Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

This weekend, you'll find events spanning the spectrum of entertainment, including two unique movie events, a concert featuring a live performance by a famous film composer, three interesting and varied theater productions, a gathering of global soccer fans, a visit from one of the biggest rappers on the planet, and much more.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Monday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, July 13

2017 Asian Film Festival of Dallas
The 2017 edition of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, taking place through July 20 at Angelika Film Center Dallas, will feature its first showcase of films directed and produced by women. It will also have more films than any other year, with 70 films screening throughout the week, including five short blocks and 35 feature films. Fans can expect films in multiple genres from the U.S., Singapore, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Indian, Japan, Korea, and Tibet.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Finding Neverland
Finding Neverland tells the incredible story behind one of the world's most beloved characters: Peter Pan. Playwright J.M. Barrie struggles to find inspiration until he meets four young brothers and their beautiful widowed mother. Spellbound by the boys’ enchanting make-believe adventures, he sets out to write a play that will astound London theatergoers. The musical will run through July 23 at Winspear Opera House.

Hans Zimmer: Live on Tour
Composer Hans Zimmer is responsible for some of the most memorable film scores of all time and has won multiple Grammys, Golden Globes, and Academy Awards. This concert at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie will be a multi-layered experience for concert-goers, featuring music from Zimmer's multi-decade career, including pieces from Gladiator, The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight trilogy, and Inception.

Friday, July 14

2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Frisco is one of nine cities hosting early-round games of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, pitting national soccer teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean against each other. While the U.S. and Mexican teams will be playing elsewhere, local soccer fans will still get to see Costa Rica face off against French Guiana and Canada play Honduras at this doubleheader event at Toyota Stadium.

Bastille on Bishop
Bishop Arts District will present the 8th annual Bastille on Bishop celebration, an evening full of entertainment, food, wine, petanque, and wonderful people to celebrate the beautiful country of France and their traditions. Oak Cliff was the original settlement of the French colony called La Reunion, and the neighborhood has picked up the mantle with great pride and love for the French culture. Make sure to buy your tickets in advance, as glasses used to consume drinks outside are not sold at the event.

Kendrick Lamar in concert with Travis Scott and D.R.A.M.
Kendrick Lamar is considered by many to be the best rapper in the world right now, with both of his past two albums — 2015's To Pimp a Butterfly and 2017's DAMN — hitting No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Fans at this concert at American Airlines Center will get to see exactly why, as well as experience the talents of opening acts Travis Scott and D.R.A.M.

2017 Festival of Independent Theatres
The Festival of Independent Theatres, playing at Bath House Cultural Center through August 5, pairs together independent theater companies for a different experience almost every night. The festival will feature productions from WingSpan Theatre, Echo Theatre, Audacity Theatre Lab, Fun House Theatre and Film, L.I.P. Service Productions, and Dustin Curry and Company.

Uptown Players presents La Cage Aux Folles
After 20 years of un-wedded bliss, Georges and Albin, two men partnered for better-or-worse, get a bit of both when Georges' son (fathered during a one-night fling) announces his impending marriage to the daughter of a bigoted, right-wing politician. Georges reluctantly agrees to masquerade as 'normal' when he meets the family of the bride-to-be. But Albin has other plans, with hilarious results. The production will run through July 30 at Kalita Humphreys Theater.

Saturday, July 15

Dallas Gallery Day
Dallas Gallery Day returns for its sixth installment, featuring over 20 participating spaces. Newcomers to the event include Ginger Fox Gallery and Jen Mauldin Gallery in Bishop Arts, along with Bivins Gallery in Uptown and the Goss-Michael Foundation, which returns to the mix for the first time in its new space on Monitor. The first 15 people arriving at any of the participating spaces will receive the highly coveted Gallery Day T-shirt. There will also be an after-party at SITE 131 from 6-8 pm.

Trees' 9th Anniversary Show with The Polyphonic Spree
The history of the iconic Deep Ellum Club Trees Dallas is close to legendary. The original incarnation, which was open from 1990-2005, hosted such notable bands as Nirvana and Radiohead. The club re-opened in 2009 under new ownership, and they'll celebrate what they're saying is their 9th nnniversary, but which is actually the 8th, with a concert featuring The Polyphonic Spree, Sealion, and Cure for Paranoia.

