weekend event planner

Here at the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Dazzling art and photography celebrating royal India await at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Photo by Neil Greentree

It’s the start of a new month, and while swarms of Houston folk will get their cowboy on at RodeoHouston, there are other intriguing, active, artsy, and even free events that are poppin'. We've rounded up your top eight, to make the most of your weekend.

Thursday, March 1

Bun B opens the Bayou City Music Series at Discovery Green
For the next few months, The Bayou City Music Series will dispatch a number of Houston-proud performers to various venues throughout the city, in the hopes of getting the townspeople in an enjoyable, ultimately soulful mood. It all begins at 6:30 pm at Discovery Green, with trill rap icon, author, Rice University guest lecturer, and occasional CultureMap advice columnist Bun B as the headliner. The High School for the Performing Arts (HSPVA) Jazz Ensemble, former B.B. King bandleader Milton Hopkins, and jazz/blues legend Jewel Brown will serve as the opening acts. A great show — and it's free.

Rock out at Houston Ballet’s Rock, Roll and Tutus
The Houston Ballet has an intriguing, mixed repertory program happening this weekend, called Rock, Roll and Tutus. There will also be a pre-show, costume exhibit located in the theater’s lobby. Aptly titled “Tutus: From Stitch to Stage,” the exhibit features wardrobe from the Ballet’s various performances throughout the years. Among the tutus on hand: the Coppelia tutu, the Don Quixote tutu and, of course, the Swan Lake tutu. (Both those tutus will be seen again when productions of Quixote and Lake happen later this season.) The tutu/ballet fun runs through Sunday, March 4, at George R. Brown’s Resilience Center.

It's Turtle racing (!) at Little Woodrow’s
Have you ever wanted to get drunk while watching sea-dwelling creatures compete in a race? Little Woodrow’s in Midtown will once again serve all those looking for reptile-themed sporting events. Every Thursday night at 8 pm, the Little Woodrow’s Turtle Guy (apparently, this place has an official turtle handler) and his wranglers will bring in some turtles to take part of in a series of turtle races, while cheering fans get the chance to win a koozie if they pick the winner. Of course, if the sight of racing turtles doesn’t make you immediately giddy, this place still has lots of beer.

Friday, March 2

Leon Bridges brings old-school soul to RodeoHouston
As we noted, Ft. Worth native Leon Bridges is a legit national star, and a major player on the neo-soul scene. There have been some rumblings about Bridge's booking as the sole African-American act, but that doesn't take away from his superstar appeal. Expect head-swaying tunes from his album, Coming Home, which calls to mind greats such as Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. This show is sure to be a RodeoHouston standout, and unlike many of the other performances, there are still tickets available.

MasterChef Junior — with “HotHead Henry” viewing party
Katy kid chef Henry Hummeldorf will be the guest of honor at Dish Society at LaCenterra in Cinco Ranch. This night is special for the lad; that’s when the new season of MasterChef Junior airs, in which he appears as a Top 40 contestant. Along with giving a viewing party, Dish will also serve free ice cream with the purchase of a meal, as well as have Henry’s sauce stocked to spice up your dinner. (Already have HotHeadHenry on hand? Henry's happy to sign bottles of his sauce upon request.) This kid will be on TV and has his own sauce? Doesn’t this make you feel like you didn’t do a damn thing in your childhood?

Saturday, March 3

Meet tennis legends at Zina Garrison's EAT.PLAY.LOVE
Local tennis great Zina Garrison and her Zina Garrison Tennis and Education Academy has put together a charity weekend, basically known as EAT.PLAY.LOVE. The event starts at 8 am with a competitive doubles tournament. After that, VIP tents will feature contestants and winners from Hell’s Kitchen whipping up some food. Garrison and Martina Navratilova will then entertain folks at a dinner/auction set at Richard and Marty Finger’s home in River Oaks. On Sunday, there's a semi-finals tournament, followed by the “Ace of Love Fashion Show.” The event will culminate with finals and a trophy presentation.

