It’s often assumed that art is arbitrary pretension. Some look at Jackson Pollock and then at a monkey handling a brush and see no difference. These people might have a case when it comes to Mighty Fine Arts Gallery’s new show. We don’t mean that the art — by Houston’s…
While politicians deal with immigration using talk about building fences, artists try to bring fences down. Who’s right? Who knows, but while one makes policy, the other reports — letting you decide. Migrations and Mythology, a display of artwork by Dallas artist Humberto Saenz, deals with the immigration issue. Presented…
Want to see an odd, possibly interesting 1962 movie about circus life, based on a play by Ben Hecht, who wrote Front Page and played a role in the creation of Israel? Sure you do. Billy Rose’s Jumbo, which was Doris Day’s last musical movie, will be shown Monday from…
Immigration these days, especially in this great state, is a loaded subject. People are passionate about the pros and cons, who is living in the house next to them, who’s working beside them. An interesting vantage point on the argument comes from gallery owner and artist Van Ditthavong, who escaped…
I don’t think I’m pretty enough to hang at Ghostbar. Not with the likes of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson. Nor, I assume, the guy this event’s press release calls “the Brad Pitt of Mexico.” And I’m certainly not in Biz Markie’s league…uh, wait. Really? Biz can get in? Well, OK…
Fast horses, gambling, fireworks and the chance to win a new car. Sounds like Wheel of Fortune when Vanna’s showing her cleavage. On Thursday and Friday celebrate Independence Day at Lone Star Park with spectacular pyrotechnics. Visit a North Texas Ford dealer anytime through July 2 and grab a “Lone…
The Modern in Fort Worth continues its Magnolia at the Modern series this weekend with And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007). From director Anand Tucker (Shopgirl), the film captures a man’s reflections on his family and upbringing while his father lies on his deathbed. Based on Blake…
I have issues when it comes to the midnight movie thing. Movies with bugs, muscle cars or big-breasted chicks are worthy of the campy timeslot — not former Hollywood blockbusters. I can see Aliens on DVD anytime and E.T. doesn’t strike the same chord it did when I was a…
It’s really tough to say anything negative about Matt Damon. Like a docked seaman, Ben Affleck has ripped through any willing movie since Good Will Hunting debuted, while Damon chose scripts that had promise. That doesn’t mean, however, that Damon is the second coming of Peter O’Toole. No, Damon is…
Laydeez, raise the terror alert to red and don your protective gear. Local authorities have identified a serious threat to your panties. Look out for Tom Jones, suspected leader of a known terror cell, the Panty Patrol (no confirmed affiliation with Taylor Hicks’ Soul Patrol, though they have similar M.O.s.)…
With a cast that includes people and plush puppets, Casa Mañana’s upcoming production, the 2004 Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q, is obviously inspired by Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. Promotional material for the show warns that the show “may not be suitable for all audiences” due to “adult humor,…
Many will attempt to describe WALL-E with a one-liner. It’s R2-D2 in love. 2001: A Space Odyssey starring The Little Tramp. An Inconvenient Truth meets Idiocracy on its way to Toy Story. But none of these do justice to a film that’s both breathtakingly majestic and heartbreakingly intimate—and, for a…
Of the summer’s many revenge-of-the-nerd fulfillment fantasies—from The Incredible Hulk all the way down the megaplex food chain to The Foot Fist Way—Wanted stands the best chance of dislodging Fight Club from fanboys’ Facebook pages. It has the same dizzying flipbook style, the same kicky ultraviolence, the same undeniable appeal…
The words “user-generated content” usually mean you’re about to encounter one of two things: an irritating Super Bowl commercial made by 16-year-olds, or another dramatic chipmunk. Still, people love this stuff. So it’s no surprise that video-game developers are catering to the YouTube generation with “Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy”…
Hard to tell who gets a bigger kick out of A Year With Frog and Toad—the kiddos in the seats at Dallas Children’s Theater or the big people who bring them. There’s something wonderful about a musical that so successfully entertains the inner child and fascinates the little one gazing…
There’s no designated Little Italy neighborhood, but Dallas’ Italian food options seem to be at an all-time high. Among the newest is Grimaldi’s, a New York transplant. With multiple awards and a cult-like following, they don’t have to do much to distinguish themselves from the herd. But this summer, they…
During a recent trip to Chicago, I spent an insanely excessive amount of time checking out new art. Whether it was one of the many galleries I happened upon or the public works all over town (get with the program, Dallas!), I saw loads of local Chicago talent, which led…
After CBS pulled the plug on Good Times in 1979, Jimmie “J.J.” Walker returned to his roots on the stand-up club circuit. In the ’80s, he made guest appearances on TV shows like The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and The Fall Guy. For a while, his roles were limited to…
Once again, the ’80s are spewing forth into our modern age like a Rubik’s Cube being shot out of a wormhole. Footloose—The Musical is finally coming to the metroplex. If you’ve been living in captivity for the last 25 years, I have some news for you. The 1984 movie Footloose…
I never took an art class after middle school, and looking back I’m super bummed about it—it would have been nice to graduate from pasta art and magazine collages into something a little more interesting, like say, sculpture or photography. I suppose I could still take classes at Brookhaven, UTA…
Even though Dallas just lost the Bootstraps Comedy Theater Company to Chicago, the void was slapped, spanked and quickly filled by The Angry Dominatrix, “a new production company focusing on theater studying human sexuality.” Ohhh yes. Sure, they’ll study sexuality, but we really hope to see some live hot action…
Ever since that Jackson guy started spilling his paint cans on canvases and calling it art, art itself has become harder and harder to figure out. Is the spilled orange juice on my bright red coffee table cause for Brawny, or ready to be sold for $25,000 to the DMA?…
