Chicago Tribune critics and editors guide you through the best things to do in Chicago this weekend.
MAIN EVENT
Like “Voltron,” the animated series in which powerful robots come together to make a super-robot, rappers El-P, left, and Killer Mike have come together to form Run the Jewels. More than a rap supergroup, RTJ is a living, breathing manifestation of the power of music to create change. Greg Kot talks to the sonic powerhouse about tunes and turmoil. In Turn It Up.
DON’T MISS Dan Deacon Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune
Dan Deacon is performing at The Empty Bottle Sunday.
Dan Deacon is performing at The Empty Bottle Sunday.
(Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)
Dan Deacon, Marijuana Deathsquads, Air Credits: Dan Deacon shows are always a good time—the electronic maestro from Baltimore typically gets down with wild electronic dance tunes and fits of lights, and Deacon himself is a charismatic host. But the undercard is just as nice at this show (and I’m not even talking about Marijuana Deathsquads!). Air Credits is something like a local supergroup featuring a pair of beloved Chicago performers: rapper ShowYouSuck and producers the Hood Internet. Details: 9 p.m. Sunday, The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., $5 w/ RSVP, $15 w/o; www.emptybottle.com
Mykki Blanco and Cakes Da Killa: They are a pair of cross-coastal MCs—Blanco from California, Cakes from New York City—who share a lot in common: both rappers possess a slick flow that always catches a groove, usually dancing atop the bouncey drums and endless hand-claps of club records. It’s the type of hip-hop that will physically compel you to dance, which, fortunately, is a lot of fun with this pair. Details: 9 p.m. Saturday, Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St., $15, www.bottomlounge.com
Village of Homewood Chocolate Fest: For those left with a chocolate craving post-Valentine’s Day, the Village of Homewood has your fix with its 15th Annual Homewood Chocolate Fest this weekend. The Chocolate Bake-Off Contest leads the list of activities, as professional and amateur bakers compete for the local pastry crown, but there will also be baking demonstrations, chocolate demonstrations and children’s activities. Of course, various vendors will be selling sweet treats as well. Detais: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, H-F Park District Auditorium, 2010 Chestnut Rd., Homewood; free; www.homesweethomewood.com
Ramenfest: So the weekend forecast is a little warmer than usual for this time of year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still appreciate a warm, hearty bowl of ramen—or several. Ramenfest returns to the West Loop this weekend, and you can slurp away on steamy noodles from 21 Chicago restaurants and chefs, including Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat) and last year’s winner Giuseppe Tentori (GT Prime), as they compete bowl-to-bowl against ramen experts. Detais: Noon Sunday, Urbanbelly West Loop, 1400 W. Randolph St.; $75, $150 VIP; www.ramenfest2017.brownpapertickets.com
THE CRITICS RECOMMEND
Michael Phillips/Movies: "XX" – 3 stars
‘XX’ review Magnet Releasing
Melanie Lynskey stars in “The Birthday Party,” one of four fillms in the horror anthology "XX."
Melanie Lynskey stars in “The Birthday Party,” one of four fillms in the horror anthology "XX."
(Magnet Releasing)
The wry horror anthology “XX,” a recent Sundance Film Festival premiere, gathers together four compact films by female writers and directors. The results offer a collective shiver (not a lot of shrieks here) for those in the mood for sprightly, short-form misfortune. In the most visually striking of the four, writer-director Karyn Kusama’s “Her Only Living Son” imagines a sequel of sorts to “Rosemary’s Baby,” with Christina Kirk as the Mia Farrow character, if she escaped the clutches of the Manhattan devil worshippers and raised her problematic son as they fled from city to city. Now, though, junior is turning 18, and he’s giving in to his darker side. Other directors include Jovanka Vuckovic and Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent), and Melanie Lynskey is among the cast. R, 1:20, horror
Lori Waxman/Art: “Concrete Happenings”
‘Fantastic Architecture: Vostell, Fluxus, and the Built Environment’ RCH/EKH photo
"Fantastic Architecture: Vostell, Fluxus, and the Built Environment” will be at the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society through March 17.
