weekend event planner

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

Enjoy a fruitful wine party on Thursday.

Courtesy photo

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

Heartfelt movie The Life of Chuck adapts optimistic Stephen King story

Photo courtesy of NEON

Tom Hiddleston in The Life of Chuck.

Just like actors, once a filmmaker becomes known for a certain genre, it can be difficult to escape that pigeonholing. Writer/director Mike Flanagan has worked for 20 years in both film and television, and literally every project he’s done has been related to horror. He’s finally breaking out with The Life of Chuck, which is ironically based on a short story of the same name by Stephen King.

Told in three chapters in reverse order, the film is almost impossible to describe without giving away its magic. The first section centers on Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a teacher grappling, like everyone around him, with what seems to be the world falling apart. He’s comforted to a degree by reuniting with his ex-wife, Felicia (Karen Gillan), but is also baffled by multiple ads touting the retirement of Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) after “39 great years.”

The second section consists of little more than a slightly younger Chuck happening upon Taylor (The Pocket Queen), a drummer busking on a street corner, giving Chuck and a younger woman, Janice (Annalise Basso), the inspiration to start dancing. The final section goes back to the childhood of Chuck (Benjamin Pajak), where he’s raised by his grandparents (Mark Hamill and Mia Sara), discovers dance as an outlet, and wonders about various small mysteries.

Flanagan finds a way to deliver a lot of story with relatively little effort. Using a wry narrator (Nick Offerman), a limited number of locations, and a series of great small performances, he creates an intriguing premise with few straightforward answers. The structure of the film is designed to confuse the viewer until just the right moment, and the revelation forces you to reexamine everything that came before.

The biggest accomplishment by Flanagan is making what are essentially three short films and having each of them resonate equally. The film contains elements of science fiction, although the first section may hit a bit too close to home for some of those watching. All three sections, though, have a heartwarming bent to them that sells their central idea without becoming overly saccharine.

To do so, each of the characters have to connect in a short amount of time. The casting of the film is crucial, and not only does that department succeed with the main roles, but a series of small roles are filled expertly as well. Carl Lumbly as a funeral home owner, David Dastmalchian and Harvey Guillen as parents of students, Matthew Lillard as Marty’s neighbor, Q’orianka Kilcher as Chuck’s wife, and Jacob Tremblay as a teenage Chuck are just a few of the recognizable actors that do yeoman’s work in their brief time on screen.

Hiddleston is only prominently featured in the second chapter, but his performance there and in small glimpses throughout makes a big impression. Ejiofor is given the star turn in the first chapter and he absolutely kills, both in moments by himself and in scenes with Gillan, with whom he has great chemistry. Hamill, making a rare non-voiceover appearance outside of the Star Wars universe, and Sara, in her first notable role in 11 years, are also very memorable in the final chapter.

The Life of Chuck is a film that’s filled with emotion, but the full impact of the story is not felt until the final moments. It has a mysterious journey that is initially frustrating, but the performances keep the film going until it gets to its satisfying payoff.

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The Life of Chuck is now playing in theaters.

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