Story: English and French language fim captures the music, dance and harsh realities of the Bayake pygmies through a New Jersey ethnomusicologist who has lived with them for over 20 years. Cast:Kris Marshall, Isaach De Bankolé, Will Yun Lee, Peter RiegertDirector:Lavinia CurrierOpened:October 14, 2011From:Dada FilmsLength:1 hr. 46 min.
OKA! played in limited release to good not great reviews. • Mark Jenkins wrote for NPR, "...depicts Bayaka culture as messy and not always admirable, but exuberantly vital." • And Walter Addiego wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "The plot is somewhat pedestrian and the dialogue needs more zip. But it's amusing to watch the Bayaka poke good-natured fun at the gangly Larry Whitman, who has only their best interests at heart." More Reviews Below...
Andy Webster, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the incidental sights and sounds -- the climate, topography, fauna and Pygmy population -- largely keep it watchable.... If only for its portrait of a land and a fascinating culture, 'Oka!' is worth the journey."(Read the full review...) 227 words, 10/14/11
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...takes audiences on an engaging journey to the Central African Republic.... what meets the eye -- and the ear -- here makes 'Oka!' worth the trip."(Read the full review...) 234 words, 10/28/11
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "There's enough material here for a compelling movie, but Lavinia Currier (the director, co-writer and co-producer) doesn't seize the moment. The script is leaden and the characters mere stereotypes."(Read the full review...) 156 words, 10/14/11
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a loose-limbed tapestry of cultural nuances, atmosphere, and song... a tuneful tribute to the Bayakan spirit."(Read the full review...) 206 words, 10/12/11
KEY CITIES (2 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "It's a little strange, in a movie about an American ethnomusicologist's love affair with Pygmy music - a movie whose very name, 'Oka!,' means 'listen' - that there's not a whole lot of music."(Read the full review...) 326 words, 01/20/12
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "The plot is somewhat pedestrian and the dialogue needs more zip. But it's amusing to watch the Bayaka poke good-natured fun at the gangly Larry Whitman, who has only their best interests at heart."(Read the full review...) 146 words, 10/28/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a loose-limbed tapestry of cultural nuances, atmosphere, and song... a tuneful tribute to the Bayakan spirit."(Read the full review...) 206 words, 10/12/11
Kalvin Henely, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "...offers small rewards in a dreamy film that otherwise feels strangely distant from itself.... may work best simply as an homage to sound recording."(Read the full review...) 384 words, 10/17/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Andy Webster, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the incidental sights and sounds -- the climate, topography, fauna and Pygmy population -- largely keep it watchable.... If only for its portrait of a land and a fascinating culture, 'Oka!' is worth the journey."(Read the full review...) 227 words, 10/14/11
Mark Jenkins, NPR: GOOD "...too playful to qualify as an ethnographic study, and it doesn't offer any practical solutions to the conflict between development and indigenous culture.... depicts Bayaka culture as messy and not always admirable, but exuberantly vital."(Read the full review...) 560 words, 10/13/11
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...takes audiences on an engaging journey to the Central African Republic.... what meets the eye -- and the ear -- here makes 'Oka!' worth the trip."(Read the full review...) 234 words, 10/28/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
John Anderson, Daily Variety: GOOD "If movies were subject to sanity tests, 'Oka!' would be a crazy old man with a three-day beard and a sock full of kruggerrands under his mattress.... it has a kind of freewheeling sensibility and contempt for conformity..."(Read the full review...) 663 words, 10/12/11
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...takes audiences on an engaging journey to the Central African Republic.... what meets the eye -- and the ear -- here makes 'Oka!' worth the trip."(Read the full review...) 234 words, 10/28/11
Andy Webster, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the incidental sights and sounds -- the climate, topography, fauna and Pygmy population -- largely keep it watchable.... If only for its portrait of a land and a fascinating culture, 'Oka!' is worth the journey."(Read the full review...) 227 words, 10/14/11
10.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
OKA!'s reviews are separated by an average 10.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Coverage:OKA!'s reviews cover 13.1% of potential readers (average is 68.2%). Volume:The film's reviews total 3,108 words involume (average is 19,979 words). Length:The film's reviews average 311 words in length (the norm is 512 words).
Reviews Broke 12 Days After Release (Norm is 0.2 Release)
OKA!'s reviews on average broke 12 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 0.2 hours after. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is OKA!'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Mobile Web App version 1.0 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
