Animated films (not to be confused with that Pixar noise) have seriously been upgraded since we were kids. We were satisfied with a simple story about a lion cub that loses his dad and has to grow up fast to save his family and friends (with lovable sidekicks in tow)…
What do an Irish village, a priest and a string of murders all have in common? Usually, not very much, but they all factor into the plot of Martin McDonagh’s The Lonesome West. When Father Welsh moves to Leenane, a tiny village in the County of Galway, a supposed accidental…
Bull Durham just might be the most overrated comedy ever, and it made minor-league baseball look about as fun as a tiddlywinks tournament. The Frisco RoughRiders games I’ve seen were far more enjoyable than that pile of celluloid crap, and you can get in for less than the cost of…
What would you say to risotto with wild asparagus and pecorino? And how would you like some pan-seared scallops with fregula pasta and roasted vegetables? Sound good? Of course it does. So make it and five other dishes — including pork tenderloin with Saba glaze — for your Italian food-loving…
Ok, I admit it. The first non-soundtrack record that I ever bought was Styx’s Paradise Theater–the one with the hologram on the vinyl. I already had the 45 of “Babe,” which was one of my roller rink favorites. So, yeah, I confess, I was a Styx fan. What of it?…
Dallas Opera’s triumphant world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick is so un-opera in the traditional sense that it’s easier to describe it as new epic cinema in 3-D. With live actors. And lots of singing. About three hours’ worth, all aboard the Pequod in search of the mythical Great White…
“Give Them What They Want” is the first number in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and the current entertainment model of Uptown Players, the company presenting the area’s first local production of the show. Giving the Uptown audience—a mostly middle-aged, predominantly gay male crowd of dedicated theatergoers—what they want means the occasional…
I took the 6-year-old who lives in my house to the Sunday-afternoon sneak preview of Furry Vengeance. The boy’s a savvy consumer of kids’ popular culture—my greatest parenting triumph thus far. He knew from myriad Disney Channel commercials (the movie stars Matt Prokop of High School Musical 3) that Furry…
Watered-down Jungian analysis meets a GLAAD-approved weepie in Peter Bratt’s second feature, starring brother Benjamin (who also produces) as a swaggering, neck-tattooed macho who will finally realize the damage his rock-hard masculinity has caused during a funeral for a teenage gangbanger, his tears mixing with the rain as he flashes…
I’ve never really thought of mash-ups as more than a DJ novelty trick, something to make people on the dance floor pause for a second and say to themselves, “Huh, I guess those songs kind of do fit together.” But somehow combining various collages from existing works of visual art…
What do the Cinco de Mayo holiday and the amazing, stupendously wonderful band the Gipsy Kings have in common? They’re both going to be at the House of Blues. If that seems convoluted, suffice it to say that whether you are celebrating the unlikely victory of the Mexican army over…
These days, toys seem to fall into one of two categories: cheap pieces of plastic trendiness or overpriced geekery that never escapes its original packaging. Somewhere along the line, it seems like people have forgotten the greatness that is the toy, but luckily there’s something to remind us. In celebration…
Pairing the traditional arts of basket making and screen making, Modern Twist: Bamboo Works from the Clark Center and the Art of Motoko Maio, will debut with a dual exhibition, featuring a selection of bamboo works and folding screens. Various artists from the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture…
Most of us have been tagged in a less than flattering Facebook photo. You know, that one when you were taking a bite of pizza and have that eyes-half-closed, mouth-agape thing going on. These moments, although unflattering, present a realness to which posed shots can’t compare. These are the moments…
It’s a scientific fact that butterflies are the most awesome of all insects. This weekend, join the Dallas Zoo for the opening of Dallas Roars! presents Butterflies!, an exhibit featuring more the 200 of the colorful creatures. Youngsters will also get to shake hands with McGruff, visit the Stranger Danger…
Erotic might not be the best way to describe Fourplay, Webb Gallery’s newest exhibit. You’ll spot big hands and hulking bulges, but rather than make assumptions, allow me to give you the heads up: There isn’t much at Fourplay relating to the sexual endeavors foreplay entices. Rather, the exhibit seems…
America needs consumers to get this country’s economy humming–not just today but in the future, when hordes of us will be old and counting on those government checks. So, if you’re a parent, do your part for Uncle Sam and haul your tykes to the Dallas Kids Expo, Saturday and…
It’s nice to see the humble ukulele making a comeback, as the bright, simple four-string mini-guitar always manages to make people smile. Hopefully the uke’s re-emergence into popular music will result in regained prominence for other instruments that have fallen into obscurity, like the hurdy gurdy. Until interest in that…
More like a party than a sale, the Second Annual Spring Bash from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at South Side on Lamar, 1409 S. Lamar, is a free, family-friendly event that is sure to inspire your inner Martha Stewart. Shop Dallas’ premiere handmade arts and crafts experience presented…
Being an adult totally blows. Instead of spending our money that we worked so hard for (kind of) on ice cream or a sweet new water gun, we’re expected to waste it on rent and bills. And while working those long hours to keep a roof over our heads and…
Strippers and trailer parks and intrigue, oh my! Armadillo Acres–a trailer park populated by bleached blondes and men in dirty wife beaters–is home, sweet home to high school sweethearts Jeannie and Norbert. But there’s trouble brewing inside their love nest on wheels. An agoraphobic Jeannie refuses to leave their trailer…
The horror film genre is one that attracts a fairly fervent fan base, from all observations. And I have to qualify it on an observation-only basis, because I have never seen a horror movie. Unless The Shining counts, and I’m not sure it does. But clearly–unlike me–the vast majority of…
