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Photo courtesy of Worthington Renaissance Hotel

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that list here.

1. Fort Worth Rooftop Cinema Club returns for spring with new movie lineup and special screenings. After a brief break for winter, Fort Worth's Rooftop Cinema Club, located on top of The Worthington Renaissance Hotel, has released its schedule for the first two months of spring - one that's full of themed programming and special anniversary screenings.

2. New pizzeria in Arlington lobs Chicago-style pizza and Italian roast beef. A new take-out pizzeria is bringing deep dish pizza to a neighborhood in need: Called Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, it's opening at the Green Oaks Plaza in Arlington, at 4407 Little Rd. #610, where it will serve Chicago's favorite style pie as well as a few other Windy City classics.

3. Brazilian steakhouse skewers Dallas-Fort Worth with debut in Grapevine. A new Brazilian steakhouse is coming to Dallas-Fort Worth: Called Chama Gaucha, it's a San Antonio-based churrascaria concept opening its first location in North Texas, at 4025 William D. Tate Ave. in Grapevine. It's opening Saturday, February 25.

4. Target's robot manicurists clock out from 3 Dallas-Fort Worth stores. Attention, Target shoppers: The days of popping into the beauty aisle for a $10 manicure performed by a robot are over. Target and Clockwork, the robots' parent company, confirmed that the service was ending at all stores - including three in Dallas-Fort Worth - February 20.

5. First-of-its-kind Hill Country resort blends acclaimed Texas winery, brewery, and spa. When he’s a beer-loving outdoor enthusiast and she’s a wine-loving spa junkie, agreeing on plans for a quick Hill Country getaway can be tricky. So a new(ish) Hill Country resort with a vacation trifecta - winery, brewery, and spa - beckoned to our writer for a weekend away. Carter Creek Winery, Resort & Spa stands high on a hill overlooking U.S. Hwy. 290, in Johnson City.

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'Yellowstone' stars to greet fans at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

Yellowstone news

Yellowstone fans, get your comfy shoes ready - there'll be a long line for this one. Cole Hauser a.k.a. "Rip Wheeler" on Yellowstone, and Taylor Sheridan, the show's co-creator, executive producer, and director of the series, will meet fans and sign autographs at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

The event will take place from 4:30-6:30 pm only on Friday, February 3. Location is the 6666 Ranch booth near the south end of Aisle 700 in the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall.

According to a February 2 announcement from FWSSR, "fans will have the opportunity to snag an autograph as well as purchase some distinctive Yellowstone and 6666 Ranch merchandise while also enjoying all the features the Stock Show offers."

The event is free to attend (with paid Stock Show admission) and open to the public.

It's the second year in a row for Hauser to appear at FWSSR; in 2022, he and fellow cast mates drew huge crowds.

Sheridan, a Paschal High School graduate, is no stranger to Fort Worth; he lives in a ranch near Weatherford and filmed 1883, the prequel to Yellowstone, in and around Fort Worth. Currently, another spinoff, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, is filming in North Texas.

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is winding up its 2023 run on Saturday, February 4.

A Million Miles Away flies with true story of migrant worker turned astronaut

We are in the midst of, if not the golden age, the rising age of representation in the movies. Minorities, including women, the LGBTQ community, and people of color, are seeing a significant number of films featuring them as leads. It’s a wonder it’s taken this long, as not only are the filmmakers and actors making them proving how talented they are, but the movies also tend to show how profitable they can be for the studios.

The latest example is A Million Miles Away, which centers on the somewhat improbable journey of former NASA astronaut Jose Hernández (Michael Peña). Hernández (played as a child by Juan Pablo Monterrubio) grew up as one of four children of migrant farm workers, traveling annually from their hometown of Michoacán, Mexico to a variety of farms around California to help pick crops.

Hernández showed academic promise at an early age, and went on to get an engineering degree. The bulk of the film shows him doggedly pursuing his dream of becoming an astronaut, one that still seems far away despite his experience as an engineer. With the help of his wife, Adela (Rosa Salazar), and a never-quit attitude, Hernández demonstrates how far one can travel from their supposed station in life.

