Lifestyles
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
Cinema Therapy: It's the little things that make 'Big Miracle' great
“Big Miracle” stars Drew Barrymore as Rachel Kramer and John Krasinski (“The Office”) as Adam Carlson. “Big Miracle” could have been a Big Boring Mess, but it wasn’t. The director paints by the numbers, but there is a reason those numbers are there – because they work. Adam Carlson is covering stories in Alaska and wondering when his career will take off. When whales get stranded behind a wall of ice, he breaks the story and the town of Barro...
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The artwork above is by Rocky Grimes.
Ro2 exhibit explores the pressures of manhood
Ro2 Art, in collaboration with Neon Forest, is proud to present "Amazing Isn't Enough," a group exhibition showcasing the works of Brandon McLean, Clark Goolsby and Rocky Grimes, three artists from New York, Miami and Orlando. For the exhibit, the artists explore the pressures of manhood, the fragility between life and death, and the triumphs, desires and disasters that occur socially, worldly and personally. The exhibition will be presented...
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Photo by Michael Lamont High-energy dancing, acrobatics and tumbling fill the Dallas Summer Musicals’ stage as “Bring it On: The Musical” swoops down through Feb. 26.
THEATER REVIEW 'Bring It On: The Musical' scores a touchdown
Tuesday night, the Music Hall at Fair Park’s stage was transformed into a football stadium and high school alternately when “Bring it On: The Musical” blasted onstage to an unusually cheerful audience, Valentine’s Day aside. And it was “bring on the Red Bull” as there were surely empties throughout the wings. With visually explosive dance moves, toe-touches, back tucks, front hurdlers, vaults, lifts, pikes and pyramids, the talented cast crea...
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RESTAURANT REVIEW: Stackhouse burgers bring basics to the grill
Two hamburger-centric restaurants opened near White Rock Lake in the fall of 2011. Much has been said about Goodfriend, the burger and beer restaurant on Peavy near White Rock Lake. It’s already a popular neighborhood destination and trying to score a table on a weekend night can be a frustrating experience. The other restaurant, Stackhouse, has not seemed to get as much buzz, possibly because it’s more traditional burger place. For my money, ...
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Valentine's Day Poem's

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“YAPPYTALK” Help stack the chips against puppy mills
For most people, our pets are “family” and treated as such. Therefore, it’s hard to imagine anyone who thinks of these furry loving creatures any other way. However, many backyard breeders or puppy mill owners view their dogs as commodities and care little about the wellbeing of their “business” merchandise. Often, the care and treatment these folks bestow on their animals falls into the definition of animal cruelty—both neglect and abuse. ...
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Photo courtesy of Golem Distribución
Cinema Therapy: Viewers warned to stay far away from 'A Separation'
An Iranian husband, Nader (Peymann Maoadi) is desperate to keep his wife Simin (Leila Hatami) from moving out and leaving the country. He has his father with Alzheimer’s and their daughter to think about. He tries to keep it all together after his wife moves out, but the hired caretaker for his father creates problems that lead to going to “court” and a jail time verdict. “A Separation” has moments of human emotion and drama. The daughter wa...
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Photos by Karen Almond. Cast members are convincing as ranch hands in “Giant” at the Wyly Theater through Feb. 19.
THEATER REVIEW: Timeless themes make 'Giant' compelling, layered
If you are going into the Dallas Theater Center’s production of “Giant” expecting a Texas-sized version of Oklahoma, complete with Busby Berkleyesque, whole cast dance extravaganzas and catchy “can’t-get-it-out-of-my-head” songs, you may be disappointed. Though technically correct, the word “musical” seems to be a bit of a misnomer in this case; DTC’s “Giant” is an opera based on Edna Ferber’s 1952 novel by the same name. Librettist Sybille ...
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Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Cinema Therapy: ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’ dares to go deep
You see an image of a man falling, head first, in the sky. Falling, silently falling. This image sets the tone for the rest of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” (Magnolia.) “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is a moving tale of a young boy, Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn), who finds himself on a mission to discover the answer to a nagging question: “What did my father want me to discover?” His father, Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks), who is t...
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ANIMAL UPDATE: “YAPPYTALK” Follow the yellow brick road to save lives
The Dallas Companion Animal Project (DallasCAP) was presented to the City Council Quality of Life Committee this past Monday. Labeled as “Dallas’ No-Kill Any Adoptable Animal Plan,” it was received with great enthusiasm and plans to move forward— hopefully to reach this monumental goal in a shorter time frame than anticipated. Last summer, I was honored when chosen to serve on this Task Force when the city officials chose 12 animal advocate ...
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