Last Updated on August 2, 2022, 9:35 PM | Published: August 2, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — As the summer stubbornly refuses to end and the heatwaves keep rolling through, so does August announce itself in all its nebulous, difficult-to-define glory.
The last true summer month, but with no real signs of the season waning, August has always been a tough and transitional month of back-to-school shopping, off-season sports, and late-summer outdoor festivals. While other months are defined by their holidays or their placement on the calendar, August can’t be so easily swayed by our attempts to characterize or pigeonhole.
So it’s perfectly within that spirit that OKC’s venerated art house theaters are spending the month with films that defy categorization, genre, and in some cases, even easy description. August’s offerings from Rodeo Cinema and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art explore the quiet, unseen patterns that connect us, the conflicting interpretations of song and poetry, and even the human ability to find anything cute, provided it has feet and at least one googly eye.
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song” – Rodeo Cinema: August 5th through August 7th
A legitimate contender for the best lyricist that has ever lived and worked in the English language, the immortal Leonard Cohen is unquestionably best known as the man behind “Hallelujah,” one of the most beloved, and most covered, songs in popular music history.
But is the song misunderstood? Does a complex, biting rumination on sex, rejection, and resentment really belong in wedding playlists, love song compilations, and even the occasional church service just because it plays with religious imagery? With so many lyrics to cherry-pick (Cohen continued meticulously working on and adding to the song for years,) how do all of its many singers see and present the piece differently? Have you ever actually even heard Cohen’s 1984 original version?
All of these questions are explored in this new documentary by directors Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, rounding up thoughts and comments about the legendary song from many of the biggest names that have tackled it, from Rufus Wainwright and Brandi Carlile to Bob Dylan and even the man behind arguably the greatest and most enduring version, the brilliant and sadly departed Jeff Buckley.
“Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, and Red” – OKCMOA: August 5th through August 7th
Acclaimed worldwide as one of cinema’s greatest and most daring achievements, the “Three Colors Trilogy” is three separate full-length films, “Blue,” “White,” and “Red,” (in that order) all from the mind of Polish writer/director Krzysztof Kieslowski.
Each film follows entirely different characters and circumstances through mid-90’s France, with each story exploring themes and styles far-removed from the others. “Blue” is an emotional drama centered on loss. “White” is a dark comedy of errors. “Red,” the most renowned and awarded of the trilogy, is a mysterious meditation on love, romance, and the nature of destiny.
The true achievement of the series, however, is in the connections and details. The way that Kieslowski finds and explores the delicate, often unspoken connections of each story to its assigned color, of each character to their past, and of each film to the other two in increasingly surprising-yet-subtle ways is masterful, and in an era long before the concept of a “cinematic universe,” it was daring to say the least.
Yes, this is three separate films with three separate sets of showtimes and requiring three separate ticket purchases, but this unique cinematic experience is unmissable for any fan of creative and emotional European film.
“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” – Rodeo Cinema: August 3rd through August 7th; OKCMOA: August 12th through August 21st
If you need something heartwarming, then consider Marcel the emotional equivalent of the August heat.
Based on a relentlessly viral, and always wonderful, series of stop-motion internet clips, “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” follows the improbable cross-country adventure of a soft-spoken, one-inch tall seashell named Marcel, who sports a tiny set of shoes and a single plastic googly eye. Marcel lives a peaceful life with his grandmother until a filmmaker’s documentary makes him famous and kicks up a lot of lonely feelings about his origins and family, leading to a search for other shells and an unexpected journey of self-discovery.
Voiced by the comedic fireball that is Jenny Slate (who also co-wrote alongside director Dean Fleischer-Camp,) Marcel is brought to life with mountains of genuinely loveable emotion and motivation that turn his tale from the three-minute viral clips to a seriously engaging and remarkably moving feature-length road-trip romp rather effortlessly.
This is a film for anyone that’s ever wondered where they belonged or why they felt so small in a constantly growing and towering world.
For tickets, showtimes, and more information for these and many other films and events, visit rodeocinema.com and 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.
