Last Updated on January 12, 2023, 11:58 AM | Published: January 4, 2023
Where the film world is concerned, January brings the tail end of “awards qualification season” and the beginning of “awards season” proper, where the most critically acclaimed, artful wave-makers make their last, best attempts at gaining some commercial steam before Oscar nominations drop.
Unfortunately, that tends to mean few options for exciting new movies in theaters, as screens are gobbled up by holdover dramas looking to capitalize on early awards success and schlocky also-rans that embarrassed studios have dumped into the January wasteland.
Oh, and “Avatar.” Every major theater is still betting on the unstoppable cash cow that is “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
So what’s a film fanatic to do this month if they’ve already seen all the awards contenders, already burned themselves out on “Avatar,” and already written off the cold studio leftovers?
How about revisiting the classics?
This calm before the clamoring awards storm is a perfect time to refresh yourself on a selection of time-honored pieces of film history, and luckily, OKC’s best indies and art houses are rolling out some serious classics throughout January.
“Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – January 7th
In 2022’s installment of the famous (and sometimes infamous) Sight and Sound poll, a worldwide survey of filmmakers, critics, and academics conducted just once each decade, “Jeanne Dielman” shocked the film world by clenching the very top spot as the #1 film of all time.
The backlash against the top honors being given to such a little-known film among casual audiences has been loud and aggressive, thanks in no small part to the fact that it’s a purely female-centric story written and directed by a woman.
Accolades and backlash both aside, OKCMOA is presenting this undeniable piece of European cinema history in all its quiet, three-and-a-half hour glory.
Belgian film legend Chantal Akerman’s arguable masterpiece revolves around the seemingly bland daily activities of the titular Dielman, who is revealed to have a wholly unexpected, secret side gig.
When a simple, unforeseen development forces her to question her entire understanding of herself, Dielman’s carefully constructed life begins to quietly unravel.
The feeling has been nearly unanimous among filmmakers and film scholars for decades that “Jeanne Dielman” has been a toweringly influential work whose impact has only grown in recent years as women’s voices and art have importantly become a stronger part of the film community.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit okcmoa.com.
The Magic of Méliès (featuring “A Trip to the Moon”) – Rodeo Cinema – January 8th
As Scorsese’s modern family classic “Hugo” can attest, film history likely wouldn’t be half of what it is without the imagination, ingenuity, and incomparable creative eye of turn-of-the-century French film master Georges Méliès.
As one of the first to ever truly experiment with the film medium and to expand its boundaries and limitations within the Silent Era, Méliès crafted some of the most indelible and iconic imagery in all of cinema history.
His most famous work, surely, is his “A Trip to the Moon,” featuring dancing humanoid aliens, wildly inventive moon monsters, and of course one of history’s greatest cinematic images, the expressive human face within the moon itself, wincing in pain with a rocketship stuck in one eye.
Rodeo is presenting “A Trip to the Moon” alongside other Méliès masterworks as part of their ongoing Silent Sundays program, featuring live organ accompaniment by local musician Christian Pearson.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit rodeocinema.org.
‘Friday the 13th’ Marathon – Rodeo Cinema – January 13th
How could you resist a marathon of some of the best (worst?) installments of the unkillable “Friday the 13th” series on an actual Friday the 13th?
Running through the original 1980 slasher landmark, 1982’s “Friday the 13th Part III” in classic 3D, and 1986’s “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives,” the day promises to be a wild, bloody ride through some of the most increasingly ridiculous horror classics ever made.
Though spending the full night reliving all the machete-loving horrors with all three films is sure to be a rare and endlessly memorable time, you might only have the stomach for just one gorefest. If so, turn out early to catch the original. It’s a genre classic for a reason and it holds up shockingly well.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit rodeocinema.org.
“The Trial” – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – January 26th
How can you possibly adapt one of surrealist storytelling legend Franz Kafka’s most paranoid, cerebral, and vital works into film?
Well, if anyone was even going to try, it was filmmaking heavyweight Orson Welles.
His 1962 adaptation weaves Kafka’s tragically timeless tale of soul-crushing bureaucracy and existential confusion into Welles’ own trademark grandiose film stylings with ease, crafting a darkly engulfing cinematic world that creates its own absurd rules just as Kafka created in his impenetrable writings.
At the center of everything is Josef K, portrayed by the monumental talent that was Anthony Perkins, as he is placed under “arrest” and awaits trial for a nameless crime that won’t be disclosed to him. Both his own sanity and the audience’s understanding of the story’s world continuously unwind on the way to Welles’ own reimagined ending.
OKCMOA is presenting “The Trial” in a remarkable new 4K restoration to celebrate the film’s 60th anniversary.
If you only know Welles from “Citizen Kane,” you’ll be floored by the direction and construction of such a strange, surrealist work.
If you only know Perkins from “Psycho,” you owe it to yourself to see just how simultaneously powerful and effortless his performing talent could be.
And if you only know the world around you from the agreed-upon rules and social contracts of day-to-day life, you’ll be thrown for a paranoid loop like you never imagined.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit okcmoa.com.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
