Chaos reigns as punk, pain, and cats take over film in August

OKLAHOMA CITY – If the summer of 2025 is remembered for anything in the film world, it’s likely to be for the comforts and reassurances of hopeful heroes like “Superman” and the box office domination of kid fare like “A Minecraft Movie” and the new “Lilo & Stitch.” 

But sometimes, hope and fun and family-friendliness just aren’t what you want.

Sometimes – when the world is feeling crazy and irrational and when every day the news is serving up more uncertainty, discomfort, and even outright fear – what you really want is to stare the abyss in the face and settle in for some absolute chaos.

Well, if that’s the kind of moviegoing you’re looking for this summer, Oklahoma City theaters have you covered with a packed slate full of throwback tragedy, gritty debauchery, dark, depressive comedy, and unhinged punk rock reality.

And there’s even a full screening dedicated entirely to those most harrowing harbingers of pure, world-burning chaos: housecats.

CatVideoFest 2025 – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – Thursday, August 7th 

Each year, this annually curated compilation of the best and most hilarious cat videos saunters back into theaters around the world like a cat that was just let out and is now demanding to come back inside.

Let’s be honest here, everyone loves a good cat video. They’re unpredictable, dramatic, acrobatic, loving, spiteful, and above all, deeply chaotic, and if the internet has taught the world anything, it’s that viewers just can’t get enough of some crazy cats.

But have you ever enjoyed an hour’s worth of cat videos with a full theater audience of roaring, rolling, hysterical cat-loving compatriots?

If you haven’t, you should. It’s a surprisingly life-affirming and joyous experience to be reminded that nothing brings the entire world together quite like laughing, oo-ing, and aww-ing at some silly animals.

This year’s lineup features everything from funnily feuding felines to animated antics and heartwarming rescue transformations, all perfect for families and cat lovers of all kinds.

And best of all, 10% of all ticket sales are going to the Oklahoma Humane Society to help with care, safety, and adoptions.

For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit okcmoa.com.

‘The Decline of Western Civilization’ – Oklahoma Film Exchange – Sunday, August 10th 

If chaos and drama is what you want, then the newly minted Oklahoma Film Exchange is delivering – both on screen and off – as they race throughout the month to raise the funds they need to save their beloved Film Row theater space inside the Paramount Building on Sheridan.

All month long, they’re hosting free screenings and events, and on the 10th, they’ll be taking a look at one of the greatest true-life peeks into another street-level creative community running on pure chaos and contempt for the rules with the seminal punk doc “The Decline of Western Civilization.”

Director Penelope Spheeris’ groundbreaking look into the world of the Los Angeles punk rock underground of the 70s and 80s remains one of the most important documents of punk’s Golden Age at a time when the sound, style, and middle finger attitude were all indistinguishable and inseparable.

Throughout, you get probably the greatest live footage ever captured of LA punk progenitors Black Flag, The Germs, X, and Fear, as well as a crash course in the kind of down-and-out social and political anarchy that we just might staring down once again.

All Oklahoma Film Exchange events throughout August are free. For more information, including links to the ongoing fundraising campaign to save the Film Row theater, follow @oklahomafilmexchange on Instagram.

‘Sorry, Baby’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – August 15th through August 21st 

One of the breakouts from last year’s Sundance Film Festival, “Sorry, Baby” skirts the lines between dark comedy and full-on, heavy drama in its examination of the fraying psychology and friendships of a young woman following an assault.

Newcomer Eva Victor pulls multiple duties as writer, director, and star, and it’s her voice and vision that carry the film through its non-linear, multi-year ruminations on emotional numbness and detachment and the eventual painful breakthroughs that come through friends and cautious closeness.

Plus, there’s also a cat in this one, as Victor’s emotionally reeling Agnes takes in a stray that becomes central to her own rudderless journey.

For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit okcmoa.com.

‘Faces’ – Rodeo Cinema – Thursday, August 21st 

From legendary boundary-pusher John Cassavetes comes this raw, piercing exploration of love, anger, lost passions, and infidelity that exploded through the early indie film world when it dropped in 1968.

Following Middle-American married couple Richard and Maria as their union dissolves over a night of nightclub trysts, arguments, and abandonments, Cassavetes seeks to examine the ways that the American ideals of marriage and pristine womanhood were eroding by the late-60s, replaced with urgings for freedom, passion, and liberation.

It’s familiar ground for much of Cassavetes’ work, as is the presence of the great Gena Rowlands in the role of Jeannie, the object of Richard’s wandering, ego-driven affections.

In a cinematic age of increasingly chaotic marital indiscretions of all kinds, from “Closer” to “Babygirl,” Cassavetes’ work still feels powerful just for the sheer audacity of putting this kind of titillating and tragic reality on screen at a time when TV couples still couldn’t share a bed. 

For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit rodeocinema.org.

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Catch Brett Fieldcamp’s film column weekly for information and insights into the world of film in the Oklahoma City metro and Oklahoma. | Brought to you by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

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