Weekend Event Planner

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

One week before the State Fair of Texas takes over Dallas, the landscape around the area is littered with big names. That includes a big music festival in Denton, the return of one of the most famous rappers alive, a huge comedy festival, and three other star-filled concerts, not to mention two productions to make theater nerds stand up and take notice.

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

Thursday, September 22

2016 Oaktopia Fest
The 2016 Oaktopia Fest, taking place Thursday through Saturday in and around Downtown Denton, features big-name acts and local favorites, including Norah Jones, Rae Sremmurd, Beirut, Dr. Dog, Wavves, Nikki Lane, DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown (aka Erykah Badu), White Denim, Best Coast, Andrew WK, Mates of State, Grandpa vs Prowler (Danny Masterson and Michael Peña), and more. There are also going to be panels, street performers, live artists, activities, art installations, vendors, yoga, and a whole lot of surprises.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
When first performed in 1913, The Rite of Spring caused a riot. More than 100 years later, Stravinsky's masterpiece is just as electrifying and vibrant. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra also welcomes in violinist Simone Lamsma to perform the Brahms Violin Concerto during this concert, which plays three times through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Dallas Theater Center presents Bella: An American Tall Tale
Set in the Old West with a soulful score, this world premiere musical comedy tells the tale of Isabella “Bella” Patterson, a young black woman in late 19th century America. When Bella boards a train west to reunite with her Buffalo Soldier sweetheart, she encounters the most colorful and lively characters ever to roam the Western plains. The production runs at Wyly Theatre through October 22.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Rent
In 1996, an original rock musical by a little-known composer opened on Broadway — and forever changed the landscape of American theater. A reimagining of Puccini's La Bohème, Rent follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. The timeless production plays at Winspear Opera House through October 2.

Kanye West in concert
Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Kanye West has made plenty of waves in 2016, such as his video for "Famous," which included naked wax figures of West and multiple other celebrities. You never know what he's going to do next, which is exactly why we can't wait for this concert at American Airlines Center in support of his album, The Life of Pablo.

Friday, September 23

2016 Plano Balloon Festival
The annual Plano Balloon Festival is a three-day event that offers something for everyone: two stages of entertainment; a fireworks show on Saturday; special kids activities; sky divers; an enormous variety of food, merchandise, and handmade products showcased; and, of course, the incredible hot air balloons. The festival, taking place at Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve, features balloon launches Friday evening, and in the morning and evening on Saturday and Sunday.

Funny Or Die presents Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival Tour 2016
Funny or Die's Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival returns for the fourth consecutive year, featuring some of the funniest comedians in the world, including Dane Cook, Sebastian Maniscalco, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, Bobby Lee, Ali Wong, Jermaine Fowler, and Big Jay Oakerson. Taking place at Gexa Energy Pavilion, the event is hosted by Roastmaster Jeff Ross.

Saturday, September 24

Counting Crows and Rob Thomas in concert
The Counting Crows and Rob Thomas (formerly of Matchbox Twenty) have been around for so long you could consider them classic musicians. But both are very much of the here and now, having each released released new albums in the past two years. They are co-headlining this concert at Allen Event Center.

Glen Hansard in concert with Colm Mac Con Iomaire
It's not every musician who can claim to have an Oscar but not a Grammy, but Glen Hansard, who won an Oscar for the song "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once, is one of them. Hansard is playing at Majestic Theatre in support of his 2015 Grammy-nominated album, Didn't He Ramble, joined by opening act Colm Mac Con Iomaire.

Reindeer Manor Halloween Park
Halloween is still well over a month away, but you can get in the spirit early with one of the best haunted houses around. Located in the far south town of Red Oak, the manor claims to be the oldest haunted attraction in Texas and features three separate scary houses, plus a new bonus attraction. Reindeer Manor is open at least one day every weekend through October 31.

Ch Ch Ch Changes: A Symphonic Tribute to David Bowie
There have been tributes aplenty to David Bowie in the months since his untimely death in January 2016, but given the outsized impact he made on the musical world, there's always room for another. The Dallas POPS and a full rock band are giving a symphonic tribute at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, playing all the hits from Ziggy Stardust to "Let’s Dance" and everything in between.

Sunday, September 25

Prophets of Rage in concert
The name Prophets of Rage may not immediately be familiar, but most of us are certainly familiar with the band members. Assembled as a politically charged response to 2016’s tumultuous election year, the newly formed band features Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, Brad Wilk, Chuck D, B-Real, and DJ Lord, members of bands like Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill. They are playing at Gexa Energy Pavilion.

Prophets of Rage play at Gexa Energy Pavilion on September 25.

The Prophets of Rage/Facebook

Prophets of Rage play at Gexa Energy Pavilion on September 25.

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Movie Review

Film sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash is a technical and visual feast

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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