Film and Cinema

10-13 Texas County Fairgrounds Bring the family and enjoy the Texas County Free Fair, held in Guymon. This annual county fair includes exhibits, an antique tractor pull, horse shows and much more. texascountyfair.com STORIES ON THE SQUARE Aug. 10 Cherokee National Capitol, Tahlequah Listen to Cherokee origin stories passed down from generations past at the recurring Stories on the Square event. visitcherokeenation.com RUSH SPRINGS WATERMELON FESTIVAL AND RODEO Aug. 11-13 Je Davis Park, Rush Springs Hosted each year in August since 1948, the Rush Springs Watermelon Festival celebrates the local crop of watermelons with activities, carnival rides and plenty of old-fashioned, family-friendly entertainment for all. travelok.com SUMMERFEST Aug. 11 12th and Main St., Collinsville Head to Collinsville on the second Thursday of every month (April through August) for Summerfest. collinsvillechamber.org/events FIRELAKE FIREFLIGHT BALLOON FESTIVAL Aug. 12-13 1702 S. Gordon Cooper Dr., Shawnee Watch the Shawnee skyline transform into a mix of bright, brilliant colors as hot air balloons launch from the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Powwow Grounds. firelakeballoonfest.com WILL ROGERS & WILEY POST FLY-IN Aug. 13 Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch, Oologah Come watch more than 100 small planes land at the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch on the anniversary of Will Rogers’ and Wiley Posts’ Alaska plane crash. willrogers.com BLANCHARD BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL Aug. 19-20 Lions Park, Blanchard There’s fun for the whole family as the best bluegrass bands in Oklahoma perform. cityofblanchard.us WINGS, WHEELS AND WISHES Aug. 20 Airman Aces Airport, Collinsville Come watch small planes fly-in as you check out vintage airplanes, beautiful cars, trucks and motorcycles on display. travelok.com WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL RODEO Aug. 24-Aug. 27 American Legion Rodeo Grounds, Vinita The Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo, a PRCA sanctioned rodeo held each year in Vinita, will feature all of the exciting rodeo events fans have come to expect. willrogersmemorialrodeo.com OKLAHOMA FESTIVAL OF BALLOONING Aug. 26-Aug. 28 640 S. 40th St., Muskogee Hot air balloons will fill the sky over Muskogee’s Hatbox Field this August during the Oklahoma Festival of Ballooning. visitmuskogee.com

ORIGINAL CONTENT ABOUNDS

No sequels or spin-o s this month! Drama, thrillers, fantasy and comedy are just a movie ticket away.

August soon arrives, and instead of blockbusters and sequels, it’s mostly a month lled with original lms, unattached to previously existing IP. A rarity to be sure! Hopefully, these stories can pull you to the theater (and out of the heat) a few times in the coming weeks.

First up, a psychological thriller called Resurrection. e story follows Margaret (Rebecca Hall) as she tries to protect herself from her abusive ex-boyfriend David (Tim Roth), who reappears after 22 years. e trailer has a slow burn vibe, full of anxiety and fear, as Roth looms large over Hall’s everyday activities. Reviews at Sundance were positive; you can check it out on Aug. 5

If you’d rather view a black comedy slasher lm, check out Bodies Bodies Bodies. Starring Amandla Stenberg and Pete Davidson, the lm nds a group of teens playing a murder mystery style game … only to, of course, nd that someone has actually been killed by an unknown party. e trailer looks like a full on satire of: twenty-somethings; the era of digital dominance; and all those Gen Z terms that you’ll either get immediately or have absolutely no clue about. It releases Aug. 5.

For another horror ick, look to Barbarian. Written and directed by Zach Cregger of e Whitest Kids U’ Know fame, the plot concerns a woman who is accidentally double-booked at an Airbnb with a stranger. Although she nds him o -putting, it becomes clear that there is much more going on in the building than just a weird accidental roommate. e lm stars Bill Skarsgard, Justin Long and Georgina Campell, but the involvement of Cregger alone has me intrigued, especially considering there doesn’t appear to be any comedy. It releases on Aug. 12. (Just kidding, it’s Sept. 9 now – close enough!)

Itching for drama? Keep an eye on Emily the Criminal. e lm stars Aubrey Plaza as a woman saddled with debt so high that she gets involved with a credit card scam – which inadvertently pulls her into the seedy crime underworld of L.A. Written and directed by John Patton Ford, it looks to showcase Plaza’s dramatic chops in what will surely be an entertaining crime thriller. It releases on August 12th. If you thirst for a fantasy drama, try ree ousand Years of Longing. Directed by George Miller, known for the Mad Max franchise, the lm is based on e Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye by A.S. Byatt and concerns a scholar, played by Tilda Swinton, as she encounters the titular Djinn (Idris Elba). He o ers her three wishes, all of which lead to interesting consequences. It looks like a madhouse of e ects and camerawork, anchored by a bizarre story and fun performances. It releases Aug. 31. Finally, the second part of the nal season of Better Call Saul should be about halfway over by now, and I implore you to watch it as soon as you can. Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn have never been better, and the conclusion looks to be absolutely thrilling. It airs Monday nights on AMC. DREW JOSEPH ALLEN

MALL 31 OUTLET

Visit m-M 31 (Oklahoma’s mini-MALL OUTLET) for an experience you will not find anywhere else in Oklahoma. It conjures VISIONS of the PRAIRIES and the OLD WEST. m-M31.com

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