The fact 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was such a hit had much to do with viewers’ pre-launch expectations, which were approximately none. Who could have been blamed for thinking a Gore Verbinski-directed, Jerry Bruckheimer-produced movie based on a theme-park ride wouldn’t proffer anything…
Originally, Ward Serrill set out to make a documentary–and a short one at that–about Bill Resler, an avuncular tax professor at the University of Washington who thought he knew enough about basketball to coach the girls team at Roosevelt High School in Seattle. Never mind that he had no previous…
The Matador (Weinstein) Richard Shepard’s spec script, sent to Pierce Brosnan’s production company out of desperation, wound up as 2005’s best buddy pic — damned if I can recall a funnier movie from last year, except the one with the middle-aged virgin. Brosnan, not afraid to don cheerleading skirts and…
When Rockstar Games, the company behind the infamous Grand Theft Auto series, announced that it would be making a title for Xbox 360, gamers naturally envisioned a game featuring next-gen hookers. But then Rockstar revealed that the game was actually going to be an elaborate Ping-Pong sim, and fanboys the…
Charlie’s Angels: The Complete Third Season (Sony) Cyberteam in Akihabara: Complete Collection (ADV) Eastern Horror Double Feature: Satan’s Slave and Corpse Master (Brentwood) King of the Cage: The Superstars of KOTC (Brentwood) The Kinks: The Live Broadcasts (Classic Rock Legends) The Legend of Prince Valiant: The Complete Series, Volume One…
Sure, it’s likely to be 104 degrees outside, but what’s a summer festival in Texas without a couple of trips to the medical tent to be treated for heat exhaustion? But, free food is enough to get me just about anywhere; and free food prepared by Dallas’ top chefs and…
In kindergarten, it never occurred to many of us tykes that in between lying on fold-out mats and playing with four-square balls, we could find our artistic voice. Many of us were more concerned with the taste of Elmer’s than with what we were applying with it. Evita Tezeno, however,…
Not content to Monkee-walk into relative obscurity, Peter Tork is known for more than songs about daydream believers—he is also the singer, guitarist and keyboard player for a rotating band called the Shoe Suede Blues. It’s the other end of the musical spectrum from the pop ditties of his youth,…
“That ship has sailed,” is a familiar lament, most often used to describe missed opportunities. But sometimes the sailing ship of opportunity is a dinghy that we’re best rid of, like the “carefree” days of our youth. There are those who seek to recreate the sag-free days, minus the hardships…
Donald Fagen ought to be out pushing Morph the Cat, his latest solo disc that, let’s face it, sounds like Steely Dan anyway; guess it makes sense and cents to just hit the road with Walter Becker and the boys and work in the new songs amongst the old standards,…
Want to see a string quartet without having to sit through another boring wedding? Then head to TCU for the annual Mimir Chamber Music Festival, where world-renowned classical musicians such as pianist John Novacek and violinist Nathan Cole will spend their days teaching students the nuances of chamber music while…
Contrary to what Wu-Tang Clan would have me believe, I seriously doubt the rapping skills of the average Shaolin monk. While they may be well-trained and diligent practitioners of a multitude of acrobatic kung fu styles, they aren’t particularly boastful and don’t seem to say a whole lot, so it…
Attending a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in the 21st century isn’t so much about going to hear the band as it is about experiencing the Lynyrd Skynyrd institution, a cultural celebration of what used to be considered the antithesis of culture. It wasn’t too long ago that shouting “Free Bird!” at…
Local women’s group Friends in Deeds would like to invite you into the Empowerment Zone, wherein I can only assume you’ll feel like “Oh, no she didn’t!”-ing all over the place and telling your friends to “Go, girl!” In the Empowerment Zone, you’ll be asked, “Are You Living Your Best…
Aw, the early days of MTV: Kurt Loder. The moon man. And most important, Pat Benatar videos. Benatar ruled the early ’80s. I would stretch the neckhole in my T-shirt so that one shoulder would be exposed, tie a headband on and belt out “Hit Me with Your Best Shot”…
Hello, my name is Rich, and I’m a figure-skating nerd. There, I said it. Yes, I know the difference between salchow and axel jumps. I also understand the new scoring system put into place after the controversial 2002 Olympics judging of the pairs competition. And after the women’s short program…
The phrase “running with the bulls” would seem to indicate that you and the bulls share the act of running together in blissful athletic harmony. In fact, the bulls are chasing you, and when they catch you they don’t graciously congratulate you on a good race. They impale you. Or,…
The first screening of Jaws took place at a Dallas shopping center. From these humble beginnings the film surpassed $100 million at the box office, a high-water mark never accomplished before that time. The film also went on to make a generation of kids (and probably a few adults) afraid…
One of the few things that we remember from all those “self-defense for women” courses is the GTP—grab, twist and pull. And if our male readers protectively cup their testes at the mention of those four words, then we know we’re on the right track. You know what else feels…
A few decades ago, the cat dragged in a bunch of long-haired, outrageously dressed, glam-rock leftovers and coughed them up onto the carpet. Twenty years later, “Talk Dirty to Me” is still as fun as it ever was, and Poison is going on tour to make sure you remember that…
If you attend ONSTAGE in Bedford’s production of The Jungle Book, be sure that your expectations are tempered. This interpretation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic short stories does not stretch so far as to include bebop-loving bears and orangutans—no “Bear Necessities,” man. And for Pete’s sake, the characters do not become…
Indians (think “subcontinent,” not “cowboys and”) know how to throw a good wedding. Instead of the usual stifling black-and-white nuptial garb, traditional Indian costumes are colorful and comfortable. Indian food is like Narnian Turkish delight: addictive. The best part, however, is the henna. Why the application of handcrafted body art…
