Event planner

Alicia Keys and St. Patrick's Parade top the best events in Dallas this weekend

This is an absolutely huge week in Dallas events. It includes not one but two music festivals, an appearance by one of history's most important figures, a concert by a music superstar, and two of the most anticipated annual events in Dallas. It may be spring break for many students, but with so many great events to choose from, this weekend feels like a vacation for everybody.

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, March 14

2013 Savor Dallas
The ninth annual food and wine festival kicks off Thursday night with a look at new and upcoming restaurants in Trinity Groves. It continues all weekend with various events at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Landmark Restaurant at Warwick Melrose Hotel, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas Arboretum and Irving Convention Center. The ICC hosts the signature International Grand Tasting on Saturday night.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in concert
It's hardly hyperbole to say that there would be no such genre as alternative rock were it not for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Over the course of 30 years and 15 albums, Cave and his band have set the bar for similar acts with their acclaimed music and sold-out tours. The band is back to accomplishing both yet again, as it stops by McFarlin Auditorium on the SMU campus in support of its latest album, Push the Sky Away.

Friday, March 15

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth presents Henry Kissinger
It's not often that non-entertainment events make an appearance on this list, but it's easy to make an exception for someone like Henry Kissinger. It's been 36 years since Kissinger, who will turn 90 in May, left the national politics stage after serving as Secretary of State for both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, but his influence on foreign policy and other issues remains strong. In this event at the Hilton Anatole, Kissinger speaks about both his current and former roles.

Dallas Theater Center presents The Odd Couple
Dallas Theater Center rarely has overlaps in its programming, but it happens this week as Red, which is playing on the ninth floor of the Wyly Theatre, wraps up its run just as The Odd Couple gets started in the main performance hall. Neil Simon's play has become an iconic touchstone since its debut in 1965, wringing comedy out of mismatched roommates Felix and Oscar. The Odd Couple runs through April 14.

Saturday, March 16

2013 Dallas St. Patrick's Parade and Festival
St. Patrick's Day is officially March 17, but who wants to wait to party on a Sunday? This parade, even under a new name, is one of the best annual events in Dallas, charting a roughly two-mile course down Greenville Avenue. The event has been criticized in the past for its debauchery, but organizers promise this year will be more family-friendly. Speaking of family-friendly, Snoop Dogg puts on a concert at the end of the parade.

2013 South by So What?! Music Festival
As you could surmise, the organizers of this festival aren't exactly fond of that other festival taking place around 200 miles to the south. Going on all day at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie, the festival features more than 80 rock and metal bands, including All That Remains, The Ready Set, Attack Attack!, Woe, is Me and Chunk! No Captain Chunk!

Sunday, March 17

2013 Spillover
South by So What?! isn't the only alternative to making the trek down to Austin. Spillover has so many band it spills over into two different venues, Sandbar Cantina and DoubleWide, that sit on the outskirts of Deep Ellum. Sandbar has two different stages, with music starting at 1 pm. DoubleWide's stage starts rockin' at 3:30 pm. But feel free to sample both, as your ticket allows you access to both places.

Alicia Keys in concert with Miguel
This is one of the rare cases where you have to wait until the end of the weekend to attend the best event. Alicia Keys has been a huge star since her debut more than a decade ago, and she only continues to get bigger. Miguel had a breakout performance at this year's Grammy Awards. Don't miss the opportunity to see the stars at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, one of the best and most intimate (for its size) venues in the area.

Alicia Keys performs with Miguel at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on March 17.

CaleGrantonMusic.com

Alicia Keys performs with Miguel at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on March 17.

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Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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