Brian Parsons, associate dean of the OCU School of Theatre, will host a reception and pre-show discussion with Donald Jordan, founding Artistic Director of CityRep Theatre, for the current production of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. The event will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Sept. 17 in the Wanda Bass Atrium inside the Wanda L….
Comic book author and artist to speak on campus
Ande Parks, comic book author and artist, will give three presentations on campus next week. The first presentation, entitled “Behind the Page,” will detail Parks’ work on the graphic novel Capote in Kansas. The event will take place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, in Room 214 of the Dulaney-Brown Library. During this discussion, Parks will detail…
Jim Jarmusch’s vampire movie doesn’t suck
At first glance, Only Lovers Left Alive seems like a stupid movie. The plot summary reads like the back cover of a Stephanie Meyer novel: two ancient vampire lovers, one a cosmopolitan intellectual and the other a sadsack recluse, reunite after years apart, only to be antagonized by a wacky younger sister. However, due to…
Entertainment news round up for Sept. 18
Disney is building a Frozen attraction at Epcot, the Mouse House announced Friday. Based on the hit film, it will feature a pavilion where park visitors can meet Anna and Elsa.“We think these Frozen elements are great compliments to the Norway Pavilion, which showcases the country and region that inspired the film,” said Walt Disney Parks…
Entertainment news round-up for Sept. 21
Matt Stone and Trey Parker have taken aim at the Washington Redskins in the teaser for the new season of South Park. The NFL team recently lost its name’s trademark, which a U.S. patent office ruled “disparaging to Native Americans.” The new season of South Park will premiere during the Redskins-Eagles game on Wednesday at 10 pm ET….
Renowned sculptor Rosalind Cook to present at OCU
By Lauren Matheny, Web Editor Famous sculptor Rosalind Cook will give a presentation about her work at 1 p.m. on Sept. 22 in the Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center. Cook will also describe her new book, title “Capturing the Spirit in Bronze,” which is being released this month. She will sign copies of the…
Alumni Association hosts Downtown Lunch and Learn
The OCU Alumni Association will host a lunch and learn session titled “Living, Working, and Playing in the Urban Core.” The session will take place from 12 to 1 p.m. on Sept. 11 at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library. The session will be led by a discussion panel of local business professionals from BetterBlockOKC: · …
Powerful Prose series features book about Nazi suppression
The Powerful Prose book discussion series will continue with a presentation at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, at Full Circle Bookstore. The featured novel is titled “The Nicest Nazi: Childhood Memories of World War II,” by Oklahoma author Christiane Brant Faris. OCU President Robert Henry will lead the discussion along with Faris, who is a…
University hosts OCU Week at the Museum
The OCU Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning will host “OCU Week at the Museum,” from Sept. 9-14 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the museum for free (OCU ID is required for entry). Currently, the museum is featuring the exhibit: “Gods and Heroes:…
“Let’s Talk About It” book series focused on Oklahoma crime novels
The 2014 “Let’s Talk About It” book discussion series will feature novels of investigative crime taking place in Oklahoma. The first discussion will take place at 7 p.m. on Sept 9 in Walker Center room 151, and will feature the novel “The Old Buzzard Had It Coming,” by Donis Casey. At each session in the…
Critic frightened and fascinated by ‘No Country for Old Men’
Do not watch No Country for Old Men by yourself. More specifically, do not watch No Country for Old Men by yourself, at night, when the wind outside is howling something like a banshee. If you do – and if you’re a wimp, like I am – you will end up cowering under your covers, because there are parts…
Short film round-up
There’s a Man in the Woods might just be my favorite short of the year so far. The four-minute animated film from Cal Arts student tells the tale of a teacher whose life is destroyed when a rumor told by a selfish child wrecks his reputation. The images are rough and dark, and when paired with…
Entertainment news round-up for May 1
True Grit and Ender’s Game star Hailee Steinfeld has signed on for Pitch Perfect 2, the sequel to the 2012 film about college a capella groups. Anna Kendrick and Brittany snow are reprising their roles, and Elizabeth Banks is set to direct. The film will be released on May 15, 2015. For more on the project and on Steinfeld’s…
Entertainment news round-up for April 30
HBO is bringing back Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Project Greenlight, which gave an inside look at the challenges posed to a first-time director. Damon and Affleck will be back to executive produce. “Project Greenlight was ahead of its time,” said Affleck in a statement. “Now that technology has caught up to the concept, we thought…
Entertainment news round-up for April 29
The Sopranos and Sons of Anarchy star Drea de Matteo has teamed up with Endemol Beyond USA for an original digital series, entitled The Muthaship Starring Drea de Matteo. The show will launch this spring. “Drea built her audience through her roles on some of the best series on television,” said Will Keenan, president of Endemol Beyond USA….
