Merrick Porcheddu always knew she belonged in the arts. She just didn’t know what her place was, exactly. But when the native Dallasite was studying at Belmont University in Nashville, where she graduated in 2006, she figured it out: Her passion was facilitating collaborations between artists working in different disciplines…
Some of the new Super Soakers are so big and powerful that a kid would need Jack Lalanne’s upper body strength just to hold them. And if you’ve got an oversized Super Soaker lying around that you haven’t drenched anyone with yet, you’ll get the chance at a world record attempt…
Justin Locklear is on the threshold of turning 30, and he’s thinking about ambition. His new musical on the subject, Dreamless, will have its world premiere at Ochre House Theatre, where he’s the Artist in Residence. Dreamless traces the story of a brother and sister who have inherited their father’s restaurant…
Do we call Anthropoid a thriller? Sean Ellis’ earnest, day-ruining WWII bullet-a-thon is rooted in fact but comes on like pulp fiction in its first reels, hitting secret-mission story beats old enough to have served in the big war. As freedom fighters Josef (Jamie Dornan) and Jan (Cillian Murphy) skulk…
Pete’s Dragon is as cuddly as the mountains of plush toys Disney hopes to sell from it. A disarmingly homespun blockbuster, this loose remake of the studio’s 1977 live-action/animation hybrid is perhaps best defined by all the things it’s not: It’s not a soaring action flick, nor an indulgence in…
In his latest family portrait, Our Little Sister, Hirokazu Kore-eda chronicles roughly a year in the life of the Koda clan — or what’s left of it. When, years ago, her father left for another woman and their mother subsequently abandoned the family to live her own life, Sachi (Haruka…
“The world changed when Superman flew across the sky,” Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller says early on in Suicide Squad. “And then it changed again when he didn’t,” she continues, over somber images of the Man of Steel’s funeral following his (non-)death at the end of Batman v. Superman. Luckily, that…
Just over a minute into the third season of the Netflix animated comedy BoJack Horseman, an entertainment-news interviewer asks our hero, “What would an Oscar nomination mean for BoJack Horseman?” The rest of the season is dedicated to answering that question, tracking BoJack (voiced by Will Arnett) from press junkets…
Different cultures find different things funny. Or do they? At least one comedian, Vir Das, doesn’t think so. He’s on a mission to prove that humor is more universal than it’s often thought to be. “Funny is funny anywhere you are,” Das says. “Indian audiences take a little time to…
You might say that Nikola Olic is an engineer. It’s what he studied at University of Texas at Arlington and he’s been working at a healthcare software company he co-founded, Doctor Alliance, since he received his degree. But you might also say he’s a classical pianist, a professional BMX flatlander…
The term “Gal Friday,” slang for a female office secretary, originated in the ’40s. But on Saturday Dark Circles Contemporary Dance (DCCD) will place it in an entirely new context. The company’s artist director, Joshua L. Peugh has given that name to a collaboration with Girls Inc., a nonprofit that…
You probably think roller skating is a hobby past its prime; a relic of the ’70s that people only seek out when they’re looking for a wacky first date idea. But in Dallas, at least, you’d be wrong. Not only do we have a thriving roller derby scene, but plenty of…
What do we want? To take a break from watching politicians on television! When do we want it? Now! The couch can wait; the headlines will still be there tomorrow. And don’t worry, we even threw some political history into our daily suggestions for this week to make the transition…
There is no shortage of startups that aspire to be the next Uber. Entrepreneurs the world over are hungry to develop the next app that will revolutionize how we deal with a common hassle, whether it’s buying groceries or hiring a babysitter. One new idea that seems to be catching…
In the back room of Flying Saucer in Addison, six women sit together drinking and playing Pokemon Go on their phones as they await the arrival of the other members of their fantasy romance novel book club. It’s called Vaginal Fantasy, and it’s a local chapter of a national club…
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince, published in 1943, might stand as a children’s classic, but it’s not-so-secretly a story for grown-ups. Kids have long been drawn to the book’s dreamy sense of wonder, to the golden-haired star-child of the title, but Saint-Exupéry’s ruminations on regret, solitude and loss belong…
You can have your houses of cards, your Jessica Joneses, your wet hot American summers. The Netflix original with its finger firmest on the pulse of our fraught current moment? It comes from Germany, comprises three feature-length “episodes,” and commences its tale more than a quarter-century ago. NSU: Germany History…
Jenny Block is the writer of the Observer’s new sex column, Pillow Talk. She has published three books on the topic, The Ultimate Guide to Solo Sex, O Wow: Discovering Your Ultimate Orgasm, and Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage. San Antonio native Jessica Drake is one of…
Do This! There’s a reason so many kids’ toys say “suitable for ages 1-99” on the side of the box. The desire to spend a couple of hours experimenting and constructing with nary a thought of adult responsibilities never goes away, even when the bills start coming. Indulge your inner…
A comedy album typically offers fans an opportunity to enjoy a stand-up set without interruption by hecklers or a table of yammering morons. Comics can cut out the moments that didn’t go as planned before the CD or MP3 goes to press, or have the hecklers removed during the recording,…
Women have been involved in filmmaking since the late 19th century, when Alice Guy-Blaché released the silent film La Fée aux Choux. The subjects women have depicted on film are as diverse as those chosen by their male counterparts. It wasn’t until 2010 that an Oscar for best director was given…
This Saturday there will be a bathtub in the middle of a downtown lawn. And what’s more, it will move at speeds of 60 mph. Texas Motor Speedway is bringing a bathtub car, along with two of their other “no limits wild asphalt circus” cars, to the free Reunion Lawn…
