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Are you feeling stressed? Me too. Can’t really say why. All week I’ve been all temperamental, shaky, and short of breath. Must be something in the air. Whatever it is, it’s nothing a fun-filled (possibly rainy) fall weekend can’t fix. I hope. Here are some choice choices for those of you sniffing around for something to do.
THE BIG SPILL: If last year’s three servings of Mark Wahlberg (the “Entourage” movie, “Ted 2,” and “Daddy’s Home” — yowch) had you concerned that the furrowed-brow crisis-mode Wahlberg we know and love was a thing of the past, rest assured, Peter Berg’s “Deepwater Horizon” (which Wahlberg also executive produced) opens this weekend to tell the tense tale of the worst oil spill disaster in US history. And though Ty Burr isn’t exactly gushing, he calls it a “taut, engrossing action movie about real-life heroes.” At the very least, it’s an improvement over that first Deepwater Horizon film. Two and a half stars. Opens Friday.
CRACK TEAM: Ever so loosely based on the Loomis Fargo bank robbery of 1997 (which temporarily yoinked about $17 million from the vaults), the Lorne Michaels-produced comedy heist “Masterminds” stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Jason Sudeikis (so, it’s sort of an “SNL Digital . . . Long”). Expect crass gags, wild hijinks, the magical combination of Wiig and (Emmy winner!) McKinnon, and lots (I mean lots) of feathered hair. Two stars. Opens Friday.
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TRUE STORIES: This weekend brings the second annual GlobeDocs Film Festival (running through Oct. 2), showcasing 15 new documentary films (as well as eight documentary shorts) that, according to Peter Keough’s sneak peek, “explore many kinds of heroism.” A number of the films will also feature live discussions between filmmakers and Globe journalists. Our obit writer Bryan Marquard, for instance, will interview “Obit” director Vanessa Gould, and arts editor Rebecca Ostriker will talk to the subject of “Harry Benson: Shoot First,” an intriguing behind-the-lens look at the renowned photojournalist. You can get the whole lowdown here.
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AULD SOD REVISITED: When Sean O’Casey’s “The Plough and the Stars” was first performed in 1926, it caused riots among theatergoers expecting a more solemn treatment of the Easter Rising (a bloody rebellion raised by Irish insurgents against the British in 1916 that killed nearly 500). Now, a century after the uprising, Dublin’s Abbey Theatre — the same company that first staged it — is returning to “The Plough” and digging deeper, with an update that is “not your old granddad’s ‘Plough,’ ” according to reviewer Patti Hartigan. The production may start out slowly, “but it picks up speed in the devastating second half,” she says, and “is shattering in the end.” It’s at the American Repertory Theatre through Oct. 9. Grab tickets here.
MIDDLE RAGE: The pop-punk stalwarts of Green Day have made more happen with three dudes, three chords, and three minutes over nearly three decades than most rock institutions accomplish in a lifetime. (Let me know when Blink-182 makes it to Broadway.) The band’s newest self-produced album, “Revolution Radio,” has been called “not so much a makeover as a make-under,” so when they come to House of Blues on Saturday, don’t be surprised if the band puts the emphasis more on “smash” than “hits.” Limited tickets are still available here.
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KNIGHT MOVES: “Lovingly ripped off” from the 1975 cult classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the Eric Idle-penned adaptation known as “Monty Python’s Spamalot” (bestowed the Tony for best musical in 2005) is a richly ridiculous romp through the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It’s at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly through Oct. 9, in a production directed by Billy Sprague Jr. that theater critic Don Aucoin says “achieves a state that approaches comic delirium.” (Though they’re still working out the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow.) Tickets for this weekend’s four performances are still available here.
PRINTS CHARMING: That John Belushi “College” poster you’ve had since . . . college is still pretty cool, don’t get me wrong. But “A Century of Style: Masterworks of Poster Design” (on view through Dec. 3 at MassArt’s Paine Gallery) may inspire you to step up your wall game a bit. With 131 vintage posters (taken from the collection of Robert Bachelder) stretching from Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s 1893 “Divan Japonais” to Paul Rand’s iconic 1981 rebus design for IBM, the exhibition pulls together works from the worlds of music, travel, sports, fashion, and more into a stunningly diverse assembly. “Yet nearly all the posters do have one thing in common,” says reviewer Mark Feeney. “They’re time capsules.”
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BREAKING GOOD: Raphael Xavier is a legendary breakdancer and choreographer, formerly a member of the groundbreaking Philly hip-hop company Rennie Harris Puremovement, and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship this year for taking mainsteam perception of breaking’s artistic potential and turning it on its head. Friday and Saturday, he brings his own company to the Institute for Contemporary Art for two performances of his newest work, “Point of Interest.” Don’t miss a free pre-show talk with Boston Dance Alliance executive director Debra Cash (a half hour before curtain in the ICA lobby) and, on Friday, a post-show Q&A with the dancers — who will not be teaching you the worm. Advance tickets available through World Music/CRASHarts.
BY GEORGES: Boston Lyric Opera celebrates its 40th anniversary season with what reviewer Jeffrey Gantz calls a lean, mean production of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” — turning to Catalan director Calixto Bieito’s 1999 interpretation of the opera, which is “more politics than poetry” and “strips the proceedings down to bare (sometimes nude) essentials.” This marks the first time the BLO has taken the stage at the Boston Opera House (more, please), and it closes this weekend. Tickets are still available for the Friday evening and Sunday afternoon performances.
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OR STAY IN: The rain could be real, so for a backup plan, starting Friday you can hate-watch (just a guess) Woody Allen’s new Miley-Cyrus-infused first go at a TV series for Amazon, “Crisis in Six Scenes” — knowing full well that Matthew Gilbert warned you of its “lazy and uncommitted writing, dated punch lines, and monotonous vamping.” There’s also the return of “Saturday Night Live,” which opens its 42nd season Saturday with Margot Robbie (“Suicide Squad”), musical guest The Weeknd, and the debut of Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump. (I’m turning orange with anticipation.) And don’t forget (as too many do) the trusty “Shameless,” which returns to Showtime for its seventh season on Sunday at 9 p.m. (Oh, and speaking of things that Gilbert digs, have you heard this new Bob Weir album? Lazy Sunday gold.)
Whatever you get into this weekend, just please: No more arguing. Do it for me, please? See you next week!
Michael Andor Brodeur can be reached at mbrodeur@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MBrodeur.