Ready to grab your movie hoodie and get back in the theater? You’re in luck. It’s time for the 52nd Annual USA Film Festival at Angelika Film Center (5321 E. Mockingbird Lane) from Wednesday through Sunday. Opening night on Wednesday features a double feature of short Texas documentaries The Portal and the Park and Texas Wines, as well as features The Pact (based on a true story) and The Phantom of the Open (starring Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins).
Right now through July 10, the Dallas Museum of Art (1717 N. Harwood St.) presents Slip Zone: A New Look at Postwar Abstraction in the Americas and East Asia, which features collection works honoring “significant innovations” in various mediums. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, Bruce Wood Dance presents an accompanying performance exploring abstract expressionism through color and movement.
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science (2201 N. Field St.) continues the National Geographic Live Speaker Series Wednesday, April 6, as it welcomes Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. Dr. Wynn-Grant is a large carnivore ecologist who found her path to wildlife and conservation science watching TV as a kid.
What an insanely lasting pop culture reference, right? Since its premiere in 1965, we’ve been calling mismatched BFFs and roomies, odd couples. If something has that kind of impact, to essentially transcend slang, it’s gotta be a sign of a classic.
If you haven’t taken a dive into the art form, consider this your gateway opera. The Dallas Opera presents The Barber of Seville at the Winspear Opera House (2403 Flora St.) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 27.
Learning can actually be fun. Yes, even during Spring Break. And yes, we realize how old we sound right now. But seriously, hear us out. We remember Spring Break could be a huge bore because we didn’t have anything to do.
Dallas VideoFest is changing its scene a bit. Now, it will offer showcase screenings of films that would’ve normally been found in the schedules of its once weekend-long festivals. DVF kicks off the new series with HONK by Cheryl Allison 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, at Angelika Film Center, 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane.
Love songs and romance aren’t just for Valentine’s Day. The Ten Tenors bring their latest show, Love Is in the Air, to the Eisemann Center (2351 Performance Drive, Richardson) for a 7:30 p.m. performance Wednesday, Feb. 23.
Can’t get to Rome? No worries, Irving Mall (3865 Irving Mall, Irving) is bringing Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel to you.
Did you know there is a Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center (5657 Mariner Drive) located at the Dallas Executive Airport? It offers an enormous collection of World War II nose art and educational exhibitions and collections of artifacts that explore and honor contributions of many.
The selection for HP LitFest’s Flick Fest made perfect sense after author and screenwriter Larry McMurty’s passing last year, but after losing director Peter Bogdanovich just this January, it’s even more bittersweet. The main fundraiser for the literacy and literature festival features The Last Picture Show at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, at the Angelika Theater (5321 E. Mockingbird Lane).
The Denton Black Film Festival (DBFF) is officially online this year, but it’s just as inspired as ever. In fact, without worrying about getting here and there, it might be even easier to experience more of the feature films, docs, shorts, animations and more along with the panels that span filmmaking, naturally, and action-motivating social justice dialogue.
You’ve probably heard of Peng Dang, the Chinese comic based in Dallas. You may think you know the reason I’m going to give, but we’ll leave a certain incident languishing away on the internet where Dang prefers it. What Dang has really excelled at of late is working racism and personal perspective into his sets – the Atlanta shooting, for one topic.
We don’t need summer to have a good time at the Dallas Zoo (640 S. RL Thornton Freeway). In fact, the Zoo is hosting Penguin Days, where admission is cut to $8 through February 28. Children 2 and younger, and Zoo members get in for free.
There’s long been a relationship between fine art and fashion. For Canvas & Silk: Historic Fashion from Madrid’s Museo del Traje, the Meadows Museum (5900 Bishop Ave.) presents pieces of historic dress from items like shoes and jewelry to full ensembles to show artistic connections and just how reality is translated by the artist’s eye. Tickets are $4-$12 for non-members and entry is timed, so reserve yours through Eventbrite.
You know you love it. Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz trade homes to get away from life for a spell and find adventure and love in Los Angeles and Surrey, respectively. Jack Black and Jude Law provide capable love interests while a few subplots make The Holiday a perfectly enjoyable, highly rewatchable movie.
What do you mean you don’t know where to take the out-of-towners? It’s Wednesday, Dec. 22, and soon as you drop the luggage it’s time to get to the Dallas Arboretum (8525 Garland Road) for Holiday at the Arboretum. Day or night, the gardens have gorgeous flora as well as Victorian gazebos depicting the 12 Days of Christmas and a Christmas village, more than one million lights twinkling and a 50-foot musical tree display that plays all the favorites.
Psst! Parents, put on outside pants and get the kiddos to Interabang Books (5600 Lovers Lane) by 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, for Christmas Story Time with Miss Sabrina. Not only is it free, but the stories are top-notch… oh, and guess who’s coming? The main man of December, Santa Claus.
Take a moment away from the craze and hit up The Wild Detectives (314 W. 8th St.) 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8, for the latest installment of the Inner Moonlight poetry reading series. This performance features poet, performer and podcast host Leanetta “Shug” Avery.
We don’t need every concert to be all carols all the time to qualify as festive. In fact, MainStage Irving-Las Colinas’ annual fundraiser is a fun mix of showtunes and snow-tunes performed by theater favorites from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Let’s say the family arrived in town last night and you already need some retail therapy. Just task them with setting the table (sure to inspire incredibly random arguments) and head out to the Texas Christkindl Market at Choctaw Stadium (1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington) between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday for some German Christmas market-ing.
Jo Koy’s name has been a staple in the entertainment world – particularly on stand-up stages – for ages, but this year the laugh man has gotten some different sorts of attention thanks to his heartfelt hosting gig on Metal Shop Masters and his coupling with fellow comic and long-time friend Chelsea Handler.
