Weekend event planner

Here are the top 11 things to do in Houston this weekend

Looking for something to do this weekend? CultureMap has got you covered. Here’s to getting the most out of your free time with 11 can’t-miss events, from a home show to a culinary tour. For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Art talk
Thursday, March 30: Prospect.4, the fourth iteration of recurring three-year contemporary art event Prospect New Orleans, is set to run in the Big Easy November 11 through February 2018. Get the scoop on the art triennial as Prospect.4 artistic director Trevor Schoonmaker, chief curator at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, sits down for a conversation with Houston’s Rick Lowe, founder of Project Row Houses, at MATCH Rehearsal Room (6:30 pm; tickets: free). 3400 Main St.; 713-223-8346

Lebanese affair
Friday, March 31-Sunday, April 2: The third annual Houston Lebanese Festival returns for fun-filled three days of cultural exhibits, lively entertainment and delicious food from falafel to baba ghanoush (Friday at 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday 11 am; tickets: $10 per adult and $5 per child ages 2-12). 600 Louisiana St.; 832-991-8876

Funny French films
Friday, March 31-Sunday, April 2: In the seventh annual edition of Five Funny French Films, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, showcases comedies that have entertained audiences in France but haven't been show widely in the United States. (Friday at 7 pm and 9 pm, Saturday at 7 pm and 9:15 pm, Sunday at 5 pm; tickets $7-$9 per person). Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Brown Auditorium, 1001 Bissonnet St.; 713-639-7300

Double the fun
Friday, March 31-Saturday, April 1: River Oaks Chamber Orchestra closes out its season 12 concert series with a two-day affair, called Double Trouble, featuring the world premiere of the orchestra’s newest commission, ROCOmoji, a concerto grosso for double reeds written by composer Alexander Miller, Saverio Mercadante's Concerto for Flute in E-minor, Gustav Holst's Green Brook Suite, and Arnold Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht (Friday at 7:30 pm and Saturday at 5 pm; tickets: $15-$35 per person). Friday: The Woodlands United Methodist Church, 2200 Lake Woodlands Dr.; Saturday: Church of St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Blvd.

Home sweet home
Saturday, April 1-Sunday, April 2: The 36th Annual Houston Home Show provides experts on everything for home, from windows and doors to outdoor kitchens. You can also expect cooking demos and food samples, and a kid zone (Saturday: 10 am-7 pm; Sunday: 11 am-5 pm; tickets: $9.95 per person). 1001 Avenida de las Americas; 713-853-8000

Urban art
Saturday, April 1: Heartmade Art Market, with over 40 local artists and artisans, takes over downtown’s Main Street Square (11 am-6 pm; tickets: free entry). Shop for original artwork, jewelry, paper products, home goods, and more while you enjoy music by DJ Ill-Set, a kid zone with arts and crafts, food truck fare, and complimentary hand-spun cotton candy. 1100 Main St.; 713-650-3022

Street fest
Saturday, April 1-Sunday, April 2: The two-day Houston Whatever Fest (11:30 am; tickets: $55–$450 per person) presents an eclectic lineup of 80 acts on five stages in east downtown. The festival boasts live music (think AWOLnation, Cold War Kids, and tribute act, Kiss Alike), comedy (from T.J. Miller to Grace Thomas), and works from over 80 artists. 813 St. Emanuel St.; 713-225-5483

Outdoor dining
Saturday, April 1: Dine al fresco at the Spring Wine Event, which takes place on the patio between the Energy Corridor's Le Mistral restaurant and Rouge Wine Bar (1-4 pm; tickets: $15 per adult; $7 per child). Your ticket gets you two glasses of wine (Domaine de Souviou Rose Bandol and Pierre Bovis Chateauneuf du Pape), a traditional French chicken provencal entree (chicken cooked in a sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil), wine tips from Le Mistral’s sommelier, Sylvain Denis, and entertainment by jazz group, The Chris Bitten Project. 1400 Eldridge Pkwy.

Panic attack
Saturday, April 1: Las Vegas pop/rock band Panic at the Disco heads to downtown’s Toyota Center (7 pm; tickets: $57-$428 per person) as part of the group’s Death Of A Bachelor Tour, named for their gold-certified studio album with the same moniker. Indie pop bands MisterWives and Saint Motel will also perform. Toyota Center, 1510 Polk; 866-446-8849.