"Fantastic Architecture: Vostell, Fluxus, and the Built Environment” will be at the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society through March 17.
(RCH/EKH photo)
Two museums on the University of Chicago campus present politically minded historical artworks and artifacts. This pair of shows offers a timely study in the ways that certain avant-garde artists in the late 1960s and early ’70s made art that looked like art while taking protest to heart. "Vostell Concrete, 1969-1973" and "Fantastic Architecture: Vostell, Fluxus, and the Built Environment" don’t announce themselves as being about protest art per se, but nearly every piece of art included in them stands in opposition to one prevailing norm or another. The first show is an intensive study of the German artist Wolf Vostell’s novel use of concrete as a material and motif in sculptures, prints, film and other media. The second, related group exhibition surveys an international array of projects that took playful, critical aim at postwar urban planning. Details: "Vostell Concrete, 1969-1973" runs through June 11 at the Smart Museum of Art, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave., 773-702-0200, www.smartmuseum.uchicago.edu; "Fantastic Architecture" runs through March 17 at the Neubauer Collegium, 5701 S. Woodlawn Ave., 773-795-2329, www.neubauercollegium.uchicago.edu
Steve Johnson/Museums: "Merce Cunningham: Common Time"
Common Time Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune “Merce Cunningham: Common Time,” a retrospective of the late choreographer’s highly collaborative work, opens Saturday at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. “Merce Cunningham: Common Time,” a retrospective of the late choreographer’s highly collaborative work, opens Saturday at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)
The Museum of Contemporary Art has launched a retrospective of the late choreographer Merce Cunningham’s highly collaborative work. The exhibit includes floor-to-ceiling set designs, provocative costume arrays, a full-gallery multimegascreen video installation, and, above all, recordings and live performances of the dances that earned Cunningham his reputation for innovation and for attracting talent. Details: Through April 30, MCA Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; tickets included with general admission; www.mcachicago.org, www.walkerart.org
Chris Jones/Theater: “Straight White Men”
New York artist Young Jean Lee’s fascinating “Straight White Men” is now in the Upstairs Theatre at Steppenwolf. At its core is the question as to whether a straight, white man should — in real, practical terms — shut up, stand down and back off in our capitalist, dog-eat-dog America. In a family drama set on Christmas Eve, three adult siblings gather with their widowed father (Alan Wilder) and ponder what to do about Matt (Brian Slaten), the brother who graduated from Harvard and has made just such a choice. Details: Through March 19 in the Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.; $20-$89 at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org
John von Rhein/Classical music: "The Invention of More!”
Chicago Opera Theater presents its first world premiere, the chamber opera “The Invention of Morel,” with music by Stewart Copeland (best known as co-founder and drummer of rock band the Police) and libretto by stage director Jonathan Moore, based on Adolfo Bioy Casares’ 1940 novella about an escaped fugitive on a strange, deserted island of alternate realities. COT general director Andreas Mitisek conducts. Details: Opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and runs through Feb. 26 at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave.; $39-$95; 312-704-8414, www.cot.org
Eat, Drink, Do PR Italian Ryan Beshel / PR Italian
PR Italian restaurant is launching brunch.
PR Italian restaurant is launching brunch.
(Ryan Beshel / PR Italian)
1. Try a new brunch in Buena Park
For a taste of Italy at brunch, head to Buena Park, where PR Italian Bistro launches its new brunch service this weekend. Chef-owner Stefano Roman, a native of Venice, debuts dishes such as benedict con granchio (eggs benny served with crab over ciabatta, $14), savory scallion pancakes called frittelle ($12) and a selection of smoked fish ($14). Enjoy it with bottomless mimosas and a bloody mary bar. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at PR Italian Bistro, 3908 N. Sheridan Road, 773-404-8955, www.pritalianbistro.com.
