weekend event planner

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

Have a sketchy weekend with Via Colori and ArtCrawl Houston.

Photo courtesy of Via Colori

It's all about the art this weekend.

Look for the Via Colori chalk art festival happening downtown on Saturday and Sunday. But don't forget about the 27th Annual ArtCrawl Houston, where the Downtown Artists’ Warehouse District will open working art studios and exhibition spaces to the public. More than 150 artists will participate, as this year’s event marks the 27th anniversary of Artistic Survival, celebrated by an all volunteer, artist-run non-organization.

And of course, there are plenty more colorful picks for your weekend entertainment.

Thursday, November 21

Lance Flowers at Community Artists' Collective
After viewing "Most Improved," the new exhibit from up-and-coming artist Lance Flowers, we couldn't wait to tell everyone about it. While he says this assembly of collages addresses the philosophical concept of Anicca — the Buddhist doctrine of impermanence — these pop-art pieces also appear to address our endless fascination with consumerism and labels. This Saturday, Flowers will explain more during an artist talk at 4 pm. It will run through Saturday, November 30. Noon.

Beaujolais Nouveau 2019 with Camerata at Paulie’s
For the third year in a row, Camerata will be hosting a no-holds-barred bacchanal, benefiting the traditional French holiday known as Beaujolais Nouveau Day. They'll be embracing the ebullience of Nouveau season with the first-ever BeaujoWorld (like AstroWorld!). Sommelier Chris Poldoian has created a fun recipe for freaujolais (frozen nouveau), cult bottlings by the Gang of Four (all rarely available by the glass), an ice luge, great music, surprises, and swag. 4 pm-2 am.

Friday, November 22

Allison Moorer at Cactus Music
Last month, singer/songwriter Allison Moorer released Blood, her first solo album in four years. She also dropped Blood: A Memoir, a detailed account of growing up with her sister (who just happens to be the equally talented singer Shelby Lynne) in a troubled home in southern Alabama, which ended with the well-documented murder-suicide of her parents in 1986. Moorer will be over at Cactus Music, both signing copies of the book and performing songs from her new album. 5 pm.

An American Werewolf in London and Fright Night at Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra
Yes, Halloween is long gone, but Alamo's weekly Graveyard Shift series continues to serve up horror flicks on the regular. And this double feature consists of two of the most tongue-in-cheek, revisionist creature features ever made. First up is John Landis's 1981 werewolf classic, which featured groundbreaking, Oscar-winning special effects from Rick Baker. Next is Tom Holland's 1985 bloodsucker, where a teenager discovers his new, next-door neighbor is a vampire. 9 pm.

Saturday, November 23

Tracksuits & Kicks Day Party at the Davenport
Ultra-stylish promoter Keto Gentry always throws the wackiest day parties over at the Davenport Lounge. (We're hoping he'll give us another ugly-sweater, post-Christmas party like last year.) This weekend, he'll be having a tracksuits-and-kicks soiree, for those who long for the days when b-boys and girls roamed the streets looking like LL Cool J or Doug E. Fresh. R & B artist I-Will will be the host, while DJ Meek will provide the tunes. There will also be an after-party at Martini Bar & Cigar. 2-8 pm.

Kevin McDonald & Friends at the Station Theater
Local Kids in the Hall fans will definitely be pleased that Kevin McDonald — Sir Simon Milligan himself — will be in town for a weekend full of comedy. On Saturday, he'll do a best-of show based on his Kevin McDonald's Kevin McDonald Show podcast, sharing stories and doing sketches. On Sunday, he'll start off with some stand-up, then do selected sketches from a workshop that'll be held during the weekend. Finally, he'll close the evening with a "special improv jam." 8 pm (7 pm Sunday).

Sunday, November 24

Houston Exotic Auto Festival at MSR Houston
It's cars, cars, and more cars at the 5th Annual Houston Exotic Auto Festival & Luxury Lifestyle E-X-P-O, an automobile show that brings luxury and exotic brands to a single site. Owners and collectors will celebrate their vehicles in front of an audience. Trophies and prizes will be awarded to the best automobiles, SUVs, off-road vehicles, and motorcycles in Houston under various different categories. (This is also a prime destination for those who love flexing on Instagram next to a fly whip.) 10 am.

Houston Goodness at White Oak Music Hall
Since 2012, the Denver-based, Sunday-afternoon day party known as Goodness has been promising exceptional people, music, drinks, food, and more on a recurring basis. (They even have their own hot sauce!) Now, they're bringing their act over to these parts. Goodness founder/resident music man DJ Low Key will be setting things off, along with special guests Dayta, Gracie Chavez, and Hiram. There will also be live art from DeeJon, complimentary buttons and stickers. 3-9 pm.

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 event planner

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

Movie Review

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

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