Take a tour
Sunday, April 2: Join chef and restaurateur Lee Ellis of Cherry Pie Hospitality restaurant group (State Fare, Pi Pizza, Lee’s Fried Chicken & Donuts, Petite Sweets), along with his business partner Jim Mills, for tastings at some of the duo’s favorite Mexican and Asian eateries (12-4 pm; tickets: $190 per person). Catch a ride on a Houston Wave shuttle in the parking lot of Central Market, where exact restaurant locations, kept secret until event time, will be revealed. Central Market, 3815 Westheimer Rd.

Anniversary special
Sunday, April 2: Midtown bar and grill Wooster’s Garden celebrates two years of business with $3 fireball shots, snaps by Photobooth and performances by alternative/indie bands Wild Moccasins and Los Skarnales (4-8 pm; tickets: free entry). Sip and nosh on drinks and bites from the hotspot’s regularly priced menu. Luna Y Sol Mexican grill and The Arepa Grill will also serve up fare. 3315 Milam St.; 713-520-0015

Las Vegas pop/rock band Panic at the Disco heads to downtown’s Toyota Center.

Courtesy of Panic at the Disco/Facebook

Las Vegas pop/rock band Panic at the Disco heads to downtown’s Toyota Center.

event-planner

Movie Review

Timothée Chalamet cements star status in new movie Marty Supreme

Courtesy

Timothée Chalamet

In a time when true movie stars seem to be going extinct, Timothée Chalamet has emerged as an exception to the rule. Since 2021 he has headlined blockbusters like the two Dune movies and Wonka, and also earned an Oscar nomination for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (his second nomination following 2018’s Call Me By Your Name). Now, he’s almost assured to get his third nomination for the stellar new film, Marty Supreme.

Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a world-class table tennis player living in New York. But reducing Marty to his best skill doesn’t do him justice, as he’s also a motormouth schemer who will do almost anything to achieve his dreams. He doesn’t have any qualms about wooing married women like neighbor Rachel (Odessa A’zion) or actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), or hiding his true ping pong skills to win money in scams with friends like Wally (Tyler the Creator).

Marty is seemingly on the go the entire movie, whether it’s trying to convince Kay’s millionaire husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to fund his table tennis ambitions; or trying to track down the dog of Ezra (Abel Ferrara), a man he accidentally injures; or trying to avoid the ire of the boss at the shoe store where he works. Just when you think he might slow down, he’s off to the races on another plan or adventure.

Directed by Josh Safdie and written by Safdie and frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives, and yet the throughline of Marty keeps everything tightly connected. His particular type of brash behavior turns much of the film into a comedy as he does and says things that are both shocking and thrilling.

Another thing that makes the movie sing is the fantastic characterization by Safdie and Bronstein. Almost every person who is given a speaking line in the film has a moment where they pop, which speaks to airtight dialogue that the writers have created. Characters will be introduced and then disappear for long stretches of time, and yet because they make such an impression the first time they’re on screen, it’s easy to pick up their thread right away.

Safdie, as he’s done previously with brother Bennie (Uncut Gems), calls on a host of well-known non-actors or people with interesting faces/vibes to inhabit supporting roles, and to a person they are crucial to the film’s success. O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), rapper Tyler the Creator, director Ferrara, magician Penn Jillette, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi each deliver knockout performances. The relative unknowns who play smaller roles are just as impressive, making each beat of the film feel naturalistic.

Leading the way is the powerhouse performance by Chalamet. For one person to believably play both the famously reserved Dylan and also a firecracker like Marty is astonishing, and this role cements Chalamet’s status as his generation’s movie star. A’zion is a rising star who gets great moments as Marty’s on-again/off-again love interest. Paltrow pops in and out of the film, lighting up the screen every time she appears. Fran Drescher as Marty’s mom and Sandra Bernhard as a neighbor also pay dividends in small roles.

Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial effort is unlike any other movie this year, or maybe even this century. Thanks to its breakneck storytelling, a magnificent performance by Chalamet, and countless intangibles that Safdie employs expertly, the film smacks viewers in the face repeatedly and demands that they come back for more.

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Marty Supreme opens in theaters on December 25.

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