This weekend is pretty much all about surviving the record-breaking heat and humidity that El Niño has brought us. From art exhibitions to live performances to movie-going ideas, there are a few things to check out around town over the next few days. Here are the highlights:
Action movies galore
Three blockbuster action movies are out in Qatar theaters this month, including Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation; Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Fantastic Four reboot.
In MI5, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must contend with a disbanded IMF and a network of highly skilled special agents, the Syndicate. The team must keep the operatives from creating a new world order through an escalating series of terrorist attacks (93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes).
In Ant-Man, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) recruits Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a master thief just released from prison. Lang becomes Ant-Man, trained by Pym and armed with a suit that allows him to shrink in size, possess superhuman strength and control an army of ants. He must stop Yellowjacket from perfecting the same technology and using it as a weapon (79 percent on Rotten Tomatoes).
In Fantastic Four, four young people gain superhuman powers that allow them to alter their physical forms. Together, they must harness their new abilities to prevent Doctor Doom from destroying the Earth (8 percent on Rotten Tomatoes).
All three movies are playing at City Center and Villaggio malls, as well as Novo Cinemas at the Pearl Qatar.
Art appreciation
Qatar Museum’s last spring exhibition, Ismail Azzam: For Them winds down at the end of this month.
The collection of works consists of portraits of 15 painters and sculptors who have made a significant contribution to Arab art, and is on display at the QM gallery in Katara Cultural Village.
Azzam is of Iraqi origin, and moved to Doha in 1996 to work as a painter for the Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Council of Culture, and most recently the Qatar Museums as Curator at the Orientalist Museum collection. The exhibit closes on Aug. 31, and more information can be found here.
Qatari culture workshop
Local group Embrace Doha is holding an informational session about Qatar tonight, from 6pm to 8pm at Souq Waqif.
Attendees will learn about the history of Qatar and its tribes over the years, as well as local culture in the present day. Qatari hospitality, costumes and Qatari cuisine will also be discussed.
The event will be held next to the Souq’s police station and costs QR100/person.
Attendees can register online here and pay at the door. For more information, email [email protected] or call 7066-5474.
Summer festival
As part of the annual summer festival, an “Entertainment City” will be open at the Doha Exhibition Center for the entire month of August. The venue includes amusement park rides, games and shows, as well as a food court.
There is also live entertainment, with the schedules for each day’s shows posted daily on the summer festival’s Facebook page. Timings for Entertainment City are Saturday to Wednesday, 1pm to 11pm; and Thursday to Friday, 1pm to midnight. For more information on the summer fest, see our story here.
What are your plans for the weekend? Thoughts?
