Last Updated on March 22, 2023, 9:04 PM | Published: March 22, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oscars have passed, the awards season is officially over, and we can all stop playing catch-up with the recent films on the ballot and get back to enjoying all that the best cinematic classics and buried gems have to offer.
The early springtime is one of the biggest seasonal lulls on the film release calendar, making it the perfect time to explore some of your own big screen blind spots or revisit some comforting classics.
Throughout March, OKC’s hometown theaters are seizing this opportunity beautifully and presenting some serious greats that boast intrigues, beauties, and emotions so big they can only be fully appreciated on the biggest screen.
“Where is the Friend’s House?” – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – March 23rd
As OKCMOA begins winding down “Kiarostami: Beyond the Frame,” their remarkable and sprawling celebration of Iranian artistic mastermind Abbas Kiarostami that closes on April 9th, the Sam Noble Theater is giving audiences some final chances to experience the director’s acclaimed films.
As Kiarostami’s first crossover hit with western audiences, and arguably the work that first solidified his standing in world art, 1987’s “Where is the Friend’s House” is actually a surprisingly small and effectively sparse film showcasing the daily life and relatable mundanity of Iranian culture.
As young Ahmed searches frantically across town to find his school friend’s home in the hope of returning his notebook, Kiarostami offers a glimpse into life in the small village of Koker and into the universal truth that adults will never understand the richness and urgency of childhood.
For showtimes, tickets, and more info, visit okcmoa.com.
“The Outsiders: The Complete Novel” – Rodeo Cinema – March 24th
Perhaps the most important (or at least the best-known) film set within Oklahoma, “The Outsiders” is filmmaking giant Francis Ford Coppola’s endearing adaptation of Tulsa native S.E. Hinton’s landmark novel following outcast teens in her hometown over a few life-changing days in 1965.
The film’s original 1983 release was met with a lukewarm reaction from critics and some level of derision from diehards of Hinton’s novel, who believed that the meager 91 minute runtime compressed the story into banality.
After Coppola was finally given the opportunity to release his preferred, nearly two-hour cut as “The Complete Novel,” opinions toward the film began to change, and it’s now considered a beloved benchmark of emotional teenage storytelling, with the longer edit delivering on the book’s legendary characters and atmosphere.
Rodeo Cinema presents this classic – featuring a giant cast of young actors that practically all grew up to dominate Hollywood – in honor of its 40th anniversary this year.
For tickets and more information, visit rodeocinema.org.
“My Neighbor Totoro” – Regal Warren Moore – March 25th through 29th
Another undisputed classic celebrating a major anniversary this year, Japanese legend Hayao Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro” stands as quite possibly the most beloved and enduring film of his storied career.
When Guillermo del Toro accepted the award for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars for his “Pinocchio,” he said “animation is not a genre. Animation is cinema,” in a heartfelt plea for animated films to be better respected as the infinitely rich art form they can be.
If ever there was a living example of that artistic potential within the world of animation, it is surely Miyazaki, whose films have long transcended the easy categorization of “cartoon” toward some of the finest and most-loved cinematic achievements of all time.
“My Neighbor Totoro” is pure Miyazaki, with the simple premise of a pair of sisters moving to the country to be near their ailing mother and befriending the mysterious, magical creatures of the surrounding forest, chief among them, the big, loveable, round, furry Totoro.
This gorgeously hand-drawn classic is celebrating its 35th year in 2023 with a limited theatrical re-release featuring both the subtitled and English-dubbed versions.
For showtimes and tickets, visit regmovies.com.
“Steel Magnolias” – Harkins Theater Bricktown – March 28th
Few films about the unbreakable spirit and bonds of friendship among women have ever been quite as enduring or loved as “Steel Magnolias.”
Presented as an ensemble, slice-of-life play examining the companionships and social politics of small-town Louisiana, the result is actually a shockingly relatable, practically universal tale of sisterhood for seemingly all American women.
Not to mention that, even 34 years later, it’s still endlessly quotable, hilarious, and heart-wrenching.
With March being National Women’s History Month, there might be no better way to celebrate and send the month off with a riotous, tearful bang than by grabbing all your best friends (and maybe even an enemy or two) and catching this one with a crowd.
For showtimes and tickets, visit harkins.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.
