Weekend Event Planner

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

The smaller number of events on this week's list doesn't do justice to the vast entertainment quality that they collectively contain. You have big-time movies, a former first lady, a renowned violinist, music from an Emmy-winning TV show, the start of the Halloween season, a classic rock band, a showcase of luxury cars, a crazy car race, and, to top it off, the start of biggest event of the year in Dallas.

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, September 26

North Texas Film Festival
The inaugural North Texas Film Festival is absolutely packed with Oscar-worthy films, classic movies, and intriguing documentaries. Selections for the festival, running through Sunday at Cinemark West Plano and The Star in Frisco, include Oscar hopefuls The Laundromat, Clemency, Marriage Story, Dolemite is My Name, and The Two Popes, and retrospective screenings of Poltergeist, The Blind Side, and Friday Night Lights.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents #HearHere: An Evening with Former First Lady Michelle Obama
As a transformative U.S. first lady, Michelle Obama launched a number of initiatives, including Let’s Move!, Joining Forces, Reach Higher, and Let Girls Learn. An accomplished lawyer prior to her husband's election, she has long dedicated her life to public institutions. And her 2018 memoir, Becoming, sold more copies than any other book published in the United States in 2018. She'll talk about all of that and more in this special event at Winspear Opera House.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Joshua Bell
For this concert, violinist Joshua Bell solos in and conducts Mendelssohn’s beloved Violin Concerto and the composer’s popular “Italian” Symphony. The concert, taking place on Thursday and Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center, also includes Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 and Adagio for Violin and Orchestra. Bell will also be the headline performer at the DSO's annual gala on September 28.

Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience
In a bit of serendipitous timing, coming just four days after Game of Thrones' final win at the Emmy Awards, this concert will feature the excitement, terror, heartbreak, and history of composer Ramin Djawadi's music. Audiences can relive the greatest musical pieces and footage from all eight seasons at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, as Djawadi reworked the musical and visual elements of the concert to create a brand-new live experience that encompasses fan-favorite pieces from the entire series.

Friday, September 27

State Fair of Texas
What more can you say about the State Fair of Texas? The 24-day, four-weekend extravaganza at Fair Park is predictably great, from the butter sculptures to the pig races to the oodles of fried food. You can try all the new concoctions, check out the midway, enjoy free concerts every day (starting with Rick Springfield on Friday), and more. And since it's silly to actually pay full price for admission, make sure to check out the full list of discounts available.

Haunted houses
While some got an earlier start, the last weekend of September is when haunted houses begin in earnest, kicking the Halloween season into high gear. Among the best haunted experiences in the Dallas area are Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano, The Parker House in Denton, Six Flags over Texas presents Fright Fest: Fright by Night in Arlington, and Reindeer Manor Halloween Park in Red Oak.

The Who in concert
Despite being one of the most acclaimed bands in history, The Who have become known by many in the 21st century as the group that provided the theme songs for the entire CSI franchise. But the legendary rockers, still led by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, are way more than just those handful of hits. They're even releasing a new album, their first in 13 years, in November. They will play at American Airlines Center. (UPDATE: Due to illness, this concert has been postponed. Ticketholders should hold on to their tickets, as the date will be rescheduled.)

Saturday, September 28

Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase
The 3rd Annual Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase features some of the most coveted car brands in the world, including Rolls-Royce, Maserati, McLaren, Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Volvo, Land Rover, and Jaguar. The event, taking place at Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas at Las Colinas in Irving, will also feature a fashion show and hat contest, bites from top local restaurants, and pop-up shops, as well as music performances and a kids' area.

Red Bull Soapbox Race
Red Bull Soapbox Race features some of the wildest legal street racing around, with over 50 teams competing for soapbox supremacy by careening through a treacherous downhill course featuring jumps, bumps, curves, and swerves. The creativity in car designs will astound, ranging from a Barbie jeep to a Mavs ManiAAC-manned basketball shoe. The free event takes place at Austin Ranch in The Colony.

The State Fair of Texas starts its 24-day run at Fair Park on September 27.

Big Tex and State Fair of Texas at sunset

Photo courtesy of the State Fair of Texas

The State Fair of Texas starts its 24-day run at Fair Park on September 27.

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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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