Hottest headlines of 2024

Alamo Drafthouse saga leads Dallas' top entertainment stories of 2024

All Dallas-area Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas closed briefly in 2024.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Editor's note: The biggest movie drama of 2024 in Dallas starred the theaters themselves. Local Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas closed abruptly, then reopened. Plano lost a beloved art house theater, too. Also among this year's hottest entertainment headlines: The opening of an art-focused park in Frisco and the groundbreaking of a cool new aquatic park in Garland. Here's a look back at our most-read entertainment stories of the year.

1. All 5 Alamo Drafthouse Cinema locations in Dallas-Fort Worth close. June 6 was a sad sad day for Dallas moviegoers: All five Dallas-area locations of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain closed. Two is One, One is None, LLC closed the six franchised Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas that it (and its affiliates) operated, and had filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Local movie lovers lamented the end of the Alamo Drafthouse era. But that wasn't the end...

2. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to re-open all 5 locations in Dallas-Fort Worth. On June 27, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain was back in business in Dallas-Fort Worth: The company announced it would reopen all five locations in Dallas-Fort Worth as well as a location in the Twin Cities in summer 2024. They would all be back open by the end of August.

3. Dallas woman wins 2024 Miss Hooters International beauty pageant. A Dallas woman won the Hooters crown: Cassidy Welch, a server at a Dallas-area Hooters, was named Miss Hooters International 2024 at the 27th Annual Miss Hooters International Pageant which took place on August 22 at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth.

Meet the 2024 Miss Hooters International winner Cassidy Welch. Hooters

4. Construction to begin on new theme-park-style aquatic park in Garland. A splendid new water park was finally underway in Garland in mid-July: The Surf & Swim Aquatics Facility, coming to 440 W. Oates Rd. in south Garland, was set to begin construction in summer 2024, with an opening anticipated for summer 2026.

5. Mark Cuban reveals mystery behind why he sold the Dallas Mavericks. After two decades as a passionate and hands-on owner, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban took many by surprise in December 2023 when he sold his majority share in the team without explanation. But in three media appearances, he shared the reasons behind his decision, which involved family as well as the new reality of owning a team in the NBA.

6. Where to see the most marvelous Christmas lights around Dallas in 2024. The big, beautiful holiday light displays that Dallas is known for switched on earlier than ever this year, promising an extra long season of sparkle and shine. This is our guide to the most spectacular Christmas lights of 2024 all around Dallas. We also made a separate list for the best homes and neighborhoods to see dazzling lights.

Vitruvian Lights in Addison The famous Vitruvian Lights at Vitruvian Park switched on in November. Photo by Stevan Koye

7. Plano loses arthouse movie theater Angelika after 20 years. An acclaimed independent movie theater in Plano closed: Angelika Film Center & Cafe - Plano, which had been open at The Shops at Legacy shopping center since 2004, closed its doors on June 3. The theater was one of the nicest in DFW, arriving at the Plano shopping center three years after it opened, and three years after Angelika made its DFW debut when it opened at Mockingbird Station in Dallas.

8. Stars of Dallas TV show return to Southfork Ranch for grand reunion. Fans of the iconic TV soap opera Dallas would get a chance to be up-close-and-personal with some of the show's stars during the Southfork Experience, a three-day event to be held at the iconic Southfork Ranch in Parker. Taking place October 25-27, it would consist of a variety of events, including a VIP Cocktail Reception at Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel, a meet-and-greet at Southfork Ranch, a chance to break bread with the actors, and more.

Josh Henderson, Linda Gray Dallas stars Josh Henderson and Linda Gray would be among the celebrities on hand at the Southfork Experience. Photo by Marty Perlman

9. Much anticipated Kaleidoscope Park to debut with fanfare in Frisco. A splashy new park with public art and gardens was finally opening in Frisco in October: Called Kaleidoscope Park, it was a new green space opening inside Hall Park, the mixed-use development off Gaylord Parkway and Dallas Parkway, where it was being billed as the second-biggest park opening in DFW since Klyde Warren Park opened in downtown Dallas in 2012.

10. Official list of 4th of July events and fireworks around Dallas in 2024. When it came to Independence Day events in the Dallas area, our cup ranneth over in a big way. Whether it was Dallas proper or the surrounding suburbs, almost every city in the area held some kind of event in the days leading up to July 4 or on the day itself. This was as close to a comprehensive list as there was on 4th of July-themed events happening in the Dallas area in 2024.

4th of july alamo drafthouse cinemas celebrities christmas lights christmas lights dallas closings dallas tv reunion hot-headlines kaleidoscope park frisco mark cuban mavericks miss hooters international movies parks plano angelika theater theater

Movie Review

Chris Pratt plays one man against the AI machine in thriller Mercy

Photo courtesy Amazon Content Services

Chris Pratt in Mercy.

It seems like every other movie set in modern times being released these days includes either a reference to or a plot revolving around artificial intelligence. In the real world, the benefits of the technology compete with its downsides, but when it comes to movies A.I. is almost always seen as a threat, including in the new film Mercy.

The audience is thrown headlong into the slightly futuristic story involving LAPD Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), who finds himself strapped in a chair in a sparse room, being told that he is on trial for killing his wife. Turns out he’s in a court dubbed “Mercy,” which is overseen by an AI judge named Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson). By the rules of the court, Raven has 90 minutes to provide reasonable doubt of his guilt, or he will be executed on the spot.

Raven is in a multi-pronged quandary: Not only does he believe he’s innocent despite a trove of evidence pointing to his guilt, but he’s also the poster boy for the law enforcement side of the equation, having arrested the first man who went to Mercy. Anger and disbelief for Raven turn into acceptance, which then turns into him tapping into his detective skills, scrutinizing every shred of evidence the court provides him in a desperate attempt to save his own life.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Marco van Belle, the film is a relatively propulsive thriller despite having a so-so story and even worse acting. The film is told in real time (with a few fudges here and there), so the concept alone of a man trying to prove his innocence in a short amount of time provides good intrigue. Bekmambetov’s use of digital elements as Raven scrolls through files or calls potentially exculpatory witnesses like his partner, Jaq Diallo (Kali Reis), keeps the film visually interesting.

On the other hand, the swift viewing of videos and documents by Raven, not to mention the high degree of cooperation by Judge Maddox, opens up more than a few plot holes. The filmmakers try to explain away a few leaps in logic by having Raven falling off the sobriety wagon the night before, but they can only use that excuse for so long. They also have the AI judge experience technical glitches along the way, errors that seem to point toward a wider conspiracy until they’re completely forgotten.

More than anything, it’s difficult to get over the wooden acting of Pratt and the misuse of other usually reliable actors. Pratt has no real presence, especially when he’s confined to a chair, so any emotion he tries to conjure up comes off as contrived. Ferguson is done no favors by a role that shows only her upper body and has her alternating between robotic and oddly sympathetic. Reis earned an Emmy nomination for True Detective: Night Country, but has little to do here, a fate that also takes out Chris Sullivan as Raven’s AA sponsor.

If you’re okay with turning off your brain for a little while, Mercy can be an enjoyable watch. But if you find yourself scrutinizing why characters make the odd decisions they do, or the wishy-washy way the film approaches AI in general, then you’re likely to find the whole thing lacking.

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Mercy is now playing in theaters.

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