We were an expert in brainwashing long before our English class watched The Manchurian Candidate in high school. We had nearly perfected our technique by age 3, having nightly whined, “Mommy, read me Inside, Outside, Upside Down” and “Daddy, read me Green Eggs and Ham.” Eventually, we moved beyond those…
Thursday, February 26 A cinematic formula perfected by John Sayles in 1980 (in the form of The Secaucus 7): A group of old friends/time-sharers/students retreats to a house/hideaway/mansion, and mayhem/sexual catastrophe/murder inevitably ensues. Sayles kicked off the trend, which now has feelers extended into horror (Evil Dead–yeah, it’s a stretch,…
You’d hardly notice the tiny drops of blood–long-dried and resembling sticky dregs of sloshed espresso–along the sidewalks from 3200 Main St., deep in Deep Ellum, all the way to Trammell Crow’s “Design District” west of Stemmons Freeway, south of Oak Lawn. Last May, Nancy Whitenack ripped part of the heart…
2/29 I am all about the Oscar party–the cooking, the heavy drinking, the laughing at insincere acceptance speeches, the heavy drinking, the shrieking when the unworthy are awarded, the unchallenged claims that So-and-So Famous Person mentioned in an insincere acceptance speech “is a good, good friend of mine,” the heavy…
2/28 When the chewing began, only insignificant things were destroyed–pencils, plastic hangers, gimme cups (sort of like a gimme cap). We even encouraged our dog to chew, tossing her empty pop bottles to play with. This is probably a habit we should’ve nipped in the bud, but we didn’t realize…
2/26 People call John Leguizamo quirky and versatile, spastic and incisive. But no one ever points out his good looks. Why is that? He’s got the cheekbones, the swiveling Latin hips, the penetrating…eyes. Remember that scene in Summer of Sam, in which the camera luxuriated over his dance moves with…
2/28 You bought a bingo card, cheered at O-69, had a lot of fun and helped out the Resource Center of Dallas. Maybe you even won a few bucks. But now it’s time to make the center the big winner. For nearly 20 years, it has assisted North Texas residents…
Seldom over the course of a relatively storied career has Gene Hackman garnered sustained laughter in films billed as comedies. He’s wondrous at playing virtuous or wicked, paternal or pissed-off, but never quite comfortable in the role of comedian; he may be an actor of uncommon range, able to communicate…
It’s clear by now that Meg Ryan, the bubbling sweetheart of half a dozen romantic comedies, means to bring new substance and seriousness to the latest phase of her career. Witness the lonely New York English teacher she played in last year’s brainy slasher flick In the Cut. In no…
So this grown man walks into another teen girl movie. He is not stunned to learn that it concerns clothes, fun, clothes, peer pressure and clothes. The world outside can be ugly as hell, though, so he commences with the cynicism on low. This particular teen girl movie is not…
Albert Maysles, with brother David, made two different films about two different rock-and-roll bands five years apart, but to this day he can’t think of one without immediately thinking of the other. The first he was shooting 40 years ago this very day, more or less: The Beatles were on…
Arthur Miller’s powerful drama All My Sons, now drawing gasps and tears from audiences riveted by Classical Acting Company’s production at Richland College, was written during wartime. It concerns a family wrestling with the postwar realization that the father’s success as a defense contractor during World War II was the…
Last weekend we popped out to the 24-hour convenience store on a midnight necessity run. The door was locked; desperation shook our soul. And we weren’t alone. Behind us approached a tuxedoed and boutonniered fellow, obviously dismayed by the locked-door situation and unmistakably a groomsman just released from his duties…
Thursday, February 19 We were nearly 10 when we saw Stand By Me the first time, and it scarred us for life. It wasn’t the body in the woods, or the leeches, or the scramble across the train trestle. Oh, no, it was the story about the pie-eating contest. Competitive…
We feel that we owe Russ Martin a pre-emptive apology because, well, we think he’s a nice guy. A strange gesture, perhaps, but there’s hardly a more damning compliment than that of “nice guy” for someone in talk radio. Martin is the afternoon drive-time host of KLLI-FM 105.3, Dallas’ alternative…
2/20 In the 1970s, funk met film with the introduction of a new cinematic genre. Especially designed for and marketed to African-Americans, blaxploitation flicks such as Shaft and Superfly were filled with action and sexuality and heroes who loved nothing more than kickin’ ass and takin’ names. Now, decades later,…
2/23 Who would’ve thought a car dealership could be sexy? But combine the elegance of the latest luxury cars, a casino run by strapping athletes and the ever-popular Italian eats of Maggiano’s, and you’re guaranteed one inviting evening. And when you add to that the fact that it’s all for…
2/19 We don’t get it. When a group of men dress up in crazy costumes, dance, play and sing songs in front of a live audience, it’s heartwarming. But when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake do the same thing at the Super Bowl, it’s controversial. What’s with the double standard,…
2/21 Shift: high gear. Up ahead: major art thing called the Dallas Art Dealers Association’s Winter Gallery Walk. Not a verb to waste. Follow this map: highlights first, details last. Rev it up and read on. John Pomara’s “moving” prints and Scott Barber’s cast urethane-enhanced fluorescent lights at Barry Whistler…
2/24 Six years ago, my father met Tom Wopat at DFW International Airport. Meeting a C-list celebrity was nothing new for him. He’s hugged Tori Spelling and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Informed Joe Pantoliano that he “really kicked it” on The Sopranos. Scared the holy bejeezus out of Sam Donaldson. He’s…
Thursday, February 12 As we tick off entries in our checkbook register, we cross-check them with the lovely invention that is the online statement. In trying to create a frugal budget, we researched our spending and found that an excessive amount was devoted to dining out. Makes sense if you…
So-called patrons of the arts might think they’re the bees’ knees, but we think kids know better. Sure, museums have their charm, but they aren’t half as fun as the things kids are patrons of, like cartoons, boogers and magic. Let’s face it: When kids get excited about something, they…