2. Drink to a brewery’s first birthday
Botanic brewing company Forbidden Root is celebrating its one year anniversary, and they want you to join in. A beer with the brewpub’s burger (with giardiniera mayo, aged cheddar, onions and pickle on a brioche bun) or milk-braised pork schnitzel sandwich will run you just $10, while most of the botanic suds are just $5 for the occasion. While supplies last, also enjoy some rarer Forbidden Root favorites, including Snoochie Boochies bombers and absinthe-barrel-aged Green Eyes. 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, Feb. 17 at Forbidden Root, 1746 W. Chicago Ave., 312-929-2202, www.forbiddenroot.com.
3. Sample from more than 60 craft brewers
The Illinois Craft Beer Guild’s winter festival, Winter Wonderland of Beer, heads outdoors for the first time. The rain-or-shine, 21-plus event, split into two sessions, offers beer from 60 Illinois breweries, including Solemn Oath, Revolution, DryHop, Dovetail, Cruz Blanca and Alter. There won’t be food, but the venue, MB Financial Park, is bordered by Hofbrauhaus and Bub City, plus seven other resataurants, for those sniffing out lunch, dinner or a snack. Tickets include a glass and samples. $35. 1-4 p.m. or 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 at MB Financial Park, 5501 Park Pl., www.rosemont.com.
4. Road trip for chocolate
Do something romantic after Valentine’s Day: Surprise a special person with a weekend getaway to Destination Kohler resort in Wisconsin for its fifth annual In Celebration of Chocolate festival, featuring dinners, food demos, cocktails parties and pairing seminars, all starring chocolate. In addition to buying tickets for individual events, guests can book specially priced overnight packages, starting at $165 per person. Ticket prices vary; see website for details. Friday, Feb. 17 to Sunday, Feb. 19 at Destination Kohler, 444 Highland Dr., Kohler, Wis., 800-344-2838, www.americanclubresort.com.
5. Give Three Aces a proper send-off
After seven years, Little Italy restaurant Three Aces is closing its doors for good — but not without opening its patio for a final hurrah. The projected high on Saturday will be 62 degrees; enjoy it while having one last Ace burger with aged cheddar and bacon jam. Visit our story on the closing for more details.
FOR THE KIDS
Sarah Jayne, a rocker who went from indie to kindie is performing an all-ages series at Beat Kitchen. It’s just one of the many things to do with the kids this weekend.
From plenty of plays and Chicago Theater Week offerings to Monster Jam, here are 15 things to do with the kids Feb. 13-19. — Web Behrens
AT THE CINEMA
“A United Kingdom” is traditional, well-made cinema, with a taste for the obvious at certain points, but it has some powerful advantages. It’s in theaters this weekend. Or if you’d rather stay home, here’s a list of DVDs released this week.
Check out reviews for all new releases and other movies in theaters now.
CHANNEL SURFING
Here’s a look at the most interesting new releases hitting streaming services this week and the weekend’s best bets on broadcast TV and cable:
Jayda Caldwell Ashley Green / AP
Jayda Caldwell, a student at Fallbrook Elementary in Leominster, Mass. Caldwell was recently able to put her passion for culinary arts to good use as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality series "MasterChef Junior."
Jayda Caldwell, a student at Fallbrook Elementary in Leominster, Mass. Caldwell was recently able to put her passion for culinary arts to good use as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality series "MasterChef Junior."
(Ashley Green / AP)
THURSDAY: On “MasterChef Junior,” the remaining junior contestants compete for the final 12 spots in the Top 20. They’re challenged to make dishes ranging from cupcakes, to steak and lobster. 7 p.m., Fox.
FRIDAY: As the final season of “The Vampire Diaries’ winds down, Damon and Alaric come face to face with an old enemy. Elsewhere, Stefan is held captive by a surprising acquaintance and is forced to confront a dark secret from his past. 7 p.m., The CW.
SATURDAY: Ten years ago, the British nature series ”Planet Earth“ wowed viewers with breathtaking images of animals and ecosystems around the world. Now, comes ”Planet Earth II,“ which, thanks to new technology, provides an even more intimate exploration. Prepare to be stunned. 8 p.m., BBC America.
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