Weekend Event Planner

Fleetwood Mac and Mythbusters top best weekend events in Dallas

Christmas is just two weeks away, but believe it or not, the slate of events in Dallas-Fort Worth this weekend is not as holiday heavy as you'd expect. Among the offerings are a popular science TV program's road show, art by a rocker and a visit from that rocker's classic band.

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, December 11

Mizzen + Main presents Gift Your Guy Girls Night
Mizzen + Main specializes in men's shirts, but behind every good man is an even better woman, a demographic at which this event is aimed. Female attendees can induldge in Fluff Pop, champagne and flowers while they shop for the perfect Christmas gift for their husband or boyfriend at the brand's Design District showroom. Gift-wrapping is complimentary.

Andrea Bocelli in concert
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has been wowing audiences for going on 20 years, becoming one of the rare classical music artists to transcend his genre and appeal to the mainstream. Bocelli comes to American Airlines Center without a new album to support, meaning his fans can expect a mixture of favorite songs and holiday tunes.

Friday, December 12

Galleria Dallas presents 2014 Dallas CityScape
It's amazing what some people can create out of Lego bricks, and starting this weekend, you can ooh and ahh over the annual Dallas CityScape exhibit at Galleria Dallas. Featuring a slew of Dallas landmarks made entirely out of Legos, the exhibition is on display through January 4, with proceeds benefiting Education Opens Doors.

Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant in concert with the Dallas POPs
Christian music fans will be in heaven when genre superstars Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant team up for this special holiday concert at American Airlines Center. The two collaborated on Smith's recently released Christmas album, The Spirit of Christmas, which is sure to be heavily featured. Dallas POPs joins the duo for a memorable night.

Saturday, December 13

Samuel Lynne Galleries presents Mick Fleetwood: Reflections
In advance of Fleetwood Mac's concert on Sunday night, drummer Mick Fleetwood shows off his other passion — photography — at Samuel Lynne Galleries. The "Reflections" exhibit has works for sale December 11-13, and anybody who makes a purchase can attend this private reception with Fleetwood on Saturday.

Old 97's in concert with Matt Hillyer
Dallas originals the Old 97's complete a Texas-only mini-tour with this stop at the Majestic Theatre. Even though the band is enjoying the biggest success of their career with 2014's Most Messed Up, this concert is a blast from the past, as they play their debut album, Hitchhike to Rhome, in its entirety, along with a variety of their other hits. Matt Hillyer is the opening act.

Mythbusters: Behind the Myths Tour
Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters have been combining science and entertainment since 2003, proving or disproving theories, legends and Internet rumors. This show at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie features onstage experiments, audience participation and behind-the-scenes stories.

The Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Rocks Extravaganza!
Brian Setzer has had one heck of a career, putting out multiple records with the Stray Cats, the Brian Setzer Orchestra and as a solo artist. All of those elements and more are in play for this concert at the Winspear Opera House, as Setzer performs some of his biggest hits along with a variety of reimagined and acclaimed holiday classics.

Sunday, December 14

Demetri Martin: The Persistence of Jokes
Demetri Martin is one of those "that guy" comedians who has been fame-adjacent for many years without ever becoming truly famous himself. He's had roles in a number of movies as well as his own short-lived Comedy Central show. He is also slated to have his writing and directing film debut next year, but he has yet to really break out. He persistently tells some jokes at the House of Blues Dallas.

Fleetwood Mac in concert
Purist fans of Fleetwood Mac are rejoicing, as Christine McKie has rejoined the group for the first time in 16 years. That means this concert at American Airlines Center is an opportunity to hear the classic band's songs as they were meant to be heard. If you couldn't get tickets for this date, don't fret: The band recently announced that they'll return to Dallas again on March 4, 2015.

Post-weekend bonus

Dave Chappelle in concert
A week ago, the idea of Dave Chappelle's coming to Dallas wasn't even a possibility. Now fans are blessed with four chances to see the elusive comedian, because he's performing two separate sets at the House of Blues Dallas on both Monday and Tuesday. We don't know what he has planned, but we can't wait to find out.

Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, aka the Mythbusters, present a live version of their popular Discovery Channel show on December 13 at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters

Photo by Benjamin Hanson Discovery Channel

Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, aka the Mythbusters, present a live version of their popular Discovery Channel show on December 13 at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

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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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