Weekend Event Planner

The Marvel Experience at Fair Park headlines best weekend events in Dallas

For the next three weeks, the world of Marvel Comics takes over Dallas-Fort Worth with two massive events. But if superheroes aren't your thing, there are still plenty of other options on the docket, including a Disney musical, the continuation of Dallas Medianale and a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, January 15

The Marvel Experience: The World's First Hyper-Reality Tour
If you thought seeing Iron Man, Captain America or The Avengers was a spectacle, just wait until you get to virtually experience the world yourself. This unique event features multiple activities in seven domes, a life-size Avengers Quinjet, a 4-D motion ride and more, all located at Fair Park through January 31.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast
When national theater productions come to the area, Dallas and Fort Worth generally get them back-to-back. But it took a solid nine months for Disney's Beauty and the Beast to make its way from Winspear Opera House in Dallas to Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. The tale is worth the wait, and it runs through Sunday.

Friday, January 16

Rhythm in Fusion Festival
The Rhythm in Fusion Festival is a chance for lovers of tap dance to immerse themselves in the art form. Over four days, top national dancers, choreographers and industry professionals take part in classes and workshops at the Majestic Theatre to teach locals the ins and outs of tap. The festival culminates with a showcase on Sunday night.

Dennis DeYoung: The Music of Styx (POSTPONED UNTIL APRIL 23)
Singer Dennis DeYoung, one of the founding members of the rock group Styx, hasn't been an official member of the group since a split in 1999. But the man responsible for such classic songs as "Lady," "Come Sail Away" and "Mr. Roboto" hasn't let that stop him, and he carries on the group's legacy with this concert at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson.

Saturday, January 17

Video Association of Dallas presents Dallas Medianale
The Video Association of Dallas is presenting this experimental film festival at McKinney Avenue Contemporary through February 28. As part of that event, they open an exhibition titled "Call and Response" on Saturday, featuring works by artists like Bruce Nauman, Joe Sola, Francis Alys, Gary Hill and Owen Kydd.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Cameron Carpenter
You don't usually picture energy and showmanship when it comes to classical music, but that's exactly what organist Cameron Carpenter brings to the table. He shows off his considerable skills on the Meyerson Symphony Center's Fisk Opus 100 organ at this special, one-night-only concert.

2015 Artopia
The annual Artopia, put on by the Dallas Observer at Centennial Hall at Fair Park, blends culture, fashion, art, music and food for an unforgettable night. Not only is it an opportunity to see some of the best of the Dallas-Fort Worth arts world, it's a way to help the arts flourish, as proceeds go toward grants for local artists.

Sunday, January 18

Travis Tritt in concert
Travis Tritt is one of those country singers who can live forever on his best work. Despite not having any hit songs since the early 2000s, Tritt and his fans can still bring themselves back to his heyday thanks to songs like "I'm Gonna Be Somebody," "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)" and "Foolish Pride." He regales the crowd at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts with songs new and old.

Anjelah Johnson in concert
You may not immediately recognize the name of comedian Anjelah Johnson, but chances are that you know her face. She was a featured performer on MADtv and she's starred in commercials for Taco Cabana since 2011. Johnson gets back to her stand-up roots with this show at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

The 32nd Annual Black Music & Civil Rights Movement Concert and Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.
This year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which falls on Monday, January 19, is more high-profile than usual with the release of the Oscar-worthy film Selma. This event at Meyerson Symphony Center features a variety of presentations honoring the civil rights leader's legacy, including film, music, narration and dance features.

The Marvel Experience brings the world of Marvel comic books and films to life at Cotton Bowl Stadium through February 1.

Photo courtesy of Marvel Experience

The Marvel Experience brings the world of Marvel comic books and films to life at Cotton Bowl Stadium through February 1.

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Movie Review

Iranian film It Was Just an Accident is a thriller with deep meaning

Photo courtesy of Neon

Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr, Majid Panahi, and Hadis Pakbaten in It Was Just an Accident.

American filmmakers, for the most part, enjoy luxury and freedoms when making movies in the United States that filmmakers in other countries could only dream of. Not only does Iranian writer/director Jafar Panahi not have millions of dollars with which to make his films, he also has to deal with a government that has previously arrested him for being critical of their policies.

And yet he persists, returning to the screen with the taut It Was Just An Accident. The film begins with a kind of misdirect, showing Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi) and his family driving home at night, during which they strike and kill a dog. That accident sends Eghbal into the orbit of Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), who works at a business that helps repair Eghbal’s car.

Recognizing the distinctive sound of Eghbal’s prosthetic leg, Vahid believes him to be the same man who kidnapped and tortured him and others in a recent government arrest spree. Desperate to confirm his suspicions, Vahid kidnaps Eghbal and takes him to a series of people who were also imprisoned under the man they named “Peg Leg,” including Shiva (Mariam Afshari), a wedding photographer; Golrokh (Hadis Pakbaten), the bride being photographed; and more.

Most filmmakers have the ability to use sets and take as much time as they need - within reason - to get the shot they need. Panahi employs a type of guerrilla filmmaking rarely seen these days, stealing shots in broad daylight while trying not to gain the notice of Iranian authorities. The daring nature of the making of the movie infuses the story with an extra tension that elevates what is otherwise a relatively simple story.

The film puts the audience directly in the shoes of the various characters as each of them wrestles with the complicated feelings arising from their actions. As they were all blindfolded while imprisoned, they can’t be 100 percent sure they have the right man, and debates/arguments between the characters keep viewers guessing as to who he is and what they will do with him. Even if he is who they think he is, will enacting some kind of revenge on him soothe their consciences?

Through it all, the idea that a former political prisoner is making a film about former political prisoners who are engaging in conduct that could get them arrested again - just as Panahi is doing with his film - makes this meta filmmaking on another level. The simplicity of the story belies the complexity underscoring the entire film, and it delivers one of the most impactful endings of any recent movie.

While a few of the actors have acted before, including in previous Panahi films, most of them are making their first appearance in a movie. Despite this lack of experience, each of them does well, especially Mobasseri and Afshari, who share a number of heated scenes that bring out the best in both of them.

It Was Just an Accident is the type of film that constantly keeps the audience on their collective toes, never knowing where it will head next. And that’s even if you didn’t know the details of how and why it was made; once that is discovered, it becomes something much deeper and more important than most other movies that will be released in 2025.

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It Was Just an Accident is now playing in select theaters.

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