Suburbia used to be an integral part of the great American dream. Is it still? Urban sprawl and other challenges often mean that the suburbs aren’t the picket fence utopias that their reputations once suggested. Disquiet: Unsettled Suburbia explores the reality of modern suburbia through photographs of suburban, middle class…

It’s not too often that comedy club patrons actually want to be singled out by the star comedian. Not so with Flip Orley, even though his chosen medium has the most potential for public humiliation. He’s a hypnotist. A funny hypnotist, who creates his scenes from volunteers who are lulled…

The argument for organics doesn’t begin and end with consumables. In fact, there aren’t many things we can think of that wouldn’t benefit from the TLC that organic gardening provides. Did you know that, just like your dinner plate, your yard can reap the benefits of an organic upbringing? Randy…

Don’t let the name scare you. The Dead Photographer’s Society is alive and well. And if members have their way, their methods of photography will remain so, too. The group was begun to share the love of black-and-white, darkroom-processed images, but also includes other genres. They’ve showcased work at many…

“Cinderelly, Cinderelly.” Beloved fairy tale. How you enthrall us, with your pumpkin chariots and bird wardrobe stylists. And yet, you engage us with your love story. Not to mention the fact that you make us wish for a fairy godmother of our own. It’s a fairy tale classic for a…

In the great flood of the Noah’s Ark story, animals were saved two-by-two. Not so with the great floods of Hurricane Katrina. There were no arks; there were no clear directives from a higher power. It was a time of literally sinking or swimming, and it’s nearly impossible to swim,…

Kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest at its most extreme, this idea has been the basis for many movies. But the Oscar-nominated French film A Prophet takes the idea a step further, showing us what comes after the decision is made and a victim is down. The story…

We love The Jungle Book, but we’re not sure that it accurately reflects the life of the feral child. For one thing, we’re not sure that the animals were quite so anthropomorphic. We doubt they smiled and danced around so much. Now that we’re older, we’re ready for the grown-up…

As far as witches go, the one in Hansel and Gretel is especially wicked–a calculating cannibal who cages children, luring them to their demises with the things they desire most. At first look, what Hansel and Gretel desire most are sweets. But when we realize that the story begins with…

They say it takes a village to raise a child. In the Austrian film The White Ribbon, it takes children to ruin a village. A series of unfortunate events in fictional, rural, pre-World War I Eichwald, Germany, are not only imposed on the village youth, but attributed to them. A…

It’s 2010. We thought we’d have flying cars and jet packs. We do not. But, what we do have is burlesque. Is that an even trade? Some think so. If your last hours of 2009 weren’t seductive enough, you get another chance at The Crystal Palace Burlesque Revue, La Divina…

There’s a reason that prints of Claude Monet’s impressionist paintings are so often used as “starter art.” Relatable, visually attractive and extremely well known, the work is hard to go wrong with. It’s no surprise that Monet was a gardener beyond the paintbrush too. Expert Eric T. Haskell discusses how…

As with many classic books, we could analyze Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden to pieces. The undercurrent of magic, the power of positive thinking and the importance of friendship are all there and are all valid points to discuss about the book. But what it boils down to is…

“Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus. He’s standing in your living room, disguised as a homeless man.” This scenario could go in more of a Halloween direction, or at least the direction of a holiday courtroom drama. But happily, it’s just the set-up for Another Night Before Christmas. The…

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right…through downtown Dallas? Dallas is pretty far from the North Pole, but on Saturday the streets of downtown Dallas will resemble it a bit more closely. The Capital One Bank Adolphus Children’s Parade Benefiting Children’s Medical Center (try working that line into…

We’ve heard the nativity story all of our lives. And while the tale is interesting–shepherds, wise men and a virgin birth in one story is pretty darn exciting to us–we have to admit that it can get repetitive. But the sameness of the story’s telling doesn’t negate the fact that…

Is there an antagonist crueler than Cruella De Vil? Probably. But she’s near the top of that list. She wears puppy skins, for goodness’ sake! And that was a faux pas even in 1957, when the story debuted. Since then, 101 Dalmatians has romped its way through 40 years’ worth…

Too often, writers–even good writers–ignore the subtle intricacies of the landscape, time period and human interactions in favor of producing heavy-handed blockbusters. In 1990, Dances With Wolves came along with a totally different depiction of a typical blockbuster genre–the frontier drama. Thanks to the novel’s author and the film’s screenwriter…

There’s more to Jewish humor than mother and matzo jokes. And comedian Elon Gold proves it. The modern Orthodox, yeshiva-educated Gold mixes religious and secular comedy to formulate a one-man shtick that is relatable even to those who think kippah is a fish. (It’s actually another word for yarmulke.) Multiple…

We have definite ideas of what fall should be, and right now, Dallas isn’t meeting a single one. Good thing we can point you to a place that has the seasonal elements we’re missing–and more. The Conduit Gallery exhibits Joe Mancuso’s floral abstractions, Michael Tole’s paintings of Ripley’s Believe It…

Many people claim to be poets. Relatively few are. But that’s OK. Good poetry is subjective. Kate Greenstreet is the real deal. No “cat…rat…mat” simplicity here; she actually weaves narrative, mystery and characters into her works. Greenstreet reads from selected works at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Jonsson Performance Hall…

Remember when it was an insult to be called a redneck? Now, “his ‘n’ hers” camouflage, dirt track dates, and truck stop tchotchkes are ironically hip. (And, if you don’t believe us, then you’ve obviously never been to the Double-Wide.) We think the trend was helped by Jeff Foxworthy, the…