The annual Over The Top NYE show at Reunion Tower will add a drone light show to the festivities this year.
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Reunion Tower will add a drone light show to its annual Over The Top NYE event this year, making for even brighter start to 2022.
Taking place on — duh — December 31, the sixth annual event will feature the usual light show on the tower itself and fireworks, but they will be joined by a 225-drone light show engineered and flown by Dallas-Fort Worth-based Sky Elements.
The drones will fly at heights of up to 400 feet and create an array of visual elements to bolster the already memorable show.
Organizers are hopeful that the addition of the drones will make this year's show the most memorable one since it started in 2016.
"We are thrilled to add Sky Elements to the Reunion Tower Over The Top NYE 2021 production," said Dusti Groskreutz, President of Reunion Tower, in a statement. "Reunion Tower Over The Top NYE is a one-of-a-kind show, not only in the Central Time Zone but across the country. The addition of this drone show will continue to make this spectacular an evening to remember for our viewers as we usher in 2022."
Anyone interested in watching the show has multiple options, although none from directly below the tower, as that area will be closed to the public. Spectators are encouraged to watch the show from various vantage points around the city. The show will also be broadcast on TV by The Nexstar Media Group (NBC 5 in DFW), and KLUV (98.7 FM) will simulcast the celebration.
Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.
Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.
Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).
After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.
Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.
The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.
Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.
Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.
The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.
