Record Store R.I.P.

CD Source on Greenville Avenue forced to close after 20 years in Dallas

After more than 20 years as one of Dallas' best and longest-standing music stores, CD Source on Greenville Avenue will close. Owner Lance Price announced the closure with a note on Facebook. A staffer said that the closure could happen as soon as October.

"Sadly, the wonderful run of over 20 years we have had will soon be coming to a close," Price said. "If someone had told me in 1993 that the store would be still be open in 2014, then I would have taken it in a heartbeat."

"If someone had told me in 1993 that the store would be still be open in 2014, then I would have taken it in a heartbeat," said owner Lance Price.

The store's lease was up for renewal, and the landlord found a better-paying tenant. "After evaluating all of my options, I have made the most difficult decision that closing the store is the most practical," Price said.

He was offered an alternative location down the street but deemed the space to be too small.

Price said that sales of records and CDs have dropped considerably since the 2003 invention of iTunes, but there is still a sizable population of customers over 30 who prefer to get their music on a hard format. In addition to CDs, the store also sold video games, movies and vinyl records. It had one of the most dynamic selections of used CDs, thanks to a savvy staff that weeded out less-significant releases from customers trying to sell.

Price gave credit to store manager Larry Hanover, who worked at the store nearly the entire time it was open and helped collect the CDs to open the store; and to assistant manager Kevin Myers, who worked there for 16 years.

Aside from the merchandise, there's something irresistible about the cool atmosphere of a record store, like a library with music. CD Source's departure leaves Half Price Books and Good Records as the two major places to buy CDs, although vinyl stores such as Off The Record have opened, and the DMN reports that a large new store called Josey Records is opening this fall.

Price said that CD Source will be running specials and discounts, hosting in-store performances, and a few other things to offer customers a chance to come and say goodbye to the store and staff.

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Movie Review

Horrific filmmaking makes DC villain Clayface less appealing

Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh

Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie in Clayface.

The history of DC Comics in movies has been hit-and-miss, especially when it comes to anything not directly involving Batman or Superman. Over the years, films have been headlined by heroes like Catwoman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Shazam, the Flash, and more, and while some succeeded, none left a lasting mark on moviegoers’ imaginations.

Much like they did with Joker, the powers-that-be behind DC Studios productions are trying to entice viewers with a no-holds-barred story in Clayface. Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is an A-list movie actor with both critical and commercial appeal. Unfortunately, a night of celebration for his recent Oscar nomination leads to him sleeping with Theresa (Ruby Sear), the girlfriend of Markos Szabo (David Dencik), a prominent mobster in Gotham City. Markos then enacts revenge by taking a razor to Matt’s face.

Desperate to find a way to look like his old self again, Matt seeks out Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), who’s conducting cutting-edge nanotechnology research that can heal any kind of damage. While the solution works on Matt, it also has the side effect of his body doing unintended things, even morphing into those with whom he comes into contact. After initially struggling with his new body, Matt decides to use his powers to enact revenge on those who’ve done him wrong.

Directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil) and written by Mike Flanagan (The Life of Chuck) and Hossein Amini, the film is only intermittently entertaining as it tries to sell its ridiculous premise. Right from the start, it seems like the filmmakers have been given a limited budget, as everything from the sets to the CGI to the stilted dialogue feels cheap. For a film coming from a major studio, the whole thing comes off as schlocky and undercooked.

Watkins and his team try to make up for that shoddiness by delivering R-rated thrills like nudity and body horror, but those elements can only distract for so long. Much of the film is spent dealing with Matt’s trauma, and the downbeat nature of his body issues combined with very little action makes the movie not very fun to watch. The film also tries to make hay with more than a doctor-patient bond between Caitlyn — who has a boyfriend on the police force — and Matt, but like the most of the film, it never connects.

It’s not until the final third of the movie that the filmmakers land on the tone they should have been using the whole time. Matt’s ability to transform himself, while illogical and confounding, provides multiple over-the-top, funny moments and some legitimately creative kills. Instead of taking forever to set up Matt/Clayface’s origin story, Watkins and his team should have just cut to the chase and let him loose to see what the character could truly do.

This is the first big role for Welsh actor Harries, and while he’s not exactly magnetic, he proves himself worthy of the lead role. Ackie is also fine, but after several years of trying to advance up the Hollywood ladder, she may be running out of time to show she’s a star. The supporting cast has a couple of familiar faces, but it’s mostly lesser-known actors who do nothing to indicate they deserve bigger showcases.

It’s difficult to imagine any non-DC Comics fans having a strong attachment to the character of Clayface, and the film fails to make the case that he should be a continuing character. The poor quality of almost everything that appears on screen is indicative of the kind of effort and money that was put into the film, and sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

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Clayface opens in theaters on October 23.

movies film clayface