New releases relieving classics fatigue at OKC art houses


So much of the movie-centric conversation in OKC this year has revolved around the cinematic past.

For months, it’s all been major anniversary screenings of decades-old films, centennial celebrations for a loved local venue, and of course the irresistible “Edith Head: Hollywood’s Costume Designer” exhibition at OKCMOA that brought along a staggering selection of Old Hollywood pantheon pictures.

Well, if you’re feeling a touch of “classics fatigue” and needing a healthy dose of new releases and fresh faces to recover, you’ll actually have the opportunity to get your fix inside the city’s best art house theaters in September.

Both Rodeo Cinema and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art are breaking up their usual (and always welcome) slates of esoteric cult films and throwback treasures by presenting some brand new fare, offering big Hollywood sequels, future awards contenders, and a perfect chance for the all-important communal horror experience.

‘Sing Sing’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – Friday, September 6th through Thursday, September 12th

A true story of art and creativity in the unlikeliest of places, director Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing” explores the real-life story of inmates at New York’s Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison creating, producing, and staging their own original theatrical play.

Born out of the prison’s Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, the inmates – led by Oscar-nominee Colman Domingo – spend their days developing a newly suggested play and learning how to write it, how to approach it, and more importantly, how to get up on stage and actually perform.

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Sing Sing

It’s a remarkable true story of the power of creativity in rehabilitation and it’s made even more powerful by the fact that most of the inmate characters in the film are played by real “alumni” of Sing Sing and the prison’s theatre program that produced the play.

Domingo’s performance is angling for a spot on nominee lists for the upcoming awards season after his Oscar nod for last year’s “Rustin.”

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

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ – Rodeo Cinema Stockyards – Friday, September 6th through Thursday, September 19th 

Alright, so maybe this one falls easily into the ever-expanding “sequels no one really asked for” category, but it’s hard to not feel the shivers seeing Michael Keaton all made up as the “ghost with the most” once again.

That’s right, after more than three decades, Tim Burton returns to one of the wacky, morbidly compelling worlds that originally put him on the map with this long-time-coming sequel to 1988’s “Beetlejuice.”

Of course, that means Winona Ryder also returning to possibly her most iconic role as death-obsessed Lydia Deetz alongside the breakout star of Burton’s “Wednesday,” Jenna Ortega, as Lydia’s daughter.

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

As for the plot? Somehow Beetlejuice returns (released insubordinately by Ortega’s character, if the trailers are to be believed) and he proceeds to wreak the kind of dark, deathly fantasy havoc you’d expect.

But this time, there’s an even bigger ensemble surrounding the slapstick horror with Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, and the eternal comedic genius that is Catherine O’Hara, reprising her own role as Delia, Lydia’s hysterically aloof mom.

With such a big cast of new characters and even a passing understanding of the title scheme (see, next should come “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,”) it feels inevitable that this sequel no one asked for is setting up a trilogy no one asked for.

Regardless, Keaton doing crazy, broad comedy will always be worth the price of admission, and lifelong fans are guaranteed some unbeatable fan service.

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

‘Longlegs’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – Friday, September 13th through Sunday, September 15th 

How can you resist a good horror movie on Friday, the 13th? 

OKCMOA is getting in on the months-long horror hype surrounding this psychologically scarring descent into madness following a young FBI agent attempting to track a particularly nasty, potentially Satanic serial killer.

The build-up to “Longlegs” dropping in theaters nationwide leaned heavily on the bold, outsized rhetoric claiming it to be one of the most terrifying films ever made, which inevitably left a lot of audiences cold upon finding a deliberately paced, slow-burn mind game.

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Longlegs

But the horror hounds that love a good psychological soul-shaking have eaten it up, and writer/director Osgood Perkins’ focus on atmosphere and menacing mentalism make it a perfect fit for OKCMOA.

Even though it’s technically available for digital rent-at-home now, there’s just nothing like the communal experience of seeing a great, creepy horror movie in a packed theater, so if you missed that opportunity when “Longlegs” was playing wide, here’s your second chance.

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

‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ – Rideo Cinema Film Row – Friday, September 27th through Thursday, October 3rd 

You’d be forgiven for not even being aware that there’s a new “Hellboy” movie about to drop. The indie studios behind it aren’t exactly flooding the airwaves with ads and it’s not being pitched as the year’s next big comic book adaptation.

Instead, this new installment in the loosely related comic superhero franchise is looking more like an under-the-radar dark fantasy actioner focused on a smaller scope, smaller names, and an admittedly way smaller budget.

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Hellboy – The Crooked Man

That might be great news for longtime fans of the characters and the comics, as creator Mike Mignola’s “Hellboy” stories often leaned firmly into dark, historical horror territory rather than always shooting for the grand-scale, world-ending epics the movies have attempted.

In fact, “The Crooked Man” is based on one of those more horror-oriented comics, and Mignola himself co-wrote the screenplay for the 1950s-set, backwoods action-horror film.

But lest you think it’s all going to be unrelenting darkness or quiet atmosphere, know that it’s directed by Brian Taylor, the mind behind the unhinged insanity of 2017’s “Mom and Dad” and one-half of the Neveldine/Taylor duo that brought us the modern action classics of the “Crank” movies.

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


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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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.