Scary Good Times

All the best Dallas events to get your spook on this Halloween

33 Super Mario Cart at The Patroleum Club Halloween party November 2014

You'll have multiple opportunities to bust out your costume this Halloween season.

Photo by © Kim Coffman

Halloween is the perfect opportunity to get out and about and have some fun. But you don't have to limit yourself to just the actual day of Halloween, which conveniently falls on a Saturday this year, as there are multiple events happening throughout the week leading up to All Hallows' Eve.

Below are some of the best options for Halloween-related events in the Dallas area for both kids and adults.

October 24

Dismember the Alamo
Nothing says Halloween like horror movies, and Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson will feed that appetite with this horror movie marathon. It'll show four classic horror movies back-to-back-to-back-to-back, with the lineup kept secret until just before showtime. This being the Alamo, there are sure to be other surprises, along with prizes for the best costumes. (Movie marathon starts at 1 pm)

Oak Lawn Halloween Block Party
This free event in the 3900 block of Cedar Springs Road gets Halloween week started right with a costume promenade, music, food, beer, and other refreshments, as well as a live DJ and featured Rose Room performances. (7 pm-2 am)

Dragon's Halloween Ball
We're not exactly sure what to expect at this event at the Bomb Factory, but with the come-hither motto of "entertain and arouse all your senses" and an invitation to be body painted or black taped, it's clear that this party will be for adults only. The performers will be a variety of aerial artists, so the action won't be contained to just the ground (7 pm-2 am)

October 27

Crayon Club presents Truck or Treat
An annual fundraiser by Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children's Crayon Club, this event is a way to give back while having a good time. The event includes pumpkin decorating, lawn games, and live music from Larson & the Law, along with an opportunity to learn how to help the hospital the other 364 days of the year.

October 29

Dead White Zombies presents DP92
The latest production from experimental theater company Dead White Zombies is the type of out-there premise that fits right in with the Halloween season. Starting October 29 and running through November 22 at The Icehouse in West Dallas, DP92 is an immersion performance set in "a benign experimental institution existing on the margins of consciousness and civilization." (Performances at 8 and 10 pm, depending on date)

October 30

Mayor's Monster Mash
Downtown workers itching to cut loose the day before Halloween can head down to this annual event at City Hall Plaza. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings will oversee the proceedings, which will include a costume contest with categories like most creative, best last-minute, best homemade, and best group/couple. (1-3 pm)

October 31

Lowest Greenville Family Trick or Treat
There's no rule that says you have to trick or treat at night. Restaurants and shops along Lowest Greenville will be giving away candy, snacks, and other goodies. That includes Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, where kids can stock up on free candy and even get a free pizza topped with Nutella, candy corn, marshmallows, M&Ms, and bits of Heath Bar. (Starts at 11 am)

Alaween Halloween Carnival
Alamo Drafthouse really knows how to do Halloween right, as it will also put on this free event. It will include a bounce house, face painting, costume contest, a dance party with DJ, trick or treating in the theaters, classic Halloween TV specials on the big screens, and special Halloween drinks — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — at the attached Glass Half Full bar. (4-6 pm)

PrismCo presents Persephone
This production, opening on Halloween at 500 Singleton Blvd. in West Dallas, uses modern dance and shadow work to tell the story of Persephone being taken from her mother, Demeter, to Hades in the underworld. To keep with the theme, PrismCo and House Party Theatre will throw a special Halloween after party following the opening performance, complete with live bands, a costume contest, and a special performance by House Party Theatre themselves. (Performance at 8 pm; production runs through November 15).

Come in Your Costume
This party at the Green Elephant is for anyone who wants to be dazzled and dance at the same time, as it will be a multimedia experience with performances from five different bands. Although the event seems to be aimed at adults, considering it's cheaper for those over 21 than under, they say they'll welcome both kids and dogs. Costumes are encouraged by not required. (Show starts at 8 pm)

W Dallas Heads Will Roll Fête
The W will go back to the 18th century for its annual party, inviting guests to "channel the ghost of Marie Antoinette." You can dress in your best period costume or whatever else you feel like and enjoy a late-night party at Altitude, 33 floors above the city streets. (10 pm-2 am)

Hotel Zaza Halloween
A few blocks away is another late-night party where guests go to see and be seen. Hotel Zaza will offer live entertainment, great food, drink specials, and more at this unique event. Anyone staying at the hotel can get in for free. (Starts at 10 pm)

theater movies festivals

Movie review

Nick Jonas steals song from Paul Rudd in music-heavy Power Ballad

Photo by David Cleary for Lionsgate

Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd in Power Ballad.

Writer/director John Carney is one of the great purveyors of movies featuring music (as opposed to musicals) in the 21st century. Starting with Once in 2007 (which was turned into a Broadway musical several years later), he has made music-themed stories like Begin Again, Sing Street, Flora and Son, and now Power Ballad.

Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is a former wannabe rock star who is now the lead singer of “Ireland’s #1 Wedding Band,” The Bride & Grooves. While they mostly play smaller weddings, a gig at a country estate leads to an encounter with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band member struggling to make it as a solo artist. Rick and Danny wind up bonding in a booze- and pot-filled jam session, sharing various song ideas.

After returning to Los Angeles and desperate for a hit, Danny steals one of Rick’s songs, which miraculously turns into the No. 1 “How to Write a Song (Without You).” Rick, initially overjoyed that something he wrote has become big, is crushed when he finds out Danny didn’t give him credit. His quest to find a way to prove his worth sends him into a spiral, upending the ordinary life he had built.

Co-written by Peter McDonald, the film is a nice exploration of two men trying to hold on to their music dreams. Their individual circumstances could not be more different, but each of them knows the ups and downs of the business as well as the other, as well as the ineffable magic of creating that one great song. While the music scenes are hit-and-miss because of a reliance on lip synching, the scene featuring Rick and Danny trading ideas is electric with creativity.

Oddly, though, the film could have used a bit less music and more of a focus on the two men’s personal lives. Rick wound up living in Ireland after falling in love with his future wife, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), while on tour with his former American band. He spends a decent amount of time with her and his daughter, Aja (Beth Fallon), but his story needed a few more family scenes to drive the point home. Danny’s personal life is all but nonexistent, giving his arc less impact than it could have had.

Instead of loved ones, Carney and McDonald try to give Rick and Danny more depth through friends and business associates. Rick’s bandmate Sandy (McDonald) is a ride-or-die kind of guy for him, but his presence is only good for a few humorous distractions. Danny’s manager Mac (Jack Reynor) is difficult to parse, as he goes to bat for Danny on multiple occasions, but also seems to keep him at arm’s length.

It’s long been joked that Rudd never ages, and that youthfulness serves him well in this role, in which his character is supposed to be much younger than his actual age of 57. His energy and enthusiasm make his character appealing throughout, even when Rick starts to go off the deep end. Jonas is decent in his role, selling the music side well, but there might be a reason his character doesn’t have many scenes requiring him to show emotions.

While Power Ballad has all the hallmarks of another great Carney music movie, it’s missing a few pieces that could have put it over the top. It’s still a fun film with an insanely catchy song at its center, but it’s not quite as memorable as most of the filmmaker’s previous efforts.

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Power Ballad is now playing in theaters.

movies music film