Names—they can be a tricky thing. Take for example Spiritual Stories of Inspiration in Metal. What’s that all about? It sounds like a lecture series on the spiritual awakenings running rampant in the world of heavy metal. Perhaps there’s a session covering Vince Neil’s salvation, courtesy of his Surreal Life-inspired…
Years before Titanic, “The Governator” and, um, Beauty and the Beast, there was one strange and wonderful event that united James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. It was called The Terminator. Before this 1984 sci-fi masterpiece was released, Arnold had made a small name in such offerings as Pumping…
A skilled actor vanishes into a role; a movie star appropriates it. As presence trumps character, the star personifies Brecht’s alienation effect, and whatever its ostensible subject, the movie becomes a vehicle—the latest installment in an ongoing career or, in the case of a great star, a public myth. Angelina…
Mike Enslin, the travel writer played by John Cusack in 1408, could use a better travel agent. Every hotel room in which he finds himself booked is said to be occupied by the ghost of some suicidal creep or a murderous goon who left behind a pile of bodies in…
Who wouldn’t want to take Sylvia home? Talk about adorable. Young, blond, frisky—she’s every middle-aged man’s fantasy. She also has four legs, a tail and fleas. A.R. Gurney’s fluffy comedy Sylvia, currently playing at Contemporary Theatre of Dallas, asks if it’s possible for a mutt to break up—or possibly save—a…
Evan Almighty, the follow-up to Bruce Almighty, is the work of an angry God. At 89 minutes that last a lifetime, it’s a sanctimonious sitcom dolled up as the most expensive comedy ever made—$175 mil, so they say, no doubt choking—and marks an unfortunate low point in the history of…
Die Hard Collection (Fox) You don’t need to watch the included preview of Live Free or Die Hard to know it’s going to blow; as this set proves, only odd-numbered Die Hards are any good. The first one, of course, is the perfect popcorn flick, and the bonus-disc extras here…
Once upon a time, the world breathed magic. Some believed this magic should belong only to the powerful, while others felt it was for everyone. So all the world’s beings went to war. The first battle took place in Brazil, where a lone elf with a sniper rifle notched an…
Animaniacs: Volume 3 (Warner Bros.) Bridge to Terabithia (Buena Vista) Gray Matters (Fox) Harrison’s Flowers (Lionsgate) If . . .: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico (THINKfilm) Lucille Ball Film Collection (Warner Bros.) The Manhattan Project: Special Edition (Lionsgate) The Many Adventures of Winnie…
The Dallas Children’s Theater will be putting on a fun-for-the-kiddies-who-love-doggies production with PINKERTON!!! (If you’ve never heard of Pinkerton, think of the old comic strip Marmaduke and you’ll have a pretty good idea. He’s a lovable Great Dane who gets into all sorts of mischief.) For those—young and not-so-young—who have…
If your children thrive on painting outside the lines, this may be early signs of Inner Picasso Syndrome. (Quick test for symptoms: mrpicassohead.com/create.) The art world declared the Spanish genius to be history’s greatest child prodigy, but he disagreed, “There are no child prodigies in painting…[only] the genius of childhood.”…
Reebok knows how to pull in the crowds. Seriously, 2-year-olds who just learned how to say “mavwick” to 20-something puck worshipers to 80-year-old baseball-lovin’ coots are going to line up to score the good seats for the Sixth Annual Reebok Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game this Saturday at Dr Pepper Ballpark…
Just stop it. Before you go saying that modern dance is all hippy-dippy “I am the tree” crap, just suck it up and admit that maybe you’re a little freaked out by people who can express themselves so completely through a few very natural—sometimes childlike, sometimes sensual, sometimes humorous (yeah,…
Despite spirited efforts from some spirited folks, developers won in the end (is anybody surprised?). The deconstruction of buildings at Fry and Hickory streets in Denton is scheduled over the next couple of Saturdays, and Habitat for Humanity is auctioning off the salvaged building materials for charity. Maybe some enterprising…
When it comes to movies, everybody loves a nice period piece once in a while, especially if it’s loosely based on a true story and involves a sinking ship. Seriously, Titanic is still the top-grossing film of all time, worldwide, and it’s been 10 years since the film first hit…
Fathers, be good to your daughters. Because John Mayer is gonna bang them.You know John Mayer is the bomb. John Mayer is making boinkloads of money lying to girls about how pretty they are, and all you fools are jealous. John Mayer is getting laid. A lot. I bet he…
Nothing completes a good Southern meal like a tall, sweaty glass of sweet tea, and thankfully, more and more local restaurants are serving it up these days, spreading Southern tradition westward and mercifully allowing us all to limit our use of pink, yellow and blue cancer packets (We swear we…
Hair is weird. Hair on your head is supposed to be grown long, hair anywhere else is supposed to be shaved off, and hair that’s found its way off of your body but not into the trashcan is instantly gross. Get one of those stray hairs in your mouth and…
So, have you ever been tested? Look at you, blushing. We know. We’ve never had an HIV test either, and man, that’s embarrassing. We’ve never needed to be tested, and what sort of sad, cloistered life must have befallen a person who grew up during the frenzy of the AIDS…
So, have you ever been tested? Look at you, blushing. We know. We’ve never had an HIV test either, and man, that’s embarrassing. We’ve never needed to be tested, and what sort of sad, cloistered life must have befallen a person who grew up during the frenzy of the AIDS…
The modern hotel/motel swimming pool has become a 3- to 5-foot insurance adjustor-safe wading pool joke along America’s interstates. But on the decaying rural route spider-web between big cities you can still find old-fashioned concrete pools deep enough to dive in—some even with water. This slice of slipping Americana is…
No longer does the Super-Soaker suffice; kids now have the Super Big Freaking Soaker Million-Jet Water Assault Rifle With Detachable Power Saw. And they had to put Spider-Man in a three-movie special effects crapfest so the kids would come out and enjoy the superhero. Very rarely are things that were…
