Weekend Event Planner

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

Holidays take center stage this weekend in and around Dallas, as both the holiday season and Veterans Day are being celebrated at different events. There are also performances by a legendary country music singer and one of the top comics in the country, a major music and beer festival, and an insider theater production.

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, November 10

Holiday events galore
Every weekend leading up to Christmas features some kind of new holiday event. This weekend you can choose between shopping at the 21st annual 'Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market at Plano Centre (taking place through Sunday), checking out the festivities at the 13th annual Lone Star Christmas at Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine (going on through January 1), or raising money for a good cause at DIFFA/Dallas' 21st annual Holiday Wreath Collection at Fashion Industry Gallery.

Undermain Theatre presents 10 out of 12
The second production of Undermain Theatre's 2016-2017 season is a behind-the-scenes look at a theater company engaged in the very peculiar task of making a new play. The audience eavesdrops as the sound designer mixes cues, backstage gossip flies over headsets, and the director struggles to contain the uncontainable. 10 Out of 12 runs through December 3.

Louis C.K. in concert
If you don't already have tickets for this, the second of Louis C.K.'s two dates at the Music Hall at Fair Park, it's too late: His shows sold out quickly, and he's very effective at shutting down the secondary ticket market. But for anyone who actually has tickets, C.K.'s cathartic brand of comedy is sure to be a welcome respite during this stressful week.

Friday, November 11

2016 Stars & Stripes Luncheon and Film Festival
Held annually on or near Veterans Day, the Stars & Stripes Film Festival features a variety of military-themed movies. The list for this year's festival, taking place through Sunday at Highland Park Village Theatre, includes An Officer and a Gentleman, Glory, and South Pacific, among others. This year, there's also a kick-off luncheon on Friday featuring United States Congressman Sam Johnson at Dallas Country Club.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Patriotic Pops
Another Veterans Day tribute takes place all weekend long at Meyerson Symphony Center, as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Patriotic Pops. Principal Pops conductor Jeff Tyzik brings the United States Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club to town to perform patriotic favorites in celebration of those who have served.

Loretta Lynn in concert
When most living legends come to town, they do so as a way to look back on their past successes. While Loretta Lynn's appearance at Majestic Theatre will undoubtedly be partly about that, the 84-year-old is very much in the here-and-now, having released Full Circle, her first new album in 10 years, in March 2016, and her second-ever Christmas album, White Christmas Blue, in October.

Saturday, November 12

TEDxSMU 2016
The annual TEDxSMU, taking place at the Bomb Factory, features a day-long lineup of speakers, performers, and musicians riffing on this year’s theme of “Illuminate.” Among the speakers are Jason Roberts, founding director of Better Block; Paige Chenault, founder of the Birthday Party Project; Douglas Newby, owner and founder of Architecturally Significant Homes; and Garnette Cadogan, author of Walking While Black.

2016 Untapped Festival Dallas
The annual Untapped Festival once again sets up at Fair Park in Dallas, where guests can enjoy a full day of live music while sampling over 400 unique craft beers and snacking on delicious food from local restaurants. Performers include TV On the Radio, Gogol Bordello, Kaleo, Bishop Briggs, Adia Victoria, Bassh, and more.

Sunday, November 13

Knife at Highland Dallas presents Sunday Cinema Series: Wes Anderson WesFest
The final event in Knife's Wes Anderson WesFest, which started way back in May, takes place on Sunday with a screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Along with the movie comes themed gourmet bites by Knife chef John Tesar and craft beer from Four Corners Brewing Company.

TV on the Radio is one of the bands performing at Untapped Festival Dallas, taking place on November 12 at Fair Park.

Austin City Limits Festival ACL 2015 Weekend One Day Two TV On The Radio

Photo by Daniel Cavazos

TV on the Radio is one of the bands performing at Untapped Festival Dallas, taking place on November 12 at Fair Park.

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Movie Review

Charli XCX attempts to seize 'The Moment' in new mockumentary

Photo courtesy of A24

Charli XCX in The Moment.

There have been plenty of music documentaries and biopics that show how the life of a music star can be a trying one, with fans, record label executives, and hangers-on all wanting a piece of a certain singer or band. Charli XCX knows the pressures as well as anyone thanks to back-to-back hit albums, but instead of addressing her life with a self-aggrandizing promo film, she’s gone the unexpected route with the mockumentary, The Moment.

The singer plays a fictionalized version of herself who’s coming off of “Brat Summer,” a cultural phenomenon that followed the release of her 2024 album, Brat. In addition to a planned tour, she and her team are trying to come up with other ways to capitalize on the moment, ideas that sometimes include her input and sometimes don’t. The one that becomes the driving force of the story is a concert film that will be directed by the in-demand filmmaker Johannes (Alexander Skarsgård).

Even though Charli XCX had already planned out the visuals, props, and other elements of the tour with good friend Celeste (Hailey Gates), Johannes slowly but surely pushes his ideas to be used instead. As that part of her life starts to slip from her grasp, she starts to lose it in general, agreeing to endorse a Brat-themed credit card, taking an ill-advised spa trip to Ibiza, and more.

Written and directed by Aidan Zamiri (who’s directed two Charli XCX music videos) and co-written by Bertie Brandes, the film should in no way, shape, or form be interpreted as giving viewers an accurate idea of who the singer really is. Aside from the presence of well-known actors like Skarsgård and Rosanna Arquette and comedic actors like Kate Berlant and Jamie Demetriou, everything in the film is heightened sufficiently to understand it shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Still, it’s clear that fans of Charli XCX or those who participated in Brat Summer will be more invested in the film than others. Knowing that Rachel Sennott’s cameo likely stems from their friendship following Charli XCX doing the score for Sennott’s film, Bottoms, or that she enjoyed early fame from the inclusion of her song, “Boom Clap,” in “a movie about two kids with cancer,” as her character puts it, adds some depth to the film.

One of the funniest things about the film is the lack of a showcase of Charli XCX’s music. She doesn’t sing a single note in the entire film, and any songs of hers that are heard are incidental to the story. There is, however, a ton of oppressive flashing titles and frenetic imagery during the various transitions in the film. If you are even slightly affected by rapid lights and/or movement, it might be best to avoid the film entirely.

As George Clooney can attest from Jay Kelly, it’s more difficult to play a version of yourself than you might think, and Charli XCX deserves credit for playing into rumors of her “bitchiness” in this film. Upcoming roles in other films will prove whether she’s truly a good actress or not, but she has a presence that serves this movie well. Skarsgård, who seems to be having a moment of his own in the real world, is the clear winner for best supporting actor of the film, scoring in almost every scene he’s in.

The Moment may not be as effective a mockumentary as something like This is Spinal Tap, but it still has enough memorable moments to make it worth seeing for both fans and non-fans alike. If that’s not enough Charli XCX for you, she’s also created the soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, which will be in theaters on February 13.

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The Moment opens wide in theaters on February 6.

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