Sunday, July 16

Dallas Film Society presents Movie Madness Marathon
The Dallas Film Society is presenting its inaugural Movie Madness Marathon. All you have to do is watch four of the biggest movies of the summer — Despicable Me 3, Spider-Man: Homecoming, War for the Planet of the Apes, and Baby Driver — over the course of a day and ask your friends for pledges of any amount to help raise a minimum of $500 to support the cause. The event at Studio Movie Grill Spring Valley will include giveaways after every completed film, prizes for those raising the most funds, and more.

Granada Theater presents Free Week Dallas
For the second year in a row, the Granada Theater is opening its doors for a week-long celebration of free music as a way of saying "thank you" to the fans. Free tickets will be available each day at the door. If you want to guarantee entry, $5 will get you in, and your first beer or cocktail is on the house. Bands performing through July 23 include Valise, Micky + The Motorcars, Quaker City Night Hawks, and Night Drive.

The Polyphonic Spree will headline Trees Dallas' 9th Anniversary Concert ( which should really be its 8th) on July 15.

Photo courtesy of Earth Day Texas

The Polyphonic Spree will headline Trees Dallas' 9th Anniversary Concert ( which should really be its 8th) on July 15.

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Movie Review

Marty Supreme cements Timothée Chalamet as his generation's movie star

Courtesy

Timothée Chalamet

In a time when true movie stars seem to be going extinct, Timothée Chalamet has emerged as an exception to the rule. Since 2021 he has headlined blockbusters like the two Dune movies and Wonka, and also got nominated for an Oscar for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (his second nomination following 2018’s Call Me By Your Name). Now, he’s almost assured to get his third nomination for the stellar new film, Marty Supreme.

Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a world-class table tennis player living in New York. But reducing Marty to his best skill doesn’t do him justice, as he’s also a motormouth schemer who will do almost anything to achieve his dreams. He doesn’t have any qualms about wooing married women like neighbor Rachel (Odessa A’zion) or actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), or hiding his true ping pong skills to win money in scams with friends like Wally (Tyler the Creator).

Marty is seemingly on the go the entire movie, whether it’s trying to convince Kay’s millionaire husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to fund his table tennis ambitions; or trying to track down the dog of Ezra (Abel Ferrara), a man he accidentally injures; or trying to avoid the ire of the boss at the shoe store where he works. Just when you think he might slow down, he’s off to the races on another plan or adventure.

Directed by Josh Safdie and written by Safdie and frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives, and yet the throughline of Marty keeps everything tightly connected. His particular type of brash behavior turns much of the film into a comedy as he does and says things that are both shocking and thrilling.

Another thing that makes the movie sing is the fantastic characterization by Safdie and Bronstein. Almost every person who is given a speaking line in the film has a moment where they pop, which speaks to airtight dialogue that the writers have created. Characters will be introduced and then disappear for long stretches of time, and yet because they make such an impression the first time they’re on screen, it’s easy to pick up their thread right away.

Safdie, as he’s done previously with brother Bennie (Uncut Gems), calls on a host of well-known non-actors or people with interesting faces/vibes to inhabit supporting roles, and to a person they are crucial to the film’s success. O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), rapper Tyler the Creator, director Ferrara, magician Penn Jillette, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi each deliver knockout performances. The relative unknowns who play smaller roles are just as impressive, making each beat of the film feel naturalistic.

Leading the way is the powerhouse performance by Chalamet. For one person to believably play both the famously reserved Dylan and also a firecracker like Marty is astonishing, and this role cements Chalamet’s status as his generation’s movie star. A’zion is a rising star who gets great moments as Marty’s on-again/off-again love interest. Paltrow pops in and out of the film, lighting up the screen every time she appears. Fran Drescher as Marty’s mom and Sandra Bernhard as a neighbor also pay dividends in small roles.

Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial effort is unlike any other movie this year, or maybe even this century. Thanks to its breakneck storytelling, a magnificent performance by Chalamet, and countless intangibles that Safdie employs expertly, the film smacks viewers in the face repeatedly and demands that they come back for more.

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Marty Supreme opens in theaters on December 25.

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