Film

Truffaut on Childhood

No filmmaker portrayed children with greater insight than the great French New Wave director François Truffaut. To mark the 30th anniversary of the auteur's death, the MFAH is mounting a trilogy of his film on childhood, beginning with his semi-autobiographical debut, The 400 Blows (1959), which follows a Parisian boy growing up in the 1950s who, neglected by his distracted parents and misunderstood by his teachers, turns to a life of petty crime. The film ends with a freeze-frame that has become one of the most iconic shots in cinema. Preceded by Truffaut's short film Les mistons (1957). 

Sept 1 at 1; Sept 5 & 6 at 7; Sept 7 at 5. $9; seniors & students $7. Brown Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet St. 713-639-7531. mfah.org/films

Jurassic Park Trilogy

François Truffaut played a small role in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, so we don't think the French auteur would mind being paired with his American counterpart again in this blog post. Spielberg directed the first two films in the hugely profitable trilogy—the best ones, natch (even the underappreciated The Lost World), although we admit it's been a while since we saw Jurassic Park III. In anticipation of next summer's Jurassic World, which will sadly be missing the late Richard Attenborough, Alamo Drafthouse is screening a back-to-back-to-back triple feature. Hold on to your butts!  

Aug 31 at 4. $12. Alamo Drafthouse–Mason Park, 531 South Mason Road, Katy. 281-492-6900. drafthouse.com

Dance

Dark Matter: Evidence of Things Unseen

Science and religion don’t always see eye to eye, but when they intersect they often provoke profound conversations about the world and our place in it. For Andy and Dionne Sparkman Noble, the husband-and-wife team and co–artistic directors of NobleMotion Dance, this juxtaposition sparked the beginning of a new high-tech, evening-length project with the scientific theory of dark matter at its center. The technology and the explosive dancing are part of the Nobles’ efforts to bring dance to a larger audience of non-connoisseurs. For our full preview see here. 

Aug 29–30 & Sept 4–6 at 8. $20–25. The Barn, 2201 Preston St. noblemotiondance.com

Classical

Fandango: A Night in Madrid

Mercury goes al fresco for an evening of Spanish-inspired music featuring Luigi Boccherini's Fandango for Guitar and Strings and Night Music in the Streets of Madrid, as well as another Fandango by Catalonian Baroque composer Antonio Soler. The always-entertaining Antoine Plante conducts.

Aug 30 at 8. Free tickets available at box office between 10:30 and 1 on the day of performance. Open seating on the hill. Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Dr. 281-373-3386. milleroutdoortheatre.com

Later in the week

Douglas Brinkley and Luke Nichter: The Nixon Tapes

Forty years ago this month, President Richard Nixon announced his resignation. To mark the anniversary, there are a number of Nixon-related events in Houston this week, beginning with the appearance of Douglas Brinkley and Luke Nichter (of Rice and Texas A&M, respectively) at Brazos Bookstore to discuss their co-edited collection of transcriptions from the secret Nixon tapes. The revelation of the tapes' existence during the Watergate hearings, and paint a vivid picture of the president's rage and paranoia. 

Sept 3 at 7. Free. Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet St. 713-523-0701. brazosbookstore.com