Egotism Run Amok

After Earth hits the jackpot of crap filmmaking

Will Smith is considered one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, while writer/director M. Night Shyamalan has not been able to prove himself worthy of praise since around 2002 or so. So it’s a tad strange that Smith would entrust his latest attempt at a blockbuster, After Earth, to a man who brings so much baggage to the table.

But hubris doesn’t seem to be in short supply for Smith with this film, as he not only is credited with the story idea for the film but also continues his quest to make his son, Jaden, a star.

That’s right, despite what you might think, After Earth is a Jaden Smith vehicle, not a Will Smith one. The two star as, naturally, father and son who find themselves stranded on Earth 1,000 years in the future or so, long after the planet has been abandoned by the human race.

The film is riddled with many problems, but the biggest issue has to be the lack of a compelling story.

The elder Smith is Cypher, a military bigwig whose missions keep him far from home most of the time. Smith the younger is Kitai, who yearns to become a soldier in order to become closer to his father.

Both are put to the test after their spaceship crash-lands on Earth. With Cypher injured, Kitai is forced to embark on a long journey to activate a beacon that would bring help. Along the way, he battles the elements, animals that have evolved since the humans’ departure, and an unknown creature that their ship was transporting.

The film is riddled with many problems, but the biggest issue has to be the lack of a compelling story. Shyamalan and company act as if the world the film inhabits is well-known to moviegoers, never bothering to answer even basic questions. Want to know where exactly humans now call home, why they had to leave Earth in the first place or what’s happened on the planet since they left? Don’t look for answers here.

A father-son adventure is one thing, but with Will Smith sidelined for most of the film, it’s left up to Jaden to carry the film’s action scenes, something he can’t quite do. Whether it’s because of his lack of skills or Shyamalan’s staging, most of the scenes come off as flat at best and laughable at worst.

Neither character is particularly likable, but of greater importance is that they both speak with accents so distracting that it’s hard to pay attention to what they’re actually saying. It's hard to pin it down to a particular region, but the most infuriating aspect is that neither pronounces the letter R when they speak, making it seem as if you were listening to a couple of 2-year-olds talking to each other.

Finally, the level of the film’s CGI is nowhere near the standard for a big-budget theatrical release. Although acting against a green screen is a given for this type of film, it should never be as obvious as it is at multiple points here. Even the rare success is undercut by something flimsy soon thereafter, leaving you with a groan instead of a wow.

Will Smith’s ego has hurt him before, but this could just be the beginning of the end for him as an A-list movie star. After Earth combines a questionable choice of writer/director, a bad story, uninteresting characters and horrendous special effects, making it a debacle from beginning to end.

One of the few times father and son are together in After Earth.

After Earth

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

One of the few times father and son are together in After Earth.

Silent nights

Texas parks beckon throughout 2022 holidays with festive events and peaceful escapes

camping holidays state parks

Photo courtesy of Texas Parks & Wildlife

Campers are encouraged to decorate their sites at parks this season.

If roasting ‘smores and hiking in the great outdoors sounds fun, pack up your family and visit one of Texas’ state parks this holiday season.

Texas state parks and historic sites are ringing in the holidays with a number of festive events. There are drive-thru light tours, special holiday hikes, arts and crafts for the kiddos, and more.

Reservations fill up quickly, so be sure to visit an individual park's website before you head out. And check the Holidays in the Parks page for many more fun options, pricing information, and more information.

Dallas-Fort Worth-area parks

Tyler State Park
Enjoy Reading Ranger Campfire Stories around a cozy campfire at 3 pm December 3. Head back December 9-10 for A Pineywoods Christmas, when you can stroll or drive through the Lakeview and Big Pine campgrounds to take in campers' elaborately decorated sites and take a Winter Wonderland Hike.

Lake Tawakoni State Park
Drive through or stay at the park and decorate your campsite with your favorite Christmas decorations to receive your second night of camping free during your stay. There will be a decorating contest, complete with awards, as well as a reading of The Night before Christmas — all part of Twinkle Tour 2022, 5-8 pm December 3.

Daingerfield State Park
Drive through the park lit up like Santa Land during the 10th annual Christmas in the Park drive thru lights tour December 14-17 (times vary). Marvel at the decorated campsites and lights, and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies while waiting for a chance to visit with Santa.

