For several years now, I've wondered if I simply didn't get the movies of Krzysztof Kieslowski, the Polish filmmaker who specializes in fare so abstract, obtuse, and overtly symbolic that it's nearly impossible to read it fully and accurately in one sitting. The first film of his that I sat...
It's not at all surprising that when Susan Sarandon finally edged away from earthy sexpot roles and began embracing characters with maternal streaks, she'd do it with the same warmth, clearheadedness, and street-smart charm she's displayed throughout her long and fruitful career. In the past six months, she's played three...
After several years of talking about it, the Inwood Theater's parent company, Landmark, has finally decided to sink money into restoring the 48-year-old building. The three-phase renovation process is already under way, with workers busily cleaning and repairing various murals and other artwork. The theater was designed with an aquatic...
thursday january 19 Women's Voices: Kitchen Dog Theatre delivers a calmer though no less cerebral follow-up to its physically draining Zastrossi. Women's Voices is an evening of one-acts described by the company as "feminist"--not a very popular adjective these days. Still, both pieces strive to present a dramatic situation in...
I knew I'd be hearing from people as soon as I compiled a list of great soups. Sure enough, I forgot to mention the tomato soup at City Cafe--there is none better. But along with the soup reminder came a recommendation of the Blum's cake next door at City Cafe...
The malling of America is a fact. Malls aren't just off-centers for the suburbs; city downtowns are dead, small towns have been shattered by Wal-Marts, and malls are the new middle of modern American communities. They're not mere shopping centers, they're cultural (such as it is) centers, social centers, recreational...
On a brisk October morning, University of Texas at Arlington President Ryan Amacher and his wife, Susan, rose before dawn for their morning walk and headed down the long gravel drive that leads from their south Arlington farm house. As they reached the big gates at the end of the...
State District Judge Hal Gaither has earned a reputation as a no-nonsense jurist. In the seven years Gaither has sat on the bench in Dallas County juvenile court, making tough decisions on the sentencing of delinquents and the termination of parental rights, he has often preached the gospel of personal...
Ann had the best balls in Austin When Ann Richards was sworn in as governor four years ago, she brought along pals Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker. Win or lose, the woman with the big hair has been true to her Texas roots. Governor Ann delivered the opening address...
Por Dios! A revolution in New Mexico politics! Now follow this closely. For many, many years, off and on, the governor of New Mexico has been Bruce King, a fellow we love because he is fluent in Gibberish, the native language of former Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis. King, who...
Arena lust Wonder why the News is so loving toward city plans to build a new arena for the Dallas Mavericks and Starsso toothless in its news coverage and so supportive on its editorial page? A one-page letter from Texas Commerce Bank-Dallas board chairman John L. Adams to Mavs owner...
The new year is bringing with it happier people--at least the ones who appeared in this column last year are in that condition, for the most part. Minnie Washington, as you may recall, started out 1994 feeling incredibly grateful for having heat in her house. The 62-year-old great-grandmother had spent...
Post-modern anti-Semitism Miriam Rozen's article on the Crow family dealings ["The Crow-Qadhafi connection," December 22] with Libyan political figure Mohammed El Bukhari was quite an investigative piece, and rather good until its, ahem, racist climax. The penultimate paragraph, a diatribe by a friend of the Crows against doing business with...
In case you haven't noticed yet, it's Valentine's Day in the seasonal aisle at Kroger. That means it's about the day big-league pitchers and catchers normally report to camp in Florida and Arizona. But, of course, it isn't going to happen. The only baseball players doing any showing up anytime...
You could call it brilliant marketing or the biggest bonehead move of a young musician's career, but either way, 19-year-old Brian Hedenberg, who fronts the band Glitter Freak, has found a way of garnering extra attention for his new local compilation CD Angels on Horseback. And it's only going to...
There was a time just a few years ago when Randy Erwin, once a young yodeling Texan outfitted in retro-cowboywear a handful of decades after the heydays of Bob Wills and Hank Williams, was considered something of a novelty. Folks around here eyed Erwin (born Skalicy, of Czech and Polish...
Schlub rock The tempered raves the Shakin' Apostles have garnered since the release of their eponymous debut in 1993 throw out the Flamin' Groovies and Moby Grape as the starting points of reference--and, just maybe, there's a little of that dope-drenched '60s SanFran boogie-rock to be found within the grooves...
Deadlines can have a disastrous effect. I speak from experience, of course. I'm sure all writers think deadlines are disastrous; certainly they feel like impending doom. (Why do you think they're called deadlines?) Deadlines put an artificial end to the creative process and can force you to sacrifice quality for...
Writer-director John Singleton's Boyz N the Hood was a triumph of intimate storytelling--an African-American melodrama set in a bullet-riddled South Central Los Angeles populated by believable characters who possessed strong, simple emotions. While watching it, you knew (except during a couple of "message" scenes) that you were in confident directorial...
Though 1994 was an interesting year for local imagesmiths, I bet it won't hold a candle to 1995. Nearly three dozen independent theatrical features either were shot or commenced shooting in the Dallas-Fort Worth area last year; still more are planned. So consider the following list of faves as the...
Matt Zoller Seitz When H.L. Mencken wrote that criticism is prejudice made plausible, he was onto something. Like music, movies are more often fueled by passion than intellect. They invite, even demand, borderline-irrational gut responses. As a result, it's always difficult to come up with year-end "Best" lists--especially when you...
You ever know a woman who says, "It's so nice to meet a guy who's not a JERK"? Is this supposed to be a compliment? Isn't this about like saying, "Your intelligence appears to be higher than a sea otter. That's great." When did being a non-jerk become a sign...
