Crowning achievement

Where to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's happy and glorious Platinum Jubilee in Dallas-Fort Worth

No one else has done what she's done.

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Hip hip, hooray! After months of breathless anticipation worldwide, it's officially time to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

The Platinum Jubilee marks the Queen's "happy and glorious" 70-year reign — a tenure achieved by no other British monarch. (Her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria "only" made it to a 60-year, Diamond Jubilee, in 1897.)

To commemorate the special anniversary, events are taking place throughout the year in the U.K. and other Commonwealth territories, but they all culminate in a spectacular four-day extravaganza, June 2-5. (Officially "bank holiday" days off for the lucky Brits.) They'll start with the famed "Trooping the Colour" military parade (i.e., "The Queen's Birthday Parade") and will include a big church service, horse derby, celebrity-studded concert, pageant, and international lunch date.

Across the pond in Dallas-Fort Worth, Anglophiles can fete the Queen at several British establishments. Or raise a cuppa and watch the coverage of all the regal events at home.

Jubilee in person

Jubilee Open House at the British Emporium
The U.K. gift and grocery superstore in Grapevine is the epicenter of all things British in Dallas-Fort Worth — and that includes the Jubilee. The store is stocked with official commemorative Jubilee merchandise such as china, tea towels, shopping bags, and books, along with party supplies and goodies for at-home parties. (Note these are available at the Richardson location, too.)

The Jubilee celebrations started here with a parade of corgis and cars on May 15. They continue through Jubilee Weekend with a special two-day open house, from 12-4 pm June 4-5. Guests can purchase raffle tickets to win a limited-edition Barbie Signature Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Doll and other prizes, with proceeds going to Grace nonprofit of Grapevine. (Tickets are one for $5, three for $10, or eight for $20.)

In addition, two local authors who have written books about Britain and the Royal Family will be on hand for book signings, Nancy Churnin (Saturday from 12-2 pm) and Hazel Spire (Sunday from 12-2 pm).

Guests can nosh on favorite British sweets and treats on both afternoons, and each day, a limited number of goody bags will be available for those who make a purchase of $10 or more.

Platinum Jubilee Brunch at The Londoner
Both locations of this British pub — Addison and Colleyville — will celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 70-year reign with a Platinum Jubilee Brunch, being served from 11 am-3 pm June 4 only. Dishes include Platinum Scones and Sweets, a special twist on a Waldorf Chicken Salad, and more. (Regular brunch items will be available, too.)

Raise a glass with a mimosa, Pimm's Cup, or a special cocktail crafted for the day — Queen's Cup (Hendrick's Gin, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, sparkling wine, strawberry, and lemon) or the English Rose (Hendrick's Gin, basil syrup, lemon juice, cucumber, club soda). Call 972-458-2444 (Addison) or 817-684-8810 (Colleyville), or visit the website to reserve, as they expect spots to fill up.

Platinum Jubilee Trifle at Fish & Fizz
The acclaimed British restaurant in Richardson is making a special Platinum Jubilee Trifle, which will be available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, for dine in or takeout. It's $10, and no, that doesn't include their top-secret recipe.

Royal Tea at The French Room
Celebrate the Queen’s birthday and her majesty’s 70th year as the British Monarch at The Adolphus Hotel’s French Room. Partake in her favorite tea sandwiches and treats paired with British bubbles. Tickets are $75 per person ($35 for children 12 and under), plus tax and service charge. Limited reservations are available Wednesday through Friday, June 8-10, from 11 am-3 pm.

God Save the Queens Tea Party at Dude, Sweet Chocolate
This colorful tea party (advertised with an image of a man wearing a tiara) celebrates the intersection of Jubilee Week and Pride Month. "Our tea parties are not your run of the mill high tea experiences. Join us for a unique tea party in a unique location (our chocolate factory) and broaden your cultural and food horizons," reads the event description. It happens 12-2 pm June 4 at Dude, Sweet Chocolate "Mothership," 1340 Inwood Rd., Dallas Tickets are $59 per person. (Note: As of June 1, the event has sold out; call 214-879-1991 to inquire.)

Jubilee on TV

There will be a plethora of TV specials and live coverage of events from the U.K. throughout the weekend. According to Deadline, U.S. viewers will be able to watch most of the official Jubilee events (the ones the Queen and members of the Royal Family are expected to attend) on ABC News (broadcast and streaming) following an agreement struck between the network and BBC Studios.

ABC says in a release, "The Royal Jubilee: 70 Years on the Throne" will include a number of events as part of ABC News' coverage, beginning with the official start of the Jubilee celebration on Thursday, June 2, through Saturday, June 5, including "Platinum Jubilee: Trooping the Colour"; "Platinum Beacons: Lighting up the Jubilee," the traditional lighting of more than 1,500 beacons across the nation and the Commonwealth; "Platinum Jubilee: A Service of Thanksgiving," live from St. Paul's Cathedral in London; "Platinum Party at The Palace," featuring performances from artists around the world; "The Platinum Pageant"; and "Platinum Jubilee: What a Weekend!"

