Last Updated on November 2, 2022, 9:25 AM | Published: November 1, 2022
As the leaves change color in autumn, so too do the films packing movie theaters change from the boisterous, action-packed fare of the summer blockbusters and the Halloween scares to the quieter, measured, and decidedly more artistic offerings ahead of awards season.
November often presents the first opportunities for Oklahomans to see the films that have been buzzing around festivals and coastal art-houses all year long as they begin making their short nationwide qualifying runs ahead of awards nomination.
This year is no different, and with OKC’s own art theaters and indies recently firing on all cylinders, the options for any local lover of prestige cinema are looking packed.
“Till” – Harkins Theaters Bricktown – Now Playing
Anyone that knows the heartbreaking, horrifying story of young Emmett Till knows how sadly relevant this film is right now. Anyone that doesn’t know the story would do well to buy a ticket and educate themselves on the tragedy and the continuing fight for justice.
Recounting the monstrous 1955 lynching and murder of 14 year-old Emmett, and the historic decisions and steps made by his mother Mamie in the wake of his death, “Till” takes care not to glorify or objectify the horror, but to frame the story as one of love, resilience, and justice.
Director/co-writer Chinonye Chukwu keeps the story centered primarily on Mamie, and Danielle Deadwyler’s performance in the role is garnering near-universal acclaim, all but guaranteeing her a number of major awards nods and nominations soon.
For showtimes and tickets, visit harkins.com.
“Decision to Leave” – Oklahoma City Museum of Art: November 4th through 13th
Park Chan-wook is surely one of the Korean film world’s most well-known and respected names, having given us a slew of dark, expertly moody classics including “Sympathy for Mr. Vengence,” “The Handmaiden,” and the modern masterpiece that is “Oldboy.”
After a six-year gap, the acclaimed director is back with “Decision to Leave,” a deeply Hitchcockian mystery involving a dead man, his enigmatic wife, and a detective in way over his head trying to connect the dots.
This has already been selected as South Korea’s official submission to next year’s Academy Awards, but with films like “Parasite,” “Minari,” and “Drive My Car” recently greatly increasing the reach of East Asian film in American awards contention, be prepared to see this one popping up in other categories as well.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit okcmoa.com.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Rodeo Cinema Stockyards: November 4th through 7th
Few filmmakers can boast a back catalog as airtight as Martin McDonagh, the iconoclastic writer and director behind “In Bruges,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and the criminally underseen “Seven Psychopaths.”
A playwright first and foremost, McDonagh returns to film for this pastoral dramedy designed as a showcase for the tremendous talents of leads Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.
Consensus is already calling Farrell a lock for a Best Actor nod (apparently the only clear competition so far for Brendan Fraser’s turn in “The Whale”) and McDonagh himself is easily a safe bet in the Best Original Screenplay category.
Given how fun, shocking, sharp, and altogether different McDonagh’s work proves to be, “Banshees” will be a can’t-miss.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit rodeocinema.org.
“Triangle of Sadness” – Oklahoma City Museum of Art: November 11th through 19th
When Ruben Östlund’s “Force Majure” first came down the mountain in 2014, audiences were floored by the unprecedented mingling of riotous comedy and increasingly dark and pointed humanity that secured the film the Jury Prize at Cannes. Three years later, Östlund’s “The Square” took the Palme D’or at the same festival for its ability to push that envelope even further.
Earlier this year, the Swedish auteur did it yet again when his “Triangle of Sadness” captured Cannes’ highest honor, immediately turning it into one of the most important films to watch heading into this awards season.
With Östlund’s trademark fly-on-the-wall absurdity, “Triangle of Sadness” presents the doomed voyage of a super yacht and its super rich manifest, led by none other than Woody Harrelson’s unnamed Captain.
Though Palme D’or winners from the more artistically minded Cannes don’t always translate to awards gold in America, odds are solid for fan-favorite Harrelson to secure some Supporting Actor nods, and there’s still a strong chance for “Triangle” to hit in Picture and Screenplay.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit okcmoa.com.
“American Psycho: presented by Femme Film” – Rodeo Cinema Stockyards: November 17th
Obviously not in the running for any awards this year, but special mention should be made of this particular screening of one of the most controversial, enduring, and maybe misunderstood films of the modern era.
Bret Easton Ellis’s original novel – a shockingly violent, misogynist, grotesque commentary on soulless Reagan-ist capitalism in the 1980s – caused a firestorm of controversy when it was first published, spurred heavily by the narrator’s blatant sexism and anti-woman violence and abuse.
Nearly a decade later, it took two women, Director/writer Mary Harron and co-writer Guinevere Turner, to find the clear societal satire in the story and bring it faithfully to the screen, gore and all.
Femme Film is a monthly project at Rodeo dedicated to screening some of the best films created by women, and there’s likely no better way to experience “American Psycho.” For a story so unapologetically aimed at the worst of male-dominated America, it’s more than appropriate for it to be filtered through the minds of the creative and fearless women that fought both overwhelming expectations and ignorant studio pressure to bring it to the screen the way they did.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information, visit rodeocinema.org.
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.
