Happy Hour Fun

5 Dallas events for fun and games to shake up your happy hour routine

During Social Science at the Perot, the museum closes to kids and allows adults to explore.

Photo by Jason Janik/Perot Museum

Does your “work hard, play hard” lifestyle lack in the “play” department? Time to remedy that. Grab some friends and head to one of these adults-only events filled with fun and games — and cocktails.

Create with Cocktails at Spark!
Spark!, the nonprofit dedicated to inspiring creativity in kids, offers an adults-only night several times a year. Pay $10 in advance or at the door for entrance to the 6,000-square-foot indoor jungle gym. Sip complimentary beer and wine while contributing to the evolving art installations or crawling through the tunnels. Trust us, you’re going to want some comfortable footwear.
Mark your calendar: September 29 and December 1

Social Science at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Finally, you don’t have to wait in line behind all the youngin’s to play with the gadgets at the Perot. During Social Science, the museum closes to kids and stays open late for the 21-plus crowd. Order tickets online for $15 for members and $20 for non-members. Purchase cocktails and appetizers by Wolfgang Puck to set the mood. Activities and demonstrations by local businesses such as Oil and Cotton highlight each event’s theme.
Mark your calendar: August 5 and October 14

$2 Tuesdays at Bowlmor
Reminisce on those elementary school bowling alley birthday parties by heading to Bowlmor in Addison. Thanks to $2 games, tacos, and PBRs every Tuesday after 8 pm, you could be set for the evening with just a crisp Hamilton. If you ask nicely, they might even put the bumpers on the lanes for you.
Mark your calendar: Tuesdays after 8 pm

Pub Quiz Trivia at Trinity Hall Irish Pub
All those random facts you learned as a kid about space, dinosaurs, and horses finally have an outlet. Unlike many other trivia nights in the Big D, Trinity Hall’s remains a sporadic mix of literature, sports, music, pop culture, and history — perfect for the young at heart. It’s free to play, and winners take home a gift card worth up to $25.
Mark your calendar: Sundays at 7:30 pm

Thirsty Thursday at the Wild Detectives
Everyone’s favorite Oak Cliff bookstore recently started a thirsty partnership with House Party Theatre. About once a month, House Party performs three short plays choreographed to a drinking game that the audience gets to participate in. Think back to all those impromptu performances you put on at family holidays and thank House Party that you can be in the audience with a cocktail this time.
Mark your calendar: The August event is to be determined, but check here for dates.

cocktails museums drinks happy-hours

Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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