Roller skating is wheeling in to Dallas' Design District via Ride On, a new adult-oriented rink opening at 170 Pittsburg St., at the corner of Riverfront Boulevard, in fall 2023.
According to a release, Ride On is from On Brand Hospitality, a new company formed by Adrian Verdin, previously of Jaxon Beer Garden at the AT&T Discovery District, who wanted to revive the present-day roller rink by infusing it with an "elevated" social experience.
It'll go into a space, still to be built, right next door to Texas Ale Project.
Ride On will be an "adults-only" roller skating rink, thank god — a “social drink rink” with a chef-driven menu, arcade area, DJ booth, and more.
The entire venue will span more than 17,000 square feet, with the rink itself coming in at 7,000 square feet.
It'll boast an '80s cyberpunk atmosphere, with a disco ball DJ booth in the center and state-of-the-art sound systems.
Skaters will skate on custom-made Ride On skates and be able to simultaneously enjoy craft cocktails and mocktails.
Outside of the rink, amenities will include an arcade, lounge, restaurant, and bar.
Verdin and Vyctoria (Torry) Cray, COO of On Brand Hospitality, want Ride On to be a place where guests can have fun and let loose, regardless of skating skills.
"We can say there is nothing like this in the world. Trust me, we’ve checked," Verdin says in a statement. "An adult-only roller rink, quality food and beverage, state of the art sound system, custom made skates and we can't wait to reveal who our chef is."
In a time when true movie stars seem to be going extinct, Timothée Chalamet has emerged as an exception to the rule. Since 2021 he has headlined blockbusters like the two Dune movies and Wonka, and also got nominated for an Oscar for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (his second nomination following 2018’s Call Me By Your Name). Now, he’s almost assured to get his third nomination for the stellar new film, Marty Supreme.
Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a world-class table tennis player living in New York. But reducing Marty to his best skill doesn’t do him justice, as he’s also a motormouth schemer who will do almost anything to achieve his dreams. He doesn’t have any qualms about wooing married women like neighbor Rachel (Odessa A’zion) or actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), or hiding his true ping pong skills to win money in scams with friends like Wally (Tyler the Creator).
Marty is seemingly on the go the entire movie, whether it’s trying to convince Kay’s millionaire husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to fund his table tennis ambitions; or trying to track down the dog of Ezra (Abel Ferrara), a man he accidentally injures; or trying to avoid the ire of the boss at the shoe store where he works. Just when you think he might slow down, he’s off to the races on another plan or adventure.
Directed by Josh Safdie and written by Safdie and frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives, and yet the throughline of Marty keeps everything tightly connected. His particular type of brash behavior turns much of the film into a comedy as he does and says things that are both shocking and thrilling.
Another thing that makes the movie sing is the fantastic characterization by Safdie and Bronstein. Almost every person who is given a speaking line in the film has a moment where they pop, which speaks to airtight dialogue that the writers have created. Characters will be introduced and then disappear for long stretches of time, and yet because they make such an impression the first time they’re on screen, it’s easy to pick up their thread right away.
Safdie, as he’s done previously with brother Bennie (Uncut Gems), calls on a host of well-known non-actors or people with interesting faces/vibes to inhabit supporting roles, and to a person they are crucial to the film’s success. O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), rapper Tyler the Creator, director Ferrara, magician Penn Jillette, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi each deliver knockout performances. The relative unknowns who play smaller roles are just as impressive, making each beat of the film feel naturalistic.
Leading the way is the powerhouse performance by Chalamet. For one person to believably play both the famously reserved Dylan and also a firecracker like Marty is astonishing, and this role cements Chalamet’s status as his generation’s movie star. A’zion is a rising star who gets great moments as Marty’s on-again/off-again love interest. Paltrow pops in and out of the film, lighting up the screen every time she appears. Fran Drescher as Marty’s mom and Sandra Bernhard as a neighbor also pay dividends in small roles.
Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial effort is unlike any other movie this year, or maybe even this century. Thanks to its breakneck storytelling, a magnificent performance by Chalamet, and countless intangibles that Safdie employs expertly, the film smacks viewers in the face repeatedly and demands that they come back for more.
