Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: July 16

Close on the heels of Bastille Day, there’s Belgian Independence Day. And since everyone likes the taste of freedom (sorry, sorry, sorry), there’s Belgian Beer Week.

Technically, this is really a celebration of the day Leopold I became the first king of the Belgians, which didn’t occur until a year after Belgium wrested its freedom from the Netherlands. However, since Belgium has no shortage of great breweries and were some of the first to experiment with ingredients and techniques, it’s becoming a regular “get sauced” holiday in the spirit of St. Patty’s and Christmas with your extended family. Things kick off tonight at the Flying Saucer in Addison, where they’ll tap Duvel Single and Unibroue 17 at 5 pm. As a bonus, almost all the Saucer’s beers will go for three bucks.

The Asian Film Festival continues tonight at the Magnolia. I like the sound of Yes or No, a romantic comedy from Thailand about two women falling in love, that starts at 7:30 pm. There’s a reception at Malai Kitchen immediately following, which sounds delicious right about now. I’d also like to take this opportunity to recommend seeing Take This Waltz, which is not part of the Asian Film Fest but is currently playing at the Magnolia. It’s writer-director Sarah Polley’s second feature–her first was Away From Her, based on Alice Munro’s short story, The Bear Came Over the Mountain. Read it. You might cry. Anyway, Take This Waltz is beautiful, almost stiflingly warm. It’s not perfect, but full of good performances that highlight the unravelings of the heart, and makes good use of the Leonard Cohen song. Peter’s review says everything I’d say, but better.

For more to do tonight, go here.