Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

The first weekend in February brings a little something for everybody, including a concert from a jazz great, the national tour of one of the latest movie-to-musical theater productions, comedy from an honest-to-goodness Oscar winner, and the return of one of the more memorable '90s hip hop groups.

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, February 4

The Sixth Floor Museum presents Sign of the Times: The Great American Political Poster 1844–2012
The Sixth Floor Museum will be the first venue to host the traveling exhibit Sign of the Times: The Great American Political Poster 1844–2012. The exhibit showcases exciting and rarely seen posters created in the last 170 years, exploring a variety of American political poster styles, design trends, and printing technology. Sign of the Times will be on display through March 10.

Branford Marsalis in concert
Saxophonist extraordinaire Branford Marsalis is jazz royalty, as he's the son of the great Ellis Marsalis and brother of Wynton, and he's also the original bandleader of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Marsalis will play at Dallas City Performance Hall in support of his album, Branford Marsalis Quartet Performs Coltrane's A Love Supreme Live in Amsterdam.

Dallas Summer Musicals presents The Bridges of Madison County
The Bridges of Madison County, based on the 1995 film starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep (and the book before that), may not be an obvious candidate for a musical, but don't be fooled. The story of Italian housewife Francesca Johnson and her four-day whirlwind romance with photographer Robert Kincaid has great songs, with composer Jason Robert Brown winning two Tony Awards for his work. Dallas Summer Musicals will present the production through February 14.

17th International Theatre Festival
The annual International Theatre Festival, hosted by Teatro Dallas, is a festival dedicated to the art that comes out of Mexico. The festival will feature four performances over three days at Dallas Children's Theater, including Danielle Georgiou Dance Group's Pizzicato Porno, Laboratorio de la Máscara and Idiotas Teatro's Caracol y Colibrí (Snail & Hummingbird), Violeta Luna (Without words)'s Parting Memories, and Grupo Teatral Tehuantepec's Otro Día de Fiesta (Another Day Partying).

Friday, February 5

Addison Improv presents Mo'Nique
Academy Award-winning actress Mo'Nique was fierce in her performance in 2009's Precious, but her career has otherwise been based on laughter. She starred on the sitcom The Parkers and on her own talk show, The Mo'Nique Show, and has continued to tour as a stand-up comedian. She'll do the latter in four performances on Friday and Saturday at Addison Improv.

Saturday, February 6

Mardi Gras Oak Cliff's 7th Annual OCarnivale Masquerade Ball
In advance of the official Mardi Gras date of Tuesday, February 9, The Kessler will host the annual OCarnivale Masquerade Ball, a night of dancing and debauchery in the Mardi Gras tradition. The event will include live music by bands like Ice House, Zydeco Blanco, and Club Wood, and a delicious Cajun buffet from Chef Ivan Pugh.

Naughty by Nature in concert
In the early-to-mid 1990s, the hip hop group Naughty by Nature was near inescapable thanks to hits like "O.P.P.," "Hip Hop Hooray," and "Feel Me Flow." They'll celebrate the 25th anniversary of their debut album with this special concert at South Side Music Hall, with help from opening acts -Topic and DJ Menace.

Sunday, February 7

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Shostakovich 7
The recent announcement that conductor Jaap van Zweden will be leaving the Dallas Symphony Orchestra following the 2017-2018 season means classical music lovers should cherish the remaining concerts he will lead. The DSO's latest concert, playing Thursday through Sunday, will feature Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7.

Conductor Jaap van Zweden will lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in the Shostakovich 7 concert, playing February 4-7 at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Photo by Hans van der Woerd

Conductor Jaap van Zweden will lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in the Shostakovich 7 concert, playing February 4-7 at Meyerson Symphony Center.

theater galleries symphony comedy dance concerts holidays event-planner

Movie Review

Chris Hemsworth tries to steal diamonds and hearts in Crime 101

Photo courtesy of Amazon Content Services

Chris Hemsworth in Crime 101.

The career of actor Chris Hemsworth is a curious one, as it feels like he’s a huge star (mostly from playing Thor in Marvel movies) and not at the same time, with most of the non-MCU movies featuring him in a lead role failing to become big successes. But he still has a certain presence about him, which is why he’s being given another chance to prove his star power in the new thriller, Crime 101.

Hemsworth plays Davis, a talented thief who knows how to get what he wants without resorting to violence. When a job early in the movie turns slightly sideways, it makes him think twice about working with his handler (Nick Nolte), who seems to prefer someone with a stronger touch, like the up-and-coming Ormon (Barry Keoghan).

Davis is the main character, but two others who come into his orbit get their own subplots. Lou (Mark Ruffalo) is a slightly schlubby LAPD detective who’s convinced he knows the pattern of an unknown thief that likes to hit places close to Highway 101. Sharon (Halle Berry) works for a high-end insurance agency known for working with ultra-wealthy clients, the types who might be a great target for a thief like Davis.

Written and directed by Bart Layton, the film has a decent propulsion to it that comes with most crime thrillers. Davis and Ormon represent the yin and the yang of criminal approaches, and and it’s interesting to see the juxtaposition between the two as their simmering rivalry heats up over the course of the film. When the film commits to actually showing its crimes, it has an excitement that’s worth watching.

Unfortunately, Layton displays a real lack of focus, taking the audience into subplots with each of the three main characters that prove unnecessarily distracting. Lou’s marriage problems may explain his disheveled appearance, but there’s no need to see him deal with them with wife Angie (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Sharon’s troubles with her male-dominated company prove slightly pivotal, but still don’t merit the time put into exploring them.

The most baffling subplot is Davis pursuing a relationship with Maya (Monica Barbaro), a woman he randomly meets. At different points in the movie, including many of his interactions with Maya, Davis seems like the most uncomfortable, antisocial person in the world. And yet he somehow morphs into a suave smooth-talker who’s able to convince anyone to do what he wants at other key points, making it unclear exactly what kind of person he really is.

Hemsworth does relatively well in the lead role, but he’s still missing that certain something to make his character, and therefore the movie, truly compelling. The rest of the cast is fine, too, but each of them seem to be putting in just the minimal amount of effort to make the film watchable. Ruffalo and Barbaro come off the best, but with the talent in the cast (11 Oscar nominations and one win), they could have been used better.

Crime 101 has most of the ingredients to be another great entry in the genre, and it succeeds when it actually decides to deliver on its promise. But too much of the film is spent on things that have no real bearing on plot or character development, leaving the movie in the middle of the pack.

---

Crime 101 is now playing in the theaters.

movies film

Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Conductor Jaap van Zweden will lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in the Shostakovich 7 concert, playing February 4-7 at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Family-owned Patty Lou's Smashburgers will open in old downtown Plano

Cult ice cream brand Salt & Straw makes Texas debut in Dallas

H-E-B to host mass hiring event for newest store in Dallas-Fort Worth

Movie Review

Chris Hemsworth tries to steal diamonds and hearts in Crime 101