Hand It to Herbie
In jazz, the list of true living legends is not long. But if you ask any fan or critic to rattle off a list, Herbie Hancock would be at or near the top of any of them. A pianist’s pianist, Hancock first gained prominence as a member of Miles Davis’s…
Pictures of Someone
Amy Blakemore’s color photographs are reminiscent of old family photos. You know, those blurry, haphazard images — shots where somebody’s head is cut off or they’ve just turned from the camera, shots of nondescript, unidentified backyards populated by long-dead pets. You squint at the pictures and try to puzzle out…
You Too Can Be a DJ
DJs used to be rare, exotic. But their numbers have swelled to alarming I-think-I-can-do-that-too proportions. Everyone wants to be the cool kid, and technology’s making it easier all the time. Deejaying used to take skills: scratching, beat-matching, primo song selection, bringing a crowd to orgasmic 130-bpm crescendos just before dropping…
Capsule Reviews
“Double Consciousness” Organized by Valerie Cassel Oliver, this show takes on the difficult task of curating a historical overview exhibition around race and a particular approach to art. Many of the works on view, like Adrian Piper’s, are conceptual and deal with black issues, while others, like the hard-core conceptual,…
Playbill
Big Head Todd & the Monsters, with Carbon Leaf Its pretty incredible that Big Head Todd & the Monsters are still around, considering that they emerged during the same H.O.R.D.E. era that gave the jam-rock world the Spin Doctors. But since their early-90s heyday, theyve become a reliable, sturdy three-piece,…
St. Patrick’s Day Guide 2005
St.Patrick’s Day Parade Route Parade starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 12. Free to the public.
Without Sin
If you’re looking for an escapist shoot-’em-up action adventure, and figure a Bruce Willis flick is a reliable option, think twice. Hostage certainly delivers violence and heroics, but not in a way everyone will enjoy. Children and dogs die brutally, and the villains are so thoroughly hateful that even the…
Bully for You
We can all agree that when it comes to ranking despicable people, bullies are pretty high on the list. Beating on or harassing those weaker than you is scummier than anyone needs to be. We also can all agree that when it comes to dealing with the problem, there are…
Talkin’ ‘Bot Love
“From the creators of Ice Age,” boasts the poster for Robots, which is no ringing endorsement. That 2002 animated feature, a sort of Three Mammals and a Baby in a prehistoric setting, looked and felt every bit as frigid as its snowbound scenery; it was impossible to warm to a…
Seminal Case
On paper, their initial agreement had the markings of an unusual but successful partnership. He was gay. She was lesbian. They were both unmarried. According to her attorney, they did not know each other all that well and had met through a hairdresser. She wanted badly to conceive a child,…
Out Like a Lamb
The chilling oddity of Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Downfall is not limited to the fact that it’s the first mainstream German film to grapple with Adolf Hitler — six decades after his death. Set, for the most part, in the underground Berlin bunker where the Nazi dictator spent his last days, this…
Letters
Thrust and Perry Flagging causes: It was hard to read “The Dead Zone,” [by Josh Harkinson, February 24] in one sitting, Bob Perry and all he stands for and delivers being so despicable. However, the large gay.com ad, complete with two sultry males wrapped in the flag (which Perry donates…
Bayou Polka
Almost as wide as he is tall, with a round but unremarkable face, Schultze doesn’t look like a rebel. Truth be told, he looks like Curly of Three Stooges fame or, less kindly, a mass murderer (well, he does bear a passing but disturbing resemblance to John Wayne Gacy). Schultze…
Choice Ribs
When a film finishes shooting, the stars often give fancy little gifts to the crew. But those who worked in Houston on 1997’s astronaut comedy Rocket Man got a little something different from leading man Harland Williams: bulls’ balls. “I found this barbecue place in Houston that sold the hollowed-out,…
