Weekend Event Planner

Les Miserables and Asleep at the Wheel headline best weekend events in Dallas

Even though we've officially started summer, temperatures remain relatively bearable in Dallas-Fort Worth. By chance, many of the best events this weekend take place outside, although the inside options definitely take the cake.

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 26

FC Dallas 2014 World Cup Tour: USA vs. Germany
Soccer fans and bandwagon jumpers, this is the big one. If the U.S. manages to beat or even tie Germany, they'll be moving on to the knockout round of the World Cup. There's still a chance of proceeding even if they lose, but let's not take chances, okay? FC Dallas will once again host a watch party, this time outside of American Airlines Center in AT&T Plaza.

Eddie Izzard: Force Majeure
British comedian Eddie Izzard has a long comic and acting resumé, but he's still way more popular in his native land than he is on this side of the pond. He's on tour in support of his 2013 comedy album, Force Majeure, a tour that will hit some 25 countries by its end. Izzard has actually taken over the Majestic Theatre this week, as this performance is the last of a three-day stint.

Friday, June 27

Dallas Theater Center presents Les Miserables
Dallas Theater Center closes out its 2013-2014 season with one of the classics of musical theater, Les Miserables. But even those who have seen multiple different productions of Les Mis may be surprised by what DTC has done, with a unique stage arrangement that promises to put the audience in the middle of the action. The musical will play at Wyly Theatre through August 17.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Music of the Rolling Stones
Classical and rock music have a lot more in common than you might think, which is why this pairing of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and singer Brody Dolyniuk is being brought back for the second year in a row. Taking place outside at Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the concert will feature all of the Stones' hits like "Paint It Black," "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Satisfaction."

Saturday, June 28

2014 Celebrate Freedom Festival
While the title of this festival, coming just days before the Fourth of July, is patriotic, the theme is heavily bent toward Christian music. The all-day festival, taking place at Southfork Ranch and presented by 94.9 KLTY, features an all-Christian music lineup, including Michael W. Smith, Crowder, Britt Nicole, Jamie Grace and Group 1 Crew. The day will be finished off with fireworks.

Allen USA Celebration 2014
Most cities wait until the actual Fourth of July to put on their Independence Day celebrations, but Allen would rather have the day to themselves. This free event at Celebration Park includes a variety of musical acts, including headliners Pentatonix, family activities and, of course, fireworks to end the night.

The Fray in concert with Barcelona and Oh Honey
The popularity of The Fray stems largely from their hugely popular 2005 debut album, How to Save a Life, which featured massive hits like the titular song and "Over My Head (Cable Car)." They haven't hit those heights since then, but they're far from unpopular, as their 2014 album Helios still hit the top 10. They'll play at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie with Barcelona and Oh Honey.

Sunday, June 29

Resounding Harmony presents Heartfelt Paws, Tails of Love
Classical music aficionados and animal lovers will have a common cause on Sunday when Resounding Harmony presents the special concert, Heartfelt Paws, Tails of Love. Proceeds from the concert, taking place at Dallas City Performance Hall and narrated by former NBC5 anchor Scott Murray, will benefit Paws in the City, a charity that works to find homes for adoptable dogs and cats.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Asleep at the Wheel
While the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will be collaborators for the Rolling Stones concert on Friday, they'll be relegated to backup band on Sunday when country legends Asleep at the Wheel takes the stage. The group, last seen as one of many paying tribute to George Strait during his final tour stop at AT&T Stadium, will honor Bob Wills and the Western Swing genre with this concert at Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

Dallas Theater Center will present Les Miserables, featuring one of the biggest casts of the season, at Wyly Theatre through August 17.

Dallas Theater Center presents Les Miserables

Photo by Karen Almond

Dallas Theater Center will present Les Miserables, featuring one of the biggest casts of the season, at Wyly Theatre through August 17.

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Movie Review

Horror comedy film Y2K goes for nostalgia but maybe too soon

Photo courtesy of A24

Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, and Julian Dennison in Y2K.

Movies that rely on nostalgia can be successful if they’re timed right. Generally, 25-30 years seems about the right amount of time to try to take advantage of people’s fond feelings for a certain era, which is why movies/TV shows about the ‘80s have been prevalent for much of the 21st century, and ‘90s-set films started to pop up in the last 10 years.

Y2K, a horror comedy that plays on the fears of technological mayhem many people thought would happen at the turn of the century, is right on the cusp of that rule, taking place 24 years after its timeline. It centers on two teenage boys, Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison), who are opposite in demeanor but have an unshakeable bond. Eli likes a popular girl, Laura (Rachel Zegler), and Danny convinces him to crash a New Year’s Eve party where she’ll be.

As the clock strikes midnight and the year moves from 1999 to 2000, everything that uses an electrical current goes haywire, with many of them combining forces to attack the humans around them. Eli and Danny find themselves on the run with Laura, as well as two stoners, Ash (Lachlan Watson) and CJ (Daniel Zolghadri), with each of them trying to use their unique skillset to help defeat a growing robot army.

Directed by Kyle Mooney and written by Mooney and Evan Winter, the film lands some solid jokes about the era in its opening 20 minutes or so, whether it’s the extreme slowness of dial-up internet, the goofy user names from AOL Messenger, or the various high school cliques of the time. However, many of them seem to echo ones told in 1999’s American Pie, a weird kind of art-imitating-art moment instead of commenting on real life.

The jolt of the machines attacking partygoers seems to promise a fun-if-bloody romp, but Mooney and Winter don’t seem to know where to take the story. They establish the computer bona fides of Eli and Laura early on, but when it comes time for them to put their talents in action, it feels like two actors going through the motions instead of real people who know what they’re doing. Almost none of the characters are believable or entertaining, and the few that rise above are dispatched way too early.

And because the filmmakers don’t make you care about the main group, nothing they face is that interesting, either. The villainous robots are made up of a bunch of disparate parts, which would seem to offer the opportunity for funny sight gags. Mooney and his team fumble most of their chances, though, leaving that side of the story stuck in limbo where it’s not absurd enough to be hilarious or scary enough to really count as horror.

Martell, Dennison, and Zegler are each rising stars who have their individual charms, but only Dennison is able to make much of an impact. Zegler, who starred in West Side Story and will soon be Snow White, is especially misused. They try to shoehorn in a cameo by Limp Biskit lead singer Fred Durst, but his appearance makes little sense and adds almost nothing to the story.

Filmmakers who want to mine nostalgia, especially in a comedy, need to really commit to the bit instead of throwing in a few references and needle drops. Mooney, who’s making his directorial debut, demonstrates little feel for timing, and so most of the film is like a car spinning its wheels, going nowhere.

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Y2K opens in theaters on December 6.

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