Weekend Event Planner

These are the 8 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's a throwback kind of weekend in and around Dallas, with multiple events featuring material or performers from years gone by. Among your choices will be a local production of an award-winning musical, not one but two co-headlining concerts featuring acts from different eras, a 30th anniversary celebration of a classic movie with one of its stars, and much more.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Monday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, August 10

Dallas Wings vs. Phoenix Mercury
The Dallas Wings have made some big strides in their second season in Arlington, currently sitting at 7th place in the WNBA standings after two recent wins at home. They'll go for three in a row and try to climb a little higher when they take on the Phoenix Mercury, the sixth place team, in this game at College Park Center at UT Arlington.

The Firehouse Theatre presents Pippin
Pippin is a Tony Award-winning musical twice over, winning five in its 1973 debut and then four more for its 2013 revival. The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch will take on the production about a young prince who learns the true meaning of glory, love, and war as he searches for the secret to true happiness and fulfillment through battle, temptations, and political power. The musical will run through August 20.

Friday, August 11

Rod Stewart in concert with Cyndi Lauper
Even though they became famous in two different eras, Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper are equals when it comes to the impact they've had on the music world. They both opened their careers with a string of hits, and each has remained relevant long past his or her prime. They'll perform a retrospective of their popular work at this concert at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Pegasus Theatre presents Women Playing Hamlet
Hamlet is a challenge for any actor, but when Jessica is cast as the title character in a New York production, it sends her into a comic and existential tailspin. How can Jessica figure out "to be or not to be" when she can't even figure out herself? Featuring an all-female cast performing multiple roles, Pegasus Theatre will present Women Playing Hamlet at Bath House Cultural Center through August 26.

Edwin McCain in concert
It's funny the mileage that a musician or band can get out of one great song. Edwin McCain's top five hit "I'll Be" came out almost 20 years ago, and even though he hasn't reached anywhere close to those heights since, he's still out there plugging away. His last official album was 2011's Mercy Bound, but he released an EP, Oh Edwin, Where Art Thou?, in 2016. He'll play at Granada Theater.

Saturday, August 12

2017 BvB Dallas Powder-Puff Football Game
More than 150 young professionals will take the field in the 10th Annual BvB Dallas Powder-Puff Football Game to Tackle Alzheimer's. Since its inception, passionate philanthropists have raised more than $2.8 million to support Alzheimer’s research and awareness in North Texas. The event, taking place at the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park, will include an after-party on the front steps of the stadium immediately following the game.

Blondie and Garbage in concert
The second co-headlining concert of the weekend featuring bands of different eras will take place at South Side Ballroom when Blondie and Garbage team up for the Rage and Rapture Tour. Blondie, which has been going since 1976, is touring in support of their new album, Pollinator, while Garbage, which debuted in 1995, released their latest album, Strange Little Birds, in 2016.

The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes
Rob Reiner's 1987 classic The Princess Bride has remained a touchstone for 30 years because of a fantastic story and a slew of great performances, including Cary Elwes as Westley. Elwes will be on hand at the Majestic Theatre for this special event, which will include a screening of the movie followed by a moderated discussion with Elwes, who will reveal hilarious and intimate behind-the-scenes stories.

Actor Cary Elwes will be on hand at the Majestic Theatre on August 12 for a special 30th anniversary screening of The Princess Bride.

Austin Photo: Events_ActionPack_PrincessBride

Photo courtesy of the Alamo Drafthouse

Actor Cary Elwes will be on hand at the Majestic Theatre on August 12 for a special 30th anniversary screening of The Princess Bride.

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Movie Review

Podcaster lets creepy noises get under her skin in Undertone

Photo courtsy of A24

Nina Kiri in Undertone.

While the horror genre is still capable of producing some innovative filmmaking, most of the output tends to fall back on jump scares and other tropes to deliver their terror. So when a film like the new Undertone tries something different, it should be applauded for the effort, even if it’s not as successful in its execution.

Evy (Nina Kiri) is a podcaster who co-hosts a show called Undertone, which focuses on paranormal videos and sounds they find on the internet. Her co-host, Justin (Adam DiMarco), lives in London, so - for kind of contrived reasons - in order to make the time difference between them work, Evy records at around 3 am her time. Evy - who lives at home with her bedridden, dying mother - is the skeptic of the two, consistently debunking clips that Justin presents to her.

Her doubts are tested when Justin brings in a series of 10 audio clips that purport to be about a boyfriend recording his girlfriend as she talks in her sleep. The audio begins in a lighthearted manner and quickly turns creepy and then sinister as unexplained things start happening. Evy senses that what she’s hearing is bleeding into her own world, especially when inexplicable actions take place in her mother’s bedroom.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Ian Tuason, the film is effective early on when it introduces the story concept. Making great use of sound design, Tuason essentially puts the audience inside Evy’s head, where every little sound is heightened. Setting the podcast sessions in the middle of the night ups the anxiety level for both her and the audience.

However, as the film goes along it gets a little tedious watching Evy listen to the audio, even as Tuason attempts to keep the film dynamic by moving the camera around her. The premise of the story - progressively going through 10 clips - and Tuason’s framing of shots that focus as much on the background as they do on Evy seem to promise more interesting results than actually transpire.

What ultimately holds the film down more than anything is its lack of different viewpoints. The only other person who’s actually seen is Evy’s mother, who is unable to speak. Evy speaks to Justin, another friend, and a doctor over the course of the story, and while each broadens our understanding of Evy somewhat, none of them make her a truly three-dimensional person. Getting a little more information about her history might have helped the story work better.

Kiri does her level best to vary her acting in the various podcast scenes, and even when they start to get repetitive, she remains compelling and watchable. It’s difficult to judge the other actors based on audio alone, but knowing that DiMarco also starred in season 2 of The White Lotus helps to visualize him and his acting style.

Undertone does well in creating a spine-chilling mood, but it needed something beyond that to become a truly great horror movie. Tuason shows some promise as a filmmaker, especially in the way he uses the camera to create tension, but a more complete story will serve him better the next time around.

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Undertone is now playing in theaters,

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