• Home
  • popular
  • Events
  • Submit New Event
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • News
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Home + Design
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Innovation
  • Sports
  • Charity Guide
  • children
  • education
  • health
  • veterans
  • SOCIAL SERVICES
  • ARTS + CULTURE
  • animals
  • lgbtq
  • New Charity
  • Series
  • Delivery Limited
  • DTX Giveaway 2012
  • DTX Ski Magic
  • dtx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Your Home in the Sky
  • DTX Best of 2013
  • DTX Trailblazers
  • Tastemakers Dallas 2017
  • Healthy Perspectives
  • Neighborhood Eats 2015
  • The Art of Making Whiskey
  • DTX International Film Festival
  • DTX Tatum Brown
  • Tastemaker Awards 2016 Dallas
  • DTX McCurley 2014
  • DTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • DTX Beyond presents Party Perfect
  • DTX Texas Health Resources
  • DART 2018
  • Alexan Central
  • State Fair 2018
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Zatar
  • CityLine
  • Vision Veritas
  • Okay to Say
  • Hearts on the Trinity
  • DFW Auto Show 2015
  • Northpark 50
  • Anteks Curated
  • Red Bull Cliff Diving
  • Maggie Louise Confections Dallas
  • Gaia
  • Red Bull Global Rally Cross
  • NorthPark Holiday 2015
  • Ethan's View Dallas
  • DTX City Centre 2013
  • Galleria Dallas
  • Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty Luxury Homes in Dallas Texas
  • DTX Island Time
  • Simpson Property Group SkyHouse
  • DIFFA
  • Lotus Shop
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Dallas
  • Clothes Circuit
  • DTX Tastemakers 2014
  • Elite Dental
  • Elan City Lights
  • Dallas Charity Guide
  • DTX Music Scene 2013
  • One Arts Party at the Plaza
  • J.R. Ewing
  • AMLI Design District Vibrant Living
  • Crest at Oak Park
  • Braun Enterprises Dallas
  • NorthPark
  • Victory Park
  • DTX Common Desk
  • DTX Osborne Advisors
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • DFW Showcase Tour of Homes
  • DTX Neighborhood Eats
  • DTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • DTX Auto Awards
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2017
  • Nasher Store
  • Guardian of The Glenlivet
  • Zyn22
  • Dallas Rx
  • Yellow Rose Gala
  • Opendoor
  • DTX Sun and Ski
  • Crow Collection
  • DTX Tastes of the Season
  • Skye of Turtle Creek Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival
  • DTX Charity Challenge
  • DTX Culture Motive
  • DTX Good Eats 2012
  • DTX_15Winks
  • St. Bernard Sports
  • Jose
  • DTX SMU 2014
  • DTX Up to Speed
  • st bernard
  • Ardan West Village
  • DTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Taste the Difference
  • Parktoberfest 2016
  • Bob's Steak and Chop House
  • DTX Smart Luxury
  • DTX Earth Day
  • DTX_Gaylord_Promoted_Series
  • IIDA Lavish
  • Huffhines Art Trails 2017
  • Red Bull Flying Bach Dallas
  • Y+A Real Estate
  • Beauty Basics
  • DTX Pet of the Week
  • Long Cove
  • Charity Challenge 2014
