Weekend Event Planner

These are the 8 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It's a throwback kind of weekend in and around Dallas, with multiple events featuring material or performers from years gone by. Among your choices will be a local production of an award-winning musical, not one but two co-headlining concerts featuring acts from different eras, a 30th anniversary celebration of a classic movie with one of its stars, 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, August 10

Dallas Wings vs. Phoenix Mercury
The Dallas Wings have made some big strides in their second season in Arlington, currently sitting at 7th place in the WNBA standings after two recent wins at home. They'll go for three in a row and try to climb a little higher when they take on the Phoenix Mercury, the sixth place team, in this game at College Park Center at UT Arlington.

The Firehouse Theatre presents Pippin
Pippin is a Tony Award-winning musical twice over, winning five in its 1973 debut and then four more for its 2013 revival. The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch will take on the production about a young prince who learns the true meaning of glory, love, and war as he searches for the secret to true happiness and fulfillment through battle, temptations, and political power. The musical will run through August 20.

Friday, August 11

Rod Stewart in concert with Cyndi Lauper
Even though they became famous in two different eras, Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper are equals when it comes to the impact they've had on the music world. They both opened their careers with a string of hits, and each has remained relevant long past his or her prime. They'll perform a retrospective of their popular work at this concert at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Pegasus Theatre presents Women Playing Hamlet
Hamlet is a challenge for any actor, but when Jessica is cast as the title character in a New York production, it sends her into a comic and existential tailspin. How can Jessica figure out "to be or not to be" when she can't even figure out herself? Featuring an all-female cast performing multiple roles, Pegasus Theatre will present Women Playing Hamlet at Bath House Cultural Center through August 26.

Edwin McCain in concert
It's funny the mileage that a musician or band can get out of one great song. Edwin McCain's top five hit "I'll Be" came out almost 20 years ago, and even though he hasn't reached anywhere close to those heights since, he's still out there plugging away. His last official album was 2011's Mercy Bound, but he released an EP, Oh Edwin, Where Art Thou?, in 2016. He'll play at Granada Theater.

Saturday, August 12

2017 BvB Dallas Powder-Puff Football Game
More than 150 young professionals will take the field in the 10th Annual BvB Dallas Powder-Puff Football Game to Tackle Alzheimer's. Since its inception, passionate philanthropists have raised more than $2.8 million to support Alzheimer’s research and awareness in North Texas. The event, taking place at the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park, will include an after-party on the front steps of the stadium immediately following the game.

Blondie and Garbage in concert
The second co-headlining concert of the weekend featuring bands of different eras will take place at South Side Ballroom when Blondie and Garbage team up for the Rage and Rapture Tour. Blondie, which has been going since 1976, is touring in support of their new album, Pollinator, while Garbage, which debuted in 1995, released their latest album, Strange Little Birds, in 2016.

The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes
Rob Reiner's 1987 classic The Princess Bride has remained a touchstone for 30 years because of a fantastic story and a slew of great performances, including Cary Elwes as Westley. Elwes will be on hand at the Majestic Theatre for this special event, which will include a screening of the movie followed by a moderated discussion with Elwes, who will reveal hilarious and intimate behind-the-scenes stories.

Rod Stewart will play with Cyndi Lauper at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on August 11.

Photo by Denise Truscello

Rod Stewart will play with Cyndi Lauper at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on August 11.

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Movie Review

Nordic film Fjord challenges cultural and linguistic biases

Photo courtesy of Neon

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In modern society, where fear of “the other” has made many people into insular creatures, it has become easy to get locked into one point of view. The new film Fjord will be a challenging one for many viewers, as it puts forth a situation that confronts narrow-minded thinking and forces even those who think they’re open-minded to re-evaluate their own biases.

Mihai (Sebastian Stan) and Lisbet (Renate Reinsve) are a married couple who have just moved back to Lisbet’s home country of Norway. They have five children, all of whom were born in Romania, Mihai’s home country. The family, which is part of an unspecified Evangelical Christian sect, runs into issues almost right away when their oldest daughter, Elia (Vanessa Ceban), shows up to school with bruises on her body.

A well-intentioned but perhaps overzealous Child Protective Services system gets put into motion, resulting in the children being removed from the home while Mihai and Lisbet are being investigated. The parents, while acknowledging some minor physical punishment, deny doing anything that would cause bruising, and the possible failings of the system mostly get ignored despite a lack of hard evidence.

Written and directed by Cristian Mungiu, the film is an infuriating watch due to its depiction of a system that seems to be oblivious to its own faults. But it’s also illuminating, as the cultural and linguistic divide that exists between the characters in the film could just as easily be applied to those viewing it. Misunderstandings arise as people switch between Norwegian, English, and Romanian, and interpretations of different words or phrases play a crucial role in how people and actions are perceived.

But the film is about much more than just language mix-ups. Mungiu is purposefully vague about Mihai and Lisbet’s religion, but it’s clear that it leans conservative. This puts them at odds with a liberal society in Norway, and more than one character voices their disapproval of the family’s beliefs. The film is framed in such a way, though, that it’s those who are seemingly most progressive who can’t get over their own prejudices, with Mihai and Lisbet rarely being able to object to how they’re being treated.

The cold and forbidding landscape adds to the drama of the film, especially when Mungiu includes side stories from Mihai and Lisbet’s neighbors about, for example, a rebellious neighbor daughter or their ailing father. While those elements don’t impact the plot much, they add complexity to the film as a whole and demonstrate that some characters are more than who they seem to be on the surface.

Stan, who’s had notable roles in recent years in A Different Man and The Apprentice, puts in another solid performance that is less showy. With a bald head and stoic-but-firm demeanor, he brings depth to a potentially unlikable character. Reinsve, coming off the success of Backrooms, is the emotional center of the film and demonstrates chemistry with Stan after co-starring in A Different Man. The supporting cast is all solid, especially the actors portraying lawyers, who bring to life a system that seems much different from that in the U.S.

Fjord does not play out like a typical American film would if it were depicting a similar situation, and by holding back where western storytellers wouldn’t, it allows viewers to make up their own minds on who is right or wrong. Many things go unspoken in the film, and the debate on what should happen with Mihai, Lisbet, and their family continues even after the film ends.

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Fjord is now playing in select theaters.

movies film fjord