One of Austin's most beloved music series, KGSR's Unplugged at the Grove, is back to entertain locals this spring and summer with a stellar 21st season lineup. Beginning on April 10 and lasting until September 18, the preliminary programming features talented musicians appearing every Thursday night at Barton Springs hot spot, Shady Grove.
Kicking off the series is local favorite What Made Milwaukee Famous. The 24 consecutive weeks of musical luminaries include a host of local favorites, like Shinyribs, Bob Schneider, Shakey Graves, Ruby Jane, Emily Bell, Dale Watson and more.
Each performance begins at 8 pm, with absolutely no cover charge. Guests can enjoy $3 Ziegenbock along with comfort food and comforting tunes in the relaxed Shady Grove setting.
April 10: What Made Milwaukee Famous April 17: Dirty River Boys April 24: TBD May 1: Carolyn Wonderland May 8: Charlie Mars May 15: The Unlikely Candidates May 22: Bob Schneider May 29: Quaker City Night Hawks June 5: Shakey Graves June 12: Ruby Jane June 19: James McMurtry June 26: Reckless Kelly July 3: Joe King Carrasco July 10: Waterloo Revival July 17: The Warren Hood Band July 25: Shinyribs July 31: TBD August 7: Emily Bell August 14: TBD August 21: Band of Heathens August 28: Dale Watson September 4: Ray Wylie Hubbard September 11: TBD September 18: TBD
KGSR's 21st Unplugged at the Grove music series takes place on April 10 - September 18.
Photo courtesy of KGSR
KGSR's 21st Unplugged at the Grove music series takes place on April 10 - September 18.
Toothless and Mason Thames in How to Train Your Dragon.
Let’s get it out of the way right at the top: The new live-action How to Train Your Dragon, coming a mere 15 years after the original animated film, serves no real purpose other than to make more money for Universal Pictures and Dreamworks Pictures. However, unlike Disney’s approach toward remaking their animated movies, this attempt manages to succeed on its own merits instead of being a half-baked vessel for nostalgia.
As fans will remember, Hiccup (Mason Thames) lives in Berk, a town on a remote island populated by Vikings who constantly have to defend themselves against rampaging dragons. Hiccup’s dad, Stoick (Gerard Butler), is the community’s vaunted leader, with a legacy that seems impossible for Hiccup to measure up to, especially since he’s stuck in the armory alongside Gobber (Nick Frost).
But Hiccup has a knack for inventions, and his use of one new weapon during a dragon attack takes down a feared Night Fury. Finding the wounded dragon deep in the forest, Hiccup decides against killing it, leading to an unexpected bond between the two of them. Most of the film shows Hiccup trying to prove himself to his townspeople, including the fierce Astrid (Nico Parker), while also nursing the dragon he dubs Toothless back to health with the help of another one of his ingenious creations.
Written and directed by Dean DeBlois (who’s had the same roles on all four HTTYD films), the film is most notable for how engaging it is despite it retelling a story many already know and love. The biggest reason for this is a pivot away from telling a story mainly for kids toward one that feels like an extremely light version of Game of Thrones. Almost right away, there are real stakes for the people in the film, and the way DeBlois and his team stage the scenes, the danger can be felt by the audience.
This sense of “realness” comes through especially well in the scenes between Hiccup and Toothless. The design of Toothless is faithful to the original, but the CGI makes the dragon feel amazingly believable. And when they start flying, the film literally and metaphorically takes off. At multiple points, the camera seems to have trouble keeping them in frame, a smart move toward verisimilitude when the filmmakers clearly could have made it an overly smooth watching experience.
Even though it’s more serious than the original, the film still has plenty of fun to offer. Characters like Gobber (who replaces his two missing limbs with odd contraptions) and the ragtag group of teenagers who come to be in awe of Hiccup’s skills at taming dragons provide more than a few laughs. Hiccup isn’t quite as goofy as he was when voiced by Jay Baruchel, which turns out to be a good thing as his sense of purpose amps up the drama of the story.
Thames’ performance gets better and better as the film goes along, as Hiccup goes from town whipping boy toward hero. He really shines in the last act when he’s given a few scenes that show off his acting range. Parker is equally good, demonstrating the girl power needed for the role, but also the softness of a potential love interest. Butler, the only actor reprising their voice role, is a great presence who sells the outsized personality of Stoick.
Against the odds, this new version of How to Train Your Dragon is equal to the success of the first film, accomplishing the goal of making it feel like you’re watching the story for the first time. If live-action remakes are going to continue to come out, future filmmakers should study this film for how to respect both the history of the franchise and the audience paying good money to be entertained.
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How to Train Your Dragon opens in theaters on June 13.