Thursday 08/24
Movie Magic
If you are one of the millions of Americans who was recently reminded how fun it can be going to the movies by a certain pink-hued, billion-plus-dollar blockbuster or a bomb-obsessed biographical thriller that hit theaters like a you-know-what, then you should continue to reacquaint yourself with that once all-American pastime and head down to the Arkadin Cinema and Bar (5228 Gravois Avenue, 314-221-2173) this Thursday, August 24, for a showing of Stray Dogs, a 2013 film from Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang. The film doesn't have many dolls and even fewer nuclear explosions, but it was picked by the programmers at the Arkadin, whose taste when it comes to films that might be otherwise overlooked can't be beat. The theater's promotional write-up says Stray Dogs "is many things at once: minimal in its narrative content and syntax, as visually powerful as it is emotionally overwhelming." Tickets are $9 and the show starts at 8 p.m. More info at arkadincinema.com.
Look to the Heel
Charlie Price returns home to take over his family's shoe manufacturing business and finds disaster: Due to low demand for the type of old-school men's shoes it produces, Price & Sons is on the brink of bankruptcy. Faced with laying off workers (and inspired by a comment from one of them), he decides to change things up. But the specifics of how he's supposed to get out of this jam aren't clear until Price meets Lola, a drag queen, and discovers that women's shoes aren't working out for her. Suddenly, Price & Son's new product line is clear — but it's not exactly as simple as that. Find out how things play out during the Tesseract Theatre Company's production of Kinky Boots, which is playing daily at the Grandel Theatre (3610 Grandel Square, 314-533-0367) through Sunday, August 27. Tickets for the Tony- and Grammy-winning musical run between $25 to $45 and are available through MetroTix. Showtimes vary by date.
Friday 08/25
Live in a Drive-In
The metro area's best spot at which to watch a movie from the comfy environs of your car, Skyview Drive-In (5700 North Belt West, Belleville, Illinois; 618-233-4400), is hosting the Icon-a-Thon Film Festival this weekend, and it looks like it's going to be legendary. The retro drive-in double-screen theater in Belleville will be showing nothing but iconic films and cult classics all through the weekend. On Friday, August 25, it will show The Blob, Night of the Living Dead, Airplane and more. The schedule for Saturday, August 26, includes classics such as King Kong, Killer Klowns From Outer Space and Weird Al's UHF. Tickets cost just $45 for access to all 12 films showing this weekend, though you will have to make some tough decisions when it comes to choosing which film to watch on which screen at which time. The event also offers special concession items, anaglyph (red/blue) 3D features, vendors, contests and more. For tickets and more information, visit skyview-drive-in.com
Saturday 08/26
The Whole World in Your Backyard
Everyone's favorite summer celebration, the Festival of Nations, returns to Tower Grove Park this Saturday, August 26, and Sunday, August 27. Hosted each year by the International Institute of St. Louis, the festival is a huge multicultural showcase, with vendors representing more than 75 countries. In addition to selling food, clothing and other retail items, groups also organize to showcase traditional music and dances from around the world. Typically, more than 100,000 people come out for the two-day event, making it one of the more consistently well-attended affairs in the city. The Festival of Nations is also a chance to showcase how multicultural St. Louis actually is. A version of the Festival of Nations started in 1934, and there have been different iterations of the event over the years in St. Louis, but the current version started in 2000 at Tower Grove Park. For more information, including a list of vendors and more details about this year's programming, visit festivalofnationsstl.org.
Life Behind Bars
If your last night bar-hopping on Morgan Ford Road was a decade ago, back when Three Monkeys Pub held down the north end of the district and Colorado Bob's Ship of Fools was the ideal evening-ending shitshow, well, let's just say you're long overdue for a visit — and the 32nd Annual Morgan Ford Stumble is the perfect way to experience all the street in all its glory. After all, there have been some big changes. (Among many, many other things: Colorado Bob's is now Bootleggin' Bob's and has barbecue; Three Monkeys is now Black Sheep and has a new sister venue, the '80s/'90s-themed 3 Little Monkeys, that has lots of people very excited.) The stumble is a great way to see the new hotspots and revisit old favorites, too. Organizers recommend you start at Black Sheep (3153 Morgan Ford, 314-772-9800) or City Park Grill (3157 Morgan Ford, 314-899-9338) around noon, and keep moving south down the street every hour through 7 p.m. Purchase a $20 T-shirt to show you're part of the drunken hoards, and then just get to drinking. High Noon seltzers and Logboat beer are the featured drinks; 3 Little Monkeys promises pizza by the slice to keep you on your feet longer. If you make it all the way to the crawl terminus, Pepper's Bar & Grill (5452 Gravois Avenue, 314-352-9909), you will have a 1.9-mile walk back to your car and the chance to crawl the street all over again. Then again, if you're old enough to remember the old Morgan Ford, you may just want to Uber home.
Born a Ramblin' Man
There are few annual events in St. Louis that are as enduring as the Moonlight Ramble. Now in its 59th year, the "World's Original Nighttime Bike Ride," as it is so dubbed, is a favorite of St. Louisans who use a bike for transportation or just enjoy a leisurely roll through town here and there. A group of thousands gathers each year under a full moon in August to have a nocturnal cycling adventure through the streets of St. Louis. This year, the ride happens on Saturday, August 26, and anyone can join, with registration costs as low as $35 for adults. Kids age 6 to 17 years old are just $25, and little riders under age 5 are free. Festivities kick off in the Grove neighborhood at 7 p.m., with the ride itself scheduled for 10 p.m. For more information, visit moonlightramble.com.
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