It’s Halloween…and aside from all the haunted houses, trails, cruises, and candy collecting going on – there are things for those who want to find entertainment in other ways.
FRIDAY –
DJANGO’S JAZZ CARAVAN is happening at the California Center for the Arts in ESCONDIDO. You’ll enjoy a Moulin Rouge vibe with local musicians like Gregory Page and Whitney Shay, along with Swedish superstar Gunhild Carling.
A band that sounds scary but isn’t – the BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE is going to be at the Music Box DOWNTOWN.
THE CREEPY CREEPS are also DOWNTOWN at the Casbah.
SATURDAY –
The SDSU Aztecs football team celebrates homecoming at Snapdragon Stadium against Wyoming. Kick-off for the first-place Aztecs is at 4:00 pm. You can hear the game live on San Diego SDports 760 and the iHeart Radio app.
SAN DIEGO FC plays game 2 in their MLS Cup playoff series against the Timbers up in Portland. A win advances SDFC to the next round. The game can be heard at 6:30 on Jammin' 95.7 FM and the iHeart Radio app.
Mr. Las Vegas, WAYNE NEWTON, will be at the POWAY CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS. You never get tired of hearing Danke Schoen.
If you’re out in the East County, the 13th ANNUAL RAMONA ART, WINE, AND MUSIC FESTIVAL is happening.
Also in RAMONA, you’ve got THE YOUNG DUBLINERS. This L.A. band has been at it since the late ‘80s, and aren’t so young anymore.
If classical music is more your thing, the LA JOLLA SYMPHONY will perform “The French Connection” at UCSD. It’s not music from the movie, but Debussy and Erik Satie.
SUNDAY –
The perfect way to unwind…ending the weekend with some light rock. The LITTLE RIVER BAND is at Humphrey’s on SHELTER ISLAND. You can reminisce about the times you listened to them in the ‘70s.
If you’re looking for some tush, or some beards – ZZ TOP is at Viejas Casino in ALPINE.
If you’re looking for some magic, at another casino, you’ve got LANCE BURTON at Pechanga up in TEMECULA.
STREAMING –
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody return in the interfaith rom-com NOBODY WANTS THIS on Netflix.
Just in time for Halloween there’s IT: WELCOME TO DERRY, a prequel to the IT film series on HBO.
More scary stuff with DOWN CEMETERY ROAD, which stars Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson in a mystery thriller on AppleTV+.
AT THE MOVIES –
BUGONIA -
A few years ago at the Critics Choice Awards, I was talking to Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons about their terrific movie “Power of the Dog.” My wife and I were surprised with how thin the usually pudgy Plemons was. In this new movie, he’s even thinner. It starts with him working out with his cousin, who has a mental disability. They’re training for a mission which is to kidnap the CEO (Emma Stone) of the company where he works. Since Plemons is also a beekeeper, he’s convinced she’s an alien who is responsible for all the bees dying. He has a lot of other wacky conspiracy theories, too. My wife and I were surprised we liked this movie. Director Yorgos Lanthimos has done some awful films (for example, last year's “Kinds of Kindness” and the year before that “Poor Things”, both with Stone). The dark humor worked well here. The acting is excellent, and there are some tragic moments that come out of left field. There’s a score by Jerskin Fendrix (who did the last few Yorgos flicks) that at times makes you feel like it ups the Hitchcock type of suspense, and other times adds to the humor (I’m thinking of Plemons furiously pedaling his bike to get somewhere). When it becomes a wacky two-hander with Stone and Plemons arguing with each other – one a dopey conspiracy theorist and the other a smart, but bitchy CEO…it’s a masterclass in acting. I was in the bathroom after the screening, and the audience that watched it with us all seemed to dislike it as they yakked around the urinal. So this movie isn’t for everyone. 3 ½ stars out of 5.