Say farewell to 2016 with a weekend full of fun events. Watch the Harlem Globetrotters or cheers the grand opening of a brand-new distillery. Get the scoop on more New Year’s Eve happenings from our party guide, and for a full listing of events, visit our calendar.
Thursday, December 29
Harlem Globetrotters World Tour The Harlem Globetrotters make a stop in the Alamo City at the AT&T Center as a part of their world tour. The star-studded roster will have fans on their feet as they dazzle with incredible stunts.
2016 Valero Alamo Bowl Oklahoma State University and Colorado University will go head-to-head during this year's Alamo Bowl. Cheer on your team at the Alamodome.
Friday, December 30
Gary Owen at the Tobin Center for Performing Arts Funnyman Gary Owen, best known for his roles in the hit comedies Think Like a Man and Ride Along, is coming to the Tobin Center for one night of stand-up hilarity.
Saturday, December 31
Edwards Ridge Distillery Grand Opening San Antonio's newest rum distillery, which debuted in the fall, is hosting a grand opening celebration that doubles as a New Year's Eve party. You can look forward to rum tasting, drink specials, fun games, disillery tours, and a countdown to 2017.
Blue October in concert Texas band Blue October will make a stop at the Aztec Theatre for a musical alternative to the typical New Year's Eve plans. The group behind "Hate Me" and "Into the Ocean" will perform tunes from their most recent album, Home.
See Oklahoma State University and Colorado University go head-to-head at the Alamodome.
Valero Alamo Bowl/Facebook
See Oklahoma State University and Colorado University go head-to-head at the Alamodome.
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.