One of the best things about going to film festivals is taking a chance on a movie you know almost nothing about and coming out hours later inspired, broken, or slack-jawed; it’s the indie gems that make the exhaustion well worth your time. Yes, attending the premieres of the big…
Most of us have heard of a Brontosaurus or a Triceratops. But what about their Asian kin like Mamenchisaurus and Jingshanosaurus? Not so much. Although this may come as a surprise, China is now the center of the hottest dinosaur research news. From the newest species to the most-recent evolutionary…
Conspiracy theories can be fun, right? It’s a lot cooler to believe that little green men from some distant planet crashed on a Roswell ranch in July 1947 than to think that the Soviets were trying to scare Americans with a stunt straight out of a science fiction novel. But…
Cha-ching! It’s time once again for The Weekly Tease, wherein every Tuesday (AKA, press day), The Mixmaster brings you a little taste of the upcoming cover art for the issue about to hit the streets and stands around the fair burg of ours.We hope this week’s cover will prompt you…
One Thirty Productions is selling out the house at the Bath House Cultural Center right now with the world premiere of its new comedy, The Mystery of Miz Arnette. The play by Ronnie Claire Edwards and Alan Bailey is set in the days of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, the 1930s,…
“Chateau Cardboard” is how art instructor Renata Sharman describes most of the wine poured into plastic cups at Painting with a Twist, the art-class-cum-happy-hour studio in Garland. It’s BYOB here, but everything else is provided: canvas, paints, brushes and paper plate palettes. They also provide the subject. Thursday night, 10…
Fact: No amount of updating or clever modern-day references will make Gilbert & Sullivan operettas cool. And that’s OK with dorky old farts like me. I started mainlining G&S when I was a teenage usher at the Light Opera of Manhattan in the 1970s. I can practically sing the G&S…
Each week, Fine Lookin’ Piece offers an image of a work of art visually compelling enough on its own to inspire our readers to hit up the gallery for a closer look — even with no prior knowledge of the artist or exhibition. Summer is still a month away, but…
The loudspeaker cut through the low roar of chatter on the convention center floor. “Attention: Carrie Fisher is in the building.” The former Star Wars babe slipped in and out of the building like Elvis; we never saw her. Fisher’s heralded arrival began day two of Dallas Comic Con at…
In a confluence of events that involved meat helmets, gorilla suits and balls, Dallas Observer’s Mixmaster (hey, that’s us!) made an entry into the 24 Video Race last week. The race, as the name indicates, messed with our circadian rhythm enough to construct a film around not going to the…
The Locals flooded the table lined corridor leading to the entrance of Centre in Mockingbird Station this Saturday. The shop held a locals-only streetwear consignment expo, where any Dallasite with a brand, ambition and 40 bucks could come take part. All participants were Dallas-based entrepreneurs, getting some exposure to their…
Star Jones was in town Friday night promoting her new novel, Satan’s Sisters, a fictitious behind-the-scenes look at the sordid lives and conflicting personalities of five women who host a daytime talk show. Imagine that. After lap-band surgery, shedding 160 pounds — “a whole person,” she said — and open…
Stan Lee, godfather of Marvel Comics and creator of Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Avengers, Incredible Hulk and X-Men, spilled secrets about comics and cameos Sunday afternoon at Dallas Comic Con. Lee, casually dressed in a green shirt and khakis, was greeted with a standing ovation and a shout of…
The Wisby-Smith Fine Art exhibit of Salvador Dali’s etchings propels viewers into a fairy tale; some pieces are symbolic, some a little twisted, others simply fun, but the collection bears a thrilling levity that is, to put it simply, a pleasure. The etchings of the famous eccentric surrealist artist result…
It’s finally Friday, and you know what that means: Time to buy a keg, join an orgy and enjoy the last few hours before the world ends tomorrow. If you’re like us, you’ll be around after the rapture, slightly drunk from Friday’s festivities. We’re not participating in the nationwide looting…
A week ago today, Oliver Peck and the gang at Elm St. Tattoo were all in the middle of this year’s Friday the 13th tattoo marathon. Surely by now, Oliver and friends are fully recovered from their 24 hour non-stop inking crusade, and those on the sharp end of the…
I have always liked looking for excellent photography and design in newspapers, magazines, blogs. Lately a recent crop of photo/design related online magazines have caught my eye. Book mark these three bad boys, I have a feeling that more goodness will follow. 1814 Magazine: recently launched and based in Dallas,…
Juicy Fruit. That’s the answer to the question I’ve had since I first read (and then reread) The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. So I’m grateful to the person who asked author Erik Larson about his inspiration for the book…
I simply must stop starting stories with, “So the other night I met Design Star’s Vern Yip,” but now is not the time. So the other night I met HGTV Design Star’s Vern Yip. He was in town offering design tips and exchanging pleasantries with local yocals at I.O. Metro…
Artists seeking inspiration need not look far past the Bath House’s storied tapestry. Designed in 1930 by local architect Jon Carsey, the building was one of the first Art Deco pieces in the southwest. Before becoming a cultural center, the Bath House served as a recreational center for visitors seeking…
Theater Caps are bite-sized punch-packing capsule reviews by resident theater critic Elaine Liner. Use them as a reminder — or a teaser, if you procrastinate — of her full-length reviews in The Mixmaster’s weekly sister. A talking pig opens the show The Butcher, the dark new musical written and directed…
Apologies for not updating you sooner, but things (of course) did not work in my favor when I arrived in France. We were expecting to cover the whole festival, but Gordon and the Whale’s sponsor for the festival intended for us to cover only a few films. My associate, Joshua…
