Event planner

Alicia Keys and St. Patrick's Parade top the best events in Dallas this weekend

This is an absolutely huge week in Dallas events. It includes not one but two music festivals, an appearance by one of history's most important figures, a concert by a music superstar, and two of the most anticipated annual events in Dallas. It may be spring break for many students, but with so many great events to choose from, this weekend feels like a vacation for everybody.

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, March 14

2013 Savor Dallas
The ninth annual food and wine festival kicks off Thursday night with a look at new and upcoming restaurants in Trinity Groves. It continues all weekend with various events at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Landmark Restaurant at Warwick Melrose Hotel, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas Arboretum and Irving Convention Center. The ICC hosts the signature International Grand Tasting on Saturday night.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in concert
It's hardly hyperbole to say that there would be no such genre as alternative rock were it not for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Over the course of 30 years and 15 albums, Cave and his band have set the bar for similar acts with their acclaimed music and sold-out tours. The band is back to accomplishing both yet again, as it stops by McFarlin Auditorium on the SMU campus in support of its latest album, Push the Sky Away.

Friday, March 15

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth presents Henry Kissinger
It's not often that non-entertainment events make an appearance on this list, but it's easy to make an exception for someone like Henry Kissinger. It's been 36 years since Kissinger, who will turn 90 in May, left the national politics stage after serving as Secretary of State for both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, but his influence on foreign policy and other issues remains strong. In this event at the Hilton Anatole, Kissinger speaks about both his current and former roles.

Dallas Theater Center presents The Odd Couple
Dallas Theater Center rarely has overlaps in its programming, but it happens this week as Red, which is playing on the ninth floor of the Wyly Theatre, wraps up its run just as The Odd Couple gets started in the main performance hall. Neil Simon's play has become an iconic touchstone since its debut in 1965, wringing comedy out of mismatched roommates Felix and Oscar. The Odd Couple runs through April 14.

Saturday, March 16

2013 Dallas St. Patrick's Parade and Festival
St. Patrick's Day is officially March 17, but who wants to wait to party on a Sunday? This parade, even under a new name, is one of the best annual events in Dallas, charting a roughly two-mile course down Greenville Avenue. The event has been criticized in the past for its debauchery, but organizers promise this year will be more family-friendly. Speaking of family-friendly, Snoop Dogg puts on a concert at the end of the parade.

2013 South by So What?! Music Festival
As you could surmise, the organizers of this festival aren't exactly fond of that other festival taking place around 200 miles to the south. Going on all day at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie, the festival features more than 80 rock and metal bands, including All That Remains, The Ready Set, Attack Attack!, Woe, is Me and Chunk! No Captain Chunk!

Sunday, March 17

2013 Spillover
South by So What?! isn't the only alternative to making the trek down to Austin. Spillover has so many band it spills over into two different venues, Sandbar Cantina and DoubleWide, that sit on the outskirts of Deep Ellum. Sandbar has two different stages, with music starting at 1 pm. DoubleWide's stage starts rockin' at 3:30 pm. But feel free to sample both, as your ticket allows you access to both places.

Alicia Keys in concert with Miguel
This is one of the rare cases where you have to wait until the end of the weekend to attend the best event. Alicia Keys has been a huge star since her debut more than a decade ago, and she only continues to get bigger. Miguel had a breakout performance at this year's Grammy Awards. Don't miss the opportunity to see the stars at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, one of the best and most intimate (for its size) venues in the area.

Hit the newly named Dallas St. Patrick's Parade and Festival on March 16.

Photo by Jerry McClure

Hit the newly named Dallas St. Patrick's Parade and Festival on March 16.

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Movie Review

Chris Pratt plays one man against the AI machine in thriller Mercy

Photo courtesy Amazon Content Services

Chris Pratt in Mercy.

It seems like every other movie set in modern times being released these days includes either a reference to or a plot revolving around artificial intelligence. In the real world, the benefits of the technology compete with its downsides, but when it comes to movies A.I. is almost always seen as a threat, including in the new film Mercy.

The audience is thrown headlong into the slightly futuristic story involving LAPD Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), who finds himself strapped in a chair in a sparse room, being told that he is on trial for killing his wife. Turns out he’s in a court dubbed “Mercy,” which is overseen by an AI judge named Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson). By the rules of the court, Raven has 90 minutes to provide reasonable doubt of his guilt, or he will be executed on the spot.

Raven is in a multi-pronged quandary: Not only does he believe he’s innocent despite a trove of evidence pointing to his guilt, but he’s also the poster boy for the law enforcement side of the equation, having arrested the first man who went to Mercy. Anger and disbelief for Raven turn into acceptance, which then turns into him tapping into his detective skills, scrutinizing every shred of evidence the court provides him in a desperate attempt to save his own life.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Marco van Belle, the film is a relatively propulsive thriller despite having a so-so story and even worse acting. The film is told in real time (with a few fudges here and there), so the concept alone of a man trying to prove his innocence in a short amount of time provides good intrigue. Bekmambetov’s use of digital elements as Raven scrolls through files or calls potentially exculpatory witnesses like his partner, Jaq Diallo (Kali Reis), keeps the film visually interesting.

On the other hand, the swift viewing of videos and documents by Raven, not to mention the high degree of cooperation by Judge Maddox, opens up more than a few plot holes. The filmmakers try to explain away a few leaps in logic by having Raven falling off the sobriety wagon the night before, but they can only use that excuse for so long. They also have the AI judge experience technical glitches along the way, errors that seem to point toward a wider conspiracy until they’re completely forgotten.

More than anything, it’s difficult to get over the wooden acting of Pratt and the misuse of other usually reliable actors. Pratt has no real presence, especially when he’s confined to a chair, so any emotion he tries to conjure up comes off as contrived. Ferguson is done no favors by a role that shows only her upper body and has her alternating between robotic and oddly sympathetic. Reis earned an Emmy nomination for True Detective: Night Country, but has little to do here, a fate that also takes out Chris Sullivan as Raven’s AA sponsor.

If you’re okay with turning off your brain for a little while, Mercy can be an enjoyable watch. But if you find yourself scrutinizing why characters make the odd decisions they do, or the wishy-washy way the film approaches AI in general, then you’re likely to find the whole thing lacking.

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Mercy is now playing in theaters.

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