Weekend Event Planner

James Taylor and Chris Tucker top best weekend events in Dallas

As the temperatures heat up, so do the quality and breadth of events in Dallas-Fort Worth. This weekend is absolutely packed with things to do, from big-name stars to music festivals to enjoying the great outdoors.

Below are your 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, June 12

2014 Shakespeare in the Park: Tartuffe
Summer means it's time for another season of Shakespeare in the Park from Shakespeare Dallas. The seasons kicks off with, ironically, a non-Shakespeare play, Moliere's Tartuffe, about a huckster who attempts to trick a wealthy family out of all of its possessions. The production will alternate with Much Ado About Nothing, which starts on June 18, at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through July 19.

Bruce Wood Dance Project presents Touch
It will be an emotional experience when the Bruce Wood Dance Project presents Touch at Dallas City Performance Hall on Thursday and Friday, as the company will be performing publicly for the first time since Wood's sudden death on May 28. In addition to the new piece, "Touch," the performance will feature one of Wood's favorite pieces, "Home."

2014 Elm St. Music & Tattoo Festival
Deep Ellum will celebrate its reputation as the counterculture center of Dallas with the annual Elm St. Music & Tattoo Festival. Bands like The Reverend Horton Heat, Lucero and Slobberbone will be performing Thursday through Sunday at Trees, Club Dada, Three Links and Wit's End, while Oliver Peck, who appeared on the show Ink Master, will demonstrate his tattooing skills at Prophet Bar.

Friday, June 13

FC Dallas 2014 World Cup Kickoff Party
Every four years, American soccer fans come out of the woodwork to show their spirit, and FC Dallas is hosting a series of events for people to share in the World Cup experience. The kickoff party at British Beverage Co. will be followed by watch parties for all three of the United States' group round games against Ghana, Portugal and Germany, all at different locations.

2014 Fair Park Sparks!
As usual, Fair Park will be hosting the annual Fair Park Fourth on the Fourth of July, but this special event will bring a little of that flavor to town a few weeks early. It'll feature millions of sparkling lights, food trucks, kids' activities, music from Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Sugar Ray and others, and, of course, a spectacular fireworks show to end the night.

Saturday, June 14

Volunteer Center of North Texas presents Voly in the Park
Many people would love to volunteer their time to a worthy cause, but don't know exactly how to get started. The Volunteer Center of North Texas is looking to make the process easier with Voly.org, a new website that will help connect volunteers and organizations. This event at Klyde Warren Park will celebrate the launch of the site with food, music and more.

2014 Jack FM Throwback Festival
Sometimes you just want to hear your favorite band's music, but they either never come to town anymore or they're way too expensive when they do. Jack FM has the solution with the annual Throwback Festival at Gexa Energy Pavilion, which is populated entirely by tribute bands, from Back in Black (AC/DC) to Rumours (Fleetwood Mac) to True-2-Crue (Motley Crue). With 15 different tribute bands performing, chances are you'll find at least one that approximates the real thing.

Chris Tucker in concert
Once upon a time, Chris Tucker was one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, parlaying scene-stealing appearances in The Fifth Element and Jackie Brown into a starring role alongside Jackie Chan in the Rush Hour trilogy. Whether by choice or not, he hasn't done much since, but he's still one of the funniest stand-up comedians out there, which he'll show in this appearance at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Sunday, June 15

2014 Trinity River Revel
Four new Trinity River attractions — the Continental Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, Trinity Skyline Trail, West Dallas Gateway Plaza and Sylvan Avenue Bridge — will have their grand opening on Father's Day with this event. It'll feature a variety of activities, including music, exercise, a vintage car show, farmers market and more.

2014 Vans Warped Tour
One day after being overrun by tribute bands, Gexa Energy Pavilion will reload with a festival featuring a slew of rock, metal, pop, punk and electronic bands. The lineup of 60 bands on multiple stages includes Volumes, Beartooth, Crown the Empire, For Today, Issues, Plague Vendor, Tear Out the Heart, The Maine and more.

James Taylor and His All-Star Band in concert
Appropriately, Father's Day will come to end with a concert by James Taylor, a singer pretty much all dads of a certain generation are guaranteed to like. Songs like "Fire and Rain," "Something in The Way She Moves," "Shower The People," "Carolina In My Mind" and "Sweet Baby James" make him one of the most iconic musicians of all time, and this concert at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie should be one to remember.

James Taylor and His All-Star Band will play at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on Father's Day, June 15.

Photo by Timothy White

James Taylor and His All-Star Band will play at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on Father's Day, June 15.

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Movie Review

Dark comedy Friendship covers male bonding with copious cringing

Photo courtesy of A24

Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship.

Comedian Tim Robinson has gained a cult following thanks to series like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave, in which his brand of cringe comedy is on full display. The former Saturday Night Live writer/performer has had a few small movie roles over the years, but he’s now getting his first starring role in the off-kilter Friendship.

Robinson plays Craig, a mild-mannered suburbanite with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara) and son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). Craig has a boring life that involves little more than going to his middle manager job while wearing the same clothes day after day, anticipating the next Marvel movie, and helping Tami out with her at-home floral business.

He gets a jolt of energy when Austin (Paul Rudd) moves into the neighborhood. The two men seem to hit it off, with Austin - a weatherman at a local TV channel - even taking Craig on a couple of impromptu adventures. But when Craig commits a couple of faux pas at a group gathering at Austin’s house, their bond starts to fracture.

Even though the film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, it’s clear that Robinson had a big influence on the style of comedy it features. There are no big set pieces with a slew of jokes coming one after another. Instead, the film forces the audience to try to vibe with the very particular type of wavelength it’s giving off, one that could almost be called anti-comedy for the way the laughs come out of left field.

The 100-minute film is full of random comedic moments, like Steven kissing Tami on the lips, Craig being obsessed with his plain brown clothes, a group sing-along, and more. More often than not, it’s the way Craig reacts to both normal and abnormal situations that gets the laughs. The character is needy and oblivious, two traits that combine to make many of his actions cringeworthy.

Perhaps most importantly for this type of movie, there are many things in the story that go unexplained or don’t make sense. Seemingly crucial elements are brought up only to fade away just as quickly, while other parts that appeared to be throwaway sections get callbacks later in the film. DeYoung and Robinson are determined to keep the audience on their toes the entire time, never knowing what to expect next.

Robinson has the perfect face for a story like this, one that’s bland enough to blend into the background but memorable enough to sell the jokes. His demeanor is also excellent, never becoming too expressive, even when he gets angry. With long hair, a mustache, and a certain swagger, Rudd is a great complement to Robinson. Only in a film like this would an everyman like Rudd be considered the suave and cool one.

There will be some that will see Friendship and come away wondering what the hell they just watched. But anyone who goes in knowing that they’re about to witness a comedy that challenges their sensibilities will likely have a great time.

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Friendship is now playing in select theaters.

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