Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Mid-October brings a music-heavy weekend to the Dallas area, including the symphony, a comedian/singer, two country music icons, a Latin superstar, and one of the hottest rappers around. As if that's not enough, you can also get up close and personal with movie and TV celebrities.

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

Thursday, October 13

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Tchaikovsky 4"
For their latest concert, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is playing to audiences both inside and outside. For the Thursday, Friday, and Sunday performances, they are performing a full concert at Meyerson Symphony Center, with guest violinist August Hadelich. On Saturday, they are performing a free condensed concert (only Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4) in the CenterPark Garden at NorthPark Center.

Bridget Everett in concert
Hot off the heels of her Comedy Central special Gynecological Wonder, her recurring appearances on Inside Amy Schumer, and a jaw-dropping appearance in the blockbuster film Trainwreck, comedian and singer Bridget Everett hits the stage at House of Blues Dallas armed with a bottle (or two) of Chardonnay, as well as the songs and stories from her unique brand of comedy cabaret.

Friday, October 14

Dallas Comic Con Fan Days
As little as three months ago, the idea that a 12-year-old British girl would be the big star at Dallas Comic Con Fan Days would have been laughable. But then Stranger Things premiered on Netflix, and Millie Bobby Brown became the toast of Hollywood. She, along with the likes of Karl Urban, Christian Slater, Ian Ziering, Adam West, and Burt Ward, are appearing at the pop culture convention, taking place at the Irving Convention Center in Las Colinas through Sunday.

Improv Addison presents Nikki Glaser
Nikki Glaser is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after young comedians, as she is the creator, executive producer, and star of the Comedy Central series Not Safe with Nikki Glaser, where some of comedy’s funniest voices — including Bridgett Everett — joke, learn, and share their personal stories about sex, relationships, and other taboo topics. Glaser brings that energy to Improv Addison for four sets through Saturday.

Keith Urban in concert with Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris
Now that American Idol has taken its final bow, country superstar Keith Urban can focus full-time on his own music career. He's coming back to Dallas for the first time in three years in support of his new album, Ripcord. He's joined at American Airlines Center by opening act Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris.

Kris Kristofferson in concert
In the latest example of appreciating music legends while you can, Texas' own Kris Kristofferson is playing a concert at Annette Strauss Square in support of his new album, Cedar Creek Sessions. The 80-year-old singer has been active in the industry for 50 years, becoming one of the most-respected and awarded musicians in the industry along the way.

Saturday, October 15

The Shops at Park Lane present Parktoberfest
The Park, a landscaped lawn located in the heart of the Shops at Park Lane, is being transformed into a tasting garden where revelers can enjoy multiple beer tents featuring some of Texas’ best craft breweries, along with multiple food options. There's also continuous live local music, fun games, giveaways, a photo booth, and more throughout the day.

Marc Anthony in concert
Singer Marc Anthony has gone through multiple waves in his 25-year career. He hit big highs with 1999's Marc Anthony and 2002's Mended, but his laudable effort to stay true to his roots with Spanish-only albums, while still popular, have not been met with the same level of enthusiasm. He's playing at American Airlines Center as part of his 2016 U.S. tour, Marc Anthony Live!

Sunday, October 16

Chance the Rapper in concert with Francis & the Lights
Aside from superstars like Kanye West or Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper may be the most popular hip-hop artist on the planet right now. He's collaborated with people across the musical and entertainment spectrum, from West to Stephen Colbert, despite having only released a series of mixtapes, including 2016's Coloring Book. He's performing a sold-out show at the Bomb Factory with Francis & the Lights, although you can still find tickets on the secondary market.

Keith Urban is playing at American Airlines Center on October 14.

Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com

Keith Urban is playing at American Airlines Center on October 14.

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Movie Review

Jessica Chastain drama Dreams stumbles through steamy romance

Photo courtesy of Teorema

Isaac Hernández and Jessica Chastain in Dreams.

The opening scenes of the new drama Dreams are bracing, fictional sequences that call to mind real-life scenarios. In them, a young Mexican man named Fernando (Isaac Hernández) goes through a somewhat harrowing journey from the back of a semi truck in South Texas all the way to San Francisco. It’s a familiar immigrant story that seems to set the stage for a film with something interesting to say.

It turns out, however, that Fernando has not made the long and arduous trek for a job. Instead, it’s to be with Jennifer McCarthy (Jessica Chastain), a rich woman who helps lead a foundation dedicated to multiple things, including funding dance academies. Fernando, a talented dancer, and Jennifer have been in an off-and-on affair for years, with Jennifer wanting to keep their relationship a secret.

Although both are drawn to each other in an inexplicable, lustful way, their bond is tenuous, with each of them dissatisfied for different reasons. Fernando clearly sacrifices much more of himself than Jennifer, who wants for nothing except maybe more affection from her father, Michael (Marshall Bell), and brother, Jake (Rupert Friend).

Writer/director Michel Franco seems to try to inject tension into Fernando and Jennifer’s relationship from the start, an attempt that is only halfway successful. It’s clear from the way they greet each other - not to mention a steamy sex scene shortly thereafter - that they have known each other for a good length of time. Franco is able to get across this familiarity with an economy of scenes, and the intensity of their bond holds for a while.

But as the film progresses and both of them grow disenchanted with their arrangement, Franco starts taking the story in some odd directions. The biggest issue is that it’s never clear at what point in time the story is taking place. Fernando ends up making multiple trips back and forth across the border, with Jennifer doing the same at one point, and Franco’s use of flashbacks muddies the waters, wrong-footing the audience when he should be trying to draw them further into Fernando and Jennifer’s complications.

Revelations in the final act make the story even more confusing, as both main characters start saying and doing harsh things that seem to come out of nowhere. That would be all well and good if Franco actually committed to their changes of heart, but he keeps things wishy-washy for most of the final 15 minutes, resulting in an ending that makes little sense for either character.

Despite the story issues, both Chastain and Hernández give compelling performances. Chastain has been a little under the radar since winning an Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, but she keeps this character interesting longer than it should have been. Hernández has limited credits and appears to have been cast for his dancing ability, but he goes toe-to-toe with Chastain on more than one occasion and acquits himself well.

Dreams had all of the ideas to explore a more in-depth story about the complicated immigration policies between Mexico and the U.S., or how wealthy people take advantage of those less fortunate. But Franco never finds the right footing, settling instead for a titillating and somewhat mystifying relationship story that feels half-baked.

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Dreams is now playing in select theaters.

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