Coronavirus Comeback

Six Flags whirls into newest list of Dallas-area attractions reopening

Everybody scream!

The summer heat has arrived, and so has the hankering to get out and have some fun. As restrictions on businesses have loosened per Gov. Greg Abbott's plan to reopen Texas after COVID-19 shutdowns, more venues around Dallas-Fort Worth are reopening their doors.

In these first days of June, more waterparks, movie theaters, and amusement parks — welcome back, Six Flags! — have announced their opening dates. In almost all cases, guests should reserve tickets online, plan to wear masks, and be patient with new rules about temperature-taking, capacity limits, social distancing, and sanitizing.

Here are the latest Dallas-area amusements and attractions to welcome back visitors. The list will be updated as more places reveal their plans.

Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington will reopen to the public June 22. Season pass-holders and members get to come back early, June 19-21. The park has implemented new safety measures and hygiene protocols, which are explained here. Guests should wear masks and prepare to their have temperature checked. Reservations are required to stagger arrival times for social distancing and crowd control. Parking reservations are encouraged, too. For more information, reservations, and parking, visit the website.

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in Arlington reopens June 18-21 for members and season pass-holders, and June 22 for the general public. The waterpark has implemented new safety measures and hygiene protocols, which are explained here. Guests will have their temperature taken, but masks are not required. Reservations are required to stagger arrival times for social distancing and crowd control. Parking reservations are encouraged, too. For more information, reservations, and parking, visit the website.

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden set an opening date of June 1, then chose to close at 3 pm that day out of an abundance of caution due to a scheduled protest in the area.. It now has reopened with limited capacity and new safety protocols. Reservations must be made online, and tickets are timed. More information in this story.

Reunion Tower has reopened for amazing city views, but sadly, no dinner at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. Face coverings are encouraged, and guests should expect limited occupancy, including in the elevators. Find information about limited hours, special packages, and ticket sales online.

Cinemark Theaters are reopening in a four-phase plan that will begin on June 19. The first phase will be a test run, with five movie theaters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area opening first. The Plano-based chain's remaining theaters will reopen in phases, concluding on July 10. More information in this story.

Ipic upscale movie theater chain has begun a phased-in reopening, including its Fairview location, which opened June 4.

Medieval Times has reopened for dinner and a jousting show. "Guests must wear a mask to enter Her Majesty's castle ... and (we) ask that you please stay at a sword's length from your fellow Royals," they say. More information and ticket sales on their website.

NRH20 Family Waterpark in North Richland Hills reopens for its 25th anniversary season June 15. Guests can expect updated safety and cleaning protocols, as well as new procedures designed to allow for social distancing. Tickets and season passes can be purchased online.

Great Wolf Lodge resort and waterpark in Grapevine will reopen June 16, providing a convenient staycation location for families. Their new "Paw Pledge" program focuses on keeping families healthy and safe through sanitization, physical distancing, personal protection, and minimizing surface interactions. Guests may pick up complimentary masks at the front desk. For reservations and discounts, visit their website.

Sweet Tooth Hotel will reopen June 6, with their new exhibit, Intangible — A Fiber Fairytale. The Instagrammy attraction will allow just 10 guests at a time, masks are required, and temperatures will be taken. More information and tickets on the website.

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Movie Review

Korean film No Other Choice uses dark comedy to tell deeper story

Photo courtesy of Neon

Lee Byung-hun in No Other Choice.

When Parasite won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2020, it signaled a shift in how international feature films were viewed not only by Academy voters, but also American filmgoers, who made it the fifth-highest grossing non-English language film of all time. Extra attention has been paid to other international films in the intervening years, including the new South Korean film, No Other Choice.

Starring Lee Byung-hun of Squid Game fame, the dark comedy chronicles the increasingly desperate actions of Man-su, a middle manager at a paper factory who is laid off due to automation. After months of trying to find a job at another paper company, he finally finds a good prospect only to learn that several other men may be better candidates. Man-su decides that the only solution is to eliminate the competition.

The only problem is Man-su is a bit of a coward; an early plan at standing up to his company in the face of the lay-offs meets an anticlimactic end. His wishy-washy ways seem to permeate his life, from putting off treatment on a painful tooth to not communicating with his more willful wife to actually going through with his vengeful ideas. He bumbles his way through every aspect of his life, virtually daring anyone to call him out on his poor decision-making.

Written and directed by Park Chan-wook, and co-written by Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, and Jahye Lee, the film initially seems to be another approach toward telling the class division story that’s at the center of Parasite and Squid Game. And it is that to a degree, as those in charge of the paper companies and the hiring committees are either indifferent or unsympathetic to the plight of those who have been forced out of work.

But the more we see of Man-su, the more it becomes clear that his is a story all its own, one where a man claims there is “no other choice” when in fact there are plenty of other options. The men in the film in general don’t come across well, with many of them reacting to stress by turning into whiners who believe the world is out to get them. Some situations turn violent as the film goes along, events that most of the time could have been avoided if the people involved actually took the time to think things through.

The film features a somewhat confusing story made even more puzzling if you don’t speak Korean. On first viewing, it’s initially unclear why Man-su is doing what he’s doing, or why he’s going after certain people in particular. The plot becomes more understandable as the film progresses, but Chan-wook includes several side plots that muddle things further even as they broaden certain characters. There are also a couple of visual text jokes that can easily be missed if you don’t know where to look.

Byung-hun is great as a man who can’t seem to get out of his own way. The role is almost in direct contrast to the one he played on Squid Game, making it easy to see how well he can adapt to different stories. Son Ye-jin as Man-su’s wife Miri and Lee Sung-min as Bummo, one of Man-su’s intended victims, are also highly engaging.

Like any film not in English, No Other Choice requires viewers to pay strict attention to the screen to get full enjoyment of the actors and their dialogue. While it doesn’t hit as hard as a comedy because of this factor, it’s still a greatly entertaining film whose underlying message makes it become a little deeper.

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No Other Choice is now playing in theaters.

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