• 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

    The magic in The Secrets of Dumbledore fails to conjure anything fantastic

    Alex Bentley
    Apr 13, 2022 | 1:16 pm
    The magic in The Secrets of Dumbledore fails to conjure anything fantastic
    play icon

    It has been a bumpy start for the Fantastic Beasts series, a Harry Potter spinoff that centers on Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), who has an affinity for all sorts of creatures with strange abilities. Neither of the first two films managed to capture the allure that the eight Potter films did, with a focus on complex storytelling instead of the basics that made the original series so appealing.

    I’m sad to report that the third film, The Secrets of Dumbledore, continues that unfortunate trend, even with Steve Kloves — who wrote all but one of the Harry Potter movies — taking over for J.K. Rowling as screenwriter. The film starts off promising enough, with an intriguing and unusually direct conversation between Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and series villain Gellert Grindlewald (Mads Mikkelsen, taking over for the disgraced Johnny Depp). That’s followed by an exciting scene in which Newt tries to rescue a newborn Qilin, a deer-like creature whose powers are sought by the power hungry.

    From there, however, the film devolves into the series’ usual convoluted storytelling. Newt’s romantic interest, Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), is all-but-missing from the film, but he’s joined by an odd group that includes his friend Jacob (Dan Fogler), brother Theseus (Callum Turner), and a newcomer, American auror Eulalie Hicks (Jessica Williams). They, along with Dumbledore, are enlisted to … well, it’s never quite clear, but it has something to do with keeping Grindlewald away from power. The series’ big bad villain has apparently given up on truly evil deeds and resorted to … (checks notes) … election fraud?

    That’s just one of many things that Kloves (who based his screenplay upon an earlier version from Rowling) and director David Yates can never adequately explain. Even worse is that, for a movie called The Secrets of Dumbledore, those secrets aren’t given nearly the import you’d expect. Aside from an enchanted vial that connects Dumbledore with Grindlewald and the fact that he’s gay, neither of which he bothers hiding from other characters, it’s difficult to say what “secrets” the film is supposed to be about.

    The filmmakers take the plot down seemingly random detours that don’t always pay off. Characters intersect or reconnect at odd junctures, and subplots have a strange way of stopping and starting in ways that make no sense for the film as a whole. The thinking seems to be that more information is better, but they obviously don’t have the ability to organize everything in a coherent manner.

    Since the film isn’t based on any previously published story, they could literally do anything to entertain fans. While there are some fun moments, like a scene where Newt must imitate crabs in order to facilitate an escape, they are few and far between. The film continues the series’ overall dark tone, and even though there is plenty of magic to be found, it never feels magical.

    Redmayne, though technically still the lead of the series, takes somewhat of a backseat this time around, which keeps his quirky style of acting from being too annoying. Law is as charismatic as ever, even if his story arc is confusing. Mikkelsen makes for a great replacement of Depp, although the evilness of his character never quite connects. And Williams affects a haughty accent that almost equals Redmayne’s irritating nature.

    At this point in the Fantastic Beasts series, you either love or hate the direction the filmmakers have taken the story. As much as I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, I am continuously confounded by their inability to make even a halfway entertaining film.

    ---

    Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore opens in theaters on April 15.

    Mads Mikkelsen in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

    Mads Mikkelsen in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
      
    Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
    Mads Mikkelsen in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
    movies
    news/entertainment
    CULTUREMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
    Get Dallas intel delivered daily.

    BBQ News

    Tom Cruise fulfills vow to eat BBQ in Dallas on Mission Impossible tour

    Raven Jordan
    May 23, 2025 | 11:14 am
    Tom Cruise
    Tribal Cafe
    Tom Cruise in Dallas

    Movie star Tom Cruise promised he was going to eat BBQ in Dallas and he stood by that vow: While on a tour through Texas to promote his new filmMission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, Cruise hit Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum on May 22, where he was treated to a spread that included a specially-made sausage.

    Pecan Lodge is the perennial Dallas BBQ favorite that opened in Deep Ellum in 2014, known for its smoked brisket and "Hot Mess" loaded baked sweet potato. The restaurant's nods include being featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

    The visit was no surprise to Pecan Lodge owner Justin Fourton, who shared in an interview that it had been discussed over a week beforehand.

    "You don't believe it at first, and up until today there was a part of me that was like "I don't know if this is gonna happen or not,'" Fourton said in an interview with WFAA. "They had a list of several places they were considering and he had got a couple of personal recommendations and finally made the choice to come to Pecan Lodge."

    Cruise's dining companions at the BBQ spot included the founders of Tribal All Day, the juice bar and cafe in Oak Cliff, who shared an Instagram post of a group posing with the actor inside Pecan Lodge.

    Cruise was spotted greeting fans as he left the restaurant in a video posted online.

    During his time in Dallas for Mission: Impossible, Cruise visited Dallas movie theaters including the IMAX at AMC NorthPark and the Cinemark on Webb Chapel Road. The official premiere for the film is May 23.

    San Antonio was the first stop on the actor's tour. He visited Military City on May 22, signing autographs at Joint Base San Antonio before heading to a packed 2 pm screening of Mission Impossible — The Final Reckoning at AMC Rivercenter.

    moviesdeep ellumbarbecuecelebrities
    news/entertainment

    most read posts

    Dallas farm-to-table champion Profound Farms closes produce operation

    Greyhound bus finds new location to replace downtown Dallas terminal

    Dallas approves $14.5 million for Buckner DART station project

    Loading...