Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Texas Ballet Theater will present Cinderella at Winspear Opera House, August 24-26.

Photo courtesy of Texas Ballet Theater

High-profile musical collaborations are the order of the weekend, event-wise. There will no fewer than five different concerts featuring either dual headliners or opening acts who have already established themselves as known quantities. Other events will include a cute animal film festival, two new local theater productions, and a ballet version of a classic story.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, August 23

Dallas VideoFest presents PawFest
Take a refreshing break from the dog days of summer to watch some funny, heart-melting videos of adorable felines and canines. PawFest features a new selection of videos curated by Will Braden, including approximately 100 cat and/or dog videos culled from videos in the categories of Comedy, Drama, Animated, Musical, Action, Vintage, and Documentary. The event takes place at Texas Theatre.

Charlie Puth in concert with Hailee Steinfeld
Charlie Puth is perhaps the ultimate example of how the music industry currently works. His most famous song, "See You Again," is one where he's only the featured artist, playing second fiddle to rapper Wiz Khalifa. But thanks to its heart-wrenching inclusion at the end of Furious 7, it launched Puth's career, leading to headlining dates like this at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory. He'll be joined by singer/actress Hailee Steinfeld.

Second Thought Theatre presents Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.
To be a woman in the 21st century is to experience, and to embody, a world of contradictions. Work, relationships, family, sex, and power intersect as one daring group of actors turns everything you thought you knew directly on its head. Language is inverted, bodies are distorted, men are banished, and nothing is sacred in this bold, provocative, riotous play. It will run at Bryant Hall in the Kalita Humphreys Theater complex through September 15.

Friday, August 24

Evanescence and Lindsey Stirling in concert
Two extremely talented female musicians will be at the forefront of this concert at Dos Equis Pavilion. Amy Lee leads the way for Evanescence, which is having a bit of a resurgence after releasing their fourth album, Synthesis, in 2017. They'll be joined by Lindsey Stirling, a violin virtuoso who's taken the instrument far from its classical roots. Her latest album, Warmer in the Winter, was released in 2017.

Mavis Staples in concert with Sarah Jaffe
The true must-see concert of the weekend is this one at the recently revived Statler Hotel. Mavis Staples is a music legend, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who has weaved herself into the very fabric of gospel, soul, folk, pop, R&B, blues, rock, and hip hop over the last 60 years. She'll be joined by Dallas-Fort Worth's' own Sarah Jaffe, who has won huge acclaim over the past decade. Jaffe released her fourth album, Bad Baby, in 2017.

Texas Ballet Theater presents Cinderella
Texas Ballet Theater will present the most beloved fairy tale of all time, Cinderella. Marvel as spells and pumpkin shells are upstaged by extraordinary choreography and breathtaking sets. Laugh at the zany antics of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters and rejoice as Cinderella finds her prince charming. The production will have five performances at Winspear Opera House through Sunday.

Uptown Players presents Perfect Arrangement
To close its 17th season, Uptown Players will present the regional premiere of Topher Payne’s Perfect Arrangement. It’s 1950, and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There’s just one problem: both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other’s partners as a carefully constructed cover. The production will run at Kalita Humphreys Theater through September 2.

Saturday, August 25

Rascal Flatts in concert with Dan + Shay
Almost 20 years into their career, Rascal Flatts remains one of the most popular country music groups around. They've released a new album every 1-2 years since their debut in 2000, with four of those albums going to No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Country charts. They'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion in support of their 2017 album, Back to Us, joined by opening act Dan + Shay.

Sunday, August 26

Wiz Khalifa and Rae Sremmurd in concert with Lil Skies and O.T Genasis
In an odd coincidence, Wiz Khalifa will be in town the same weekend as his "See You Again" collaborator, Charlie Puth. There won't be a live recreation of the song, though, as both have concerts in other cities on the night the other is playing. This concert promises a great time regardless, as Khalifa will be joined at Dos Equis Pavilion by Rae Sremmurd, Lil Skies, O.T. Genasis, and more. Khalifa recently released his sixth album, Rolling Papers 2.

Mavis Staples will perform at Statler Hotel on August 24, with support from Sarah Jaffe.

Mavis Staples at Free Press Summer Festival June 2013

Photo by Anthony Rathbun

Mavis Staples will perform at Statler Hotel on August 24, with support from Sarah Jaffe.

event-planner

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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