Four years after “Mission Accomplished,” 28 Weeks Later reminds us that the mission, whatever the hell it was to begin with, is now officially, apocalyptically fucked. The story thus far: Seven months have gone by since the Rage virus passed from chimp fang to British bloodstream in an animal-rights intervention…
In the superbly tacit chamber piece Away From Her, intolerable pressure is brought to bear on the 44-year marriage between a college professor and his homemaker spouse after she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Grant Andersson (played by veteran Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent) and wife Fiona (an artfully wrinkled and…
To Catch a Thief: Special Collector’s Edition (Paramount) Starring Cary Grant as a cat burglar and Grace Kelly as a hot-to-trot heiress, this is easily one of Alfred Hitchcock’s slightest films, especially coming on the heels of Rear Window; indeed, its idyllic setting on the French Riviera suggests it was…
There was a time in my life when I might have actually enjoyed Pocket Pool a little bit. Back when I was 12, giving myself migraines from staring at scrambled cable porn, the notion of a game where I could “win” pictures of girls in their underwear would’ve seemed pretty…
Because I Said So! (Universal) Breaking and Entering (Weinstein) The Bridge on the River Kwai: Collector’s Edition (Sony) Cagney & Lacey: The True Beginning (MGM) The Caine Mutiny: Collector’s Edition (Sony) Catch & Release (Sony) Deliver Us From Evil (Lionsgate) Dirty Dancing: Twentieth Anniversary (Lionsgate) Donnie Brasco: Extended Cut (Sony)…
The 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is my favorite movie of all time. So, when somebody told me about the remake, I was like, “Eff that!” And when they told me the Oompa-Loompas were CG, I was like, “Eff that!” And when they told me Johnny Depp was…
Oil paints, charcoal and watercolors were heaven to me in my elementary art class. The fact that the room was away from campus felt more like exile than curriculum, giving it an aura of taboo—as if art wasn’t really education but a secret my school had been hiding from all…
One of the first times I ventured onto Swiss Avenue, I had just moved to Dallas and thought I had stumbled into a time warp. Everything was serene and quiet, there wasn’t a nasty McMansion in sight, and the architecture was breathtaking. I still take the dog on a daily…
Everything I know about horse racing I learned from watching the Marx Brothers. In A Day at the Races Chico taught me about wagering (and to always steer clear of a guy selling tootsie frootsie ice cream and code books), Groucho taught me that horse doctors make questionable sanitarium doctors…
The Squeamish are cousins to the Amish, tucked away in Quilt County, selling cheeseballs to gourmet stores to keep the sect afloat. Then one day, Sister Elizabeth (Arianna Movassagh) has her job as chief cheese maven handed to Brother Nathaniel (Jeremy Whiteker). Unfair? Uh, yeah. So she runs away and…
David Talbot, founder and former editor-in-chief of the Web magazine Salon, comes to the Borders bookstore at the Preston Royal Shopping Center (10720 Preston Road, Suite 1018) at 7 p.m. Monday to pitch his new book, Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years. The book explores JFK’s efforts to…
Even though I’ve never watched the Dallas Desperados and don’t know a thing about arena football, here are some things I think they do better than the Dallas Mavericks: Defend Stephen Jackson, play perimeter defense, drive to the basket and show up. With the Mavericks having ignobly imploded and the…
I’ve never had much use for Harry Connick Jr.’s music—in my opinion, it’s about as slick as his hair—but I do have to give him props for his amazing turn as Will Smith’s wingman in Independence Day. Ditto for his turn as a tail gunner in Memphis Belle. Unfortunately, his…
When it comes to self-control, food is a very powerful tool. Eating can soothe, disgust, pacify, invigorate and depress. When thought of in that respect, it’s easy to see why so many are plagued by various eating disorders including anorexia and bulimia. Seems fitting then that photographer/artist Joy Christiansen would…
Chris Daughtry and Lifehouse will be at Taste Addison this weekend as part of the Two Worst Bands Ever If You Even Count Chris Daughtry’s Band as a Band Tour. Seriously, though—Chris Daughtry rocks so hard. I heard that one time he cussed onstage. I heard he was in the…
Plant a pacemaker for Grandpa. Plant empty vodka bottles for Dad. Plant a boxful of used pornography for your little brother. These sound like useful things you can do for loved ones. So how about planting a shoe for Mom this Mother’s Day? You can at Texas Discovery Gardens. To…
Every Sunday for the past few weeks, I’ve watched episodes of Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel. And in addition to introducing me to cave worms that glow like twinkle lights and a bird that transforms into a smiley face during its mating dance, the series reminds me about the…
The first punk rock show I ever saw was the Dead Kennedys. It ruined me for life. From the stage, the band’s wiry, spastic front man seemed more like a conspiracy-crazed preacher than a singer, a political firecracker perpetually poised on the point of detonation. This was Jello Biafra, one-time…
ABC news anchor Bob Woodruff is like that friend whose life is so perfect and great you just hate them for it, but you can’t kick out of your life because they’re so freaking nice and cool. Bob Woodruff is the guy who can eat whatever he wants and never…
The moment I saw footage of Celine Dion singing a “duet” with the King, I pointed my finger of blame right at little miss Natalie Cole. Yeah, she sang next to a screen of her dad, and that’s way more acceptable, but it only led the way to myriad posthumous…
Sometimes fame can be had by simply being related to someone famous. This was Charlie Murphy’s lot in life before he became a supporting cast member of Chappelle’s Show. His pièce de résistance would have to be “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories.” In these skits, he recounts tales of his…
Though our humor tends now toward Eddie Izzard, David Cross or Patton Oswalt, there was a time when we thought Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein were comic gold. I mean, come on, “My Mother Says I’m Sickening”? Or “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout (Would Not Take the Garbage Out)”? That was…
