Weekend Event Planner

These are the 10 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

There's one obvious choice when it comes to events this weekend, and that is the State Fair of Texas. The annual three-week event dominates the scene every year, but that doesn't mean there's nothing else to do. Among other things, you can watch champion gymnasts in action, see one of the stars of The Daily Show, or view some great art in the great outdoors.

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 29

Coaches vs. Cancer: Texas Tip-Off
The American Cancer Society’s inaugural Coaches vs. Cancer Texas Tip-off, taking place at House of Blues Dallas, features Texas sports personalities and Division I men’s basketball coaches from around the state as they come together to join the fight against cancer at a cocktail reception/pep rally. Participating coaches include Baylor's Scott Drew, Texas A&M's Billy Kennedy, UNT's Tony Benford, SMU's Tim Jankovich, TCU's Jamie Dixon, and Texas' Shaka Smart.

2016 Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions
It was a blast watching the U.S. women's gymnastics team dominate at the 2016 Olympics, and now is your chance to see them in person at American Airlines Center. Among the gymnasts performing are 2016 Olympic all-around champion Simone Biles, 2012 Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas, 2012 Olympic floor exercise champion Aly Raisman, 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin, and 2012 Olympic team gold-medalist Jordyn Wieber.

Friday, September 30

2016 State Fair of Texas
The day has finally arrived — the State Fair of Texas is back in town. It's time once again to check out kitschy exhibits, see free concerts, play midway games, jump on a bunch of fun rides, and, of course, gorge yourself with food you'll only find at the fair. Among the new options this year are fried Jell-O, Dr Pepper Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Pecan Pie Poppers, and more. The State Fair is at Fair Park through October 23.

State Fair of Texas presents "Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel - The Exhibition"
This unique exhibition re-creates one of the world’s greatest artistic achievements, Michelangelo’s renowned ceiling frescoes from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, reproduced photographically and artfully displayed in their original size. The exhibition is open every day during the State Fair of Texas in the Women’s Museum building.

Hasan Minhaj in concert
Anyone who didn't give up on The Daily Show when Jon Stewart left has been watching the hilarity that correspondent Hasan Minhaj brings to the program on a consistent basis. Minhaj comes to Texas Theatre to perform his one-man show, Homecoming King, based on true events from Minhaj’s first-generation Indian-American experience.

Saturday, October 1

One Day University presents The American Presidency: Past, Present, Future
The presidential race of 2016 has been unlike any other in our nation's history. In a period where issues are overshadowed by personalities, understanding the importance of democracy and the power of your vote is more important than ever. This One Day University event at the Omni Dallas Hotel explores the foundation, legacy, and current state of the presidency.

2016 Cottonwood Art Festival
Twice a year, Cottonwood Park in Richardson comes alive with art, music, and more. The fall edition of Cottonwood Art Festival is a juried art show featuring 240 artists exhibiting museum-quality work. The festival, taking place on Saturday and Sunday, also features top local bands, children's events, food and drink, and much more.

2016 Lake Highlands Oktoberfest
Lake Highlands Oktoberfest is family-friendly event featuring good food, good beer, and good times. This year's event, taking place at Flag Pole Hill Park, features restaurant row, a kids entertainment section, and music from Bowling for Soup, Rhymin' N' Stealin', The O's, and Calhoun.

Sunday, October 2

Encore Park presents Warner Brothers Does Dallas Film Series, Part 3
For the last three weeks, venues around Dallas have been hosting screenings of films distributed by Warner Bros. in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s to honor the company's history in Dallas. The third and final screening, Captain Blood starring Errol Flynn, takes place at Encore Park, which sits next to the old Warner Bros. building in downtown Dallas.

Monday, October 3

CultureMap Social: Top Texans Under 30 Edition
True, this isn't the weekend, but any time we throw one of our patented socials, it's bound to be a good time. This one celebrates our recent list of the Top Texans Under 30, especially the five Dallasites included on the inaugural list of the twentysomething trailblazers. You can eat, drink, and rub elbows with a couple hundred hot young professionals at Fearing's. Also expect our usual party tricks and swag bags.

The State Fair of Texas is open daily at Fair Park September 30-October 23.

Photo by Jason Hays

The State Fair of Texas is open daily at Fair Park September 30-October 23.

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Movie review

Over-the-top The Bride! makes other Frankenstein movies seem subtle

Photo by Niko Tavernise

Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley in The Bride!.

The story of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster is now over 200 years old, with Mary Shelley’s book having been adapted or referenced in close to 500 films. Less common is the character of The Bride of Frankenstein, which existed in the original text but has more often than not been excised in adaptations. Writer/director Maggie Gyllenhaal has tried to rectify that by giving the character a big showcase in her new film, The Bride!.

Gyllenhaal has reimagined the story as one in which a woman named Ida (Jessie Buckley) becomes possessed by the spirit of Shelley (also Buckley). At the same time, the already-existing Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) approaches Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening), who specializes in reanimation, with the request to make him a wife. When Ida falls to her death in an “accident” involving her boyfriend (John Magaro), the ideal corpse becomes available.

After Ida’s resurrection, she and the monster become restless being studied by Dr. Euphronius and decide to break out to experience the world. The world, naturally, is not exactly welcoming to them, and soon the couple are on the run for causing mayhem, including a few murders. In hot pursuit are detective Jake Wiles (Peter Sarsgaard) and his assistant, Myrna Mallow (Penélope Cruz), as well as other authorities.

It’s clear that Gyllenhaal wanted to merge the Frankenstein story with Bonnie & Clyde, especially since she sets the film in the mid-1930s. And that wouldn’t have been a bad idea if having the monster and The Bride going on a crime spree was truly the focus of the movie. But most of the time there’s less intentionality in their misdeeds and more confusion, leading to a muddled plot with no clear direction or end goal in mind.

One of the biggest problems is that Gyllenhaal starts the energy of the film at an 11, giving her and everyone else nowhere to go but down. She dabbles in multiple different tones, at times going the straight drama route and other times making what seems like full-on camp. At one point, she even has the monster and the Bride in a dance sequence set to “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” which would be hilarious as an homage to Young Frankenstein if the film weren’t so disjointed.

Most baffling of all is what Gyllenhaal wants from The Bride character. She morphs multiple times over the course of the film, from close to unintelligible at the beginning to rough-and-tumble at the end. There are hints at the lack of control she has over her autonomy, including Shelley’s possession of her and the monster lying to her about her past, but any commentary that Gyllenhaal might be trying to make gets lost amid the oddity of the film as a whole.

Both Buckley and Bale are all-in for their performances, which definitely fall in the “love it or hate it” dichotomy. Each scene is pitched so high that there’s little nuance to either of them, and neither is on par with their previous Oscar-caliber roles. The high-powered supporting cast of Bening, Sarsgaard, Cruz, and Jake Gyllenhaal is watchable based on previous roles, but none of them elevate this particular movie.

Whatever intentions Maggie Gyllenhaal had in making The Bride! are only halfway legible in a film that can never find its tonal footing. There has rarely been subtlety in movies featuring Frankenstein’s monster and related characters, but this one makes all the others seem like stuffy dramas in comparison.

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The Bride! is now playing in theaters.

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