Projections Movie Blog

Movie review: ‘Robot and Frank' is programmed to steal your heart August 31, 2012 | Comment on this article

Funny how some of the warmest heartbreakers in the science-fiction genre involve relationships between humans and machines. There was Ray Bradbury’s “I Sing the Body Electric,” a short story and classic “Twilight Zone” episode about a wise and kindly automaton grandmother (Josephine Hutchinson) who... Read More

Blu-ray review: ‘The Incredible Mr. Limpet’

August 30, 2012 While Don Knotts himself often seemed like a living, breathing cartoon character, the scrawny, beloved character actor scored one of the most underappreciated works of his career in the hybrid live-action/animated family movie “The Incredible Mr. Limpet,” which now gets a glossy polish in a new Blu-ray edition.... Read More

Movie review: Doc paints solid, workmanlike portrait of ‘Bill W.’ August 29, 2012 So-called “friends of Bill,” as members of Alcoholics Anonymous are astutely called, number in the countless thousands, but the self-effacing co-founder of the lifesaving organization gets a human face – a deeply flawed but sturdily compassionate one – in the workmanlike documentary “Bill W.”... Read More

Under the Radar DVD of the Week: 'Two Orphan Vampires: Remastered Edition'

August 27, 2012 This week, the oddest DVD to appear on release lists is: “Two Orphan Vampires: Remastered Edition” In an obvious effort to capitalize on the burgeoning “Twilight” market, one of the lesser works of French vampire auteur Jean Rollin gets a royal Blu-ray treatment in “Two Orphan Vampires: Remastered... Read More

Museum web project casts a sharp eye on presidential TV ads August 24, 2012 NEW YORK – As election season gears up and American voters gird themselves for a media onslaught of campaign ads and counter-ads, the Museum of the Moving Image in New York has assembled a timely and historically rich web project that tracks the powerful influence of TV ads in past presidential elections.... Read More

Movie review: 'Premium Rush' peddles extreme thrills

August 24, 2012 “Premium Rush” moves like “The French Connection” on two wheels with no brakes from start to finish. It’s the Tour de France adapted to the mean streets of New York and it’s a thrill ride worth taking, especially for fans of extreme cycling — as in extremely dangerous. Read More

Movie review: ‘Queen of Versailles’ reigns over kingdom of materialism

August 23, 2012 If there’s a queasy, outrageous caricature to be had of America’s pampered and greedy one per-centers, it’s surely in the breathtaking portrait painted of the Siegels – 73-year-old time-share billionaire David and his balloon-chested 43-year-old blonde trophy wife Jackie – in “The Queen of... Read More

Blu-ray review: 'Jaws' Universal 100th Anniversary Edition

August 22, 2012 When those double bass fiddles sound the first two ominous notes on the soundtrack and John Williams’ throbbing minimalist theme gradually begins to quicken in tempo, everyone knows to look out for BRUCE! Yes, Bruce. That’s the nickname director Steven Spielberg laid on the troublesome mechanical shark(s)... Read More

Under the Radar DVD of the Week: 'Attack of the Killer Backpacks'

August 20, 2012 This week, the oddest DVD to appear on release lists is: “Attack of the Killer Backpacks” With the start of the school year fast upon us, students everywhere will begin hefting their backpacks and heading merrily off to class. But what if those backpacks... Read More

Zach Galifianakis is no stranger to dirty politics

August 15, 2012 NEW YORK – When it comes to the dirty politics depicted in “The Campaign,” star Zach Galifianakis says he knows a thing or two about that first hand. The political satire stars Galifianakis and Will Ferrell as North Carolina candidates vying for a U.S. Congressional seat in a campaign of comic mudslinging,... Read More

Open casting call announced for 'August: Osage County'

August 15, 2012 TULSA — Freihofer Casting will hold an open call for extras from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in Tulsa for the upcoming feature film “August: Osage County.” The film, starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, is scheduled to shoot in Oklahoma beginning in late September. Oklahoma casting director Chris... Read More

Under the Radar DVD of the Week: 'Stallone Collection'

August 13, 2012 This week, the oddest DVD to appear on release lists is: “Stallone Collection” As Sylvester Stallone prepares to lead another hyper-butched-up cast into over-the-top action for a second outing of “The Expendables,” three of the macho star’s more respectable and substantial movie roles are being... Read More

Gary Cooper's daughter revisits 'The Hanging Tree'

August 11, 2012 BY GENE TRIPLETT Maria Cooper Janis didn’t get to visit her father at work very often. One of the most memorable exceptions came during the filming of the 1952 Western “High Noon.” That’s her on the cover of her book, “Gary Cooper Off Camera: A Daughter Remembers.” She’s the pretty 14-year-old... Read More

