Romance is All Around

9 creative Valentine’s dates around Dallas that don't involve dinner

Valentine's-themed events like a live painting at Samuel Lynne Galleries offer great alternatives for romance-seeking couples.

Photo courtesy of JD Miller

Going out to dinner on Valentine's Day is a tried-and-true tradition, but why deal with the masses - on a Saturday night, no less - when you can spend some quality time with your significant other at a fun event?

We've gathered together nine great Valentine's-themed events taking place on around the actual date to show your partner that you know how to think outside of the box. Click each link for ticket prices, reservations, and more information. (And by the way, if you do want to add dinner to the mix, here is a long list of restaurants doing something special for Valentine's.)

Thursday, February 12

Perot Museum of Nature and Science presents Valentine's on Tap
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science will present a vibrant, Valentine’s-themed night out as a special edition of their "Thursdays on Tap" series. Guests can spend the evening exploring the museum after hours, enjoying live music, food and drinks, sweet treats, and full access to the exhibit halls without the daytime crowds.

Friday, February 13

Tribute Masters presents Sinatra and Bublé
The concert Sinatra and Bublé will be a night of romance, nostalgia, and timeless music as the special Valentine's tribute show features the legendary sounds of Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé as performed by Dave Halston and Michael Nugent. The show will feature Sinatra's classic hits like "Fly Me to the Moon" and "My Way" and Bublé's modern favorites like "Haven't Met You Yet" and "Everything." The concert takes place at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Saturday, February 14

Richardson Community Chorale presents Love Songs
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, the men and women of the Richardson Community Chorale will celebrate romance by sharing some of their favorite songs of love. The afternoon concert will take place at First Presbyterian Church of Richardson.

Samuel Lynne Galleries presents JD Miller's Valentines Day Live Painting
Renowned Reflectionist artist JD Miller will return for the 10th Annual Valentine’s Day Live Painting Event at Samuel Lynne Galleries. Miller will create a live masterpiece beginning at 6:45 pm, reimagining a McShan Florist arrangement into a one-of-a-kind painting, capturing the essence of love through movement, texture, and light.

Grapevine Vintage Railroad presents Sweetheart Wine Train
In celebration of Valentine's Day, Grapevine Vintage Railroad will present the Sweetheart Wine Train, on which guests can celebrate with a leisurely train ride from Grapevine to Fort Worth and back. Two glasses of fine Texas wine will be served in a souvenir wine glass, along with individually portioned savory bites and dessert. All women will receive a single red rose, and additional wine will be available for purchase.

Avant Chamber Ballet presents Rhythm and Romance
Avant Chamber Ballet's Valentine's Day production will feature three inspiring ballets. Valse Fantaisie, choreographed by George Balanchine, is a ballet with a whirl of perpetual motion set to Glinka’s swooning melodies. In Paul Mejia’s hands Astor Piazzolla’s famous tangos come to life in Cafe Victoria, a cheeky, sensual story ballet set in a smokey “barre.” Katie Puder’s Sisterhood closes the evening with a celebration of the bonds of friendship beyond blood and our interwoven community featuring music composed by Dallas native Quinn Mason. There will be performances on February 14 and 15 at Moody Performance Hall.

Timeless Concerts presents Valentines Special and Fundraiser
Timeless Concerts' annual Valentines Special and Fundraiser showcases a variety of music performed by violinists LeeAnne Chenoweth and Keyreel Raskolenko, cellist Alice (Jeong-A) Lee, and pianist Heejung Kang. They will play spicy tango music of Astor Piazzolla of Argentina, plus selections of the great romantics. The hour-long concert at Holt Hickman Center will be followed by a post-concert party with pianist Erik Barnes, who will take requests. Guest can enjoy charcuterie style bites, desserts, wine, and soft drinks.

