Over the first two Hunger Games films, we’ve watched coal miner’s daughter Katniss Everdeen become the pawn, then the pest, of the Capitol, whose President Snow (Donald Sutherland) has enslaved the adults of the 12 poorer Districts and annually commanded that they together sacrifice 24 of their children to likely…
Director Laura Poitras’ Citizenfour boasts an hour or so of tense, intimate, world-shaking footage you might not quite believe you’re watching. Poitras shows us history as it happens, scenes of such intimate momentousness that the movie’s a must-see piece of work even if, in its totality, it’s underwhelming as argument…
Adapted from Amy-Jo Albany’s memoir about growing up with her father, Joe, the jazz pianist best known for playing with Charlie Parker, Low Down stars John Hawkes and Elle Fanning as a father-daughter duo with a lot of love and even more problems. A charming, gifted musician with a heroin…
Get to know the Deep Ellum neighborhood a bit better, pick up a few things at the local shops and do it all while drinking a glass of wine. Buy a glass at a participating vendor for $5 and you’ll get refreshed at every stop (NOTE: This isn’t New Orleans,…
It would be difficult to dig up someone who doesn’t like Peter Ligon’s landscapes. Even if you’re not keen on landscape painting generally, there’s something about Ligon’s emotive, messy pieces that don’t scream of photo source material. The painter captures every Dallas scene from trees in winter to the East…
It’s that time of year when you really should just be able to carry a giant tumbler of wine around with you everywhere you go. (Honestly, that time is between January 1 and December 31, but especially the holidays.) The magical elixir makes everything so much more bearable. Squeezing through…
The third installment of The Hunger Games is upon us, which means you can’t escape Jennifer Lawrence and it’s time to dust off your old bow and arrow. To celebrate the insanely popular movie franchise, Alamo Drafthouse Richardson is hosting a special event that involves archery tag, a screening and…
The rise of the craft beer movement may be a relatively new concept, but Rahr & Sons was making local brews when most of those beer aficionados were just about to hit those awkward teenage years. Ten years ago, Rahr & Sons opened their doors to a thirsty Dallas-Fort Worth,…
It’s time to let it glow, let it glow, let it glow, y’all: City Lights 2014 has arrived. In an urban setting generally festooned with giant eyeballs and Important Business People, the giant Christmas tree anchored in Main Street Garden, 1920 Main St., is a veritable touchstone of warm fuzziness…
New York-based dance companies are a dime a dozen. They seem to pop up all the time ready to give you the ballet, jazz, and experimental dance you desire. Sometimes those dance companies get a special grant that allows them to tour, and those choreographers start establishing themselves as a…
Coinciding with the DMA’s Concentrations 57: Slavs and Tatars exhibit (a high/low art investigation of the geopolitics of language and culture), The Fine Arts Chamber Players present an afternoon of folk-informed musical performance. Held at the DMA’s Horchow Auditorium, the concert includes Khachaturian’s trio for clarinet, violin and piano (performed…
For many, the tradition of sending holiday cards has devolved into a mindless chore. Whether you’re scrambling to take an attractive family photo, rushing to have cards printed, or signing season’s greetings until your ink stained hand is sore, the process can feel less than joyful. Luckily, the art mavens…
Grab your tweedy cape, don a Sherlock hat and get your danderfanny on a bike for the Dallas Tweed Ride, beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the Grassy Knoll. Jason Roberts will lead the pack of time travelers through downtown, inside Dallas Heritage Village and ultimately through Oak Cliff where the…
“The Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents ‘The Golden Age of Jazz’” reads the program. Truthfully, there’s something strange about the DSO presenting jazz, a musical form whose very maturation was dependent on deconstructing the aesthetic assumptions of European music. Although jazz initially borrowed heavily from classical music, especially melodically, and despite…
Most book clubs are about the wine, so why not skip the living room pretense and host it at the source? Off the Record kicks off its music-themed book club, which is part discussion part cocktail club. And since they’ve named it High Fidelity Book Club, they’re starting off with…
Bonnie Friedman will read selections from her newest book Surrendering Oz at The Wild Detectives Tuesday. Friedman is the author of Village Voice best seller Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction and Other Dilemmas in the Writer’s Life. She’s won numerous writing awards. Tue., Nov. 25, 7 p.m., 2014…
This isn’t your daddy’s magic show. Gone are the days of simply pulling a rabbit out of a hat or cutting up some nameless woman. During Confetti Eddie’s Magic Burlesk and Sideshow, you’ll be able to get a behind-the-scenes look at how exactly his tricks are brought to life in…
Random acts of absurdity are what keep life interesting. You don’t remember each and every run around White Rock Lake, but you do remember the one when you saw the guy strumming his guitar and singing to his cat, who was lounging on a blanket by the shore. It was…
“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” Queen’s lyrics would accurately describe the questions presented to the audience — dare we say, the “souls” — by kaRaoKe MoTeL, Dead White Zombies’ last installment in their three-part series on the afterlife. An immersive performance of chance and choice, kaRaoKe…
We’ve come to expect that our holiday entertainment be either sickly sweet or garishly bright in depictions of the Christmas season. Sugarplum fairies dance, eyes twinkle merrily and bells ring out in our viewing traditions, while strife is neatly resolved with a healthy helping of the Christmas spirit. A Civil…
To build their latest new media installation at the Dallas Contemporary, Frank and Lee Dufour spent copious amounts of time researching the most common dreams humans have when they travel into their own subconcious. They surveyed friends, scoured Web sites and interviewed experts. Then, they built a computer that can…
In the grand scheme of Dallas’ holiday offerings, we have everything from big and bright lights to restaurant feasts with leftovers provided. But there are certain things that must be done on the annual: cruising Highland Park’s Christmas lights, visiting the ultimate natural Santa at NorthPark, visiting the Operation Kindness’…
