Movie Review

Despite killer cast, The Dead Don't Die is as lifeless as its zombies

The films of Jim Jarmusch are most definitely an acquired taste. The stories he tells can be slow to unfold and often feature actors turning in performances that are understated, to say the least. But he always attracts interesting and notable actors to his projects, making his films appealing for anyone who is a fan of those stars.

His latest, The Dead Don’t Die, is his most star-filled movie since 2003’s Coffee and Cigarettes. In a small town called Centerville, residents suddenly start noticing strange things happening. The local police force — Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray), Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver), and Mindy Morrison (Chloë Sevigny) — is the first to discover the awful truth that a shift in the Earth’s rotation has caused the dead to be reanimated as zombies.

But if you were expecting the typical war between zombies and living humans, think again. There are a few relatively gruesome zombie attack scenes, and there are a multitude of beheadings and point-blank gunshots to kill zombies, but the film is about as slow as you can get. Jarmusch has no interest in making an action movie; instead, the plot moves at a languid pace, providing plenty of time for the characters to make dry quips and prepare for the zombie invasion at their own speed.

You could call it a character study, but that would mean that it contains actual noteworthy characters. Jarmusch seems to want all of his characters to speak in monotones, keeping almost all inflection out of their speech. This trick works for a while but gets old about 20 minutes in. The only truly interesting character is Zelda Winston (Tilda Swinton), the local mortician who also happens to know how to wield a katana sword.

It all feels like an exercise in Jarmusch seeing how much he can get away with before someone calls him on his navel-gazing. The film contains a couple of moments that break the fourth wall that are chuckle-worthy at best. Pop star Selena Gomez pops up in a cameo that delivers almost nothing, not because of her skills but because there’s nothing of interest in her character.

Other wasted actors include Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Rosie Perez, Caleb Landry Jones, Carol Kane, Iggy Pop, RZA, and more. Country singer Sturgill Simpson is arguably the star of the film, as the titular song he recorded for the film is played over and over again in a running joke that would’ve been a lot funnier had the film’s humor level been higher.

The Dead Don’t Die is only for a very specific type of filmgoer, and even those with a predilection toward liking Jarmusch’s films may find their patience tested by its lack of entertainment value.

Tom Waits in The Dead Don't Die.

Tom Waits in The Dead Don't Die

Photo by Abbot Genser / Focus Features

Tom Waits in The Dead Don't Die.

Supermarket News

Plano welcomes its own H-E-B supermarket, second to open in Dallas area

H-E-B store

H-E-B

H-E-B lands in Plano.

The day has arrived for Plano shoppers with the arrival of their own location of the beloved H-E-B grocery chain, now open at 6001 Preston Rd.

The store is the second H-E-B in the DFW area following Frisco which opened in September.

The store is 118,000 square feet, same size as the Frisco store and possesses some of the same features including the in-house BBQ restaurant True Texas BBQ, a pharmacy with drive-thru, and a home décor department with furniture, textiles, and accent pieces from the Haven + Key and Texas Proud collections.

Open 6 am-11 pm daily, the store features a bakery, deli department, sushi, Asian grill, floral, backyard department, beauty, produce, frozen, beer & wine, and H-E-B Curbside and Home Delivery, which allows customers to place orders online for pickup at the store or home delivery.

Additionally, H-E-B has introduced a new line of DFW sushi options, sushi and sashimi by the pound, and a DFW Roll with avocado, cucumber, spicy tuna, and salmon, plus a new Café Ole coffee blend called Taste of DFW, which is described as medium bodied with caramel, chocolate, and pecan flavors. Their DFW bakery also has items like chapati and roti breads.

H-E-B will be building a 55,000-square-foot e-Commerce Fulfillment Center, which stocks goods found in stores, to support the rising demand of online shopping. The facility will be located adjacent to the Plano store and is expected to become operational by mid-2023.

According to a release, Plano was one of three stores that H-E-B opened, along with two in the Houston area: its first location in Willis, a community north of Houston, and a second store in Magnolia, northwest of Houston.

H-E-B President Central Market Division Stephen Butt said in a statement that it was "a history-making day for H-E-B."

Still to come in DFW: McKinney and Allen, which are under construction; and Alliance and Mansfield, which haven't yet broken ground.

H-E-B is also celebrating the anniversary of its Central Market concept being introduced to DFW in 2001. There are now six Central Market stores in Dallas, Plano, Southlake, and Fort Worth. And let's not forget the H-E-B stores already open in areas surrounding DFW including Burleson, Hudson Oaks, Granbury, and Waxahachie. Never forget.

Kicking it up

Dallas flip-flop brand Hari Mari steps into brave new world of women's boots

Hari Mari Midland boot

Photo courtesy of Hari Mari

The Midland boot comes in three colors and sells for $170.

Dallas-based Hari Mari has arrived to help women transition the closet from flip-flop season to boot season.

The premium footwear brand known for its comfy, celeb-favorite flops has just launched its first ever women's boot. Called the Hari Mari "Midland," it's described as "a versatile women’s Chelsea boot constructed with premium suede, soft-squeeze foam midsoles, and generous goring to allow for easy slip-on, slip-off access."

The boots also include dual-density memory foam inserts that provide the "immediate, out-of-the-box comfort" that Hari Mari prides itself on.

