Weekend Event Planner

These are the 7 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

While the majority of events around Dallas have either been postponed or canceled, there are a few that have popped up to offer the masses some entertainment while still adhering to the social distancing necessary during the coronavirus pandemic.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. While they're not all outside of the house, they all promise to provide a nice distraction from the everyday life.

Thursday, August 27

Rooftop Cinema Club: The Drive-In at The Central
Dallas is getting another drive-in movie option this week thanks to Rooftop Cinema Club. Taking place at The Central in East Dallas, the drive-in will project movies onto a 52-foot screen with skyline views as the backdrop, with audio broadcast through the FM transmitter radio in cars. Moviegoers are welcome to bring their own food, but food and beverage are also being offered through a contactless system. Opening weekend movies include Selena, Dazed and Confused, Dirty Dancing, Friday, Jurassic Park, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Little Mermaid, and Pulp Fiction.

Friday, August 28

Twilight at the Tin Star
Twilight at the Tin Star, taking place at Tin Star Theater in Trinity Groves, is an immersive art event that guests can experience from the safety of their vehicle in an in-the-round, drive-in theater setting. The performance features music by Danny Goldman and MAKE trio, and percussionist Austin Allen. Bruce Wood Dance will perform a site-specific work created by choreographer Gregory Dolbashian under the canopy of TETRA, an illuminated structural art piece by Colin Hendee.

Improv Arlington presents Lavell Crawford
Audiences are becoming increasingly familiar with Lavell Crawford’s giant-sized talent from his numerous television appearances. Crawford gained national exposure on NBC’s hit reality series Last Comic Standing, leading to his own half-hour standup special on Comedy Central. Crawford is best known for his recurring role on AMC’s Emmy Award-winning Breaking Bad. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Improv Addison presents Terry Fator
Terry Fator is perhaps the first entertainer to combine the art of ventriloquism with singing celebrity impressions. His puppets, including Cowboy Walter, Emma Taylor, and Winston the Impersonating Turtle, effortlessly perform the singing styles of an eclectic group of stars, including Tony Bennett, Elvis, Maroon 5, Garth Brooks, Nat King and Natalie Cole, Roy Orbison, Etta James, and more. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Addison.

Saturday, August 29

Legacy Hall presents End of Summer Luau
Legacy Hall in Plano will present a safe and socially distant tropical getaway with an End of Summer Luau. The festive evening will feature a traditional Hawaiian pig roast, hula dancers, a fire performer, tiki cocktails, a limbo competition, and a performance by Summer of ’69, a Bryan Adams tribute band. Food is not included in the overall ticket cost; the pig roast is $18 when pre-purchased with an event ticket, or $22 at the door.

CarBaret: Pee Wee's Big Adventure + Mr. Rid + Lily Taylor
CarBaret, the pop-up drive-in theater/performance space at Brizo in Richardson will present a 35th anniversary screening of Tim Burton's cult classic, Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Prior to the screening, DJ Mr. Rid will present music and selected short films, and Lily Taylor featuring Black Taffy will play live music. Guests can order food from a drive-in menu that will be delivered to cars or chairs, featuring beer bratwurst, grilled kebabs, veggie tacos, and more. Guests can stay in their cars, on top of their cars, or in folding chairs near their cars.

Sunday, August 30

Dallas Museum of Art exhibition openings
The Dallas Museum of Art will open two new exhibitions on Sunday: Love is the Message, The Message is Death, Arthur Jafa’s renowned film that juxtaposes representations of Black artists, scholars, athletes, and politicians with depictions of events ranging from faith-based transcendence to police brutality; and "Contemporary Art + Design," which presents recently acquired paintings, installations, jewelry, furnishings, and design objects made by artists from 11 countries that show new directions for the growth of the DMA's collection. Both exhibitions will remain on display through March 7.

Terry Fator will perform at Improv Addison, August 28-30.

Photo courtesy of Terry Fator

Terry Fator will perform at Improv Addison, August 28-30.

event-planner concerts museums movies

Movie review

Nick Jonas steals song from Paul Rudd in music-heavy Power Ballad

Photo by David Cleary for Lionsgate

Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd in Power Ballad.

Writer/director John Carney is one of the great purveyors of movies featuring music (as opposed to musicals) in the 21st century. Starting with Once in 2007 (which was turned into a Broadway musical several years later), he has made music-themed stories like Begin Again, Sing Street, Flora and Son, and now Power Ballad.

Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is a former wannabe rock star who is now the lead singer of “Ireland’s #1 Wedding Band,” The Bride & Grooves. While they mostly play smaller weddings, a gig at a country estate leads to an encounter with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band member struggling to make it as a solo artist. Rick and Danny wind up bonding in a booze- and pot-filled jam session, sharing various song ideas.

After returning to Los Angeles and desperate for a hit, Danny steals one of Rick’s songs, which miraculously turns into the No. 1 “How to Write a Song (Without You).” Rick, initially overjoyed that something he wrote has become big, is crushed when he finds out Danny didn’t give him credit. His quest to find a way to prove his worth sends him into a spiral, upending the ordinary life he had built.

Co-written by Peter McDonald, the film is a nice exploration of two men trying to hold on to their music dreams. Their individual circumstances could not be more different, but each of them knows the ups and downs of the business as well as the other, as well as the ineffable magic of creating that one great song. While the music scenes are hit-and-miss because of a reliance on lip synching, the scene featuring Rick and Danny trading ideas is electric with creativity.

Oddly, though, the film could have used a bit less music and more of a focus on the two men’s personal lives. Rick wound up living in Ireland after falling in love with his future wife, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), while on tour with his former American band. He spends a decent amount of time with her and his daughter, Aja (Beth Fallon), but his story needed a few more family scenes to drive the point home. Danny’s personal life is all but nonexistent, giving his arc less impact than it could have had.

Instead of loved ones, Carney and McDonald try to give Rick and Danny more depth through friends and business associates. Rick’s bandmate Sandy (McDonald) is a ride-or-die kind of guy for him, but his presence is only good for a few humorous distractions. Danny’s manager Mac (Jack Reynor) is difficult to parse, as he goes to bat for Danny on multiple occasions, but also seems to keep him at arm’s length.

It’s long been joked that Rudd never ages, and that youthfulness serves him well in this role, in which his character is supposed to be much younger than his actual age of 57. His energy and enthusiasm make his character appealing throughout, even when Rick starts to go off the deep end. Jonas is decent in his role, selling the music side well, but there might be a reason his character doesn’t have many scenes requiring him to show emotions.

While Power Ballad has all the hallmarks of another great Carney music movie, it’s missing a few pieces that could have put it over the top. It’s still a fun film with an insanely catchy song at its center, but it’s not quite as memorable as most of the filmmaker’s previous efforts.

---

Power Ballad is now playing in theaters.

movies music film