Party time, excellent

Essential guide to parties, parades, and more during Fiesta San Antonio 2018

Fiesta is back — and it's bigger than ever.

The year-long Tricentennial celebration may be bringing worldwide attention to Alamo City, but Fiesta San Antonio still feels like the city's best-kept secret. Running April 19-29, Fiesta is once again filled with dozens of official (and unofficial) events ranging from colorful community parades to family-friendly parties to lavish foodie affairs. Whether you're in it for the medals or just the sense of community, here's where to party during the 11 days of Fiesta 2018.

Fiesta Fiesta — April 19
In the midst of Hemisfair's own 50th anniversary celebration, the former World's Fair site hosts Fiesta Fiesta, the kick off to Fiesta (did we mention this is at Fiesta?) on April 19. Enjoy live music, watch a dazzling fireworks display, and purchase Fiesta pins at Pin Pandemonium during this massive celebration. And for the Selena fans out there, her widower, Chris Perez, will take the stage Thursday afternoon to perform a set filled with the Tejano superstar's hits. Admission is free.

Taste of the Republic: A Texas Culinary Experience — April 19
San Antonio's top chefs including Jason Dady, Geronimo Lopez, Rudy Martinez, Damien Watel, and Lisa Watel take over Marriott Plaza downtown for this one-of-a-kind VIP experience. Attendees will embark on a culinary quest through North Texas, East Texas, South Texas, West Texas, Central Texas, and the Gulf Coast, tasting fare inspired by Texas' six "food regions." Tickets range from $75-100 and can be purchased here.

San Antonio Symphony presents Fiesta Pops— April 20-22
Y'all, thank goodness San Antonio Symphony is back. This year, the city's classical ensemble shines a spotlight on local musicians, dancers, and conductors during Fiesta. Over the weekend, enjoy performances by vocalist Sebastian de la Cruz, 12-piece mariachi band Campanas de America, and dance numbers from the Guadalupe Dance Company. Tickets range from a very reasonable $12.50 to $96 and can be purchased here.

Chaparral Music Festival — April 21
While most of Fiesta's activities and events are centered downtown, the first-ever Chaparral Music Festival brings the party to Northwest San Antonio. Enjoy performances from headliner Kyle Park, as well as George Navarro and Chris Saucedo Band. Picnic blankets are highly encouraged at this family-friendly event which also features food and beverages for purchase, lawn games, and more.

Fiesta's Masked Dance Dance Dance! Party— April 21
"Come as you are not" is the theme of this masquerade dance party hosted at Mission Marquee Plaza. Presented by stalwart San Antonio art collective URBAN-15, Dance Dance Dance! features live music by Los de Esta Noche and El Tallercito de Son, as well as a special costume contest. Admission is free.

Fiesta Art Fair — April 21-22
Southwest School of Art's annual fundraiser is back for its 45th year. Peruse contemporary art from more than 100 local and American artists while snacking on festival favorite fare like gorditas and roasted corn. While adults find the next addition to their art collection, youngsters can take part in the Young Artists Garden, which hosts creative activities and art projects throughout the weekend. Tickets for adults is $12 in advance, $15 at the door, and $5 for children. Proceeds go directly to Texas' only independent art college.

Texas Cavaliers River Parade— April 23
Would it be Fiesta San Antonio without the river parade? Sure, but it wouldn't nearly as fun. Since 1941 this celebration of all things Alamo City has taken over the San Antonio River for a day of fun and festivities. Watch as the brightly colored "floating gardens" drift across the water and listen as mariachi fills the air during this can't-miss affair. The parade begins at 7 pm and runs along this route. Tickets range from $14-26 and entry times are staggered to optimize views.

Fiesta Especial Celebration Day— April 24
Hosted by disABILITYsa at the Alamodome, this Fiesta event is for San Antonians of all ages and abilities. Enjoy accessible rides, take part in a parade, or chow down on delicious fare at this inclusive party. Admission is free.

Battle of the Flowers Parade— April 27
If only all battles were this beautiful. The oldest and largest Fiesta San Antonio parade, the Battle of the Flowers attracts more than 350,000 attendees and, fun fact, is run entirely by women. In honor of the Tricentennial, the theme for the 127th Battle of the Flowers parade is "300 Timeless Treasures." Like the river parade, entry times are staggered. Tickets range from $15-30, and can be purchased here.

Festival De Cascarones — April 29
It's all led up to this. Say adios to Fiesta 2018 with a smashing good time on the Texas A&M University-San Antonio campus. Secondhand Serenade and Blue Water Highway provide the tunes as you celebrate with cascarones, games, and more at this all-ages events. Admission is free.

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Movie Review

Lady Gaga brings an odd musical twist to Joker: Folie à Deux

Photo by Niko Tavernise

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux.

For a movie that was more about one man’s mental health condition than anything related to comic books, 2019’s Joker was shockingly successful, making over $1 billion worldwide and nabbing a Best Actor Oscar for Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix and writer/director Todd Phillips are back with Joker: Folie à Deux(literally meaning "a madness of two"), a film that has some of the same themes but a story that could not feel more different.

After his murder spree in the first film, Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) now calls Arkham Asylum home, where he is alternately tortured and favored by the guards, and revered by his fellow patients. Arthur plays nice for the most part, which leads one of the guards, Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), to allow him to attend a music class in the minimum security ward of the facility, where he meets Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga).

The immediate connection between Arthur and Lee allows Arthur to indulge in more than a few fantasies, ones that manifest themselves in the film as musical sequences involving the two of them. As his fortunes change and he is forced to stand trial for his crimes, Arthur returns to the fantasies repeatedly, with Lee giving him a sense of hope and security that has been missing from his life.

The film, co-written by Scott Silver, features songs so often that the boundary between reality and fiction within the story is completely blurred. Some of the songs show Arthur, Lee, or both singing at Arkham, while others emulate old musicals by creating numbers on a set meant to look like the Murray Franklin talk show from the first film. It’s fair to wonder how much, if any, of it is real or just things that Arthur has conjured to comfort himself.

Most of the songs — “Good Morning,” “Get Happy,” and “That’s Entertainment,” among others — are cribbed from the classic movie musical era of the 1930s-1960s. Their titles and lyrics have surface-level relevance to the story being told, but it’s hard to say their meaning goes deeper than that. They are also so chopped up and delivered so often that it’s difficult to tell what kind of importance Phillips was trying to put on any one individual song.

While the music is the obvious big change, the more significant one is the film’s almost total lack of action. The focus on Arthur and Lee’s possible relationship and Arthur spending most of the film at Arkham leads to very few scenes of mayhem. In fact, hardly anything of substance happens until the film’s final act, and what does happen is less impactful than what fans of the first film may want.

Phoenix, just as he did in Joker, commits fully to the role, appearing to become gaunt once again and making sure the character is sufficiently disturbing. The arc makes him quieter and less annoying this time around, which may or may not disappoint some viewers. Lady Gaga is fine as the character otherwise known as Harley Quinn, although it’s interesting that she was likely hired for her singing ability and the film rarely lets her truly let loose.

If the nihilistic tones of Joker made it a surprise billion-dollar movie, it would be even more of a shocker if Joker: Folie à Deux made anywhere near that type of money. The Joker character has been approached in many different ways, but this is one of the oddest yet.

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Joker: Folie à Deux opens in theaters on October 4.

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