weekend event planner

Here are the top 12 things to do in Houston this weekend

Rock out, shop, and check out some vibrant art at Saturday's Hot August Night.

Photo illustration courtesy of Emily Jaschke/Mid Main

Heads up, breakdancing fans: Red Bull BC One (aka the world's largest breaking competition), will be in town on Saturday. Watch the best b-boys and b-girls of Houston go head-to-head on the battle floor, with only one winner to be crowned.

Meanwhile, the weekend offers plenty of fun, including plenty of cool concerts, beer olympics (if you still need that Olympic fix), massive dinosaurs, Indian-meets-Spanish dance, and a punk rock garage sale. Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, August 12

Positivity Popup Benefiting Kids Meals and Animeals
Houston Heights realtor Caroline Schlemmer will partner with Generation Serve to host her latest Positivity Popup at A 2nd Cup this weekend. The free event is designed to promote volunteerism and will include fun DIY projects for kids that will benefit Kids Meals and Animeals. Examples include preparing lunch bags and making pet toys. Recent Positivity Popups have seen over 300 attendees. This event is ideal for kids and families preparing for back-to-school. 3 pm.

Holocaust Museum Houston presents Dr. Alan Schlesinger
Holocaust Museum Houston and its Boniuk Library will host Dr. Alan Schlesinger for a free author talk. Dr. Schlesinger will discuss his new book, Resilience: The Story of How My Father Survived the Holocaust. Dr. Schlesinger will tell the story of his father Joe’s three-year journey of survival that included 17 months of forced laborer on the eastern front followed by deportation to Auschwitz, where he survived for six months before spending an additional four months in five other concentration camps. 6 pm.

Friday, August 13

Kem in concert with Babyface and Musiq Soulchild
Get ready for a primo-soul experience at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion this weekend. First off, we've got smooth-as-hell, adult-contemporary R & B star Kem, who'll be here promoting his 2020 album Love Always Wins. Then, we have R &B legend Babyface, who has written and performed hit songs for such artists as Whitney Houston, Madonna, Ariana Grande, Usher and himself. Finally, we have Musiq Soulchild, who practically made it cool to listen to neo-soul in the early 2000s. Oh, this is gonna be sweet! 7 pm.

Zach Person in concert
Before he takes off on his first European tour, new Texas artist Zach Person will have his Houston LP release show at House of Blues this weekend. The Austin-based, 24-year-old guitar-playing phenom has a brand-new, self-titled record, produced by Will Loconto (Information Society/T-4-2), that dropped in April. Person got his start playing music in Houston (at the House of Blues, specifically), so this show is very much a homecoming for him. 7 pm.

Silambam Houston presents Sharing Stories
With cross-cultural conversation and collaborative storytelling, Sharing Stories incorporates Indian classical dance, flamenco and theater arts into a unique, family-friendly experience for diverse audiences. Act One is a Kathak-Flamenco curtain-raiser featuring two dynamic dance ensembles, accompanied by live musicians from Indian classical and Spanish folk tradition. Act Two is the feature presentation, which tells the story of a 16-year old warrior who fought fearlessly in the epic Kurukshetra war of Indian mythology. 8:30 pm.

Saturday, August 14

Revelry Summer Beer Olympics
Revelry on Richmond will be hosting this "Olympic" event — so grab your family, friends or fellow coworkers. (All you need is a team of 4 and $20.) There will be fun events such as giant beer pong, cornhole, golden tee closest to the pin, b-ball shootout, flip cup tic-tac-toe, and speed connect-4. Plus, there will be bonus points if your team dresses alike. The first-place winner will receive $400 in cash, $100 dollars in cash & a $100 gift card for second place, and a $100 Revelry on Richmond gift card for third place. 1 pm.

Community Artists' Collective presents "Third Ward Special" opening reception
For its August exhibit, Community Artists' Collective will highlight Houston’s iconic Third Ward neighborhood through the lenses of six photographers with deep roots in the area. This will feature the works of Marc Furi, Flash Gordon Parks, Rabéa Ballin, Risky Cereal, Brian Ellison, and Derrell Boson. The art is inspired by the many facets of the cultural, historic epicenter and is curated by Miles Payne and Marc Newsome. On display through Saturday, September 25. 5 pm.

Mid Main's Hot August Night
Mid Main lofts will host a "hot" night of entertainment, starting with music by Shakin’ All Over at Double Trouble along with drink specials at the Brass Tap — for those who mention Hot August Night.

Stop, shop and sip at the Mid Main Lofts Gallery for the FULL METAL JASCHKE art show (by frequent CultureMap contributor, Emily Jaschke), as well as My Flaming Heart, and grab the perfect disco outfit at the Fashion Time Machine. Both stores and the gallery will be open late.

Later, event headliners Disco Expressions will perform “A touch of Neil Diamond” at the Continental Club starting at 9 pm. The fun kicks off with Mid Main Lofts Gallery Open House featuring the FULL METAL JASCHKE Art Show from 6 pm-8 pm.

Road to River Revival Music Fest
Downtown District will close out its Road to River Revival Music Fest, a free monthly concert series at Market Square Park, this weekend. Presented in collaboration with Houston record label Splice Records and Saint Arnold Brewing Company, these concerts presented regional performers that showcased the genres represented at Splice Records’ River Revival Music Festival, taking place this September in New Braunfels. This month’s concert features Money Chicha with Mia Borders. 7:30 pm.

Sunday, August 15

Jurassic Quest at NRG Center
Sunday will be the last day to check out this dinosaur-full spectacle, which will be happening this weekend at NRG Center. Jurassic Quest features over 100 realistic life-size dinosaurs, including Apatosaurus, Spinosaurus, T-Rex, and a 50-foot-long Megalodon. Guests can interact with walking dinosaurs and baby dinos, ride enormous dinosaurs, experience a giant fossil dig, face painting, bounce house, games, and more. Let's hope a lot of folks show up dressed as Laura Dern or Jeff Goldblum. 9 am.

Punk Rock Garage Sale at Brash Brewing
You know, it's been a hot minute since we last checked in on our favorite garage sale devoted to anything punk-related. More than 24 individual vendors (both inside and outside) will be offering up music equipment, toys, zines, DVDs and VHS, albums and cassettes, clothing, art, and all kinds of weird stuff. Vendors will be spaced out to allow for proper social distancing, and masks are required to enter venue and when approaching vendors. Kids and dogs are always welcome. 1 pm.

Mutiny Wine Room's St. Roch Day "Yappy Hour" benefiting PupSquad Animal Rescue
Celebrate St. Roch, the Patron Saint of Dogs, for a "Yappy Hour" benefiting PupSquad Animal Rescue. Guests will receive a complimentary glass of sparkling wine and light bites at the event honoring PupSquad and the people who work so hard to save Houston's homeless animals. 4 pm-6 pm.

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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