Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

The slate of events in and around Fort Worth this weekend will require that you be comfortable outdoors, as that is where most of them are taking place. The outdoor choices will include an artistic festival and four different concerts. If you'd rather stay inside, you can see a great new documentary, an acclaimed country group, a dog film festival, or a local production of a popular Broadway musical.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this Memorial Weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Friday, June 1

Sundance Square presents Plaza Palooza
Plaza Palooza is a free two-day festival at Sundance Square Plaza that will feature chalk artists, live music, visual street artists, and other fun entertainment. Performers at the festival, taking place on Friday and Saturday, will include Luke Wade, Prophets and Outlaws, The Hip Abduction, and more. The professional chalk artists will begin their street paintings on Friday and finish on Saturday.

Magnolia at the Modern: RBG
RBG is an intimate portrait of an unlikely rock star: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers explore how Ginsburg's early legal battles changed the world for women. This documentary about the oldest current Supreme Court Justice will screen six times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

The Peterson Brothers in concert
The Peterson Brothers combine youthful energy and modern influences with old-school blues, soul, and funk to a create a sound that is uniquely their own. Led by Glenn Jr. and Alex, the Peterson Brothers have had the opportunity to play with and open for the likes of Gary Clark, Jr., Buddy Guy, the late B.B. King, and other musical greats. They'll play at the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts in Arlington.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Concerts in the Garden: The Texas Tenors
Since their debut eight years ago on NBC’s America's Got Talent, The Texas Tenors have accumulated a long list of awards and accolades, including three Emmy Awards for the PBS special “You Should Dream,” and an enthusiastic fan base. The Texas Tenors will return to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden with their unique blend of country, classical and Broadway, breathtaking vocals, humor, and a touch of cowboy charm.

The Mavericks in concert
Not many country music acts come out of Miami, Florida, but The Mavericks have been bucking that notion for almost 30 years. Known for hits like "O What a Thrill" and "All You Ever Do is Bring Me Down," the band combines country with Tex-Mex and rockabilly for a sound that is uniquely their own. They'll play at Billy Bob's Texas in support of their 2017 album, Brand New Day.

Saturday, June 2

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents NY Dog Film Festival
Cats got their chance to be on the big screen last week, and now it's the dogs' turn. The NY Dog Film Festival is a philanthropic celebration of the love between dogs and their people, offering dog lovers a shared audience experience of films from around the world that inspire, educate, and entertain about the human-canine bond. The festival will screen three separate times on Saturday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Casa Mañana presents Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!, writer Catherine Johnson’s sunny, funny tale that unfolds on a Greek island paradise, is the ultimate feel-good show. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. The story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs propels this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship. The musical will play at Casa Mañana Theatre through June 10.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Concerts in the Garden: Dennis DeYoung — The Music of Styx

Dennis DeYoung was a founding member of the band Styx and the lead vocalist and writer for seven of the band’s eight top 10 hits. Travel back in time for hits like “Lady,” “Babe,” “Come Sail Away,” “Best of Times,” “Mr. Roboto,” and more when DeYoung joins the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for an evening showcasing the music of Styx at Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

Sunday, June 3

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Concerts in the Garden: 1812 Overture and Symphonic Sparklers
There is simply nothing quite as awe-inspiring as experiencing some of classical music’s greatest hits performed by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in the idyllic setting of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. The evening will highlight symphonic masterpieces including Tchaikovsky’s popular 1812 Overture set to a stunning fireworks display. The concert will be under the direction of Ron Spigelman.

Casa Mañana presents Mamma Mia!, June 2-10.

$Casa Man\u0303ana presents Mamma Mia$

Photo by Chip Tompkins

Casa Mañana presents Mamma Mia!, June 2-10.

event-planner

Movie Review

Film of the summer Deadpool & Wolverine has all the action and laughs

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine.

The Deadpool series has been an antidote to the often self-serious or earnest offerings that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had to offer over the past 16 years. Even though technically not part of the MCU, the R-rated films have joyfully riffed on other comic book hero films while also delivering a level of violence that those films would never dare to show on screen.

The 2019 purchase of 20th Century Fox, which owned the rights to Deadpool and the X-Men, by Disney made it a lot easier to bring the Merc with the Mouth into the MCU, which is finally happening with Deadpool & Wolverine. Naturally, that integration is done with the trademark Deadpool flair via a veritable avalanche of jokes making fun of Marvel’s checkered movie history and Wade Wilson/Deadpool/Ryan Reynolds himself.

The film – directed by Shawn Levy and written by Levy, Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells – is such a jokefest that the story doesn’t really matter. Using the TVA (Time Variance Authority) from the Disney+ show Loki as a centering device, the film has Deadpool trying to save his own timeline from extinction. In order to do this, he needs to find an alternate timeline version of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to replace the one that died in Logan, a version that, according to the film, was crucial to that timeline’s survival.

That synopsis is really a bunch of nonsense to give the filmmakers an excuse to pair up Deadpool and Wolverine for two hours of mayhem. And, oh, is the chaos glorious. From the moment the two anti-superheroes meet, it is an almost never-ending series of profane insults, bloody fights that do little damage to the self-healers, and a litany of riotous cameos and sight gags that take fans down memory lane.

Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that the film brings in a bunch of other Marvel heroes to join in on the fun, but maybe not the ones you think they will. True fans will know that Marvel’s movie history did not start with 2008’s Iron Man, and many of those films are referenced in one way or another. Combined with the history of Deadpool’s first appearance in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, real-life media mergers, and other Hollywood blockbusters, there is a lot that the film can draw from to skewer and honor in equal measures.

Those who’ve seen the first two Deadpool films may think they know what to expect with this third outing, but they’d be wrong. There are the familiar elements like Deadpool breaking the fourth wall by talking directly to the camera or bouncing back from even the most heinous injuries, but the sheer number of targets for film’s comedy make it almost impossible to keep up. The opening scene sets the tone in a hilarious and grotesque manner, and the fun continues until after the credits end.

As he showed in the first two films, Reynolds is the perfect match for the character of Deadpool, as he knows exactly to deliver his trademark snark without becoming insufferable. Jackman, after years of playing Wolverine as a tortured soul (both physically and mentally), finally gets to let loose, and the result is as fantastic as fans might hope. That delight extends to all the supporting actors, especially Matthew Macfayden and Rob Delaney.

This may or may not be the last time the 47-year-old Reynolds stars as Deadpool, and if it is his final bow, he has given fans one of the most satisfying trilogies of all time. Each film, including this one, has defied expectations in its ability to take a one-note character and mine laughs from an amazing number of sources.

---

Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theaters on July 26.

movies film