127 BEST OF DALLAS® 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER CONTENTS | READERS’ CHOICE | SHOPPING & SERVICES | FOOD & DRINK | SPORTS & RECREATION | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT we’ve been grappling for a piece of the phenomenon. Connor Storrie, the curly- haired actor who played Ilya Rozanov in the show, grew up in Odessa, Texas, which is close enough for us to claim him a home- town hero. His performance as Rozanov has received critical praise, with Storrie perfectly balancing the toughness and emotional vulnerability needed for the role. Within months of the show’s success, Storrie blew our socks while hosting “Sat- urday Night Live,” and he’s already been announced for a slate of new projects. We can’t wait to watch. BEST CITY MENTION IN POP CULTURE “Disclosure Day” disclosuredaymovie.com/ Dallas gets name-dropped in pop culture often enough, but usually as shorthand — for swagger, excess, oil-money mythology or some vague Sun Belt idea of bigness. What made the mention in Steven Spiel- berg’s sci-fi film “Disclosure Day” land dif- ferently was the full-circle resonance. Hearing Dallas invoked through Emily Blunt’s backstory as a onetime news anchor already felt oddly specific and satisfying. But with Spielberg’s long history here — in- cluding the Medallion Theatre test screen- ing that helped launch “Jaws” — the reference carried extra charge. Even with the sly side-eye of “Dallas is Dallas,” it felt less like a throwaway and more like a wink from someone who remembers. BEST FREE ART GALLERY The Bath House Cultural Center 521 E Lawther Drive, Dallas bathhouse.dallasculture.org A Dallas ZIP code isn’t required for free admission to The Bath House Cultural Center at White Rock Lake. Just walk in, take a left and you’ll find yourself in the middle of one of the Bath House’s rotating exhibitions. Themes vary from month to month, but all exhibits do exactly what a local art gallery should: give a spotlight to local artists. Our top choice arrives each fall with the annual Día de Muertos show, which, last year, explored themes of lost loved ones’ favorite memories. BEST SKATE PARK Bachman Lake Skate Park 2512 Webb Chapel Extension, Dallas skateparksfordallas.org/bachman-lake- skatepark Dallas has a shortage of skateparks. The city makes up for it with one extremely good skate park. The park opened in May of last year, and cost about $4 million in concrete, rails and ex- cavator rentals to dig a massive bowl. The in- vestment was worth it, and the park stays busy with seasoned skaters perfecting their drop- ins and first-time riders still learning how to balance on a board. Covering 46,000 square feet, the park’s size cannot be understated, so no fears of cramped corners and skaters con- verging in ugly and injury-causing collisions. BEST DIRECTOR David Lowery A hometown hero of Dallas cinephiles, David Lowery has done a better job than just about any director working today at balancing big-budget studio fare with intimate indie exercises. This year saw the release of his long-awaited new feature, “Mother Mary,” a supernatural psychodrama starring Anne Hathaway as the titular pop star and Michaela Coel as her former friend and fashion designer. The actors are tremendous, but Lowery is the real star here, crafting a film atmospheric and claustrophobic, basically an intimate stage play punctuated by Taylor Swift- inspired stadium pop performances. “Mother Mary” reminds us that Lowery’s not just one of Dallas’ best directors; he’s one of our finest working filmmakers period. BEST DOCUMENTARY ABOUT DALLAS MUSIC “Round Pegs Square Holes: Art vs. Commerce in Deep Ellum” imperishablemedia.com/home Deep Ellum has been mythologized so often that it risks flattening into aesthetic: neon, flyers, dirt, danger, legend. “Round Pegs Square Holes” gives the neighborhood its texture back. The documentary tracks the rise, collapse and reinvention of Deep Ellum through the people who actually built it — musicians, venue owners, artists and lifers who turned abandoned warehouses into Dal- las history. More than nostalgia bait, the film understands the central tension that made the scene matter: art versus commerce, free- dom versus development, community versus commodification. It’s a love letter, yes, but one with enough honesty to earn it. BEST LOCALLY MADE FILM “Blood Behind Us” instagram.com/bloodbehindus/ Directed by Brendan Gabriel Murphy and starring Tanner Beard (whose Fort Worth- based company, Silver Sail Entertainment, produced it), “Blood Behind Us” was shot over the course of several years. The Photo courtesy of the artist Provided by The Bath House Cultural Center Left: “Carta a Titi” — Acrylic and fabric by Reyes (Noin) Rivera at The Bath House Cultural Center