Movie review: ‘The Campaign’ is outrageous, but real politics are more so

August 10, 2012 Actual, factual American politics are so bizarre and disconnected from everyday life that it’s hard to imagine any mere made-up movie topping the real thing for sheer harebrained farce. But that’s the challenge that “The Campaign” sets for itself, and despite some on-target satirical barbs and... Read More

Movie review: ‘The Bourne Legacy’ labors in the shadow of Jason

August 10, 2012 Jason Bourne has disappeared into the cloak-and-dagger mists, and with him actor Matt Damon has taken his cerebral toughness, lightning-quick cunning and dramatic charisma. So for “The Bourne Legacy,” a largely redundant fourth installment in the franchise based on Robert Ludlum’s swift and brutal espionage... Read More

The Campaign’ stars stump for moviegoers’ votes on whistle-stop tour

August 10, 2012 BY DENNIS KING NEW YORK – Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis shuffled in to the recent press conference for “The Campaign” like a pair of road-weary pols on the last leg of a grueling whistle-stop tour. Looking slightly dazed and more than a little haggard, the two stars took their places on the dais at... Read More

If ‘The Campaign’ stars were on the government payroll

August 09, 2012 NEW YORK – In the political comedy “The Campaign,” co-stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis play characters vying for that most coveted of government jobs – U.S. congressman. So what if the two actors – along with director Jay Roach and co-star Dylan McDermott – could choose any government... Read More

Under the Radar DVD of the Week: 'Dance Moms: Season 1'

August 07, 2012 This week, the oddest DVD to appear on release lists is: “Dance Moms: Season 1” Every queasy, embarrassing stereotype ascribed to desperate, pushy, backbiting “stage mothers” – not to mention tough-talking talent coaches – comes into play in the snarky but undoubtedly watchable reality TV series... Read More

Movie review: 'Total Recall' remake can't top memorable original

August 03, 2012 It isn’t necessarily justified to compare two different movies under the same critical microscope just because they’re based on the same source material. Different writers and directors can come up with unique interpretations of the same work — in this case the short story “We Can Remember It for... Read More

DVD review: ‘The Three Stooges Ultimate Collection'

August 02, 2012 If 60 hours of pokes in the eye, severe blows to the head and acts of abject stupidity sound like a marathon of mirth to you, then you must be a Three Stooges fan. Therefore, you must own “The Three Stooges Ultimate Collection,” which contains all 190 of the two-reeler shorts these sultans of slapstick made... Read More

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About the writers

Dennis King

Movie Critic

King spent 31 years as an ink-stained wretch working for newspapers in Seminole, Ada, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. He holds a B.A. degree in English from the University of Central Oklahoma and for 16 years served as an adjunct instructor in journalism and English at Tulsa Community College. For 20 years, he was full-time film critic at the Tulsa World.

In 2006, he left Tulsa and along with his wife, Suzan (a retired English professor), moved to a cabin in Dingmans Ferry, PA. There, along the banks for the Delaware River, he chased after two rambunctious Labrador retrievers, fly fished the waters of the Poconos and did his best to become a full-time trout bum. Still scratching a writer’s itch, he freelanced articles for Explorer magazine and Gray’s Sporting Journal and wrote a stage play about classic movies and old movie theaters, titled “Spirits of the Coronado” (after his long-gone boyhood theater at 39th Street and MacArthur Boulevard).

In December, he and Suzan moved into an apartment in upper Manhattan, where they plan to eat bagels for breakfast and street-cart hot dogs for lunch, haunt the Angelika Theater and the Film Forum, go to plays and museums, ride the subways, complain about the subways and generally live like true New Yorkers.

Gene Triplett

Entertainment Editor

Gene Triplett is another Oklahoma newspaper dinosaur who's been cranking out copy for 34 years, first at the upstart, long defunct Oklahoma Journal, covering just about every news beat imaginable, then at The Oklahoman, where's he's bounced back and forth from features to the news side as assistant city editor, city editor and entertainment editor, managing to hold down the latter position for more than 10 years. He holds a B.A. degree in journalism -- also from the University of Central Oklahoma -- and, also like his colleague King, chases after two loony Labrador retrievers. He does not live by a trout-filled river, but he and his wife Carol do own a swimming pool, much to the delight of their dogs.

The Tripletts enjoy gourmet outdoor cooking year-round (rain, sleet or snow), entertaining friends, road trips to scenic wooded parks that rent rustic lakeside cabins, listening to music, watching classic movies and, in the summertime, swimming with their dogs.