Critic dazzled by ‘A Single Man’
Tom Ford must make more films. It’s his calling. Though he is best known for his long and illustrious career in the fashion industry, his 2009 movie A Single Man makes it clear that should he continue with filmmaking, he stands to make his mark as a great auteur. Not only is it a stylistic masterpiece, it…
Critic finds major flaw in ‘Silver Linings Playbook’
I very much want to like David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook, but I can’t help but feel that there’s one element that brings the whole film down, and that’s the performance given by Jennifer Lawrence. Though the film itself is quite skillfully crafted, the miscasting of such a vital character knocks the whole thing askew,…
Critic finds great joy in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’
What with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 scheduled to hit theaters so soon, I thought it would be fitting to revisit its predecessor, if only to emphasize to those who haven’t seen it that they truly must. Vastly better than all three film’s in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, it brings a fresh new perspective to the franchise that includes a…
Entertainment news round-up for April 28
Fox will broadcast a three-hour live version of Grease in 2015. The cast has not yet been assembled. “From Broadway to film, and across generations, Grease is one of the most beloved musical stories ever told — and we can’t wait to bring it to our air in a spectacular live event,” said Shana C. Waterman, Fox’s…
Critic underwhelmed by ‘Black Swan’
I will openly admit that I am not the biggest fan of Darren Aronofsky’s particular directorial style. It was with great skepticism, then, that I selected his 2011 film Black Swan for review, though I thought perhaps that its slew of award nominations indicated that it might impress me. Sadly, my hopes were dashed. Black Swan is…
Entertainment news round-up for April 25
SNL vet and new Late Night host Seth Meyers is set to host the Primetime Emmy Awards, airing August 25th on NBC. “Seth’s expertise and ease in front of a live audience during his time at SNL, as well as his comedic brilliance both as a writer and in front of the camera on SNL and Late Night, makes him…
Entertainment news round-up for April 23
Johnny Depp’s upcoming action-comedy Mortdecai has been set for a February 2016 U.S. release. The film is based on Kyril Bonfigliol’s novel trilogy and features Depp in a race to locate a stolen painting that could contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold. The star-studded cast also includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor,…
Short film round-up
For something with wit and style in spades, check out Writer’s Block, a five-minute short from Tom Gran and Martin Woolley set in a prison for criminally lousy writers. It’s an exercise in meta-storytelling that uses well-known cliches in a fresh new way, and it’s packed with clever sight gags and expert puns. What’s more,…
Entertainment news round-up for April 20
Chicago musician Chance the Rapper missed his scheduled performance on the last day of Coachella due to hospitalization. Particulars of his medical condition are unknown. Hours before the performance was set to begin, a since-removed photo appeared on his Instagram with a caption that read “Pray for my boy chance,” after which the cancellation was…
Critic disappointed by ‘The Artist’
As a film critic, I obviously watch a lot of movies. Each year, though, there are a few that slip by me, and every so often, I like to make an effort to catch up. This time around, I selected The Artist, and to be quite frank, I wish I had chosen something else. Though…
Short film round-up
I’m always a fan of short films that convey their stories without dialogue, and Life is Beautiful is no exception. The nine-minute animated short from Dutch filmmaker Ben Brand tells the sweetly sorrowful story of Anton, who’s always been smaller than his peers. When he tires of his miserable existence and decides to end it, he discovers…