Eisenhower State Park
Help those in need and spread holiday cheer — and as a bonus, get free entry to the park — by bringing one unwrapped donation item to the park’s Holiday Donation Drive through December 19. Visit December 9-10 to visit the Light Up the Park drive-thru lights event, featuring milk and cookies with Santa. This year, the park is taking unwrapped toys to donate instead of collecting entrance fees for the event.

Cleburne State Park
Enjoy Pancakes With Santa and make pinecone bird feeders 9-11 am December 10.

Cedar Hill State Park
Search for birds taking their winter break at the park during their Winter Birding Walk, which takes place 7:30-8:30 am December 13. Explore Christmas on Penn Farm on December 17: Learn about the history and pioneers of the Penn Family and the farm they built 150 years ago.

Lake Mineral Wells State Park
Experience Christmas, cowboy style, at Cross Timbers Cowboy Christmas, December 3. Park ranger and cowboy poet David Owens will gather guests around a campfire at the Lone Star Amphitheater for an evening of cowboy culture through songs, stories and poems.

Dinosaur Valley State Park
In partnership with Toys for Tots, the park is hosting Christmas in the Valley, a full day of ranger-led events, programs, family friendly activities, arts and crafts, food and more. Bring a new and unwrapped toy for free admission for the whole family. The event takes place 1-4 pm December 17.

Austin/San Antonio-area parks

Bastrop State Park
Follow ornaments with clues through the park every day in December during the annual Fa La La Through The Forest Scavenger Hunt. Enjoy the Lost Pines Christmas Parade, a collaborative event with Bastrop and Buescher Parks, at 6 pm December 10. Tour the inside of the historic Refectory and see how the Civilian Conservation Corps celebrated Christmas away from home during A Lost Pines CCC Christmas 9 am-12 pm December 17.

Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site
Visit the popular attraction during December to learn how the farm staff get ready for das Weihnachten (Christmas). Return to the park at 5:30 pm December 18 for the 53rd Annual Tree Lighting, a holiday tradition started by President and Mrs. Johnson.

Garner State Park
Join the Buffalo Soldiers program and friends as they stop into Garner State Park before leaving for Christmas break during the Marching Towards Christmas event 10 am-2 pm December 10. Christmas activities will include hand-dipped candles, frontier Christmas painting, Christmas-themed hard tack in Dutch ovens, and stories of the Buffalo Soldiers.

Buescher State Park
On the Fa La La in the Forest Scavenger Hunt, you can follow ornaments with clues through the park to secure a prize at the end, December 1 to January 1. Enjoy the Smithville Festival of Lights and Lighted Parade, a collaborative effort between Buescher and Bastrop parks, on December 3.

Hill Country State Natural Area
See how art, history and state parks are connected; learn some basic watercolor techniques and paint a card or two to take home during the Watercolor Christmas Cards event 2:30-4 pm December 3. Come back for Horses in History & Ornament Craft from 2:30-4 pm December 22 and learn how horses played important roles in the lives of vaqueros, native people, ranchers and more. Then, play a round of horseshoes and paint a horse ornament to take with you.

South Llano River State Park
At Christmas at the Ranch, 2-5 pm December 3, guests can warm up with hot chocolate and cider, listen to live entertainment, enjoy crafts and cookie decorating, and anticipate Santa's visit while taking in the twinkling lights and Christmas decorations at the historic Ranch House that now serves as Park Headquarters.

Houston and Gulf Coast-area parks

Brazos Bend State Park
Holiday in the Park is an all-day affair on December 10. Events include a self-guided "Elf Hike," Christmas crafts, "Pup Parade," s'mores, and more.

Goose Island State Park
See the park in lights, enjoy holiday activities, and camp for free when you decorate your campsite during Christmas in the Park on December 17. Guests are invited to "Santa's Village" at the CCC Recreation Hall for holiday crafts, games, hot chocolate around the campfire, and to drop off letters to Santa in the North Pole Mailbox.

Lake Corpus Christi State Park
Get in the holiday spirit with the second annual Holiday Light Drive Thru, 6-9 pm December 10. Visitors can enter the park for a drive through the lighted areas of Javelina and Opossum Bend camping loops, plus the Old Pavilion.

