Weekend Event Planner

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

Although the holiday events are the big draw on the Fourth of July weekend, there's definitely more to do than sit and watch fireworks. Choices in and around Dallas include a pro golf tournament, two big concerts, comedy from a '90s star, two new theater productions, a chance to enjoy the Rangers' home stadium while they're away, and last call for a fun art exhibition.

Below are the best to spend your precious free time this weekend.

Thursday, July 1

Volunteers of America Classic
The Volunteers of America Classic, taking place at Old American Golf Club in The Colony through Sunday, is the only official LPGA Tour event in Texas. The four-day tournament will feature some of the top LPGA stars, including 2020 champion Angela Stanford, world No. 1 player Jin Young Ko, Sei Young Kim, Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, and more.

American Aquarium in concert
Alt-country band American Aquarium has lived up to its alt status over the last 15 years, rarely cracking through the barrier between their chosen genre and mainstream country. But that changed with their 2020 album, Lamentations, which made it to No. 16 on the Billboard Country charts, giving them their highest profile yet. They'll play at The Kessler in support of that album and the recently-released Slappers, Bangers & Certified Twangers, Vol. 1.

Improv Arlington presents Marc Curry
Marc Curry is an American actor, comedian, and host who is best known as the star of the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and as one of the various hosts of the syndicated series It's Showtime at the Apollo. Although he's maintained a presence on the small screen in recent years, he also continues to tour with his stand-up act, which he'll bring to Improv Arlington through July 3.

Shakespeare Dallas presents The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]
Written by the Reduced Shakespeare Company and directed by Raphael Parry, in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] three actors parody Shakespeare’s entire library of plays in comically shortened form. Shakespeare Dallas will present the production at Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre through July 24.

Friday, July 2

Second Thought Theatre presents Goat Song
The beauty of art is that it captures the present moment and preserves it. But what happens when an artist moves on from the art they create? Marcus is back with new music, but it soon becomes clear that his fans miss the old music, made by a man who no longer exists. Goat Song, which is set during a Facebook Live concert and stars STT Director of Operations Drew Wall, attempts to reconcile the tension between the past and the present. The production will be available to view at any time through July 17.

Saturday, July 3

Fourth of July events and fireworks
Most people's focus on the Fourth of July weekend will naturally be on holiday events and fireworks. There are a multitude happening around Dallas-Fort Worth; check out this link for a full rundown of the best events taking place on both July 3 and 4.

Texas Rangers present Family Field Day
While the team is on the road in Seattle, the Texas Rangers will host a Family Field Day to celebrate Independence Day weekend. Guests can participate in the Wiffle Ball Homerun Derby, run the bases, play catch on the field, and enjoy tons of yard games and inflatables. Attendees will also be able to explore the new Rangers ballpark with self-guided tours.

Tyrese in concert
Tyrese Gibson can be considered a huge 21st century success on multiple fronts. Not only has he released six albums in his career, with his latest being 2015's Black Rose, he's also a bonafide movie star, with parts in both the Transformers and the Fast & Furious franchises, including the just-released F9. He'll sing and rap some of his greatest hits at this special concert at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Sunday, July 4

Dallas Museum of Art presents "For a Dreamer of Houses" closing day
Sunday will be the final day to view "For a Dreamer of Houses" at the Dallas Museum of Art. Inspired by philosopher Gaston Bachelard’s concept of the psychological, emotional significance of rooms and houses, the exhibition features immersive installations by Alex Da Corte, Francisco Moreno, and Do Ho Suh, as well as large-scale works by Pipilotti Rist and Janine Antoni and a broad selection of works from the permanent collection.

The LPGA's Volunteers of America Classic will take place at Old American Golf Club in The Colony, July 1-4.

Photo courtesy of Volunteers of America Classic

The LPGA's Volunteers of America Classic will take place at Old American Golf Club in The Colony, July 1-4.

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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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