This Year's Hot Headlines

State Fair steals and restaurant controversies top 10 most popular stories of 2014

Editor’s note: Another year has come and gone, so we are looking back on the most-read CultureMap stories of 2014 — from the State Fair to a supermoon sighting, among many other memorable — if not entirely pleasant — moments.

1. How to get every discount imaginable for State Fair of Texas 2014. The State Fair of Texas started its 24-day run at Fair Park on September 26. Smart fairgoers hunted down any and all discounts to save a little cash — and there was no shortage of bargains.

2. The 10 best new patios in Dallas to drink and dine outdoors. Smart restaurateurs incorporate a patio into their floor plans whenever possible, because Dallas has the weather to enjoy it throughout most of the year. Back in March, taking into consideration the new places that had sprouted up around town, we came up with a list of the best new patios. RIP, Belly & Trumpet.

3. Logo for Yum! Brands banh mi restaurant angers Vietnamese community. On September 12, Yum! Brands opened its new Banh Shop with a logo that featured the name of the restaurant set against a five-pointed red star — the symbol for communism — which stirred unfortunate memories from those of Vietnamese descent. Yum! responded to the controversy swiftly and introduced a new star-less logo by the end of the month.

4. Beaten by White Rock's entitled parents, Cane Rosso fills in patio fountain. After more than a year of struggle, Cane Rosso White Rock filled in the copper-lined fountain on its patio this past August. The fire-and-water feature was the centerpiece of the patio, but it quickly became a health hazard as unsupervised children threw in rocks and dirt, or else climbed into the water, some wearing diapers.

5. Deep Ellum rocked by trio of sad deaths. Back in June, an unfortunate trilogy of deaths hit Deep Ellum when three well-known regulars died within the same week, including punk-rock musician and music lover Brian Alguire, easily identified by his trademark mohawk; Scott Lastowski, a 39-year-old veteran bartender; and his friend David Rell, 51, a longtime music fan who worked at Blockbuster Distribution.

6. Edgefest 2014 lineup goes gently with Beck and Avett Brothers. In February, 102.1 KDGE-FM announced the lineup for its 24th annual music fest, which was held April 26 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco. The full list included 14 bands, and the overall vibe seemed consistently gentle — from the Avett Brothers' roots rock to the electropop of Smallpools. It was definitely more mellow compared to prior lineups.

7. Five best Dallas neighborhoods to buy a house right now. Some areas, like the Park Cities and Lakewood, will never cool down. But we were curious about the next hot neighborhoods — where the home prices are still affordable, the amenities are plentiful and the values are bound to go up. To find out, we asked local real estate experts where homebuyers should invest their hard-earned money.

8. The go-to list of every hot Dallas restaurant opening for fall 2014 and beyond. To satisfy Dallas foodies who like to stay on top of all the restaurant openings, we devised this list back in October. It began with restaurants that were either newly opened or are opening soon, and it ended with those coming in 2015.

9. Kung Fu Saloon once again slammed by allegations of racist policies. In May, DeAndre Upshaw, who is black, was denied entry to Kung Fu Saloon in Uptown Dallas because he was told his high-top Converse sneakers were "against the dress code." The bouncer's statement was puzzling, because several members of Upshaw's party were wearing similar shoes. The only difference? They were white. This was not the first time Kung Fu Saloon was accused of selective dress code enforcement, and the incident prompted a peaceful protest, the revealing of Kung Fu's "secret" dress code and an investigation by the City of Dallas.

10. Meteor splits in two over moonstruck Dallas sky. A meteor crossed the sky over North Texas on July 12 at 9 pm, enthralling many around Dallas who watched as it split into two before its inevitable fade. Many were already watching the sky to catch what was the first perigee moon, aka Supermoon, of 2014.

Brian Alguire died in June.

Courtesy of Charlie Nolen

Brian Alguire died in June.

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Movie Review

Korean film No Other Choice uses dark comedy to tell deeper story

Photo courtesy of Neon

Lee Byung-hun in No Other Choice.

When Parasite won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2020, it signaled a shift in how international feature films were viewed not only by Academy voters, but also American filmgoers, who made it the fifth-highest grossing non-English language film of all time. Extra attention has been paid to other international films in the intervening years, including the new South Korean film, No Other Choice.

Starring Lee Byung-hun of Squid Game fame, the dark comedy chronicles the increasingly desperate actions of Man-su, a middle manager at a paper factory who is laid off due to automation. After months of trying to find a job at another paper company, he finally finds a good prospect only to learn that several other men may be better candidates. Man-su decides that the only solution is to eliminate the competition.

The only problem is Man-su is a bit of a coward; an early plan at standing up to his company in the face of the lay-offs meets an anticlimactic end. His wishy-washy ways seem to permeate his life, from putting off treatment on a painful tooth to not communicating with his more willful wife to actually going through with his vengeful ideas. He bumbles his way through every aspect of his life, virtually daring anyone to call him out on his poor decision-making.

Written and directed by Park Chan-wook, and co-written by Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, and Jahye Lee, the film initially seems to be another approach toward telling the class division story that’s at the center of Parasite and Squid Game. And it is that to a degree, as those in charge of the paper companies and the hiring committees are either indifferent or unsympathetic to the plight of those who have been forced out of work.

But the more we see of Man-su, the more it becomes clear that his is a story all its own, one where a man claims there is “no other choice” when in fact there are plenty of other options. The men in the film in general don’t come across well, with many of them reacting to stress by turning into whiners who believe the world is out to get them. Some situations turn violent as the film goes along, events that most of the time could have been avoided if the people involved actually took the time to think things through.

The film features a somewhat confusing story made even more puzzling if you don’t speak Korean. On first viewing, it’s initially unclear why Man-su is doing what he’s doing, or why he’s going after certain people in particular. The plot becomes more understandable as the film progresses, but Chan-wook includes several side plots that muddle things further even as they broaden certain characters. There are also a couple of visual text jokes that can easily be missed if you don’t know where to look.

Byung-hun is great as a man who can’t seem to get out of his own way. The role is almost in direct contrast to the one he played on Squid Game, making it easy to see how well he can adapt to different stories. Son Ye-jin as Man-su’s wife Miri and Lee Sung-min as Bummo, one of Man-su’s intended victims, are also highly engaging.

Like any film not in English, No Other Choice requires viewers to pay strict attention to the screen to get full enjoyment of the actors and their dialogue. While it doesn’t hit as hard as a comedy because of this factor, it’s still a greatly entertaining film whose underlying message makes it become a little deeper.

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No Other Choice is now playing in theaters.

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