Flowers can blossom in the harshest environments, much like the art scene that bloomed in Mexico City after the devastating 1985 earthquake. The ’90s was a time of growing violence, economic disruption and widespread political corruption. It also saw an explosion of contemporary artists rising to explore the social changes…
Some art is rooted in lofty thought, meant to be sifted and worked over philosophically. Then, there’s the kind of art currently on display at RO2 Gallery’s (110 N. Akard St.) show Objectified. Here you get to play, think and admire, because a whole slew of sculptors, object makers and…
Right now, the world’s procrastinators and the just plain lazy are sitting in their homes in fear of the world they’ll have to face if they don’t want to look like the chintziest cheapskate at their family Christmas get-together. They’ve put off going to the malls or the stores for…
Blunders, politicking and a few points of honest success topped culture headlines in 2013. Some of it was exciting, pointing to a new era of community interaction and cultural immersion. Other times it felt like we had allowed those old notions of what Dallas is — socialites bickering, sexist opportunists…
“Tis the season to be jolly” is a fine attitude to take as you shop for Santa’s gifts this Christmas season, but for those of us who prefer a little more naughty for our significant or not-so-significant others, just the right gift from Bad Santa isn’t something that showcases during…
If you’re looking for a panel discussion on the current eco-balance of the arts in Dallas, no problem: Art panels are like AA meetings, another one starts somewhere in about 15 minutes. Unlike AA meetings, nobody chain smokes or reaches a grand realization at an arts panel. Implementable ideas are…
It wasn’t that long ago or even in a galaxy far, far away (unless you count the feeling of trying to get to McKinney during the 5 p.m. rush hour traffic on U.S. 75) that Jeff Durazzo and his son Josh bought a tiny, 500-square-foot place off of East Virginia…
All photos courtesy of Sony PicturesStory by Vanessa Martin American Hustle, directed and co-written by David O. Russell, is undeniably the must-watch film this holiday season. With outstanding performances by an A-list cast (Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence), the period film is loosely based on the…
Scenes from the Natural Hair Parade 2013 was an event-filled year for Dallasites with festivals, art shows, charity events and conventions galore. Here is a look at some of our favorite photos from the year. You can check out the entire year through thousands of photos in our slideshow section…
Alamo shows your favorite cartoons — with a cereal sidecar — on Saturday morning. That’s not all. We’ve got a Dallas-centric rock doc tonight at the Kessler. A riot grrrl party at Texas Theatre on Friday, where the awesomely named Girls Rock Camp band Sparkle Revolution open for the new…
We’re 12 years into the 21st century and still doing holiday things that would make the 1990s shudder. Here’s a list of things we, as a nation, need to knock the eff off. 1. Car Antlers Let’s go ahead an toss car wreaths and humorous Santa body parts in the…
Folk music is supposed to be the music of the people. Yet at the heart of Joel and Ethan Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis, set in New York in the winter of 1961, is a folksinger with no feeling for people. Llewyn Davis, played by Oscar Isaac, is a broke, rumpled…
The best movies about con artists work a bit of flimflammery themselves. They’re not necessarily dishonest; they just can’t resist making the truth shinier than it is in real life. There may not be much behind the sparkling tinsel curtain of David O. Russell’s extraordinarily entertaining American Hustle. But what…
The audience that shows up for a comedy is the most tyrannical of all. Their very presence is the equivalent of a schoolyard bully’s challenge: “Go ahead — make me laugh.” Which is why there’s danger in following up a hit comedy with a sequel, even nine years after the…
How stubborn was Walt Disney? He spent 26 years wheedling Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers to sell him the film rights to her book — call it determination or bullying. Travers thought he was a hack who would louse up her story with cartoon penguins. Walt thought she was a…
Someday there will be a serious academic study on Tyler Perry, the battered and sexually abused child who legally changed his first name at 16 to distance himself from his estranged father and grew rich playing a caricature of his mother in pantyhose and a dress, like a sass-talking Norman…
Dallas today may not be known for the highest degree of rockage, but it’s important to remember that once upon a time Dallas did, in fact, rock. For two decades starting in the ’50s, Dallas was the seat of music in the Southwest and the vinyl record distribution hub for…
The Lollie Bombs are exactly what you’re thinking — sweet, but they’ll also explode in your face. With boobs!!! The best kind of blow up. Sure, they’re tasseled boobs, but you know, beggars and choosers. Join them Friday for their holiday show, Mischief & Mistletoe, where they promise “four lovely…
As much as you box your ears when you hear the words “holiday concert,” something magical happens when the Dallas Symphony plays those candy cane licks. They bring the stuff to life in that way that relaxes you and lets you enjoy the holidays, rather than panic over unbought gifts…
Kids watching cartoons on a Saturday morning isn’t really a thing these days. Their favorite shows are more accessible than our Adderall-free minds could even fathom, meaning they can stream the stuff rather than wake up early. But what kind of crap is that? Let’s teach our kids the true…
Remember when you were little and agonized over whether you’d be on the naughty or nice list? You knew there was evidence in both corners but if pressed to defend yourself you could fluff up the “nice” talking points to save yourself. Well, screw all that. Now that we’re adults…
For your sake and the sake of your family, it’s best that you decompress before daring to spend an extended amount of time with them, gathered around turkey and sides for a dinner that’s awkward or boozy or chilly or just, God, Mom, stop. So before you make that icy…