“Our female sandal customer asked and we listened,” says Hari Mari Founder, Lila Stewart, in a release. “Over the years, we’ve been perfecting our sandals, which customers love for the immediate comfort and durability, so we decided it was about time we brought these same product characteristics to women’s boots.

The Midland is offered in three colors — autumn, black and taupe — and sells for $170 , in Hari Mari’s Dallas Flagship store, on HariMari.com, and select retailers across the country.

It's a bold step into the already crowded world of boots, especially in Texas. But the brand promises that the comfort level will set them apart.

"This beautiful, classic boot will allow our female customers to wear Hari Mari footwear through cold and warm months alike, experiencing the brand’s fanatical commitment to comfort whether it’s 80 degrees out or snowing," Stewart says. "And, believe us, they will feel the difference. It’s Hari Mari’s calling card and we’re excited to be able to offer year-round footwear to all of our customers."

Since it was founded in 2012, Hari Mari has built its reputation not only on quality, fashion-forward flip-flops (and other kinds of shoes and apparel), but also on its sustainability and philanthropic efforts, which are a part of the company’s DNA. Hari Mari gives 1 percent of sales to support kids battling cancer through its called Flops Fighting Cancer initiative.

Rent News

Apartment rents finally start to decline in Dallas and across the U.S.

apartment for rent sign on telephone pole

BrunchNews.com

Rental rates are finally starting to drop.

In good news for renters, rates finally appear to be dropping in Dallas and across the U.S. — and it's a trend predicted to prevail through the end of 2022.

After more than a year of record-setting rent hikes, rent prices decreased in October for the second month in a row. According to a report by Apartment List, rent across the U.S. went down by 0.7 percent in October — the largest single-month dip since 2017.

Rents went down in 89 of the nation’s 100 largest cities for the second straight month, following a peak in August, and a welcome reversal to major rent increases that have occurred since the pandemic.

Here are current rates among 11 of the largest cities in the U.S.:

San Francisco – $2,640
Los Angeles – $2,200
New York City – $2,170
Seattle – $1,990
Austin – $1,830
Washington, D.C. – $1,790
Dallas – $1,470
Phoenix – $1,470
San Antonio – $1,320
Houston – $1,290
Memphis – $1,130

The current national average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,348.

The October decline offsets what has been a major increase in the past year: In 2022, rents are already up by a total of 5.9 percent, compared to 18 percent at this point in 2021.

In the past year, Texas averaged a 6.6 percent increase in rental rates as compared to a year ago. Breaking that down among Texas cities, Dallas tops the list:

Dallas: 10.1 percent increase
Fort Worth: 7.5 percent
San Antonio: 5.8 percent
Austin: 5.3 percent
Houston: 4 percent

While the October downtick is something to celebrate, they warn that it's consistent with a seasonal trend existed even prior to the pandemic craziness. Still, they anticipate that rents will continue to decline in the coming months.

Dallas
In October, rent in Dallas declined by 0.9 percent — helping to soften its 10.1 percent increase in the past year and its unprecedented 24 percent rise since March 2020.

The current median rent in Dallas is $1,232 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,472 for a two-bedroom.

In the DFW area:

Mesquite saw the highest increase — up 18.3 percent from a year ago, with $1,498 for a two-bedroom
Plano has the highest rent in the DFW area: $1,996 for a two-bedroom
Fort Worth has the least expensive rent: $1,335 for a two-bedroom

Houston
Rents in Houston are the most affordable among big Texas cities and even among comparable cities nationwide. Houston's median two-bedroom rent of $1,288 is below the national average of $1,348, following a 0.3 percent decline in October.

In the Houston area:

Galveston had the fastest growth in the metro with an increase of 10.9 percent. A two-bedroom now goes for $1,175.
Baytown has the least expensive rent in the Houston area, with rent for a two-bedroom at $1,124.
Sugar Land has the most expensive rent at $1,984 for a two-bedroom.

Austin
Austin's rent declined by 1.5 percent over the past month, with median rent coming in at $1,826 for a two-bedroom and $1,500 for a one-bedroom.

In the Austin area:

Leander saw the biggest decline with 1.8 percent. It has the least expensive rent in the Austin metro, with a two-bedroom median rate of $1,414.
Round Rock endured the biggest increase: 8.7 percent higher than a year ago, with a two-bedroom currently at $1,788.
Cedar Park has the most expensive rent, at $1,903 for a two-bedroom. Rent climbed 2.6 percent over the past year.

Compared to other large cities across the country, Austin comes in as "less affordable" for renters. Duh.

San Antonio
San Antonio rent declined by 0.9 percent over the past month, offsetting a significant increase of 5.8 percent over last year — the third largest increase in Texas behind Dallas.

Current rental rates in San Antonio are $1,317 for a two-bedroom, just below the national average ($1,348), and $1,066 for a one-bedroom — making San Antonio still more affordable than most large cities across the U.S.

Fort Worth
Rent in Fort Worth declined by 0.8 percent over the past month — helping to offset its 7.5 percent increase in comparison to the same time last year, which not only exceeded Texas' overall average but also the national average of 5.7 percent. Current median rent in Fort Worth is $1,335 for a two-bedroom, and $1,159 for a one-bedroom. Fort Worth is still more affordable than most large cities across the U.S.