ABC News Digital will have live coverage of the Jubilee celebrations, including a live blog, livestream video of select events, and daily video highlights of the best moments across "GMA" Digital and social, as well as features on all facets of the queen: from the monarch's life and legacy to her fashion and corgis. Schedule highlights are as follows (times are local to DFW):

Thursday, June 2
Trooping the Colour: 4 am, ABC News and BBC One (A special edition of Good Morning America will start at 4 am on WFAA/Channel 8.)
Lighting up the Jubilee: 2 pm, ABC News and BBC One

Friday, June 3
A Service of Thanksgiving: 3:15 am, BBC One

Saturday, June 4
Platinum Party at the Palace: 1:30 pm, ABC News and BBC One (ABC News will air a two-hour primetime special, "Party at the Palace," featuring stars including Elton John, and Diana Ross, from 7-9 pm) on ABC, and available next day on Hulu.

Sunday, June 5
The Platinum Jubilee Pageant: 7 am, BBC One

Special editions of Good Morning America will be broadcast on Saturday and Sunday, ABC says. Additionally:

The other two big network morning shows, NBC's Today, and CBS Mornings, also broadcasting live from London all week.
Fox News will broadcast The Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II from 4-8 am Thursday and Friday.
Her Majesty the Queen: A Gayle King Special will air 9-10 pm Thursday on CBS.
The Queen: Anthology - A Life on Film will air 8-9 pm Friday on PBS.
CNN re-runs two Queen-focused episodes of its series The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty at 10 pm and 11 pm Saturday
Britbox, the streaming platform from BBC and ITV, is a go-to for Royal watchers. Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebration is available now, along with historical documentaries about the Queen; specials on Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding; Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's romance and wedding; and more. It's $6.99/month or $69.99/year after a seven-day free trial.

Planning a party at home? Here is the recipe for the official Platinum Jubilee Pudding — Jemma's Lemon Swiss Roll and Amaretti Trifle — crowned the winner in a nationwide competition in Britain.

No one else has done what she's done.

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No one else has done what she's done.

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Movie Review

Faces of Death returns with modern twist on cult horror film

Photo courtesy of of IFC Films

Dacre Montgomery in Faces of Death.

True horror fans will likely be familiar with the 1978 cult film Faces of Death, which purported to be a documentary showing real-life killings in gory detail. It didn’t, of course, but that didn’t stop rumors from continuing to spread for decades. Now, almost 50 years and multiple sequels later, comes a new version of Faces of Death, an actual movie that pays homage to the original in interesting ways.

Margot (Barbie Ferreira) works at a YouTube-like company called Kino as a content moderator, flagging videos that violate the company’s policies. This means her job often involves seeing some truly despicable things from all manner of depraved people. One day, though, she comes across a video that seems a little too real, and after seeing more similar videos, she starts to believe they’re genuine murders.

Going against her company NDA, she starts to investigate the videos on her own, which puts her on the radar of Arthur (Dacre Montgomery), who is actually kidnapping people and killing them on camera through methods seen in the original Faces of Death film. It’s not long before Arthur tracks her down, with a plan to make her one of his next victims.

Written and directed by Daniel Goldhaber (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) and co-written by Isa Mazzei, the film is not so much scary as it is creepy, with the occasional gross-out sequence. The idea of having someone emulate the killings in the cult film is a good idea, and pairing it with the modern-day attention economy - in which content creators go to increasing lengths for clicks - is a clever twist on a concept that other films have done.

The film as a whole is a commentary on how social media and video sharing sites have often decided to prioritize profits over the well-being of their users. Margot is shown allowing videos involving violence and sexual assault to stay on the site while nixing ones depicting how to use Narcan or demonstrating putting on a condom on a banana. Josh (Jermaine Fowler), Margot’s boss, is even explicit in the company mandate that outrageous videos drive views.

While Arthur has the makings of a good villain, there are few attempts to make him seem truly diabolical. His kidnappings often seem more spur-of-the-moment than calculated, and even though he has a well thought-out dungeon at home, the house’s location in the suburbs seems to make him vulnerable to easy discovery. Goldhaber and Mazzei leave more than a few unanswered questions along the way that take away from the intensity of the story.

Ferreira is yet another actor from Euphoria who’s capitalizing on her exposure from that show. She plays Margot’s increasing anxiety well, and when the action ratchets up in the final act, she meets the moment in a satisfying way. Montgomery returns to the vibe he had while playing the evil Billy on Stranger Things, and even though his character doesn’t fully live up to his potential, Montgomery sells his evil for all it’s worth.

The new Faces of Death may not be what some are expecting given the reputation of the previous films, but it’s a solid horror/thriller that uses the brand as a launching pad into something different. It doesn’t make much of a dent in the scare department, but it does give its violence and gore a degree of relevance in today’s often desensitized world.

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Faces of Death is now playing in theaters.

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