Must Love Culture

The most artsy dates in Dallas (whether you have a plus-one or find one there)

We've told you what drink to order on a date and where to dine in Dallas if you're looking to keep costs low (and even where to eat if you want to break up), but what if you're seeking something cultured? What if you, um, don't even have a date but are looking to find one? Someone like-minded who enjoys things like museums, performing arts and music?

Whether you're partnered up or still looking for the one, these upcoming events sound like a recipe for summer love. Keep these in mind the next time dinner and a movie seems too easy.

Tinder Tuesday at Shakespeare in the Park
Let's forget for a second how Romeo & Juliet ends and focus instead on the exhilarating first blush of infatuation. On July 14, Shakespeare Dallas is inviting anyone who's single and ready to mingle to come out for a free evening of theater under the stars. Pack a picnic, and don't forget your phone — you'll need to show your Tinder profile to get into the 7:30 pre-show party. Free-flowing wine, beer and snacks should encourage you to meet someone new, but Kidd Kraddick morning show host Elena Davies will also be there to help conversations along. Stay for the 8:15 performance of Romeo & Juliet (also free, though donations are encouraged), because hopefully now you have someone with whom to share your picnic blanket.

Music Thursday at Klyde Warren Park
Yes, we know it's summer in Texas. It's hot outside. But once the sun starts to go down, and the lights of downtown begin to glow, there's something magical about being in a park in the middle of the city, cuddling with someone while watching a local band rock it out onstage. July 16 — and most every Thursday — Klyde Warren Park features some of DFW's best musical talent; this time it's Fort Worth's Robert Gotcher Band.

Late Nights at the DMA
Every third Friday, the Dallas Museum of Art does something even cooler than its everyday free general admission and stays open until midnight. This July 17, the popular Museum Murder Mystery Game is scheduled, with live music performances, light bites and cocktails and "an artful game of Clue," where you're tasked with solving who killed the Greek goddess Victory (hint: you get to interview Buddha). There's also DMA bingo (the traditional game with an Instagram-art gallery twist), a DMA Partners-only speakeasy and a movie about mummies. Good chance to see if you make a great team.

'Til Midnight at the Nasher
Much like the DMA, the Nasher Sculpture Center holds a late-night party every now and then, with live music, yummy food and lots of art. The difference here is that it's like one giant picnic, with blankets splashed out in the garden among priceless sculptures while groups listen to the local bands and watch the late-night movie. The next 6 pm-midnight get-together is July 17, so start readying the bug spray now.

Classes at Scardello Artisan Cheese
On August 6, the mecca of artisan cheese in Dallas is hosting a French wine and cheese class. Sip and swirl vino from some of the most revered regions in France, while tasting what some consider the real food of love. Cement your mutual admiration (for your significant other or for the cheese and wine, we won't judge) while learning some pretty classy tidbits that will seriously up your cred at the next cocktail party.

Social Science at the Perot Museum
This 21-and-up nighttime event is a popular one, and tickets have been known to disappear fast. The upcoming mixer on August 7 is themed Time, meaning you're encouraged to dress up in togs from your favorite past era while sipping "timeless craft beers" and learning about the possibilities of time travel. The museum is kid-free during the 7-11 pm event, so adults (mostly young professionals) are given free rein of the exhibits and live demonstrations.

Find your own Romeo or Juliet at Tinder Tuesday at Shakespeare in the Park on July 14.

Photo by Linda Blase

Find your own Romeo or Juliet at Tinder Tuesday at Shakespeare in the Park on July 14.

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Movie Review

Daniel Craig searches for elusive new bond in audacious film Queer

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

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