The Topgolf sabbatical is almost over: The Allen location of Topgolf will reopen on August 26, representing the final Dallas-Fort Worth location to come back online.
Allen will join Topgolf's other three locations — Dallas, Fort Worth, and The Colony — who've all reopened following the big pandemic shutdown in March.
Like its siblings, the Allen location, which is at 1500 Andrews Pkwy., has instituted new protocols to help make the experience feel safe.
One of the biggest changes has been the installation of plastic dividers between every golfing bay, and between every table, which keeps groups enclosed in their own little bubble.
According to a release, they're enforcing social distancing in public guest areas, and masks must be worn at all times and all locations such as the lobby, bar/restaurant, walkways, restrooms, until groups get in their own reserved bay. At that point, masks are allowed to come off.
All associates wear masks and gloves, and they're cleaning all bays, computers, clubs, and balls between use.
The company is also introducing a new game that will incorporating imagery from Angry Birds, the mobile game first introduced in 2009.
It's an interactive golf experience that uses Topgolf's ball-tracing technology to blend the physical act of hitting a golf ball with Angry Birds' digital setting.
Guests can partner with Angry Birds characters Red, Chuck, and Bomb to demolish virtual structures placed on the Topgolf targets. There's a preview on their website.
Writer/director John Carney is one of the great purveyors of movies featuring music (as opposed to musicals) in the 21st century. Starting with Once in 2007 (which was turned into a Broadway musical several years later), he has made music-themed stories like Begin Again, Sing Street, Flora and Son, and now Power Ballad.
Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is a former wannabe rock star who is now the lead singer of “Ireland’s #1 Wedding Band,” The Bride & Grooves. While they mostly play smaller weddings, a gig at a country estate leads to an encounter with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band member struggling to make it as a solo artist. Rick and Danny wind up bonding in a booze- and pot-filled jam session, sharing various song ideas.
After returning to Los Angeles and desperate for a hit, Danny steals one of Rick’s songs, which miraculously turns into the No. 1 “How to Write a Song (Without You).” Rick, initially overjoyed that something he wrote has become big, is crushed when he finds out Danny didn’t give him credit. His quest to find a way to prove his worth sends him into a spiral, upending the ordinary life he had built.
Co-written by Peter McDonald, the film is a nice exploration of two men trying to hold on to their music dreams. Their individual circumstances could not be more different, but each of them knows the ups and downs of the business as well as the other, as well as the ineffable magic of creating that one great song. While the music scenes are hit-and-miss because of a reliance on lip synching, the scene featuring Rick and Danny trading ideas is electric with creativity.
Oddly, though, the film could have used a bit less music and more of a focus on the two men’s personal lives. Rick wound up living in Ireland after falling in love with his future wife, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), while on tour with his former American band. He spends a decent amount of time with her and his daughter, Aja (Beth Fallon), but his story needed a few more family scenes to drive the point home. Danny’s personal life is all but nonexistent, giving his arc less impact than it could have had.
Instead of loved ones, Carney and McDonald try to give Rick and Danny more depth through friends and business associates. Rick’s bandmate Sandy (McDonald) is a ride-or-die kind of guy for him, but his presence is only good for a few humorous distractions. Danny’s manager Mac (Jack Reynor) is difficult to parse, as he goes to bat for Danny on multiple occasions, but also seems to keep him at arm’s length.
It’s long been joked that Rudd never ages, and that youthfulness serves him well in this role, in which his character is supposed to be much younger than his actual age of 57. His energy and enthusiasm make his character appealing throughout, even when Rick starts to go off the deep end. Jonas is decent in his role, selling the music side well, but there might be a reason his character doesn’t have many scenes requiring him to show emotions.
While Power Ballad has all the hallmarks of another great Carney music movie, it’s missing a few pieces that could have put it over the top. It’s still a fun film with an insanely catchy song at its center, but it’s not quite as memorable as most of the filmmaker’s previous efforts.
