weekend event planner

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

La Diabla Retro Bar opens this weekend.

La Diabla Retro Bar Houston/Facebook

This weekend marks the last of Mardi Gras! Galveston, as the party on the island wraps up on Fat Tuesday, February 21. Those is Sugar Land don't have to head to Galveston to celebrate the season, as Pardy Gras hits the 'burb on Saturday.

A cool retro bar dedicated to '80s and '90s Mexico City pop culture (how's that for niche?) opens this weekend, and a James Beard Award winner pops up for a special collab with a local restaurant. Look for some cool art openings showcasing Islamic and Asian art, plus an age-old comedy with a special twist for Valentine's Day.

Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, February 16

Musiqa Mixer | New Galleries for Art of the Islamic Worlds at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

To celebrate the upcoming opening of the Hossein Afshar Galleries for Art of the Islamic Worlds, enjoy a free Musiqa Mixer concert in the Kinder Building, with music selections inspired by the art that will be on view in the Law Building. The program features music by Aftab Darvishi, Erberk Eryılmaz, Gity Razaz, and Kareem Roustom. Performers include Caio Alves Diniz, Jackson Guillen, Jacob Schafer, and Sergein Yap. 6:30 pm.

Cone Man Running Productions and Boiling Point Players present The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest is a trivial comedy for serious people, just in time for Valentine's Day. Do you want to know how important it is to be earnest when in love? First performed on February 14, 1895 in London, this is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fake alibis to escape social obligations. What happens when they fall in love and their fake alibis are discovered? This production from Cone Man Running Productions and Boiling Point Players will feature an all-female cast. 8 pm.

La Diabla Retro Bar Grand Opening

La Diabla Retro Bar by La Calle Tacos, a bold, new nightclub and bar from the authentic Mexican street food masters, will open its doors in Houston’s Market Square Park this weekend. At its heart, La Diabla is an ode to '80s and '90s Mexico City pop culture, joyfully expressed through cocktails, chelas (beers), music, and art. The grand opening will feature local music artists Jaky Alarcon, Stereo Cover, and DJ Cris, while guests sip frozen margaritas, mojitos and piña coladas, and enjoy mouthwatering flautas. 8 pm.

Friday, February 17

BBCC Artist Showcase Opening Mixer at Project Row Houses

This event will display artwork from seven Building Blocks of Creative Careers (BBCC) program participants and established local artists they were paired with, serving as mentors during this six-month process. Throughout the course of this program, the paired mentees and mentors have worked together to develop each mentees’ creative practice. Enjoy light bites by Shakti Baum, tunes by Mookie Copeland, and celebrate Cohort 2 and their growth in the Artist Mentorship Program. 6 pm.

Asia Society Texas Center presents Mekong: SOUL

In their new, multi-disciplinary performance piece, Emmy Award-winning musician Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ and composer Jonathan Berger tell three powerful and multi-sensory stories about life on the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. Joined by artists from Southeast Asia, Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ and Houston’s Apollo Chamber Players present stories about one of this planet's greatest natural phenomena, which sustains not only life, but also mind, body, and soul. 7:30 pm.

Houston Symphony presents Songs of the Earth Festival: "Debussy’s La mer"

Debussy’s La mer is one of classical music’s most unforgettable and immersive experiences. Fragments of La mer ebb and flow throughout Tōru Takemitsu’s haunting concerto for two pianos and orchestra, Quotation of Dream. The conclusion of the Songs of the Earth festival, these concerts also offer the chance to experience Toshio Hosokawa’s breathtaking meditation on nature, Autumn Wind, which features a solo role for the shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). 8 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Saturday, February 18

Chef Robert McGrath at Leaf & Green

Local restaurant company Leaf & Grain will host chef/James Beard Award winner Robert McGrath for a special steak collaboration. The company is hosting a guest chef series to celebrate the return of steak to their menu next month. McGrath won the prestigious Best Chef: Southwest JBF award for his Roaring Fork restaurant, and will be collaborating with Leaf & Grain on a Texas "steak nicoise" salad, featuring a fire-roasted tomato vinaigrette. 11 am.

Pardy Gras at Sugar Land Town Square

Sugar Land Town Square will transform into the Big Easy for Party Gras! The Square is bringing the best of New Orleans with entertainment by Soul Rebels and DJ Flash Jordan, beverages and bites from The Rouxpour, a street art market, Mardi Gras style bingo, a king cake and oyster-eating contest, and more.Party Gras festivities will be located on Texas Drive. Admission is free, but an RSVP is required. 4 pm.

16th Annual Houston Film Critics Movie Awards

Now in its 16th year, the Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) presents its annual “Oscars-style” event, where the critics vote on their year-end favorites in 17 categories. Hosted by local film critics and movie industry notables, the event also features live, abridged performances of the five Best Song nominees, the awarding of the Texas Independent Film Award, and a few surprises. 7 pm.

Sunday, February 19

Lake Houston Home and Outdoor Living Show

The 3rd Annual Lake Houston Home and Outdoor Show will feature special guest appearances and over 100 exhibitors with the latest in-home products and services on the market. Tom Tynan (HomeShow Radio), Randy Lemmon (host of AM 740 KTRH GardenLine), and Diane Cowen (Houston Chronicle) will all be present. The featured speaker will be Patric Richardson as the Laundry Evangelist, who will share tips on how to wash everything and never use a dry cleaner again. 9 am.

Alzheimer's Association presents Unforgettable Play

From the creators of the stage play Forget Me Not comes a story about one family’s journey when a loved one seems to be fading in front of their eyes. After coming to grips with the journey that they must face, life has a new meaning. They see the importance of paying closer attention to warning signs and the importance of taking part in clinical trials in an attempt to cure a disease that has forced them to live in the moment and make unforgettable moments that they can cherish forever. 5 pm.

Matt Andersen and Mariel Buckley in concert

Powerhouse vocalist Matt Andersen teams up with indie roots singer-songwriter Mariel Buckley for a show at Dosey Doe in The Woodlands this weekend. The two Canadians will be touring the western United States together to promote their most recent albums – Matt’s The Big Bottle of Joy, coming next month, and Mariel’s Everywhere I Used To Be, released last summer. 7:30 pm.

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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