Weekend Event Planner

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

When the State Fair of Texas rolls into town each year, it's easily the biggest thing happening on opening weekend. Not so this year, as the fried food extravaganza will compete with multiple other events for your attention, including at least six concerts featuring bold-faced names. Also on tap is a live taping of a popular national podcast and the opening of an eye-popping new art exhibit.

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

Thursday, September 28

Lauryn Hill and Nas in concert with Chronixx
For a woman who has been part of only three albums — two with the Fugees, one solo, all released in the '90s — Lauryn Hill still ejoys a reputation as a great artist. She's released a handful of songs in the past 20 years, but has also become known for her erratic behavior. Fingers crossed we'll get the the good Hill when she teams up with rap superstar Nas for this co-headlining concert at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Sir Mix-A-Lot in concert
If there is one musician who epitomizes how one great hit can make a career, it's Sir Mix-A-Lot. The rapper has released six albums, the last being 2003's Daddy's Home, but he will be known eternally for "Baby Got Back," which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. You can hear Sir Mix-A-Lot play that song and some others at Lava Cantina in The Colony.

Arcade Fire in concert with Wolf Parade
Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire is notable not only for its consistently great albums, including 2017's Everything Now, but also for the size of the group, which seems to shift and grow every year. There are only seven official band members, but you're likely to see many more on stage during this concert at American Airlines Center, which will feature opening act Wolf Parade.

Friday, September 29

2017 State Fair of Texas
The 24-day, four-weekend extravaganza that is the State Fair of Texas is back. The best thing about the fair is its predictable greatness, 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 — Maren Morris kicks things off on Friday — or take a trip to the top of the Top 'o Texas Tower. Don't forget to get your discount tickets before you go. The fair will be at Fair Park through October 22.

Smokey Robinson in concert
Counting his time with his breakout group, The Miracles, Smokey Robinson has been entertaining the masses with his distinctive voice for 60 years — quite the feat for a man who's 77 years old. His biggest hits, like "The Tracks of My Tears," "I Second That Emotion," and "The Tears of a Clown," came with The Miracles, and they resonate to this day. He'll play a special concert at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Chris Gethard — Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People: Live Podcast Taping
Podcasting has created more than a few unusual stars, and you can put Chris Gethard at the top of that list. An actor/comedian who's appeared on shows like The Office, Broad City, and Inside Amy Schumer, he takes phone calls from anonymous people and talks with them about whatever they choose. A concept that could be boring is riveting, a rare opportunity for strangers to connect in a disconnected world. Gethard will hold a live taping of the podcast at UNT's University Union Lyceum.

Saturday, September 30

The Flaming Lips in concert with Mac DeMarco
There's no show quite like a Flaming Lips show. The famously flamboyant Oklahoma group goes all out, no matter the venue. They'll bring their unique energy to the relatively new Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, playing in support of their 2017 album, the oddly-named Oczy Mlody. They'll be joined by opening act Mac DeMarco.

Sunday, October 1

Dallas Museum of Art presents Yayoi Kusama: "All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins"
The Dallas Museum of Art welcomes fall with Yayoi Kusama’s exhibit “All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins,” one of the artist’s popular infinity mirror rooms. The mirrored room is filled with acrylic pumpkins, creating a space that continues forever, repeating the image of the yellow gourds covered in black polka dots. The exhibit, which requires an extra fee, will be on display through February 25, 2018.

Matchbox Twenty and Counting Crows in concert
Two bands who hit it big in the '90s, Matchbox Twenty and Counting Crows, will cap off another busy weekend at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving. Matchbox Twenty is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band's debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, while Counting Crows is approaching the 25th anniversary of its debut album, August and Everything After.

The Flaming Lips will play at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on September 30.

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Photo by Shelley Neuman

The Flaming Lips will play at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving on September 30.

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Movie Review

Marty Supreme cements Timothée Chalamet as his generation's movie star

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Timothée Chalamet

In a time when true movie stars seem to be going extinct, Timothée Chalamet has emerged as an exception to the rule. Since 2021 he has headlined blockbusters like the two Dune movies and Wonka, and also got nominated for an Oscar for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (his second nomination following 2018’s Call Me By Your Name). Now, he’s almost assured to get his third nomination for the stellar new film, Marty Supreme.

Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a world-class table tennis player living in New York. But reducing Marty to his best skill doesn’t do him justice, as he’s also a motormouth schemer who will do almost anything to achieve his dreams. He doesn’t have any qualms about wooing married women like neighbor Rachel (Odessa A’zion) or actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), or hiding his true ping pong skills to win money in scams with friends like Wally (Tyler the Creator).

Marty is seemingly on the go the entire movie, whether it’s trying to convince Kay’s millionaire husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to fund his table tennis ambitions; or trying to track down the dog of Ezra (Abel Ferrara), a man he accidentally injures; or trying to avoid the ire of the boss at the shoe store where he works. Just when you think he might slow down, he’s off to the races on another plan or adventure.

Directed by Josh Safdie and written by Safdie and frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives, and yet the throughline of Marty keeps everything tightly connected. His particular type of brash behavior turns much of the film into a comedy as he does and says things that are both shocking and thrilling.

Another thing that makes the movie sing is the fantastic characterization by Safdie and Bronstein. Almost every person who is given a speaking line in the film has a moment where they pop, which speaks to airtight dialogue that the writers have created. Characters will be introduced and then disappear for long stretches of time, and yet because they make such an impression the first time they’re on screen, it’s easy to pick up their thread right away.

Safdie, as he’s done previously with brother Bennie (Uncut Gems), calls on a host of well-known non-actors or people with interesting faces/vibes to inhabit supporting roles, and to a person they are crucial to the film’s success. O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), rapper Tyler the Creator, director Ferrara, magician Penn Jillette, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi each deliver knockout performances. The relative unknowns who play smaller roles are just as impressive, making each beat of the film feel naturalistic.

Leading the way is the powerhouse performance by Chalamet. For one person to believably play both the famously reserved Dylan and also a firecracker like Marty is astonishing, and this role cements Chalamet’s status as his generation’s movie star. A’zion is a rising star who gets great moments as Marty’s on-again/off-again love interest. Paltrow pops in and out of the film, lighting up the screen every time she appears. Fran Drescher as Marty’s mom and Sandra Bernhard as a neighbor also pay dividends in small roles.

Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial effort is unlike any other movie this year, or maybe even this century. Thanks to its breakneck storytelling, a magnificent performance by Chalamet, and countless intangibles that Safdie employs expertly, the film smacks viewers in the face repeatedly and demands that they come back for more.

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Marty Supreme opens in theaters on December 25.

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