DVD review: “SpongeBob’s Last Stand”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“SpongeBob’s Last Stand”
Quirky sea critter SpongeBob SquarePants flashes back to the psychedelic ‘60s with his new DVD outing, “SpongeBob’s Last Stand.”
In the title adventure, the ever-optimistic sea sponge and his starfish pal Patrick are appalled to learn that Jellyfish Fields, the nature preserve where they enjoy their catch-and-release game jellyfishing, is going to be leveled to make room for a superhighway. So, SpongeBob grabs his sitar, Patrick dons his best multi-hued muumuu, and they stage a sit-in and sing a Beatles-esque protest anthem.
Despite their efforts, the interstate plows through Jellyfish Fields, with wild ramifications for their town of Bikini Bottom and the Krusty Krab, the restaurant where SpongeBob works.
The DVD also includes six more new episodes of the venerable animated series. Parents can relate to “Overbooked,” in which Spongebob desperately tries to juggle commitments to his boss and two different friends, and “Pet or Pests,” in which our wacky hero tries to find good homes for a litter of icky baby worms.
Spookiness and silliness both have their place in “Toy Store of Doom.” SpongeBob and Patrick plot to spend the night in a new toy store, only to find that the fanciful shop suddenly becomes a scary place when the lights go out.
For fervent fans who desire repeat or on-the-go viewings of SpongeBob’s “nautical nonsense,” “Last Stand” offers new undersea escapades to enjoy.
DVD features: “Bollywood Bob” Bollywood-style music video to an Indian-flavored version of the SpongeBob theme song, “How to Make SpongeBob SquarePants” craft lesson and karaoke music videos.
— BAM
National Cowboy Museum announces Wrangler Award winners
For the 49th time, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is passing out this spring the Western Heritage Awards. The awards honor and encourage the legacy of those whose works in literature, music, film and television reflect the significant stories of the American West.
The Western Heritage Awards are presented at a black-tie banquet at the museum, set for April 17. Each winner in attendance receives a Wrangler, an impressive bronze sculpture of a cowboy on horseback. Awards presented in 2010 are for works completed in 2009. Qualified professionals outside the museum staff judge all categories. Qualified professionals outside the museum staff judge all categories.
See the list of winners and description of their works after the break.
New releases for March 2, 2010: Blake Shelton, K.C. Clifford, “Alice in Wonderland” music
For Oklahoma music fans, this week’s new releases offer plenty of reasons to celebrate. Country star Blake Shelton, who was born in Ada and lives in Tishomingo, has his sixth album, “Hillbilly Bone,” out today.
Oklahoma City singer-songwriter K.C. Clifford also has a new album, “Orchid,” available for purchase today.
And Stillwater pop-rockers All-American Rejects are featured on the album “Almost Alice,” a collection of songs inspired by Tim Burton’s film adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland.” Along with the Rejects’ “The Poison,” the soundtrack companion includes tracks from Motion City Soundtrack, Owl City, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and more.
In DVDs, Spike Jonze’s cinematic adaptation of the classic children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are” is now in stores.
And in books, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” Seth Grahame-Smith’s follow-up to his best-seller “Pride and Prejudice and Zombie” promises another cheeky blend of horror and history.
Here is a list of the new CDs, DVDs and books out this week, from Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and The Oklahoman’s Renee Lawrence:
CDs
Blake Shelton, “Hillbilly Bone.”
K.C. Clifford, “Orchid.”
Peter Gabriel, “Scratch My Back.”
John Hiatt, “The Open Road.”
Danny Gokey, “My Best Days.”
Lifehouse, “Smoke & Mirrors.”
Danny Elfman, “”Alice in Wonderland Soundtrack.”
Various Artists, “Almost Alice.”
DVDs
2012
Alice
B—- Slap
Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey
Gentlemen Broncos
Ponyo
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
Where the Wild Things Are
Books
“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” by Seth Grahame-Smith (Grand Central Publishing, $21.99).
“House Rules” by Jodi Picoult (Simon & Schuster, $28).
“Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices” by Mosab Hassan Yousef with Ron Brackin (Tyndale House, $26.99).
“Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” by Helen Simonson (Random House, $25).
“New Atkins for a New You: The Ultimate Diet for Shedding Weight Fast and Feeling Great Forever” by Dr. Eric C. Westman, Dr. Stephen D. Phinney and Dr. Jeff S. Volek (Fireside, $16 paperback).
“Now Eat This!: 150 of America’s Favorite Comfort Foods, All Under 350 Calories” by Rocco DiSpirito (Random House, $22 paperback).
“No Apology: A Case for American Greatness” by Mitt Romney (St. Martin’s, $25.99).
“Hush” by Kate White (HarperCollins, $24.99).
