What’s Good 1/19-27

Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of pop culture.

Thurday, 1/19

The Disco Biscuits (Town Ballroom, 681 Main St, doors 6:30)
This Philadelphia quartet sets themselves apart from the jam band crowd by incorporating electronica into their sound. They haven’t put out a new album since 2011’s Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens, but they’ve been touring steadily ever since.

Chris Porter (Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St, 8pm, $20)
This stand-up was a finalist on season 4 of Last Comic Standing, and has a new one-hour special, Ugly & Angry.

That ’90s Show (Netflix)
The nostalgia ouroboros has finally swallowed itself, as the latest sitcom reboot asks, “remember the late ’90s, when we watched a show about the late ’70s?” At least Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith are as winning as ever as over- and under-enthused parents Kitty and Red, as a new cast of pot-smoking teens have to establish themselves in the brief gaps between cameos from the original cast.

Friday, 1/20

Empire State Wrestling (Frontier Fire Hall, 2176 Liberty Drive, Niagara Falls, NY, $20 adv/$25, doors 6pm)
Our local pro wrestling league’s All I Do Is Win event’s seven title cards include ESW Heavyweight Champion Kevin “The Remix” Bennett defending his title against Big Time Bill Collier, several one-on-one bouts and a six-person tag team match. 

The Eaves (Mohawk Place, 47 East Mohawk St, doors 7pm, $10)
An album release party for this local indie rock group’s latest, Lately I Don’t Have a God.

New Movies This Week:

The Son (Transit Center, 6707 Transit Rd., Williamsville)
This prequel to 2020’s acclaimed The Father sees Anthony Hopkins return to the role that won him Best Actor, but the story’s focus is Hugh Jackman’s divorced dad who tries to be a better father to the teenage son from his first marriage, and the new baby from his second, than his own father (Hopkins), was to him.

Missing (in wide release)This sequel to 2018’s Searching does not include that movie’s star, John Cho (or any of the original cast), but keeps the film’s central conceit — that all of the action is shown through computer screens. In this new entry in what co-directors Nick Johnson and Will Merrick hope will become an anthology series, a teenage girl in Los Angeles (Storm Reid) has to use technology to find her mother (Nia Long) who disappears in Colombia, and uncovers family secrets in the process.

Saturday 1/21

Tracy Morgan (Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, 310 4th St., Niagara Falls, NY, 8pm, $54+)
We don’t usually list casino gigs, but the casino doesn’t usually get Tracy Morgan. The SNL and 30 Rock star brings his riotously funny stand-up act to the Falls.

Buffalo Beauts vs Metropolitan Riveters (Northtown Center, 1615 Amherst Manor Dr., 7pm, $17.50)
We’re late in discovering the Beauts, our local women’s hockey team, who played in the first four championships of the fledgeling Premier Hockey Federation, (winning one). They host NYC’s Riveters this Saturday, for a fun day on the ice and a cheaper ticket than the Sabres. (The Pegulas own both teams, so they’re getting your money either way!)

Sunday 1/22

Best of Buffalo (Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St., 7pm, $20)
A night of comedy with some of the city’s best local talent.

Thursday 1/26

Poker Face (Peacock)
After subscribing to far too many streaming services, we were going to draw the line at Peacock, but they threw all their cards on the table by putting America’s sardonic sweetheart Natasha Lyonne in a Columbo-style mystery-of-the-week created by Knives Out mastermind Rian Johnson. As if that weren’t enough, an absurdly stacked cast includes Benjamin Bratt, and a who’s who of guest stars including Ellen Barkin, Adrien Brody, Hong Chau, Clea DuVall, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Luis Guzmán, John Hodgman, Stephanie Hsu, Jameela Jamil, Tim Meadows, Tim Blake Nelson, Nick Nolte, Rhea Perlman, Ron Perlman (no relation), Lil’ Rel, Chloë Sevigny, and when they ran out of actors, also threw in John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. You win, Peacock. Shut up and take our money.

The 1619 Project (Hulu)
Nikole Hannah-Jones’ Pulitzer-winning investigation into the country’s legacy of racism launched a white supremacist backlash against “critical race theory,” yet remains an important and even-handed look into some of the ugliest parts of our history and the progress we’ve made towards living up to our founding ideals. Hannah-Jones hosts this six-part documentary, adapted from her writing, and broken into episodes titled “Democracy”, “Race”, “Capitalism”, “Music”, “Fear”, and “Justice”.

Friday 1/27

Donnell Rawlings (Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St., 7:30pm, $28)
Rawlings made his name as a supporting player on Chappelle’s Show, and in the years since has worked steadily as a character actor in projects like The Wire and Soul, while touring steadily as a stand-up. His podcast, The Donnell Rawlings Show also has over 4 million listeners.