West Texas and the Panhandle-area parks

Franklin Mountains State Park
On December 3, make ornaments and holiday cards with recycled materials as part of the Art in the Parks series. During Cookies and Cocoa, you can decorate and take home your own Christmas treat while sipping on a cup of hot chocolate 2-4 pm December 23. Come back on Christmas Eve for a guided, two-mile Santa Hike at 11 am.

Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site
Bring your family out for Home for the Holidays guided family hike on December 10 and moderate hike on December 17.

San Angelo State Park
Enjoy a drive-thru tour of lights and optional pictures with Santa and Smokey Bear during Holly-Days in the Park, 6-8 pm December 10.

holidays texas vacation parks

Patio News

Restaurant proud of its wood-fired grill debuts in McKinney's buzzy Hub 121

fork & fire

Photo courtesy of Fork & Fire

This will be the second location.

There's a new restaurant opening at Hub 121, the buzzy development in McKinney at the intersection of Alma Drive and SH121: Called Fork and Fire, it's a restaurant boasting a wood-fired grill from chef Jason Graman, and according to a release, it opened in mid-November at 7540 TX-121 #150.

This is actually the second location. The first opened in Plano on The Boardwalk in Granite Park, originally under the name B. Frank & Relish before rebranding to Fork and Fire in 2019.

The new location in McKinney is bigger than the popular Plano original, with more space for intimate dining, an expanded bar area, lots of natural light, and a patio that overlooks Hub 121’s amphitheater.

“We looked at all the best parts of our original location and bumped them up a notch,” said owner Jason Graman. “It’s an elevated dining experience, which is why we’re excited to be part of the exploding new scene at Hub 121.”

The building blocks of the menu include an Argentine-style woodfired grill, with bread they bake in-house daily and use of locally grown produce.

Other building blocks mentioned in the release are all about animal products as follows:

Akaushi beef, Wagyu cattle and raised in Texas
Faroe Island salmon. Situated north of Scotland in the Northeast Atlantic, this is obviously not locally grown.
House-made pastrami. AKA Jason’s “8145 Pastrami” featuring brisket that's brined, seasoned, smoked, and steamed.

The bar specializes in bourbon, whiskey, and tequila, with more than 50 varieties of tequila, 24 wines on tap, and 23 beers on tap.

Graman is a native of Brooklyn who has been in the restaurant business for more than 28 years, both in Dallas and previously in Los Angeles.

Concert news

Legendary rockers Metallica set massive tour schedule with a stop in Arlington

Metallica

Photo by Herring Herring

Metallica will play at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on both August 18 and 20, 2023.

The legendary heavy metal rock band Metallica's massive M72 world tour will find them playing two nights in every city they visit, including August 18 and 20, 2023 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

The tour, taking place throughout 2023 and 2024, is currently scheduled to go to 22 cities around the world, starting with Amsterdam, Netherlands on April 27. The Arlington concerts, the only stop in Texas, are part of the initial North American leg of the tour, running from August 4 to November 12.

In a November 27 announcement, the band promises that each stop will feature a "No Repeat Weekend," with two completely different setlists and support lineups at each concert. Joining them in Arlington will be the reunited Dallas band Pantera (touring for the first time in 22 years) and Mammoth WVH on August 18, and Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills on August 20.

The tour, which will feature a new in-the-round stage design that relocates the Metallica Snake Pit to center stage, is in support of the band's new album, 72 Seasons, their first new release in six years.

The shows will include a number of unique ticketing options, including two-day tickets, discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age, and the I Disappear full-tour pass for fans who want to travel to multiple cities.

Two-day tickets will go on sale on Friday, December 2 at Ticketmaster.com, and will include the option of pre-ordering 72 Seasons on vinyl and/or CD. Single day tickets will be available beginning January 20.

Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets in the U.S. beginning 2 pm Wednesday, November 30 until 10 pm Thursday, December 1 through the Citi Entertainment program.

A portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to the band’s All Within My Hands foundation, which aims to assist and enrich communities through career and technical education programs in the U.S., combating food insecurity, and donating to disaster relief efforts worldwide.

tours music concerts