Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

There will be essentially three things to do this weekend around Dallas, but the variety within those three things will be enough to satisfy anyone. There will be two chances to enjoy theater in the fresh air, four big-name concerts, and three chances to celebrate the Fourth of July a bit early.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, June 27

Shakespeare Dallas presents Shakespeare in the Park: As You Like It
We missed the beginning of Shakespeare Dallas' annual Shakespeare in the Park at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre, but it's not too late to enjoy theater in the great outdoors. The comedy As You Like It, filled with cases of mistaken identity, intrigue, and romance, follows the heroine Rosalind as she flees from persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia, to find safety and, eventually, love in the Forest of Arden. It will run every Wednesday through Friday through July 19.

Father John Misty and Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit in concert
For the first time, critically acclaimed, award-winning artists Father John Misty and Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit will co-headline a national tour. Father John Misty is touring in support of his 2018 album, God’s Favorite Customer, while Isbell and The 400 Unit are touring in support of their album, The Nashville Sound. They'll play at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Friday, June 28

Thomas Rhett in concert with Dustin Lynch, Russell Dickerson, and Rhett Akins
Country singer Thomas Rhett has been churning out hits almost from the moment his debut album, It Goes Like This, came out in 2013. In fact, all but one of his singles since the title song off that album have made the top 10 on the country charts, including his first single, "Look What God Gave Her," off his new album, Center Point Road. He'll be joined at Dos Equis Pavilion by opening acts Dustin Lynch, Russell Dickerson, and Rhett Akins.

Anita Baker in concert
In the 1980s and '90s, R&B/soul singer Anita Baker was as big as almost anyone else out there, with a series of top-10 albums, including 1988's No. 1 Giving You the Best That I Got, and a slew of hit songs like "Sweet Love," "Giving You the Best That I Got," and "Just Because." The 61-year-old singer has decided to put her touring days behind her, playing at The Theatre at Grand Prairie as part of her Farewell Concert Series. This concert is a makeup date for the postponed concert from May 12.

Saturday, June 29

Klyde Warren Park presents Independence Day Celebration
The Fourth of July isn't until next Thursday, but celebrations will get started early this weekend, including this event at Klyde Warren Park. There will be cold treats from more than a dozen vendors, contests, live music, games, and other fun family activities. The event will wrap up in the evening with a concert by the U.S. Army’s 36th Infantry Division Band and a pyrotechnic display on the Park’s East Lawn.

Market Street Allen USA Celebration
The Market Street Allen USA Celebration has a tradition of being “First to the Fourth,” and even though they'll have to share that honor this year, it's still guaranteed to be a good time. This fun, family-friendly event at Celebration Park in Allen will include live music, games and activities, diverse food options, and one of North Texas’ most exciting fireworks displays choreographed to contemporary and patriotic music.

Shakespeare Dallas presents Shakespeare in the Park: Shakespeare in Love
The second Shakespeare in the Park production is reverse-engineered, adapted from the Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love. The deadline for Shakespeare's new play is fast approaching, but he's in desperate need of inspiration. He finds his muse in Viola, a beautiful young woman who is Will’s greatest admirer and who will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play. The play will run every Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday through July 21.

Train in concert with Goo Goo Dolls
Both Train and the Goo Goo Dolls have been mainstays on the pop charts since the late 1990s. Train has maintained its popularity thanks to hits every few years like "Meet Virginia," "Drops of Jupiter," "Hey, Soul Sister," and "Drive By." Goo Goo Dolls haven't been quite as consistent, but still draws love for songs like "Iris" and "Give a Little Bit." The two bands will play at Dos Equis Pavilion.

Sunday, June 30

Viridian presents Stars & Stripes Celebration
You can finish off the weekend with one more early Fourth of July celebration, this time at Viridian in Arlington. The free event will feature concerts by Lilly Harvey, The Shane Bell Band, and Live 80, and will also include a pop-up market, bounce houses, food trucks, and a silent auction benefiting Nehemiah Builds. The event concludes with fireworks over the lake.

Shakespeare Dallas' Shakespeare in the Park, including As You Like It, will be presented at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through July 21.

Photo courtesy of Shakespeare Dallas

Shakespeare Dallas' Shakespeare in the Park, including As You Like It, will be presented at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through July 21.

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Movie Review

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is better than the first but not by much

Blumhouse

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

Blumhouse Productions first made their name with the Paranormal Activity series, establishing themselves as a leader in the horror genre thanks to their relatively cheap yet effective movies. In recent years, they’ve added on “soft” horror films likeM3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy’s to draw in a younger audience, with both films becoming so successful that each was quickly given a sequel.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 finds Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) still recovering from the events of the first film, with Abby particularly missing her “friends.” Those friends just so happen to be the souls of murdered children who inhabit animatronic characters at the long-defunct Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, children who were abducted and killed by William Afton (Matthew Lillard).

A new threat emerges at another Freddy Fazbear’s location in the form of Charlotte, another murdered child who inhabits a creepy large marionette. Mike, distracted by a possible romance with Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), fails to keep track of Abby, who makes her way to the old pizzeria and inadvertently unleashes Charlotte and her minions on the surrounding town.

Directed by Emma Tammi and written by Scott Cawthon (who also created the video game on which the series is based), the film tries to mix together goofy elements with intense scenes. One particular sequence, in which the security guard for Freddy Fazbear’s lets a group of ghost hunters onto the property, toes the line between soft and hard horror. That and a few others show the potential that the filmmakers had if they had stuck to their guns.

Unfortunately, more often than not they either soft-pedal things that would normally be horrific, or can’t figure out how to properly stage scenes. The sight of animatronic robots wreaking havoc is one that is simultaneously frightening and laughable, and the filmmakers never seem to find the right balance in tone. Every step in the direction of making a truly scary horror film is undercut by another in which the robots fail to live up to their promise.

It doesn’t help that Cawthon gives the cast some extremely wooden dialogue, lines that none of the actors can elevate. What may work in a video game format comes off as stilted when said by actors in a live-action film. The story also loses momentum quickly after the first half hour or so, with Cawthon seemingly content to just have characters move from place to place with no sense of connection between any of the scenes.

Hutcherson (The Hunger Games series), after being the true lead of the first film, is given very little to do in this film, and his effort is equal to his character’s arc. The same goes for Lail, whose character seems to be shoehorned into the story. Rubio is called upon to carry the load for a lot of the movie, and the teenager is not quite up to the task. A brief appearance by Skeet Ulrich seems to be a blatant appeal to Scream fans, but he and Lillard only underscore how limited this film is compared to that franchise.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is better than the first film, but not by much. The filmmakers do a decent job of making the new marionette character into a great villain, but they fail to capitalize on its inherent creepiness. Instead, they fall back on less effective elements, ensuring that the film will be forgettable for anyone other than hardcore Freddy fans.

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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opens in theaters on December 5.

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