weekend event planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Enjoy a fruitful wine party on Thursday.

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The start of the weekend is always a little better with a libation, and with that in mind, a local wine and cheese shop is throwing a three-day wine party. The weekend also offers a film fest and an international music performer's intimate digital performance. Get a head start on your Dia de Muertos festivities at a local gallery or hit up a new farmers market.

Hat lovers can shop, stroll, and shop at cool local venue, a national comedian hits up a drive-in, and a film discussion reminds us why this year, it's really, really important to vote. Here are your best picks for the weekend.

Thursday, October 22

2020 Fall Release Party with Southold Farm + Cellars at Montrose Cheese & Wine
The Houston Mac & Grilled Cheese Fest was supposed to happen on Saturday. As cheese aficionados, we're quite disappointed about this. Thankfully, Montrose Cheese & Wine will be around with the three-day "Natural Desires: A Weekend Dedicated to the Fruitful Pursuit." Things will kick off with a Southold Farm + Cellars' Fall Release Party, which will include a by-the-glass takeover, as well as special bottlings available for retail. 5 pm.

2020 Next International Film Festival at Next Actor Studio
On Wednesday, the sixth-annual, four-day, Next International Film Festival kicked off with a couple of shorts at Next Actor Studio, which was showing films at a 50-percent capacity. Things will continue on Thursday with the documentary Don't Forget Them, where a doctor travels to the refugee camps near Duhok, Kurdistan in order to help with medical needs. Later in the weekend, there will be screenings of The One and Only Jewish Miss America and Tuscaloosa. 7:30 pm.

Friday, October 23

Dia de Muertos 11th Annual Group Show at the Hardy & Nance Studios
Even though Dia de Muertos (aka the Day of the Dead) won't pop off until the end of the month, that doesn't mean you can't start celebrating it now. You can begin by heading over to Hardy & Nance Studios, which will have a group show until November 1st. The studios will reflect upon the last six months, mourning the loss of life and honoring and celebrating life through art and tradition. You can also remember departed loved ones by leaving a copy of a photo on their community altar. 4 pm.

Miller Outdoor Theatre presents In The Studio with Zeshan B
From his home studio in New York, Zeshan Bagewadi (aka Zeshan B) joins the Asia Society Texas Center and Miller Outdoor Theatre for an intimate digital performance of his Indo-Pakistani soul music. Through an intimate conversation with The Suffers frontwoman Kam Franklin, Zeshan will perform and share insights into the songs from his latest album, Melismatic. This event will be livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube, and MillerOutdoorTheatre.com. 7:30 pm.

Saturday, October 24

The Market at Redemption Square
Redemption Square is bringing a farmer's market to its area because, well, people need to get out of the house and this will be an open-air, socially distanced gathering where people hopefully won't get sick. The market is set to take place every fourth Saturday of the month in the Redemption Square plaza. Enjoy live music and a curated selection of artisan vendors offering food, art, jewelry, and everything in-between. 11 am.

Meet The Milliner at Magpies & Peacocks
After seven months of being closed, Magpies & Peacocks are opening the doors to the warehouse again with its first event: an up-cycled hat and headband line with noted milliner Philip Hannel. This will go down at the new hat bar inside the retail store. You can meet the designer, shop the hats and this fall's up-cycled clothing collection, and sip on their fall speciality drink. You still have to wear a mask, and your temperature will be checked upon arrival. 1 pm.

Sunday, October 25

Houston Film Critics POTUS Forum
In case you haven't heard, now is the time to decide who's gonna run this country for the next four years. And while all this election talk may make you feel like moving to another freaking country, the Houston Film Critics will be having a Zoom forum to remind you of all the good and noteworthy films about presidents you can watch and enjoy. HCFS members Joe Leydon, Joshua Starnes, and Dr. Donna Copeland will be on hand for the free discussion. 3 pm.

Nate Bargatze at Showboat Drive-In
Nate Bargatze — aka "The Tennessee Kid" — is known as the kind of generally clean, all-ages comic that the whole family can enjoy. And families all over the country have been getting the chance to enjoy Bargatze's humor ever since he starting playing drive-ins and parking lots, doing live sets in a setting where people can't instantly get COVID. He will be making sure Houstonians don't get stuck with the 'Rona when he performs at Showboat Drive-In this weekend. 7:30 pm.

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Movie Review

Timothée Chalamet cements star status in new movie Marty Supreme

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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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