Fasten your Fascinators

5 top places in DFW to watch the royal wedding if your invitation fell into the pond

Harry and Meghan's royal wedding, the Royal Reception

The royal wedding will begin promptly at 6 am CST.

Photo courtesy of City Centre Houston

Hats on and pinkies up for the wedding of the year — the royal marrying-off of Prince Harry of Wales to American actress Meghan Markle — taking place May 19 on a TV screen near you.

Rather, taking place in Britain and beamed around the globe for all the world to watch. ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, BBC, PBS, E! — they'll all provide hours of coverage of the blessed event, which starts at the blessedly normal hour of noon there, but (bloody!) 6 am locally.

Royal superfans won't mind the gap in time zones, of course. Some may even feel so jolly good, they'll want to celebrate with fellow Anglophiles. In case your invitation fell into the pond on its way over, here are five top places to watch the wedding and toast the bride and groom in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The British Emporium
The British Emporium in Grapevine is the most British spot in Dallas-Fort Worth and, hence, the best place to watch the royal wedding. They'll set up a 10-foot screen in the parking lot for a viewing party that begins at 5 am. And, true to the cause, they'll show the BBC's coverage. English tea and breakfast snacks will be served, as will cupcakes in the official royal wedding cake flavor — lemon-elderflower — prepared by a local baker. Guests are encouraged to bring a chair and dress in British wedding attire — including hats and fascinators — as prizes will be awarded. The store expects about 200 people, so be there by 5:45 am to secure a spot. Afterwards, you can take photos with cardboard cutouts of the royal couple and shop for Harry and Megan souvenirs, including mugs, books, flags, and more. Admission is free.

DFW movie theaters
The big day comes to the big screen with the help of Fathom Events and streaming service BritBox. About 200 theaters around the country will feature a presentation of ITV’s royal wedding coverage in an encore performance several hours after the actual event takes place. "Harry & Meghan: The Royal Wedding" will be shown, uninterrupted and commercial free, at 10 am. Participating theaters around Dallas-Fort Worth include North East Mall 18 in Hurst, NorthPark Center 15 in Dallas, Tinseltown USA in Plano, and more. Tickets are $10.

The Rustic
The Rustic will host a special, mid-morning Jam & Toast Brunch after the nuptials have taken place. The Uptown Dallas eatery invites guests to get into the spirit by wearing a bridesmaid dress. Or, just bring one along to donate for students who can’t afford a prom dress. Everyone who participates in the drive will receive $1 mimosas during brunch. In case you sleep in, the restaurant will replay wedding highlights on several TVs throughout the event. Brunch is $16.95 per person, and festivities will last from 10 am-2 pm.

Hotel St. Germain
Hotel St. Germain in Dallas is going full-out Royal Wedding Week, with events leading up to the big day, and one afterwards. Festivities begin May 17 with a royal cocktail reception that includes pastries, tea, cocktail or champagne from 4-7 pm ($30). May 18 brings a 7 pm "Dinner with the Queen," a six-course Windsor wine dinner — including smoked salmon and beef Wellington — with Bollinger champagne ($150). On wedding day, May 19, if you stay in a suite, you can wake up to a full English breakfast delivered by a butler at 6 am while you watch the royal wedding in your room. And on May 20, the festivities continue with champagne brunch from 11 am-2 pm ($35). For reservations, call 214-871-2516.

The Londoner
The Londoner restaurant in Colleyville will open at the crack of dawn to serve hot tea, scones, clotted cream, and sausage rolls in time to watch the ceremony at 6 am. Bonus that the celebration and watch party will serve as a pre-party for the FA Cup soccer final (to be held later that day) in British fashion.

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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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