Weekend Event Planner

Here are the top 11 things to do in Houston this weekend

It's the week post-Super Bowl LI and Houston is showing no signs in slowing down with activities. There's plenty for everyone in the family to get into this weekend. Sesame Street Live, Monster Jam, and a premiere performance of To Kill a Mockingbird are just a few of the events on tap.

Here's are our picks for the top 11 events happening in Houston this weekend, but you can always see a full list on our CultureMap Events Calendar.

Thursday, February 9

Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music

Elmo, Abby, Cadabby, Big Bird, and other iconic characters learn to make beautiful music together after they search for their new teacher's missing instruments and discover new ones in this fun children's show. Multiple performances through Sunday at NRG Park.

The 25th Annual Great Grown Up Spelling Bee

Multiple teams of two adults compete against each other in this fun and competitive spelling bee until one emerges victorious — and the Houston Center for Literacy benefits. The night features cocktails, light bites, a dj, and desserts.

Friday, February 10

GoGames360 Houston

Game lovers will flock to The Woodlands all weekend to play hundreds of video games, board games, and physical games from around the world, laser and archery tag, an obstacle course, Lego gallery, dance-a-thon, ping pong, and Hamsterball Soccer. A dance and cheer showcase adds to the fun.

Tapas on the Trails

In advance of Valentine's Day, the popular Tapas on the Trails offers a romantic evening getaway at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. Enjoy a softly-lit walk through the Arboretum’s nature sanctuary, pausing along the way to indulge in five delicious courses paired perfectly with carefully selected beers and wines. Guests receive a commemorative glass to take home. The evening ends at the Meadow Deck overlooking our one acre pond and meadow where guests will enjoy sparkling wine, handcrafted desserts, coffee, and the company of an owl. The event takes place Friday and Saturday night.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Oscar Nominees: Animated Short Films

See all of this year's Oscar nominees in the Animated Short Films category, including Borrowed Time, Pearl, Piper, Blind Vaysha, and Pear Cider and Cigarettes, and you'll be ahead of the game when it comes to predicting the winner. On Saturday, the MFAH will present the nominees in the Documentary Short Subject category; a repeat of the Antimated Short Films will take place on Sunday.

STOMP

The Society for the Performing Arts presents the return of this inventive and invigorating stage show that’s part dance, part concert, part theatrical performance, all blended together in one electrifying rhythm that features matchboxes, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, and more filling the stage. Performances continue all weekend.

Saturday, February 11

Monster Jam

Adults and children alike will have an exciting time watching custom-designed trucks, approximately 12 feet tall and about 12 feet wide, sitting atop 66-inch-tall tires and weighing a minimum of 10,000 pounds, fly up to 130 feet in the distance and up to 35 feet in the air while reaching speeds as high as 100 miles per hour.

Houston Symphony presents Celebrate Asia

Led by Taiwanese-American guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen, the hour-long concert at Houston Baptist University features east Asian folk songs interwoven with popular Western classical music. Select works on the program include Bèo Dạt Mây Trôi, a lush orchestration of a traditional Vietnamese song arranged for orchestra by leading Vietnamese cellist Ngo Hoang Quan; Yuzo Toyama’s Rhapsody for Orchestra, a folk-music travelogue of Japan; and a set of variations on “Arirang,” a folk song often referred to as Korea’s unofficial national anthem. Mongolian violinist Angelo Xiang Yu also joins in the celebration of the musical traditions of Houston's Asian communities.

Beats+BBQ+Brews

Happening the second Saturday of every month at Axelrad Beer Garden from noon until 5 pm, this weekend's edition include beats from DJ Seek, barbecue from Blood Bros. BBQ, including 44 Farms chuck ribs and beef brisket, pork ribs, smoked boudain, and more. And, of course, lots of brews.

Sunday, February 12

To Kill a Mockingbird

A.D. Players kicks off its 50th anniversary season in its brand new theater with Christopher Sergel’s dramatization of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Harper Lee novel. Film and television actor Jason Douglas stars as Atticus Finch with Jemma Kosanke as Scout.

Dashboard Confessional

The rock band will perform hits from their various albums, including The Swiss Army Romance, After the Ending, and The Shade of Poison Trees at House of Blues. Vinyl Theater is the opening act.

We'd love to hear how you enjoyed these events and others happening around the city. Be sure to connect with us on social media.

Gamers will love GoGames360 in The Woodlands.

Photo courtesy of GoGames360 Houston

Gamers will love GoGames360 in The Woodlands.

event-planner

Movie Review

New Superman movie forges into the future while honoring the past

Photo by Jessica Miglio

David Corenswet in Superman.

When the character of Superman was invented in 1938, it was perhaps easier to see the world in good and bad terms. Fascism was already on the rise in Germany under Adolf Hitler, and the idea of an all-powerful superhero who stood up for people in need was a welcome one. In the nearly 90 years since, though, the world and the character have undergone multiple evolutions, and the thought of someone who is purely good is often met with cynicism or worse.

The new Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, puts the superhero (or metahuman, as the film calls him and similar creatures) squarely in the midst of the modern world, with geopolitical conflicts, mega-corporations, and social media all combining to make the altruism of Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) questionable. That skepticism even extends to his coworker/girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), whose knowledge of his exploits puts her in a tricky position personally and professionally.

Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is out to dominate the world and take down Superman, with his eponymous corporation and vast group of underlings dedicated to doing both. Superman is generally a one-man fighting crew, but he’s occasionally aided by a group calling themselves the Justice Gang, comprised of heroes many have never heard of like Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), a version of Green Lantern; Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), a flying metahuman; and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who knows all kinds of technology.

One of the best things about this new version of Superman is that it mostly dispenses with introductions, putting the audience in a world where Superman is already a well-known quantity who’s adored by many and hated by some. Gunn has used his new position as co-CEO of DC Studios to honor the past of the hero and take him into the future. With the 1978 John Williams theme song echoing throughout and Corenswet giving off Christopher Reeve vibes, it’s clear Gunn wants audiences to feel nostalgia while still getting something new.

He also appears to want viewers to fight against the negativity that the modern world can bring. The plot involves manipulation of the public, usually at the hands of Luthor, through bombastic talk shows, political theater, and social media, the latter of which — in a great joke — comes to involve hundreds of typing monkeys. The film could be read as a rebuttal of many real-world ills as, despite Luthor’s machinations, many choose to continue to believe in the goodness of Superman.

There is a lot going on in the film, but somehow it never comes off as overly complicated. Superman’s relationship with Lois Lane and Luthor’s attempts at taking him down are given the most prominence, with everything else supporting those two main things. The Justice Gang is a fun addition, with Mr. Terrific becoming the breakout hero of the group. The addition of the (CGI) dog Krypto provides levity, poignant moments, and unexpectedly great action scenes. The only part that gets somewhat short shrift is the crew of The Daily Planet, with everyone besides Lois and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) getting little more than face time.

Being the new Superman is a lot to live up to, but Corenswet is completely up to the job. He, like Reeve, plays the character as someone who is earnest but not naive, a quality that comes through even when he’s in the middle of fight scenes. Brosnahan is also fantastic, providing a nice balance to the relationship while also proving the character’s own worth. Hoult makes for a great new version of Luthor, and Gathegi nearly makes the case that Mr. Terrific should get a starring film of his own.

Just as he did with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Gunn has shown that success can be found through making characters people want to see. Not everyone in this Superman will be familiar to viewers, but in the end a group of people working together toward a goal that serves the common good is one worth watching and cheering for.

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Superman is now playing in theaters.

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