“Women, Food, and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything” by Geneen Roth (Simon & Schuster, $24).
“Lift” by Kelly Corrigan (Hyperion, $16.99).
“Blood Vines” by Erica Spindler (St. Martin’s, $24.99).
“The Pacific” by Hugh Ambrose (NAL, $26.95).
“Our Lady of Immaculate Deception” by Nancy Martin (Minotaur Books, $24.99).
“If You Were My Man” by Francis Ray (St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.99 paperback).
“The Dragon Factory” by Jonathan Maberry (St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.99 paperback).
“Hex Hall” by Rachel Hawkins (Disney-Hyperion, $16.99, young adult).
“Clint: A Retrospective” by Richard Schickel, introduction by Clint Eastwood (Sterling, $35).
“The Ask: A Novel” by Sam Lipstye (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $25).
“They Fought for Each Other: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq” by Kelly Kennedy (St. Martin’s, $24.99).
“After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters” by N.T. Wright (HarperOne, $24.99).
“Silk Parachutes: Essays” by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $25).
“The Cross Gardener” by Jason F. Wright (Berkley, $22.95).
-BAM
3D’s Need to See: One, Two, Three Edition
Once again, 3D is here with your movie recommendation for the week. This week’s film is a wonderful little gem from 1961 called “One, Two, Three.” It’s a Billy Wilder picture with a tour de force performance by James Cagney. Unfortunately for fans of great acting, Cagney had such a bad time making this movie that he retired from acting for 20 years.
The movie is set in Germany right after the Berlin Wall was built. It concerns a Coca-Cola executive (Cagney) and his attempts to open the Russian market in East Berlin so that he will be promoted. His plans are spoiled when he is entrusted with the supervision of the teenage daughter of the Coca-Cola president. Her exploits lead to political and legal complications, and Cagney is forced to pull off some rather elaborate shenanigans to get out of the mess she’s created.
This is a movie that is greatly improved by the viewer’s knowledge of the policital situation of the time. Which is not to say that it takes itself at all seriously. This is a comedy and the jokes fly fast and furious. If you like fast paced, witty films or you’re a Billy Wilder fan, you need to see “One, Two, Three.”
For those of you who follow this feature, you should know that next week I will begin my March month of Western movie recommendations. So, keep reading!
—3D
DVD review: “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant”
With its muddled tone and murky plotting, The horror-comedy coming-of-age tale “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” fails to suck in its audience, whomever that might be.
The supernatural story follows Darren (Chris Massoglia), an ordinary nice-guy teen with good grades, reasonable popularity and parents more anxious about his future than he. His longtime best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson), on the other hand, is a budding juvenile delinquent.
The pals are bored with life in their nameless suburb until a freak show rolls into town. On a fateful night, they sneak out to see the Cirque du Freak, with its cast of eccentrics, including towering ringleader Mr. Tall (Ken Watanabe), regenerative Corma Limbs (Jane Krakowski) and bearded fortune teller Madame Truska (Salma Hayek). They are particularly mesmerized by sardonic spider trainer Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly, who seems an odd choice but sinks his teeth into the role), whom Steve correctly pegs as a vampire.
The arachnid-obsessed Darren recklessly steals Crepsley’s poisonous pet, and Steve is accidentally bitten. Darren makes a bargain with Crepsley: In exchange for the antidote, the teen agrees to become the bloodsucker’s half-vampire (he will still be able to go out in daylight) aide.
When he awakes from a coma, Steve is furious with Darren for stealing his dream of becoming a vampire. Through the machinations of warmonger Mr. Tiny (Michael Cerveris), But Darren and Steve end up on opposites sides of an ancient struggle between vampires, who feed from but don’t kill humans, and the bloodthirsty Vampaneze, who ruthlessly drain their prey.
Adapted from British author Darren Shan’s 12-book series, “Cirque du Freak” has its creepy-cool moments, especially with the animated opening credits and in the graveyard sequences. The freaks are fascinating, and their campground colorfully exotic. But most of the story focuses on the less-intriguing conflict between the teens.
Director/co-writer Paul Weitz can’t decide what kind of movie he’s trying to make, though he obviously hopes to do a sequel. “Cirque du Freak” isn’t funny enough to be called a comedy nor scary enough to qualify as horror. Too long and convoluted for kids and too bloodless for teens, the vampire tale feels undead on arrival.
DVD features: Deleted scenes, three making-of featurettes and Cirque campground tour.
— BAM
Comedian Gabriel Iglesias to bring happy, fluffy show to Oklahoma Thursday
From Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Comedian keeps things light so audience leaves happy
Bouncing around the stage in his signature sneakers and Hawaiian shirt, stand-up comedian Gabriel Iglesias sets out to make his fans laugh in a jolly, upbeat way.
