We’re all trying to get a mega-theatre experience at home these days. Big screens and surround sound with lots of bass so the couch vibrates when you turn up the speakers. But how about getting that “knock-you-out-of-your-seat” thrill watching a silent film? Eighty years ago, the only sound you heard…
You can say what you want about the French, but one thing is for sure: They can make the hell out of a movie. Almost every modern trend in film has its roots in the groundbreaking French cinema of the ’50s and ’60s. Landmark’s Inwood Theatre, 5458 W. Lovers Lane,…
KNON-FM is community-supported radio that’s as diverse as the community that supports it. They dabble in so many different formats—from death metal to Baptist gospel—that each genre seems to require its own community fund-raiser. In June, the station’s Latin Energy Festival drew a sweltering crowd of about 9,000 people. And…
There’s still time to catch Big River at the Granville Arts Center courtesy of the Garland Civic Theatre. The play, based on Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, runs through October 28. But if you miss it, there’s always Dr. Dolittle Wednesday through November 5. Granted, dedicating an evening to a children’s…
Adrian Belew may not be a household name—at least my mom doesn’t recognize it, and she’s my touchstone for what America is or isn’t hip to. But, like my mom, you might be a huge fan of Belew’s work. The 30-year rock veteran has been prog-rocking with King Crimson since…
New works by photographers Allison V. Smith and Ann Stautberg provide insights into the subtlety of often overlooked colors and textures. The West Texas town of Marfa may be famous for its mysterious lights, but Smith’s photos illuminate a palette of surprisingly vibrant hues against the stark canvas of the…
Maybe it’s the influence of Iron Chef, but somehow, somewhere along the line, cooking became competitive. Rather than quashing this uniquely American characteristic, the folks at Central Market (Greenville Avenue and Lovers Lane) are encouraging it, specifically in their Pizza: NY vs. Chicago cooking class (since when did “versus” become…
In 1995, Ben Folds Five reminded everyone that the piano was, in fact, an aggressive rock ‘n’ roll instrument. Folds proved you didn’t have to play “Piano Man” to get listeners to ditch the usual six-string for a while and pay attention, rock out even, to the keys. Then came…
The 244 poems in Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology, the tale of a fictional Illinois town as told through the stories of its dead residents, were originally published in serial form between 1915 and 1916. Though they may be fictional, these autobiographical epitaphs contain more than their fair share…
There’s not a lot to live for in this world, but fun holidays and cool accents are good reasons not to off oneself immediately. So when I’m sitting at home alone on a Saturday night, full of whiskey and self-hate, I like to remind myself of two things: Halloween and…
The kids already know who has all the best candy in the neighborhood. They don’t remember to brush their teeth every night, but year after year they know which houses to beeline toward for the full-size candy bars. Come dusk, they’re running out the door and passing by all the…
Inspired by a true story, Osama was the first film made in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. After the brutal Taliban regime bans women from working and forbids them to leave their homes without a male escort, a 12-year-old girl and her mother find themselves on the brink…
An exploration of pedophile serial killings is probably not the pick-me-up you’re looking for in your entertainment choices this week, but if you’ve ever wondered about the nature of evil, Bryony Lavery’s Frozen takes you up close and personal. Weekends through November 5, Theatre Three, 2800 Routh St., will present…
Five years ago, an arts organization called Imagination Celebration Fort Worth (ICFW) invited Arturo Rodriguez, a Mexican student studying music at TCU, to write a symphony in honor of bringing arts awareness to youngsters. Since then, Rodriguez’s 44-minute symphony has been played around the United States and Mexico and has…
Drop-dead hip or cluelessly clueless? Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, a candy-colored portrait of France’s infamous teen queen is a graceful, charming and sometimes witty confection–at least for its first hour. The famously shy Coppola may be an inscrutable personality, but her bold exposé of backstage royalty opens with a big…
he Queen is more fun than any movie about the violent death of a 36-year-old woman has a right to be. It’s also as exotic an English-language picture as the season is likely to bring. Directed by Stephen Frears from Peter Morgan’s script, The Queen is set in the peculiar…
If ever a role called for heaps of bravura, it’s Don Quixote. Errant knight, madman, tilter at windmills, storyteller–Quixote is the blazing sun around which all elements revolve in Man of La Mancha, now playing at Addison’s WaterTower Theatre. Quixote must be a galvanic presence in this piece, someone the…
American Dreamz (Universal) Till this, Paul Weitz had a stellar filmography, a career in ascension: American Pie (good), About a Boy (great), In Good Company (absolutely perfect). But this, er, satire about a dumb American president (Dennis Quaid, channeling whassisname) trying to get smart, a cynical wannabe singer trying to…
Ice hockey isn’t for the weak of heart. It’s a bruising, fast-paced game, featuring large sticks, razor-sharp blades, and far too many angry Canadians. Of course, hockey’s scrappy style is exactly why people love the blue-collar sport. For chrissakes, Stanley Cup winners chug Labatt’s out of the trophy during the…
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season Two (Universal) Anytown USA (Film Movement/Repnet) Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil (Fox) The Big Black Comedy Show (Fox) Big Love: The Complete First Season (HBO) The Break-Up (Universal) Clean, Shaven: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) Feast: Unrated (Weinstein) Frankenhooker (Anthem) Charmed: The Complete Sixth Season…
Have you seen the previews for Employee of the Month—that romantic comedy about discount superstore employees? I can’t guarantee that it will suck, but I’m going to anyway. Does Hollywood really have room for Dane Cook and Ryan Reynolds? I say they should have a fight to the death, and…
Jim Gaffigan has been everywhere it seems. He’s been on all incarnations of Law & Order, in Sierra Mist and Saturn commercials and on the talk shows of David Letterman and Conan O’Brien. He is also incredibly pale. And he has the most bizarre, high-pitched, sing-song, wispy little alternate voice…