Written and directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella, and co-written by Bettina Gilois and Hernán Jiménez, the film is inspiring, featuring an appealing lead performance by Peña, who doesn’t get as many starring roles as he should. The filmmakers consistently hit the sweet spot between telling a version of the story that only exists in the movie and being truthful to actual events, blending them seamlessly for a rewarding experience.

While Hernández was not the first Hispanic astronaut at NASA, the movie sells the story as one worth telling because of his background. Márquez Abella pointedly shows how hard Hernández and his family worked during his childhood and the sacrifices they were willing to make, not so subtly showing the value of all migrant farm workers. The movie never strays far from his Mexican culture, an important point that stands in contrast to other films that assimilate their minority characters.

Hernández’s time at NASA is treated neither as a surprise nor as the only important part of his life, and both approaches feel right. The family aspect of the film shines through, first as a child and then with his wife and her family, and spending as much time with them as the film does pays big dividends by the end. Hernández’s career is still the most prominent part of the film, but the debt he owes everyone else in his life comes through loud and clear.

Peña, who has run the gamut of characters in his filmography, shines in this role. He has a great combination of friendliness and determinedness that the part needs, and he elevates everyone around him. Salazar makes the most of what can be a thankless role playing the supportive wife. Bobby Soto, playing a similar role to the one he did in Flamin’ Hot, is once again a solid presence.

There have been a multitude of people who have risen from the bottom in the United States, giving filmmakers innumerable ways to tell a rousing story. A Million Miles Away is an entertaining, hopeful, and joyful look at one such man, and the many people who supported him along the way.

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A Million Miles Away debuts on Prime Video on September 15.

Michael Pe\u00f1a in A Million Miles Away

Photo by Daniel Daza/Prime Video

Michael Peña in A Million Miles Away.

These are the 5 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

This week in gluttony

Dust off your lederhosen – Oktoberfest arrives in Fort Worth this week for an annual three-day celebration of all things German. Practice stein hoisting and your best polka moves, then partake in complimentary salsa dance lessons at a local brewery. Also on the list, a Keller wine tasting, meat and beer pairing, and museum happy hour.

Wednesday, September 20

3V Tasting: Orin Swift
3 Vino Wine Bar & Bottle Shop in Keller will host a wine tasting featuring varietals by Orin Swift. The $29 price includes five wines and a cheeseboard. Visit anytime between 3:30-8 pm. No reservations required.

Thursday, September 21

Fort Worth Oktoberfest
Prost! Fort Worth’s aMunich-style celebration of German culture is back at Trinity Park. Fort Worth Oktoberfest kicks off Thursday featuring loads of German fare (including those soft Bavarian pretzels), carnival games and rides, stein hoisting, barrel racing, dachshund parades, polka music, and plenty of Spaten beer. (Don’t miss Happy Hour Oktobefestband, visiting all the way from Bavaria.) Admission is $10 on Thursday and $15 on Friday and Saturday. Or pay $20 for a three-day pass. A commemorative stein glass is guaranteed when purchasing tickets in advance. Admission is free for children under 12 with a paying adult. The festival runs from 5-11 pm Thursday and Friday, and 11 am-midnight on Saturday.

Meat & Beer Pairing Class at Funky Picnic Brewery & Café
Funky Picnic will partner with The Meat Board butcher shop for an exploratory pairing of meats and beer. Menu items include German sausage, jalapeno sausage, and bacon-wrapped bourbon sugar bourbon quail legs. Beers will range from pilsner to Prostoberfest. Tickets are $41 and the pairing will begin at 7 pm.

Salsa Dance Lessons at Neutral Ground Brewing Co.
Spice up your dance moves with free salsa lessons at the Race Street brewery. The folks at Neutral Ground Brewing Co. will push the tables aside for a makeshift dancefloor and pour up pints for some liquid courage. No partner needed. The lessons will run from 7-8 pm.

Friday, September 22

Kimbell Happy Hour
Friday means it’s time for happy hour at the Kimbell Art Museum. The museum will open after hours for cocktails, bites, and live music. The Allegro Guitar Society will provide tunes while guests can enjoy beverages and bites available for purchase. (Members receive a 10 percent discount.) Admission is free and the event will run from 5-7 pm.