“The last thing I want to hear is any groaning or booing during the show,” he said in a recent phone interview his Long Beach, Calif., home. “I keep the show very positive and everybody leaves there happy. Nobody leaves my show pissed off. Nobody leaves the show going, ‘Oh, this guy was being preachy.’ … When you leave my show, you want to hug somebody and get something to eat.”
A late-night snack could be considered an appropriate nightcap after seeing the robust comedian known as “The Fluffy Guy.” Last month, Iglesias, 33, launched his first nationwide tour in support of his Comedy Central stand-up special “I’m Not Fat … I’m Fluffy.” The 50-city four-month tour includes his “long overdue” first performance in the Oklahoma City area Thursday at the Rose State Performing Arts Theatre.
“I’ve been meaning to go over there for quite some time, it’s just that no promoters would take a chance on me. But now that we’ve got Comedy Central and Live Nation working together, they’re taking me anywhere and everywhere,” said Iglesias, who recorded “I’m Not Fat … I’m Fluffy” in front of a sold-out audience in El Paso, Texas.
“Every show’s been packed. No complaints. … The audiences have been great. It’s been a rock concert every single night is the best way to describe it.”
Iglesias, who has been seen on TV’s “Last Comic Standing,” “My Wife and Kids” and “All That,” has experienced a surge in popularity the past few years. The special “I’m Not Fat … I’m Fluffy” debuted with 4 million viewers in November on Comedy Central, while the DVD rapidly reached No. 1 on Amazon.com.
The comic attributes the growth in his popularity to “keeping the show friendly and making it so that everybody can enjoy.” His routine typically mixes real-life storytelling, impersonations and sound effects, but he avoids cracking wise about politics, religion and sports.
“All the stories are true, but I just put a little magic at the end to make them funny,” he said. “I surround myself with enough people and do enough things to where I keep it interesting. … It’s a great thing ‘cause I don’t like to write.”
In his latest special, the chubby comic shares his expanded “six levels of fat,” an early-morning encounter with a tyrannical hotel clerk and an episode of drunk texting his girlfriend. The DVD is dedicated to her son, Frankie, whom he considers his stepson, and the funnyman talks about the boy with his audience for the first time in the new routine.
The new dad chats about taking Frankie to Disney World, dropping him off late to school and even realizing that the boy has discovered the late-night programming on Cinemax.
“My kid is not gonna complain. He’s got everything he’s ever wanted, and he gets more of it every week,” Iglesias said, adding other family and friends accept that his life provides the material for his shows.
“I don’t really drag anybody under a bus. Like I said, even though it’s in fun, it’s still for the most part positive. If anybody catches heat, it’s usually me. I’ll put my own stuff up onstage, and there’s no story that I could tell about anybody else that I wouldn’t tell about myself.”
When he started out in stand-up, Iglesias just performed characters and impressions. His routines were dirty until a friend suggested he was likeable enough to find wider success with clean comedy. At least 10 years ago, he became comfortable enough in his own skin to joke about his hefty size.
“I just took a chance one night and it worked. And I just kept adding onto it from there. The more I tried to make the shows about real things that happened, the easier it got,” he said.
“I don’t think I’m making the people laugh at me as much as helping them laugh with me. … It’s not just stories about me being a big guy, I tell a lot of personal stories up there that people can really relate to. And I don’t come across offensive, so nobody feels weird.”
In concert
Gabriel Iglesias
When: 8 p.m. Thursday.
Where: Rose State Performing Arts Theatre, 6420 SE 15.
Information: 297-2264 or www.fluffyguy.com.
-BAM
New releases for Feb. 23, 2010: J.D. Robb, Johnny Cash, “Cirque du Freak”
3D is here with your new releases for this week. In music, there is a new issue in the American Recordings series, which features what is supposed to be Johnny Cash’s final song. J.D. Robb has put out yet another book in her emormously popular Eve Dallas series, and in movies this week the young adult adventure “Cirque Du Freak” is out on DVD.
According to Amazon.com, the new releases for February 23 are:
CDs
Johnny Cash, “American VI: Ain’t No Grave.”
Joanna Newsom, “Have One on Me.”
Alkaline Trio, “This Addiction.”
George Jones, “The Great Lost Hits” (Two-CD set).
Sarah Buxton, “Sarah Buxton.”
High on Fire, “Snakes for the Divine.”
The Irish Tenors, “Ireland.”
Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate, “Ali & Toumani.”
