We already knew that the outdoor Dallas Music District Festival had an enviable list of bands playing at its inaugural edition on May 16 and 17 along the Trinity River. But now the festival has become an even bigger draw thanks to the just-released list of vendors that will be on hand.
And we're not talking about hot dogs, popcorn and T-shirts here. Instead, festival organizers have lined up a slew of local artisan vendors to sell you things like jewelry, leather goods, clothing, pottery and more.
Among the 26 vendors are brands such as Artigianale, Far Fetched Imports, Hari Mari, Mistura Timepieces and Sunshine Tienda. To sate your hunger and thirst, you can turn to Jazzy Fat's Cajun Classic, Steel City Pops, This City's Best Italian Ice and others.
"The goal of DMD Fest 2015 is to highlight the best of what Dallas has to offer," said DMD Fest Jerry Su in a release. "We are so proud that DMD Fest will be able to provide a little something for everyone, including a truly beautiful outdoor setting right on the Trinity River."
The festival also will have a strong art aspect, as organizers have teamed up with the nonprofit Music Is Our Weapon to create various interactive art installations. Among those will be a graffiti wall where local artists will create new works throughout the weekend, and a massive art wall installation at which attendees will be encouraged to write directly on the wall and finish the sentence "Music is My ... " so festival-goers can express what music means to them.
Pick up some Hari Mari flip-flops at the inaugural Dallas Music District Festival on May 16-17.
Photo courtesy of Hari Mari
Pick up some Hari Mari flip-flops at the inaugural Dallas Music District Festival on May 16-17.
For every well-known/successful actor in Hollywood, there are thousands of others whose lives are more tenuous as they struggle to find work. The new film Misty Green is about one such actor who, after a period in the limelight, now finds herself on the outskirts of the industry, just hoping to find her way back in.
Misty (Rosalind Eleazar) won an Emmy for a 2000s-era TV show that still gets her recognition, but not much work. Still living in the apartment of a recently-deceased man with whom she was having an affair, Misty spends her days sleeping in and her nights getting blitzed on alcohol and drugs. She seems to be heading nowhere fast until a few things coincide to break up her routine.
The man’s wife (Amy Landecker) shows up and tells her she has seven days to vacate the apartment; Misty’s brother, Jay (Daniel Kaluuya) — who is bipolar — arrives after being kicked out of his facility for non-payment; and Jordan (Chris Rock), a former colleague with whom she had a falling-out, reappears in her life, offering a possible chance to rehabilitate her image.
Written and directed by Rock (his first feature since 2014’s Top Five), the film is a funny and excruciating look at how the entertainment industry might actually work. Misty is her own worst enemy thanks to late nights fraternizing with unsavory characters like Zach (Adam Driver), who deals in drugs and women in equal measure, but her frustration proves warranted when her agent, Randy (Topher Grace), and casting directors like Rhonda (Tracie Thoms) hardly give her the time of day.
Misty tries her best to stay positive, but when jobs like singing in a bar are the best she can do, the mountain seems insurmountable. Rock does an effective job of demonstrating the elements that are within and without Misty’s control that affect her ability to regain her position in the industry. The chip on her shoulder is almost as big as the bias some have against her, and other negative circumstances don’t help matters much.
There are many small touches that Rock and his crew put in the film to give it an air of authenticity. Filming in Los Angeles (a rarity these days), Rock uses both subtle and overt shots of homeless people in the city, suggesting that the line between the haves and have-nots is a fine one, especially with Misty on the verge of not having a place to live. He also has cameos from a few of his funny friends, including a bit of meta-casting of Anthony Anderson (who has faded a bit after starring in Black-ish) in a bit part as a cop.
Eleazar, a British actor best known for appearing on the Apple TV show Slow Horses, is a magnetic presence as Misty. The character herself is somewhat cringey in her decision-making, and Eleazar sells every bit of her righteous indignation and self-defeating actions. The supporting cast is great across the board, including Rock, Driver, Kaluuya, Thoms, Grace, Anna Kendrick, and Rich Sommer.
Misty Green makes you rage against the Hollywood machine, laugh at the various ways different people deal with its maddening quirks, and hide behind your fingers as Misty chooses options that don’t help, either voluntarily or because her back is against the wall. It’s a powerhouse of acting that gives a unique angle on the inner workings of Hollywood, one that ironically might be competing for awards at year’s end.
