The annual Over The Top NYE show at Reunion Tower will add a drone light show to the festivities this year.
Jupiterimages/Getty Images
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.
Of all the ways that movies depict people trying to steal money and other valuables, safe cracking is among the least exciting. By design, it’s a laborious process that only those with a very certain set of skills can do. While clever editing and the right music can enhance scenes of safes being cracked, there’s a reason that the method is among the least used in heist films.
In the new film Tuner, Niki (Leo Woodall) has a job and a condition that just happens to lend itself well to committing that specific crime. He works as an apprentice piano tuner for Harry (Dustin Hoffman), usually doing the hard work while Harry schmoozes the client. Niki is well-suited for the job because he has a rare condition called hyperacusis, which makes him both sensitive to loud noises and able to hear subtle things that others cannot.
When he runs across a trio of criminals trying to break open a safe at a house where he’s tuning a piano, he helps them more out of frustration than avarice. But when Harry goes into the hospital and racks up huge bills, Niki decides to join the group to make some quick money. They soon want more than he’s willing to give, and he must find a way to extricate himself from them without losing himself completely.
Written and directed by documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher (making his narrative feature debut) and co-written by Robert Ramsey, the film has a nice pace to it despite there being relatively little action. Roher and Ramsey spend the first third or so establishing Niki, Harry, and Harry’s wife Marla (Tovah Feldshuh) as characters, letting the audience understand their relationships and how they interact with each other.
The time they devote to the personal storytelling pays dividends when Niki starts to descend into crime, as his divided loyalties - not to mention the danger of the thefts - insert tension into the plot. That stress is heightened even more when Niki starts a relationship with piano student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), as getting closer to her necessitates a series of lies.
There comes a point, though, where the plot stagnates to a degree. Niki’s end goal, if he has one, is never clear, and it’s obvious that it’s only a matter of time before things start to fall apart. After starting strong in their character development, Roher and Ramsey take shortcuts as the film rushes toward its conclusion. This is most notable in a weird argument scene between Niki and Ruthie that comes out of nowhere and seems to serve no purpose in the story.
Woodall, who had a memorable turn in season 2 of The White Lotus, is on the cusp of breaking out, and this understated-but-compelling lead role should help him become an even bigger name in Hollywood. Hoffman has a small role, but he remains as interesting as ever despite the lack of screentime. Liu (Bottoms) is also an up-and-coming actor who should become a star with more roles like this one.
Tuner is a low-key thriller that succeeds because of the way the filmmakers approach the under-used method of robbery. Even if it doesn’t quite reach its potential, the film maintains a high quality throughout thanks to its storytelling and acting.
