and stability that Anberlin has. With six successful studio albums and tours with 30 Seconds to Mars and Taking Back Sunday under its belt, the group has enjoyed a smooth ride. “A lot of bands can’t keep together a year, let […]