In case you want to know more: I’ve seen several films by B-movie director Al Adamson, but 1982’s “Carnival Magic” is quite a departure from his usual horror and action efforts like “Dracula vs. Frankenstein” and “Satan’s Sadists.” For one thing, it’s a family film. For another, its cast is comprised of the aforementioned talking […]
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We Live in Public
Josh Harris is “the greatest Internet pioneer you’ve never heard of.” That’s true, despite the sheer amount of press he received in all his ventures, both online and off. That says a lot about how fleeting fame can be when tied to the Web, and the 2009 documentary “We Live in Public” — showing Wednesday […]
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Sunday in New York
Her character in “Sunday in New York” is just that, but this being before the sexual revolution and the loosening of the MPAA, the word is never uttered. “Beginner” just has to do. Anyway, this “beginner” asks her airliner pilot brother, Adam (Cliff Robertson), how long she’s expected to hold out and still keep the […]
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Unstoppable
What is it with director Tony Scott and trains? Just one year after “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” he’s back on the tracks — but off the rails — in the inferior “Unstoppable.” Based on a true story — and not Soul Asylum lyrics — a 29-car freight train barrels unattended through Pennsylvania […]
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Kites: The Remix
The first Bollywood film to crack the U.S. top 10 box-office chart, the multilingual import by director Anurag Basu comes packaged in two versions on Blu-ray: its original, native version, and the “Remix” version that “Rush Hour” franchise director Brett Ratner re-edited to make it more accessible to American audiences. (Who knows who’s responsible for […]
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Birdemic: Shock and Terror
Let’s start with the title: Doesn’t “Birdemic” say it all? What benefit is there to adding “Shock and Terror”? It’s not as if “Birdemic” didn’t sound evil enough; it doesn’t require a qualifier. As you’ll note, however, writer/director/director of photography/producer/executive producer (yes, producer and executive producer, which has to be a cinematic first) James Nguyen […]
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Challengers in Oklahoma City Council races discuss online photos
The race for the Ward 2 seat, which is being vacated by outgoing Councilman Sam Bowman, features a lineup of six candidates, while Ward 5 incumbent Brian Walters faces a challenge from David Greenwell. In Ward 6, incumbent Meg Salyer faces two challengers — Jessica Holstein (pictured, left) and Adrian Van Manen — while in […]
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All-Star Superman
And that’s not the only eyebrow-raiser in the feature, based on Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s revamp of the Man of Steel, as played out in the team’s 2005 comic-book series. For another, Jimmy Olsen appears in drag. There’s more. The film finds Superman (voiced by James Denton of TV’s “Desperate Housewives”) not as invincible […]
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Eyes of the Mothman
Intrigued? Everything you could possibly want to know — actually, way, way more — about the likely mythical beast is covered in “Eyes of the Mothman,” a tiresome documentary film by Matthew J. Pellowski. I should note up front that the work is a needlessly self-indulgent 155 minutes long, and it takes 40 minutes before […]
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Bachelor in Paradise
When Hank Mancini seemingly provided every score. When “salad olives” could be featured on an endcap in a grocery store scene, and they wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb. When a 58-year-old Bob Hope could romantically pursue a 40-year-old Lana Turner, and the age difference didn’t come off creepy. We’re talking “Bachelor in Paradise,” […]