  • Legacy West
  • Wildflower
  • Stillwater Capital
  • Tulum
  • DTX Texas Traveler
  • Dallas DART
  • Soldiers' Angels
  • Alexan Riveredge
  • Ebby Halliday Realtors
  • Zephyr Gin
  • Sixty Five Hundred Scene
  • Christy Berry
  • Entertainment Destination
  • Dallas Art Fair 2015
  • St. Bernard Sports Duck Head
  • Jameson DTX
  • Alara Uptown Dallas
  • Cottonwood Art Festival fall 2017
  • DTX Tastemakers 2015
  • Cottonwood Arts Festival
  • The Taylor
  • Decks in the Park
  • Alexan Henderson
  • Gallery at Turtle Creek
  • Omni Hotel DTX
  • Red on the Runway
  • Whole Foods Dallas 2018
  • Artizone Essential Eats
  • Galleria Dallas Runway Revue
  • State Fair 2016 Promoted
  • Trigger's Toys Ultimate Cocktail Experience
  • Dean's Texas Cuisine
  • Real Weddings Dallas
  • Real Housewives of Dallas
  • Jan Barboglio
  • Wildflower Arts and Music Festival
  • Hearts for Hounds
  • Okay to Say Dallas
  • Indochino Dallas
  • Old Forester Dallas
  • Dallas Apartment Locators
  • Dallas Summer Musicals
  • PSW Real Estate Dallas
  • Paintzen
  • DTX Dave Perry-Miller
  • DTX Reliant
  • Get in the Spirit
  • Bachendorf's
  • Holiday Wonder
  • Village on the Parkway
  • City Lifestyle
  • opportunity knox villa-o restaurant
  • Nasher Summer Sale
  • Simpson Property Group
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2017 Dallas
  • Carlisle & Vine
  • DTX New Beginnings
  • Get in the Game
  • Red Bull Air Race
  • Dallas DanceFest
  • 2015 Dallas Stylemaker
  • Youth With Faces
  • Energy Ogre
  • DTX Renewable You
  • Galleria Dallas Decadence
  • Bella MD
  • Tractorbeam
  • Young Texans Against Cancer
  • Fresh Start Dallas
  • Dallas Farmers Market
  • Soldier's Angels Dallas
  • Shipt
  • Elite Dental
  • Texas Restaurant Association 2017
  • State Fair 2017
  • Scottish Rite
  • Brooklyn Brewery
  • DTX_Stylemakers
  • Alexan Crossings
  • Ascent Victory Park
  • Top Texans Under 30 Dallas
  • Discover Downtown Dallas
  • San Luis Resort Dallas
  • Greystar The Collection
  • FIG Finale
  • Greystar M Line Tower
  • Lincoln Motor Company
  • The Shelby
  • Jonathan Goldwater Events
  • Windrose Tower
  • Gift Guide 2016
  • State Fair of Texas 2016
  • Choctaw Dallas
  • TodayTix Dallas promoted
  • Whole Foods
  • Unbranded 2014
  • Frisco Square
  • Unbranded 2016
  • Circuit of the Americas 2018
  • The Katy
  • Snap Kitchen
  • Partners Card
  • Omni Hotels Dallas
  • Landmark on Lovers
  • Harwood Herd
  • Galveston.com Dallas
  • Holiday Happenings Dallas 2018
  • TenantBase
  • Cottonwood Art Festival 2018
  • Hawkins-Welwood Homes
  • The Inner Circle Dallas
  • Eating in Season Dallas
  • ATTPAC Behind the Curtain
  • TodayTix Dallas
  • The Alexan
  • Toyota Music Factory
  • Nosh Box Eatery
  • Wildflower 2018
  • Society Style Dallas 2018
  • Texas Scottish Rite Hospital 2018
  • 5 Mockingbird
  • 4110 Fairmount
  • Visit Taos
  • Allegro Addison
  • Dallas Tastemakers 2018
  • The Village apartments
  • City of Burleson Dallas

