Posted by Caitlin Clark | March 6th, 2013 at 2:52 pm
Fungi and film loving Texans, this is for you. 
Dallas Film Society has partnered with Dallas Videofest and the Texas Independent Film Network to bring shed light on some great Texas-made indie films and give Dallasites the opportunity to meet the filmmakers.
Posted by Caitlin Clark | March 6th, 2013 at 12:11 pm
The world may know him as the official Photographer Laureate of the City of Dallas, or a finalist in the 2013 Dallas Observer Mastermind Awards, or Justin Terveen, Kick Ass Photographer Extraordinaire, but here in the YouPlus office, he’s simply Terveen… and also Kick Ass Photographer Extraordinaire.
Even if you’re not familiar with one of Dallas’ finest photographers, if you have Facebook, you’ve probably seen his work. Several of Justin’s stunning photographs have gone viral; including this composite of a lighting storm Dallas experienced last August. Click the link from one of the sites to ask permission (sadly there were few) to share his work. See. He’s kind of awesome, right?
Posted by Hayden Pittman | March 4th, 2013 at 2:37 pm
Jack the Giant Slayer, now in theaters, is an entertaining, special effect-filled, teenage action film. Starring Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Eleanor Tomlinson, and Ian McShane, Jack the Giant Slayer takes a familiar story and creates a unique perspective of the fairy tales, Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer. In this reboot of the folk tales, the movie features just about anything one would remember from the original story, specifically the character of Jack, a beanstalk, magic beans, and the classic phrase, “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum”. Directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men), Jack the Giant Slayer takes the audience on a magical journey filled with a combination of humans and computer-generated characters and effects.
Courtesy of Google Images
Jack the Giant Slayer begins in a time long after a war has taken place between humans and giants, the latter living high in the clouds after the only connection between their two worlds, a large beanstalk, is cut down to prevent further destruction. After a bag of magic beans ends up in the wrong hands, a massive beanstalk once again grows from the Earth. In the midst of the bedlam, the princess (Tomlinson) of the realm becomes trapped in a small house, which is taken up into the clouds by the beanstalk. Jack (Hoult), a poor farmer, along with the king’s (McShane) best guards and the princess’s future husband, Lord Roderick (Tucci), climb the beanstalk in search of the missing princess. When one of the lords discovers a crown that will control the giants, he decides to take matters into his own hands, and all chaos erupts. Jack is left to try and rescue the princess who he has fallen in love with, and the king must do everything he can to prevent the giants from coming down to earth, even if it means cutting down the beanstalk and leaving his daughter in the clouds. Jack the Giant Slayer is a clever take on the Jack and the Beanstalk stories for the 21st century. (more…)
Posted by Caitlin Clark | March 4th, 2013 at 12:44 pm
Whether you loved it, hated it, or replaced its cover with “Eat, Pray, Love” so you could read it in public, you’ve heard of 50 Shades of Grey. Personally, I couldn’t get past the first 50 pages, I felt like was reading one of Cosmo’s “Red Hot Reads” in its entirety, and I can’t really get behind that. But I can get behind this. 
SPANK! The Fifty Shades of Parody is a hilarious new comedy that brings the best-selling book to life. Imagine all those awkward yet steamy moments set to music; the clever re-imaging of the novel’s main characters will have your inner goddess laughing out loud.
Posted by Hayden Pittman | February 25th, 2013 at 11:56 am
Courtesy of Google Images
Sunday, February 24th, 2013 marked the celebration of the 85th Annual Academy Awards. Following a very exciting year in film, this year’s Academy Awards was a show filled with comedy, dancing, music, and emotional acceptance speeches from some of Hollywood’s finest. Oscar host Seth MacFarlane gave audiences a taste at his style of humor while targeting several Hollywood figures throughout the night, and as always, there were several expected award winners as well as a few surprises.
Argo (2012): Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney
Amour (2012): Margaret Ménégoz, Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, Michael Katz
Life of Pi (2012): Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womark
Lincoln (2012): Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
Posted by Caitlin Clark | February 19th, 2013 at 3:43 pm
Dallas high school students with a passion for photography are encourage to enter United Commercial Realty‘s “Retail as Art,” an annual invitational designed to showcase the very best photographic interpretations of “Retail as Art” from Dallas area high school students.
“Retail as Art” is the heart and soul project of UCR’s president and CEO, Mickey Ashmore. A former speech and English high school teacher and current father of three and grandfather of five, Ashmore has always been passionate about a child’s education, support and inspiration. UCR hosted the first “Retail as Art” invitational in 2008, since then, the event has grown from one school to 12 DISD high schools and one private school.
