Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Gunther Forg: "A Fragile Beauty" will close at the Dallas Museum of Art on January 27.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art

Downtown Dallas won't be a bad place to set up shop this weekend, as it will play host to a number of big events. They include a music superstar, a rocker-turned-country act, two big-time comedians, pop music from an orchestra, and the closing of a major art exhibit. Elsewhere, you can take in a Cirque du Soleil show, revel in a ton of LEGOs, see a musical about Buddy Holly, or get excited about the upcoming baseball season.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, January 24

Justin Timberlake in concert
Prior to his two concerts at American Airlines Center last May, it had been three-and-a-half years since pop superstar Justin Timberlake had graced the Dallas-Fort Worth area with his presence. Now, he's given us three concerts in just eight months, an abundance of wealth that should tide us over until his next world tour, whenever that will be. He'll play at American Airlines Center once again.

Aaron Lewis in concert
It's been quite the career transition for Aaron Lewis. Formerly the lead singer of the rock band Staind, Lewis moved into country music in 2012 and has stayed there throughout the band's extended hiatus. Lewis will kick off his 2019 tour with this date at Majestic Theatre in support of his new album, The State I'm In. The tour will feature acoustic songs and stories from Lewis as he shares personal tales from the stage.

Friday, January 25

Cirque du Soleil: Amaluna
This Cirque du Soleil show, running at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie through February 17, centers around the mythical Queen Prospera. After directing her daughter's coming of age ceremony, honoring femininity, renewal, rebirth and balance, she causes a storm. A group of young men wash up on the isle, triggering an epic love story between Prospera’s daughter and a brave young suitor. The show features aerial straps, teeterboard, uneven bars, and Cerceau & Waterbowl.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents The Music of ABBA
1981 was the last time Swedish pop group ABBA released new music, but they're as popular as ever in the 21st century thanks to the continuing success of the Mamma Mia musical, which turns 20 this year, and the two movies based on that musical. This concert by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will feature Finnish a cappella group Rajaton performing ABBA's greatest hits, including "Mamma Mia," "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!," "Waterloo," and "Dancing Queen." There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Iliza Shlesinger: Elder Millennial Tour
Dallas native Iliza Shlesinger is the only female and the youngest comedian to hold the title of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. In addition to her stand-up work, she has hosted the syndicated dating show Excused, the TBS comedy/game show Separation Anxiety, and a late-night talk show, Truth & Iliza, on Freeform. She'll perform two separate sets at Majestic Theatre.

Garland Civic Theatre presents The Buddy Holly Story
The Buddy Holly Story tells the true story of the famed rocker’s explosive rise to fame, from the moment his hit song “That’ll be the Day” hit the radio waves until his untimely death just two years later. The show features over 20 Buddy Holly hits, and Garland Civic Theatre's production coincides with the 60th anniversary of Holly’s death on February 3, 1959. It will play at Granville Arts Center through February 10.

Saturday, January 26

Texas Rangers Fan Fest
Baseball season is still two months away, but you can get excited early at the annual Texas Rangers Fan Fest at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The event will feature autograph sessions with current Texas Rangers players, interactive Q&A sessions with Rangers executives, players and announcers, a behind-the-scenes look at the construction at Globe Life Field, tours of the Rangers clubhouse and dugout, and more.

BrickLive
BrickLive will present its first-ever event in the United States. The international LEGO brick event will feature interactive exhibits, hands-on building activities, live performances, and demonstrations for builders of all ages. Visitors will have access to more than 10 million bricks as well as exclusive digital content, professional LEGO-built statues, and unique experiences. Taking place at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, there will be two separate sessions on each day of the event.

Tom Segura: Take It Down
Comedian, actor, and writer Tom Segura is best known for his three Netflix specials: Disgraceful (2018), Mostly Stories (2016), and Completely Normal (2014). He also co-hosts the podcast, Your Mom’s House, with his wife, comedian Christina Pazsitzky, and co-starred in the 2018 comedy Instant Family with Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne. He'll perform twice on Saturday and once on Sunday at Majestic Theatre.

Sunday, January 27

Dallas Museum of Art presents Gunther Forg: "A Fragile Beauty" closing day
Sunday is the final day to take in Gunther Forg: "A Fragile Beauty" at the Dallas Museum of Art. The exhibit, the first major museum presentation of his work in the United States since 1989, surveys the prolific and provocative career of the late German artist, who was was closely associated with the Cologne scene of the 1980s, a group of irreverent artists who challenged the traditions of painting.

Justin Timberlake will play at American Airlines Center on January 24.

Photo by Daniel Cavazos

Justin Timberlake will play at American Airlines Center on January 24.

event-planner

Movie Review

Andrew Garfield leads peasant rebellion in medieval film The Uprising

Photo by Betina La Plante/Focus Features

Andrew Garfield in The Uprising.

Writer/director Paul Greengrass made his name with a cinéma vérité style of filmmaking that brought immediacy and depth to three Jason Bourne films, United 93, Captain Phillips, and more. In The Uprising, he uses those skills to tell the story of the so-called Peasants’ Revolt in 14th century England.

Greengrass wastes no time starting the main plot as Ploughman (Andrew Garfield) and his fellow villagers object to onerous taxes put on them by the country’s nobility, led by the young King Richard II (Woody Norman), to fund an ongoing war. Ploughman initiates a violent response over the tone-deaf — and unseemly — way the king’s guard go about their business, and the rebellion soon starts to spread across the countryside, with the citizens looking for a degree of autonomy.

The ever-expanding group makes their way toward London to try to make their case to the king himself. Meanwhile, the king’s top advisors, including Archbishop Sudbury (Stephen Dillane) and Treasurer Hales (Tom Hollander), try to usurp power from the inexperienced monarch even as the king’s mother (Katherine Waterston) tries to get him to be more assertive.

The history of the English monarchy is long and lurid, as Shakespeare detailed in multiple plays, including Richard II. Though the events in the film took place almost 650 years ago, it’s easy to see parallels between what the peasants were fighting for and modern-day politics. Greengrass’ storytelling intent is solid, and the righteous anger the citizens feel is initially relatable and palpable.

But the populism theme of the story soon gets bogged down in drudgery and minutiae that is difficult to understand, especially when the details are lost in the thick regional English accents. The leaders of the rebels — including John Ball (Jamie Bell), Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), and Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie) — are shown doing a lot of planning, but the strong feelings they have about their quest don’t come across well, leaving the audience as passive observers.

When there is action, Greengrass and his team employ a frenetic style that is not great for comprehension. While the gist of what is happening and what side is winning is legible, individual moments go by so quickly so as to be nearly meaningless. Save for Ploughman, any connection that has been made with various characters proves futile, as Greengrass doesn’t seem to have any time for emotion. Scenes that should feel thrilling or heartbreaking instead come off as empty.

Garfield is a two-time Oscar nominee who has done great work across multiple genres. He’s fine in this role, but whether it’s the story, the filmmaking, or something else, he’s not as captivating as usual. The same goes for other strong actors like Bell, McKenzie, Dillane, Hollander, and Waterston, who each seem to be giving their all to their performances but are somehow muted in the process.

Done right, The Uprising could have been a rip-roaring account of people standing up against their oppressors. What Greengrass has made, though, is a film that can’t translate its medieval story for a modern audience and concentrates too much on unexciting elements and too little on thrilling ones.

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The Uprising is now playing in theaters.

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