    Movie Review

    Downsizing aims for social commentary through high-concept story

    Alex Bentley
    Dec 21, 2017 | 1:27 pm
    Downsizing aims for social commentary through high-concept story
    play icon

    Writer/director Alexander Payne has been known to make small, character-driven films that deal with the intricacies of human relationships. So, when it came out that he was heading up a high-concept film about humans in the near future who decide to shrink themselves, it seemed like an odd choice for him.

    True to form, though, Downsizingis not really about being shrunk, but pointing out that human foibles remain the same no matter what size you are. Matt Damon stars as Paul Safranek, an occupational therapist who’s living an unremarkable life with his wife, Audrey (Kristen Wiig). When a new technology comes along that allows people to safely — but irreversibly — be shrunk down to 5 inches tall, they are intrigued.

    The inventor of the process claims the development will both conserve natural resources and lessen the impact of humans on the environment. For those who choose to be downsized, however, it also has the pleasant effect of making their money suddenly worth a lot more than in the big-person world.

    No matter what the commercials may make you think, Downsizing is far from an adult version of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Once Paul and Audrey decide to undergo the process, there’s a short period of time in which sight gags show how small people have become compared to life-sized things. Payne and longtime co-writer Jim Taylor soon turn their focus to what the changes mean for everybody living in that world.

    Thanks to interactions with a neighbor, Dusan (Christoph Waltz); a Vietnamese refugee, Ngoc Lan (Hong Chau); and others, Paul starts seeing the world in a whole new way. His basic human decency gets put to the test on multiple occasions, especially when he sees that, even in the small world, there is a distinct difference between the haves and have-nots.

    There seem to have been a multitude of different ways the film could have gone, as big-name actors like Neil Patrick Harris, James Van Der Beek, and Margo Martindale all make blink-or-you’ll-miss-them appearances. The way Payne and Taylor go is definitely thought provoking, though it’s unclear if they needed the high concept to get their point across.

    Damon is one of the few actors who can credibly go from being an action star in the Bourne movies to playing a schlub like he does here. The mild-mannered, weak-kneed man is a favorite character type of Payne, and Damon plays it well. It doesn’t make for an overly engrossing experience, but you can’t say he doesn’t pull it off.

    If Downsizing had been a normal studio comedy, it probably would have been better but less interesting. But in trying to make a commentary on the world at large through miniature people, Payne comes up short of his usual excellence.

    Matt Damon and Christoph Waltz in Downsizing.

    Matt Damon and Christoph Waltz in Downsizing
      
    Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
    Matt Damon and Christoph Waltz in Downsizing.
    movies
    news/entertainment

    Smurfs News

    Immersive show starring blue Smurfs makes U.S. debut in Arlington

    Raven Jordan
    Apr 25, 2025 | 4:13 pm
    Blue Smurfs
    SBX
    undefined

    Beloved blue characters The Smurfs are making their way to Arlington with an immersive experience for families: The Smurf Experience, located at Esports Stadium at 1200 Ballpark Way, opens May 7.

    Get ready to shrink down, turn blue, and journey into the land of the Smurfs to help save the world from the evil wizard, Gargamel in a show that started out in Europe and now makes its U.S. debut in DFW for a limited time.

    “The Smurfs may be small, but their journey has been anything but," says SBX Group’s CEO, Danny Fritz in a release. "From their origins in Europe in the 1950’s to their increasing global popularity, we are excited to bring the world of the Smurfs to life for families in DFW! Based on the success of the attraction in Europe, we believe US audiences will thoroughly enjoy the launch of The Smurf Experience."

    This 13,000-square-foot, fully immersive attraction will transport families into the heart of Smurf Village. The 75-minute experience will feature nine mission-based zones filled with interactive scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, virtual reality adventures, meet-and-greets with beloved Smurf characters and more. It’s hands-on, high-energy and full of Smurftastic fun for kids and parents alike.

    The Smurf Experience is not to be missed and is only in Texas until the end of summer.

    Tickets are now available at $30 for regular admission and $40 for VIP, as well as group and birthday packages.

    “When my father first drew these little blue characters decades ago, I don’t think he ever imagined that they’d one day jump off the pages and be able to physically interact with families around the world," says Véronique Culliford, Founder & President of Peyo Company and daughter of Peyo, in a release. "It is wonderful to see The Smurf Experience bring the Smurfs, their story and their values to life in such a meaningful way."

    Timed with the release of Paramount Pictures’ new Smurfs movie, hitting theaters July 2025, this summer-long adventure builds on the excitement of the big screen.

    The film stars Rihanna as both a producer and the voice of Smurfette. She’s also behind the soundtrack’s musical hits. The Smurf Experience lets fans step into the world of the Smurfs ahead of the film’s release—creating unforgettable moments for families to share together.

    The Smurf Experience was designed by Belgium-based agency Cecoforma in collaboration with Smurf parent entity Peyo Company. SBX Group, a leader in entertainment attractions, is working with Cecoforma and Peyo Company to adapt the experience for North American audiences.

    openingsconcerts
    news/entertainment
    Loading...