Books
J.D. Robb, “Fantasy in Death”
Kim Harrison, “Black Magic Sanction (Rachel Morgan)
Robert B. Parker, “Split Image (Jess Stone)
Danielle Steel, “Big Girl: A Novel”
Edward Jay Epstein, “The Hollywood Economist: The Hidden Financial Reality Behind the Movies”
Ted Morgan, “Valley of Death: The Tragedy of Dien Bien Phu That Led America into the Vietnam War”
Joanne Fluke, “Apple Turnover Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries)
DVDs
“Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant”
“The Informant!”
“The September Issue”
“Everybody’s Fine”
“The Box”
“Nurse Jackie: Season One”
“Project Runway: Season Six”
—3D
3D’s Need to See: Bullitt Edition
3D here with your movie recommendation for the week. This week I’ve gone old school with master of cool Steve McQueen’s 1968 detective drama “Bullitt.” Now everyone knows this movie for the car chase naturally, and it is one cool chase. McQueen actually driving his mustang makes for a realism you just don’t get from movies anymore. (However, the continuity errors make it a little unbelievable. Just for fun, play an old family game and count how many times the two main cars in the chase pass the same VW bug.)
Since everyone knows about the car chase, my purpose here is to let you know how great the rest of this movie is. For one thing, it was ground breaking in its depiction of the tedious nature of police work and the graphic operating room scenes. It also deals subtly with race issues with the various characters reactions to a black doctor (keep in mind this was 1968, a very volite year for this topic).
And if that is not enough, then perhaps knowing that Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn, and Robert Duvall also make appearances in the film will help. The soundtrack music is also pretty cool too. So, if you’re a McQueen fan, a car chase fan, or just a fan of gritty detective stories, then you need to see “Bullitt”
—3D
DVD review: “CMT Invitation Only: Reba”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“CMT Invitation Only: Reba”
Oklahoma-born and bred superstar Reba McEntire indubitably takes her place among singular entertainers who can go by just one name with her intimate TV concert “CMT Invitation Only: Reba,” now on DVD.
For more than 40 minutes, The flame-haired songstress from Chockie blazes through a scintillating set list spanning her 35-year career in country music, television and movies. Half the 10 songs come from her latest album, 2009’s “Keep on Loving You,” including the feisty hit singles “Strange” and “Consider Me Gone,” the sassy anthem “I Want a Cowboy” and the emotional yarn “8 Crazy Hours (In the Story of Love).”
McEntire, who will bring her current tour with George Strait to Tulsa’s BOK Center Saturday, puts no less enthusiasm into her seemingly effortless renditions of old signature songs. She passionately belts out the Southern murder tale “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” the heartbreaking ballad “And Still” and the sassy closer “Why Haven’t I Heard from You.”
She pays tribute to her multi-platform career with “I’m a Survivor,” the theme song to her sitcom “Reba,” and “Why Not Tonight,” the end credits honky tonker from her 1990 movie “Tremors.” The small roomful of fans at the cozily informal show often is shown smilingly singing along with every lyric.
In between songs, McEntire fields questions from the audience about her influences, her old 21-truck stage show and her storied career with down-home friendliness and self-deprecating humor. The Oklahoma native proves she not only has the talent to go by first name only but also the relatability to make fans feel like they know her on a first-name basis.
DVD extras: Extended audience question-and-answer session and music videos for “Strange” and “Consider Me Gone.”
— BAM
Filmmaker Frank Martin believes Louis Gossett Jr. will beat cancer
Louis Gossett Jr. (Associated Press file photo)
Filmmaker Frank Martin, director/producer/co-writer of the new documentary “For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots,” says Louis Gossett Jr. is a “wonderful man” who will not let cancer get him down.
Gossett, 74, announced last week that he had recently been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer, according to CNN.com.
“I count this diagnosis among the many challenges I have faced in my life and overcome,” Gossett said in a statement. “I expect this to be no different.”
The award-winning actor said he was going public with his illness “to set an example for the large number of African-American men who are victims of this disease because of the comparatively low emphasis in our community on preventive examinations and early treatment.”
He has started an intensive treatment program, CNN.com reported.
“He’s a tough guy … and he’s fighting back aggressively. He’s a good-hearted man and just a decent human being,” Martin (pictured left) said of Gossett in a phone interview.
Martin and Gossett worked together for 10 years to make the documentary “For Love of Liberty.” Gossett brought the project to Martin in 2000, and the actor also produced the project and worked as a voice actor on the film. He and Martin have stayed in touch since; the film was released earlier this month on DVD.
Gossett’s professional acting career began when he was just 16, playing the lead in the Broadway production “Take A Giant Step.”
In 1977, he won an Emmy for his portrayal of Fiddler in the miniseries “Roots.”
He earned a best supporting actor Oscar and a Golden Globe in 1983 for his role as a drill sergeant in “An Officer and a Gentleman.”
Our best wishes are with him as he fights cancer.
-BAM