Uptown Revue presents The Hot Mess Heartbreaker Show
The Hot Mess Heartbreaker Show is a late-night, no-holds-barred popcorn-throwing comedy burlesque variety special crashing into Valentine’s Day, because romance is better after dark and a little unhinged. Guests get automatic entry into a raffle, themed food and drink specials, and popcorn projectile privileges. The performance takes place at Pocket Sandwich Theatre in Carrollton.

Sunday, February 15

Bodies Race Company presents Couple Shuffle
For those who like to work off their Valentine's Day indulgences, the annual Couple Shuffle offers races in 2-mile, 5k, and 10k distances. At the Valentine's themed race, participants will enjoy a course sprinkled with photo ops, and a finish line filled with sweet treats and high-fives. Swag includes a designer shirt & custom medal, chip-timing with live results and awards, and treats. Taking place at Audubon Park in Garland, there will also be a kid's dash, an untimed dash for children ages 10 and under. Registration includes a mini bib, youth-sized shirt, and a specifically crafted medal for kids.

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Movie Review

New film I Want Your Sex somehow makes kinky activity boring

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde in I Want Your Sex.

Writer/director Gregg Araki has been making provocative movies for nearly 40 years, releasing his debut - Three Bewildered People in the Night - in 1987. Most of them have had plotlines that revolved around sex in one way or another, and for his latest - his first film in 12 years - he’s putting it right there in the title, I Want Your Sex.

Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) is an aimless twenty-something who can’t even afford the rent for his apartment with best friend, Apple (Chase Sui Wonders). Thankfully, he finds a job at the gallery of artist Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), who is open with her sexuality both in her artwork and in her day-to-day life. That soon includes Elliot, whom she convinces to enter into a dominant-submissive relationship with her, with sessions taking place both at work and her home.

Elliot, who’s in a going-nowhere coupling with Minerva (Charli XCX), is more than willing to participate, both because it lets him feel something he doesn’t get normally and because Erika offers a perspective on sex that’s much different from people of his generation. But as he gets in deeper with her, he starts to lose a sense of himself, going down a path in which he finds himself talking to police detectives Zem (Johnny Knoxville) and Zola (Margaret Cho).

Araki does his level best to make I Want Your Sex into a broad comedy, and early on it seems as if he might succeed. The deadpan way that sexual objects appear in the film (a penis-shaped rug in Elliot and Apple’s apartment, a vagina artwork with chewed gum as the medium) make for amusing sight gags. He also makes Elliot the bewildered other in multiple twosomes, with Minerva being the funniest, as she’s way more interested in studying than his ham-fisted attempts at sex.

It’s clear that Araki wants the film to be a commentary on the generational differences about sex, but he fumbles his own idea. It starts with an on-the-nose conversation between Erika and Elliot, and continues with the various dalliances, which seem to be more about making Elliot look and feel ridiculous than giving true insight. Their encounters certainly open his mind about what sex can be, but their one-note nature makes them repetitive and frankly boring, odd considering the acts in which the two engage.

The uninspired storytelling makes the 90-minute film drag way more than it should. Araki includes a few other characters to try to vary the tone of the film, including gallery workers Zap (Mason Gooding) and Vikktor (Daveed Diggs), but their early promise yields little results. The framing device of Elliot’s interview with the detectives never works, especially because Araki completely neuters the personalities of Cho and Knoxville for seemingly no good reason.

The cast as a whole goes to waste. Hoffman is showing the promise of his late father (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and even though he’s appealing here, the material pulls him down. Wilde just made her own provocative movie about sex (The Invite), and this one pales in comparison despite her heightened performance. Wonders, Charli XCX, and Gooding are all young stars who deserve to be showcased much better than they are in this film.

A film called I Want Your Sex is announcing itself as daring and alluring, but this film contains almost none of those qualities. Instead, it’s a slog that only occasionally has something interesting to show or say, mostly relying on the power of its actors to hold viewers’ attention - and failing at even that.

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I Want Your Sex is now playing in select theaters.

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Movie Review

New film I Want Your Sex somehow makes kinky activity boring