2012 1st Place Winner “Neiman Marcus” / Student: Ally Hulsey / School: Booker T. Washington
Posted by Caitlin Clark | February 14th, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Jose Bowen, Dean of SMU Meadows School of the Arts
In an effort to advance arts and cultural community, Southern Methodist University and the Cultural Data Project launched the National Center for Arts Research at the Nasher Sculpture Center Tuesday night. The center will be the first of its kind in the nation, not simply curating or creating great works of art, but investigating important issues and challenges faced by the arts in America and working to become the leading provider of data-based insights.
Posted by Caitlin Clark | February 13th, 2013 at 2:59 pm
WAAS Gallery will host the opening reception for PROCESS, a collaborative exhibition of two celebrated artists Eric Cox and Jonathan Ramirez, from 7pm to 10pm on the evening of Thursday, February 21, 2013. The reception will feature a special artist talk from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and entertainment by CUTTER, recent recipients of the 2012 Dallas Observer Music Award for Best Electronic Act.
Posted by Samantha Alexander | February 5th, 2013 at 4:16 pm
So this saturday The Dallas Contemporary will be putting on their 2013 Phenomenon event and from what I can tell it’s going to be 
one heck of a good time. Described as “a fabulous, souped-up House Party celebrating the artist’s excessive and exuberant Kustom Kulture aesthetic.” (via) DZINE, the artist whose Kustom Kulture aesthetic they refer to, is a self taught mixed media artist based out of Chicago. His work explores Kustom Kulture and its relationship to art, subcultures and the museum in an effort to re-conceptualize these diverse elements.
“The artist uses the sculptural and artistic form of lowriding as a platform to explore his emotional relationship with culture and beauty. DZINE’s work addresses these issues through a lens of spirituality, beauty, desire, faith, folklore and identity.” (via)
In celebration of DZINE’s artistic exploration and his method thereof, Phenomenon 2013 will be hosting an over-the-top lowrider display with musical guest, world renowned DJ Derrick Carter.
“outer limits”
So to sum it up, if you come out to the Dallas Contemporary this Saturday not only will get the chance to see the DZINE’s exhibit in its entirety, you will get an eye full of beautiful cars performing incredible tricks along with some top notch house music to move your feet to. Like I said, it sounds like a heck of a good time.
Posted by Hayden Pittman | January 24th, 2013 at 4:44 pm
Courtesy of Google Images
FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES ACQUIRES “THE WAY, WAY BACK”
Specialty Arm Acquires North American Rights and Select Major International Territories
Film to be Scheduled for Summer 2013
PARK CITY, UT January 22, 2013 – Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Nancy Utley and Stephen Gilula announced today that the company has acquired rights to North America as well as most major territories to the heartfelt comedy THE WAY, WAY BACK. Directed and written by Academy Award® winners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, THE WAY, WAY BACK stars Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney, Maya Rudolph, AnnaSophia Robb, Amanda Peet and Liam James.
The film was produced by Kevin J. Walsh of The Walsh Company and Tom Rice of Sycamore Pictures, and executive produced by Sycamore’s Ben Nearn and George Parra, OddLot Entertainment’s Gigi Pritzker, Faxon, and Rash. OddLot Entertainment and Sycamore Pictures co-financed the project.
The film is scheduled to be released in Summer, 2013.
“Nat and Jim have crafted a uproarious coming of age story and it is great to be reunited with them,” said Gilula and Utley. “The amazingly pitch perfect cast never misses a beat and was well deserving of the standing ovation the film received yesterday.”
“This is a very personal film and it’s been a long journey. We are so overwhelmed by the response it received at Sundance and are beyond delighted that it’s found a home with our family at Fox Searchlight,” said Faxon and Rash
“We are all elated that a vibrant company like Fox Searchlight shares our enthusiasm for the film and faith in Jim and Nat as writers, directors and storytellers,” said Rice and Walsh.
THE WAY, WAY BACK is the funny and poignant coming of age story of 14-year-old Duncan’s (Liam James) summer vacation with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her overbearing boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and his daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin).
Having a rough time fitting in, the introverted Duncan finds an unexpected friend in gregarious Owen (Sam Rockwell), manager of the Water Wizz water park. Through his funny, clandestine friendship with Owen, Duncan slowly opens up to and begins to finally find his place in the world - all during a summer he will never forget.
The deal was brokered by Fox Searchlight’s Executive Vice President of Worldwide Acquisitions Tony Safford, Senior Vice President of Business Affairs Megan O’Brien and Vice President of Acquisitions & Co-Productions Ray Strache. Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and WME Global negotiated the deal with Craig Emanuel on behalf of the financiers.
Sierra / Affinity is handling international sales for the project for territories outside those acquired by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Fox Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and its films are distributed internationally by Twentieth Century Fox. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group.
By: Hayden Pittman, Film Critic for YouPlusDallas
Click here to view my author archive, movie reviews and entertainment news on YouPlusDallas
Courtesy of Google Images
Click here for more information on The Way, Way Back on IMDB
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