Deep Impact
A cynic might describe movies as the most depraved and fantastic system of exploitation ever devised. After all, they trade on the greed and hubris of the financiers, the beauty and allure of the stars, and the trust (or, if you prefer, gullibility) of the audience. No one involved in…
This Week’s Day-by-Day Picks
Thursday, March10 There’s nothing more awesome than buying a brand-new designer shirt cut to there to impress that someone, and then wearing it out to the bar only to find out he’s a pompous ass with ex-girlfriend issues. Then, you wake up the next morning to discover that your lovely…
Imperfect Score
It takes nearly an hour and a half before Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata, in its world premiere at Houston Grand Opera, finally catches fire. Before that, there’s been plenty of heavy breathing in an effort to ignite whatever faint embers smolder among the opera’s dry, brittle passages. Everyone involved — on…
Hello, Darkness
The paintings are stunning: A sultry-eyed woman in a lime-green dress leans seductively forward. A toothless tiger reclines among pink orchids. An old man admires a vibrant display of flowers; a horse and rider leap muscularly over a rail. The amazing thing about the scenes is their vivid color; the…
Capsule Reviews
The Bad Seed Meet little Miss Rhoda Penmark (Katerina Pasat), an eight-year-old so neat, clean and tidy, she’s every mother’s dream. She charms with sweetness and composure and has perfect penmanship. But when she isn’t rewarded with her school’s coveted medal, she takes matters into her own dainty — yet…
More than Music
When the sprawling South By Southwest Music Festival invades our state’s capitol on Wednesday, March 16, SXSW’s Film Festival and Conference already will be in full swing. For aspiring filmmakers, film buffs and stargazers, this is the place to be. Alas, there’s a catch: Single tickets aren’t available, so you’ll…
Mixing It Up
There’s something that looks like a Popsicle floating around in my rum. I take another look at the drink menu. The “West Indian punch” at Monica Pope’s T’afia is made with pineapple ratafia (a flavored, fortified wine), Flor de Caña Nicaraguan rum, fresh lime and melting pineapple essence. So this…
Mullet Over
Trim that mullet and grab the kids and the missus, ‘cuz it’s time fer the Rolling Thunder Monster Truck Challenge. This Friday, Friday, Friday and Saturday, Satur…well, you get the idea, you can thrill to the sight of the supersize vehicles that crush stuff at the Fairpark Coliseum in Beaumont…
Retro Tastes
If ever there was a throwback to past eras in Houston, it would be the Yale Street Grill (2100 Yale, 713-861-3113), which has been serving real malts, shakes, floats and burgers since 1923. For an authentic touch of nostalgia, try the fish sandwich ($4.75). One bite of this simple creation…
Monster Mash
SAT 3/12 As scary as it sounds, with modern science delving into human embryo cloning, the gap between human and monster is slimming. But Florida-based electro-core duo Jackal and Hyde, who will be in town this Saturday, say tampering with musical genetics makes their music work. “It’s always an experiment,”…
Fire-Breathing Burgers
Bun kebab: $2.75
Cheeseburger: $3.50
Hunter’s plate: $10.50
Beef chapli: $6.50
Karahi gosht: $8.99
Saag paneer: $6.99
Food Fight
THU 3/10 Although it’s inherently dorky (not to mention completely 1989), there’s something mesmerizing about watching the chef at Benihana slice ‘n’ dice his way through a meal. A little whack here, a chop there and — kanpai! — suddenly your lame teriyaki dish is that much more exciting. But…
Whitey on the Mike
The white rapper is the new black quarterback. Even after the Beastie Boys’ License to Ill became the first rap album to top the charts, and even after Vanilla Ice sold as many albums as a mere mortal can, pundits still argued whether a white boy (or girl) could have…
Todymania!
Tody Castillo’s self-titled new CD hits you with the stealth and power of a pot brownie. It takes a while to digest. You put it in and sit there and go about your business. About 15 minutes in, when Castillo warbles “God Only Knows” over and over again during the…