Waking up from Fourth of July festivities, are you? Yes, the world will go on while you recover from whatever party favors mused a delightful carouse in celebration of freedom and all things U.S.A.
Shake it off to continue making the most out of life and partake in this weekend's lineup of curated events, which include free-spirited films, music from video games, shopping for arts and crafts, a monster of yesteryear and one wicked musicale.
Let me make planning even easier for you. Click on the link below each event suggestion to find information about your final destination, just in case you have the urge to shop, eat or drink or need a place to crash for the evening. Also, look for the helpful feature that downloads the intel straight to your electronic calendar.
Film screening: Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation
New York City's Greenwich Village is no longer the bohemian haven it once was. As it's nearly always the case with beatnik neighborhoods, their free spirit is what ultimately causes a demise that results in gentrification, commercialization and urbanism.
Laura Archibald's film kindles the essence of the 1960s and 1970s as residents spoke through art in protest of social and political issues. War, civil liberties and government accountability were grievances of the artists showcased in the film, which includes folks like Judy Collins, Don McLean, Pete Seeger, Carly Simon and José Feliciano.
The skinny: Friday, 7 p.m.; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; tickets are $9.
Houston Symphony presents "Video Games Live"
If the kitschy tunes from Pokemon, Skyrim, Super Smash Bros, Zelda, World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy have ever logged themselves inside your head, you may — or may not — consider a concert in which the music is performed by the city's top artists. The Houston Symphony's "Video Games Live" on Friday is just that and more courtesy of streaming video and lighting effects.
Don your best gaming garb for the costume contest or the Guitar Hero competition.
Game designers and composers will hang before and after the concert if you care to learn more about the industry. Into something more old school? The Houston Symphony carries on with a tuneful tribute to The Rolling Stones on Saturday.
The skinny: Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Jones Hall; tickets start at $35.
Art reception and artist talks: The UNIT Store's "What's In Store"
Printmaking hasn't always been popular in Houston, yet an increasing number of print studios, events and exhibitions have contributed to an increased awareness of the genre among collectors and art consumers. UNIT — an online store that focuses on limited edition prints, multiples and publications by emerging and established printmakers — is part of that united effort.
An exhibition opens at Gallery Sonja Roesch that reveals what the cyber shop will offer in its collection. Among the artists represented are Gissette Padilla, Kamila Szczensa, Kate Kendall, Susanna Mira, Hillerbrand + Magsamen, Tommy Gregory Mark Ponder, Tony Day, Myke Venable and Solomon Kane.
The skinny: Saturday, 4 p.m.; Gallery Sonja Roesch; free event.
First Saturday Arts Market
When you are hard pressed to find a gift for that difficult-to-shop-for friend or loved one — or for yourself — surely one of the vendors at the First Saturday Arts Market has just the thing. The parking lot at 548 19th St. turns into an eclectic pop-up mart for the evening where abstract paintings, glass earrings, steampunk jewelry, photography and handmade books are up for grabs.
The skinny: Saturday, 6-10 p.m.; 548 19th St. in The Heights; free event.
Alamo Drafthouse Badass Digest Series Screening: Godzilla
By today's standards, the King of Monsters has lost some of his blood-curling power at the hands of cheesy interpretations that deviate from the original 1954 film by Ishiro Honda. When you consider that Godzilla was released nine years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the movie takes on an eerie tenor that warns about the aftermath of weapons of mass destruction.
Godzilla isn't all doom and gloom, but don't expect a Disney-esque happily-ever-after conclusion, either.
The skinny: Monday, 7:30 p.m.; Alamo Drafthouse Vintage Park; tickets are $9.
Arts smarty pants and in-the-loop happy gal Nancy Wozny's pick: Gexa Energy Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Wicked
Nancy says: " 'Popular, I want to be Popular.' Really, who here can't hum Stephen Schwartz's adorable tune from Wicked, the very first prequel musical and the very musical that got young people back interested in musical theater?
"I will never forget seeing Idina Menzel as the green girl Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as spoiled rich girl Glinda on Broadway. Expect fab tunes and lots of gravity defying moves!"
The skinny: July 10 through Aug. 11; Hobby Center; tickets start at $44.
The film Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation kindles the essence of the 1960s and 1970s as residents spoke through art in protest of social and political issues.
