What’s Good 9/15-22
Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of pop culture
Thursday, 9/15
Old 97s w/Vandoliers (Rec Room, 79 W. Chippewa St., doors 6:30)
The veteran alt-country group is tournig behind Twelfth, which is their twenty-first album.
Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova (Shea’s Buffalo, 650 Main St., doors 8:00)
Two RuPaul’s Drag Race veterans (Mattel won All Stars in 2018 and was named one of “The Most Powerful Drag Queens in America” by New York magazine; Zamolodchikova was the All Stars runner up the year before), host The Trixie & Katya Show on Viceland, and are now bringing their show on the road.
Vampire Academy (Peacock)
Since there’s always room for a second-best vampire show on TV behind What We Do In the Shadows, Peacock is adapting Richelle Mead’s bestselling series about two young women preparing to enter “royal vampire society.” Cast includes Every Witch Way’s Daniela Nieves, Degrassi alumni André Dae Kim, and J. August Richards bringing some vampire cred from his time on Angel.
Friday 9/16
The Kicks (Rec Room, 79 W. Chippewa St., doors 6pm)
High-energy throwback rockers come to Buffalo for the first time.
Skate Night (Canalside Skating Rink, 44 Prime St., $6 adults/$2 kids/$4 skate rentals)
Skating is open Wednesday-Sunday afternoons, but Friday night the wheels keeps spinning until 10pm. (See web site for more details)
New Movies This Week:
The Woman King (in wide release)
Anyone who loved seeing Black Panther’s all-female army in action should see this film about their real-life inspiration. The Agojie protected the kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa for centuries in the colonial era. Viola Davis stars as a general training the next generation of warriors; her costars include Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die), John Boyega (Star Wars), and Thuso Mbedu and Sheila Atim, who also costarred in The Underground Railroad.
Confess, Fletch (Regal Walden Galleria)
Jon Hamm combines his talent for comedy and for being incredibly handsome in this long-delayed reboot of a series about a smartass newspaper reporter who solves crimes while leaving a trail of chaos in his wake. Also stars Marcia Gay Harden (How to Get Away with Murder), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Roy Wood Jr. (The Daily Show), and re-unites Hamm with Mad Men costar John Slattery.
Pearl (AMC Maple Ridge, AMC Market Arcade, Regal Elmwood Center, Regal Transit Center, Regal Walden Galleria)
Porn-themed slasher movie X only came out in March, but we’ve already got a prequel, in which Mia Goth returns as a much-younger version of the first movie’s vengeful old woman, and Ti West (who co-wrote the film with Goth) returns behind the camera.
See How They Run (AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Amherst Theater, Dipson Eastern Hills Cinema, North Park Theater, Regal Elmwood Center, Regal Transit Center, Regal Walden Galleria
Director Tom George beats Glass Onion to the punch with a star-studded whodunnit set in the London theater, with Sam Rockwell as the sleuth and a list of suspects that includes Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson, David Oyelowo, and Shirley Henderson.
Saturday/Sunday 9/17-18
Borderland Music and Arts Festival f. Portugal. The Man, The Flaming Lips (Knox Farm State Park, 437 Buffalo Road, East Aurora, $65-120)Twenty bands spread over two days disturb rustic Knox Farm. (Both days start with a 9AM yoga session, to give you an idea of the vibe). See the festival’s web site for full lineup and schedule.
Wednesday 9/21
Abbott Elementary (9pm ABC/next day on Hulu)
Fresh off Emmy wins for creator/star Quinta Brunson and co-star Sheryl Lee Ralph, the Last Great Network Sitcom returns for another season.
Thursday 9/15
They Might Be Giants (Town Ballroom, 681 Main St., doors 8pm
These beloved college radio staples have hardly lost a step since they debuted in 1985, charming a generation with catch, overly-wordy, philosophical oddball pop songs like “Don’t Let’s Start,” “Ana Ng,” and “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”. In the decades since they’ve branched out into children’s music and TV theme songs without ever slackening their pace of a new album every two years, and their live show remains a delight.
