Weekend events planner

Here are the top 9 things to do in Houston this weekend

UPDATED: The weekend is almost here, and we’re ready to hit the town. Music to our ears, the lineup this week includes five amazing concerts. There’s also a fun-filled theater district kick-off, festive gelato celebration, can’t-miss market, and an epic fighting match. Read on for the nine best things to do in Houston this weekend.

For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Chill out
Thursday, August 24
Amorino at River Oaks District celebrates its first year of business with a special on its eye-catching Italian gelatos. Small-sized orders ($5.05) get upgraded to classic (medium), and classics ($6.25) get upgraded to large. The festivities also include a photo booth, tote bags, drawings for gift cards, and free balloons for the little ones. (4-10 pm; tickets: free entry)
4444 Westheimer Rd.; 346-319-2194

Cowboy man
Thursday, August 24
Grammy Award winner and Houston hometown favorite Lyle Lovett takes over the stage at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, along with His Big Band. Coupled with a gift for storytelling, Lovett fuses elements of Americana, swing, jazz, folk, gospel, and blues into his music. (8 pm; tickets: $42-$93 per person)
800 Bagby St.; 713-315-2525

Rock on
Thursday, August 24
Austin-based alt-rock band Culture Wars performs songs from their new EP at White Oak Music Hall. Houston's Deep Cuts band and Austin’s DJ Charles Mxxn will also perform. (8 pm; tickets:$10 per person)
2915 N Main St.; 713-237-0370

Magic — UPDATE: This event has been postponed due to expected severe weather.
Friday, August 25
Coldplay returns to Houston for a performance at NRG Stadium. Songs from the British band's seventh album, A Head Full of Dreams, include "Adventure of a Lifetime," "Hymn for the Weekend," and "Up & Up." (7 pm; tickets: $67.50-$688 per person)
8400 Kirby Dr.; 713-629-3700

Glow up — UPDATE: This event has been postponed due to expected severe weather.
Friday, August 25
Mary J. Blige brings her Strength of a Woman Tour to Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land. Opening act Lalah Hathaway shares the bill. (8 pm; tickets: $40.50-$333 per person)
18111 Lexington Blvd., Sugar Land; 281-207-6278

Shop ‘til you drop — UPDATE: This event has been cancelled due to expected severe weather.
Saturday, August 26
Shop it up at the Presidio Market in the Heights. The roster of vendors rotates, but previous vendors include Houston Gardening Market, tin Cup Farms, and Anvil Cards. (9 am-1 pm; tickets: free entry)
911 W 11th St.; 832-740-4574

Knockout
Saturday, August 26
Don’t miss the super-fight between undefeated world champion Floyd Mayweather and UFC superstar Conor McGregor. The epic match airs on the big screen at three area movie theaters: Houston Marq*E Stadium 23, Memorial City Mall, and Willowbrook 24. (8 pm; tickets: $40-$45 per person)
Multiple locations.

Need you now — UPDATE: This event has been postponed due to expected severe weather.
Sunday, August 27
Lady Antebellum performs at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, with Kelsea Ballerini and Brett Young. Songs from Lady Antebellum’s 2017 album, Heart Break, include "You Look Good,”Somebody Else's Heart,” and the title track. (7:30 pm; tickets: $30.75-$178 per person)
2005 Lake Robbins Dr., The Woodlands; 281-363-3300

Raise the curtain — UPDATE: This event has been cancelled due to expected severe weather.
Sunday, August 27
Experience live performances, meet performers, and go backstage at several downtown performing arts spaces at the Theater District Open House. The annual event marks the kick-off of the fall performing arts season in Houston. (Noon-5 pm; tickets: free entry)
912 Prairie St.; 713-658-8938

Coldplay returns to Houston for a performance at NRG Stadium.

Coldplay, Chris Martin, Toyota Center, June 2012

Photo by Chinh Phan

Coldplay returns to Houston for a performance at NRG Stadium.

event-planner

Movie Review

Daniel Craig shines in Queer, an unapologetic tale of love and loss

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

movies film

Weekend events planner

Here are the top 9 things to do in Houston this weekend

Coldplay returns to Houston for a performance at NRG Stadium.

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Movie Review

Daniel Craig shines in Queer, an unapologetic tale of love and loss

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Houston intel delivered daily.