Still trudging through the blasted desertscape of the mind 33 years after Paris, Texas, Harry Dean Stanton hoofs along beneath the opening titles of Lucky, his richly aimless swan song, past cacti and scrub brush, the sparseness of the landscape suggesting something of the lead’s drift of mind. Stanton’s Lucky,…
It’s October, which means it’s time to retire from outdoor life and fully settle into the fall premiere schedule. And because it’s 2017, that means there are about a bazillion new and returning shows, so I sorted through the deluge to bring you the most intriguing ones. I swear, writing…
iIf there’s one thing the Japanese genre filmmakers whose work turns up at U.S. festivals tend to nail, it’s masterfully creating a sense of inescapable existentialist dread. At this year’s Fantastic Fest, two films bummed me out beautifully — a nice distraction from the ugly bum-out of the all the…
Full disclosure: This article’s writer loved Nevada Hill. Stupid much. When Scott Newton first encountered Guinea Pig, it wasn’t a sprawling backyard halfpipe. Not even close. It was one piece of wood, and Nevada Hill was obsessively sawing into it. On the ground. With a jigsaw. In the snow. “I…
Former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Melissa Rycroft became widely known after competing on the 13th season of ABC’s The Bachelor and going on to two seasons of Dancing With the Stars. She qualifies as a celebrity. And yet, after finding fame and fortune outside of Dallas, she has jumped at the chance…
The yarn-dressed trees dotting the Arts District are proof that Kevin Moriarty is serious about providing a “fully immersive” experience with his newest musical production. Hair opens this week at the Wyly, and if you think the trees outside are over-the-top, just wait until you see the inside of the theater…
Friday It’s rare enough that I answer my phone when I know who’s on the other end. When I don’t recognize the number, that call is going to straight to voicemail every time. The thought of spending a full hour speaking to whoever is on the other end of the…
Out of the eighty-two feature films at Fantastic Fest this year, eleven were directed by women, and four of those were co-directed by a man. For the slow in math, that means women directed only about 13 percent, which is pretty dismal, though on par with Cannes and 8 percent…
Lording over the colonies is all bore and bother for the queen in Stephen Frears’ sumptuous yet centerless Victoria & Abdul. The film dramatizes Queen Victoria’s spirited friendship with Abdul Karim, a charming clerk from northern India who — in this telling — jolts the Empress of India from her…
Mike White’s father-and-son college-trip comedy-drama Brad’s Status is legitimately more frightening than anything in It. Quite aside from the fact that real life is always scarier than monsters from the beyond, the writer-director’s deep understanding of envy, entitlement and embarrassment has never been more nightmarishly effective. But don’t expect one…
Jim Norton will perform at Texas Theatre this Friday, Sept. 29 Comedian Jim Norton can’t remember the first embarrassing, sexually perverted story he told. All he remembers is where it happened and that two other comics found it hilarious. “It was a Radisson hotel [in New Jersey] that had a…
If I could sum up my experience this week at the Austin-based genre film festival Fantastic Fest in a word, it would be “exhausting.” In years past, that complete physical and mental breakdown might come mostly from the mind-blowing cinema and rowdy events of the festival, but now it is…
BoJack Horseman streams on Netflix It’s not a huge surprise that my sensitive and kind-hearted spouse could be left sobbing by an episode of a popular TV show. She’d say herself that she’s an easy mark, TV showrunners. But it’s definitely a surprise when any show even tries. TV writers…
Gerald’s Game premieres on Netflix on Sept. 29 One of the most hilarious things I’ve ever seen on television comes early in The Langoliers, a 1995 ABC miniseries adapted by Tom Holland from a Stephen King novella. It’s the one about a small group of travelers waking up on a…
Thursday Dallas Contemporary invites you on a journey — several journeys, in fact — into an alternative past, to Asia’s invisible cities and along a woman’s life path. Before you go, though, you have have to buy a ticket by becoming a member of the gallery. Prices range from $35…
Members Only Opening Reception Dallas Contemporary 1616 Glass St. 7 p.m. Thursday $35 and up Dallas Contemporary invites you on a journey — several journeys, in fact — into an alternative past, to Asia’s invisible cities and along a woman’s life path. Before you go, though, you have have to…
Spending the majority of the year on the road isn’t a new experience for seasoned comedy couple Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher. They first met in the Chicago comedy scene and got to know each other while doing road gigs together. So what makes their Back to Back tour, which…
The Waco couple that took America by storm in 2013 by renovating one Waco home at a time announced the shocking decision on their blog Tuesday. In a post on magnoliamarket.com, a somber Joanna Gaines holds hands with her husband, the ever chipper Chip Gaines, to announce their megahit show,…
In Battle of the Sexes, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ film rehashing the most infamous tennis match in modern history, Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) must brawl with the coed United States Tennis Association for equal pay as she comes to terms with her attraction to women and what might be…
In its third year, the Nasher Prize is a fledgling, yet it’s as important to sculpture as the Academy Award is to film and the Grammy is to music. It’s the only international award dedicated to the practice of sculpture, honoring a living artist with a $100,000 prize and the…
Mikey Neumann had not planned on earning a living just from his YouTube channel, but the Plano resident hadn’t planned on much of what has occurred this year. Complications with his long-term diagnosis of multiple sclerosis resulted an extended hospital stay in March, and shortly after he ended a 16-year…
The Dallas Observer is headed to the big screen. “Analogue People in a Digital World,” a short documentary produced in collaboration with filmmaker duo Daniel Driensky and Sarah Reyes, is one of eight short films that will screen at Studio Movie Grill on Sunday, Oct. 8, as part of the…