Find your inner dude at the Houston Lebowski Bash
Twenty years ago this month, Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Big Lebowski hit theaters, though it wasn’t a smash upon its initial release (everyone was too busy seeing Titanic over and over again). However, this hilarious mashup of film-noir detective story, and rambling stoner comedy, has now turned into an iconic cult film — even spawning an annual, major gathering: Lebowski Fest. Local Lebowski fans can celebrate this movie by attending the Houston Lebowski Bash, at 6 pm at Smither Park. Along with an 8 pm screening of the movie, there will be a costume contest, Lebowski Trivia and a Vinyl Ranch DJ set. And yes, White Russians will be served.

Sunday, March 4

Dazzling treasures at Peacock in the Desert: The Royal Arts of Jodhpur, India
This weekend, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston unveils eye-opening, sophisticated, Indian treasures. Sunday is the kickoff date for Peacock in the Desert: The Royal Arts of Jodhpur, India, an epic exhibition of royal treasures from India. Some 250 objects will be on display — many of them seen for the first time in the U.S. Along with the artifacts, there is also a community “Mela” party on Sunday, from 12:15 pm to 6 pm. Free with admission, it will be full of art-making activities, Indian cuisine, performances, and other goodies. Peacock runs at the MFAH through Sunday, August 19.

Dazzling art and photography celebrating royal India await at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Photo by Neil Greentree

Dazzling art and photography celebrating royal India await at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

event-planner

Movie Review

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck square off in Netflix crime thriller The Rip

Photo by Claire Folger/Netflix

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in The Rip.

For as closely tied together as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are, it might come as a surprise how few times they’ve led a movie together. They’ve appeared alongside each other in Good Will Hunting, The Last Duel, and Air, but the only time they were on equal footing in a story was Kevin Smith’s Dogma. So the fact that they are the two true stars of the new Netflix movie The Rip makes it a rare opportunity for the longtime friends to square off against each other.

Damon and Affleck play Lt. Dane Dumars and Detective Sgt. J.D Byrne, respectively, the two highest ranking members of a Miami police department squad that specializes in drug and drug money raids. A tragedy to begin the film already has the team — which includes Detectives Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandina Moreno) — on edge, with the FBI and DEA breathing down their neck.

Going off a tip, Dumars gathers the team to raid a house in nearby Hialeah that is supposed to have a stash of a relatively small amount of money. But when they get to the house occupied only by Desiree Molina (Sasha Calle), they discover close to $20 million. The team, required by law to count the money on site, must not only fight the urge to skim a little off the top for themselves, but also worry about the Cartel and other agencies that might want a slice of the pie.

Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, the film is a surprisingly effective crime thriller made even better by its high-quality cast, which also includes Kyle Chandler as a DEA agent. The story is designed for the audience to not know who’s trustworthy until the last possible second, and the various twists and turns it takes are well done, with barely a hint of narrative cheating.

Taking place entirely at night, the mood is set right from the start, with the only surprise being that Carnahan didn’t add in rain for extra effect. He keeps things tense with a number of subtle elements, including having the house located in a seemingly deserted cul-de-sac. This allows for the characters to remain on high alert at all times, with anything out of the ordinary — an unexpected noise, a flashing light, etc. — adding to the stress of the situation.

The only element that could have used a bit more of a punch-up is the characterization. The story is set up to cast suspicion on almost everybody, making it tougher to understand exactly what type of person each of them is. As the two leads, more time is spent with Dumars and Byrne, leaving everyone else with slightly underwhelming arcs. It’s to the credit of the actors that everyone else below Damon and Affleck is still compelling.

Damon and Affleck play their sometimes friendly, sometimes adversarial roles well, showing an ease together that’s a result of their friendship and the acting skills they’ve honed over 30+ years. Taylor, an Oscar hopeful for One Battle After Another, and Oscar nominee/Emmy winner Yeun have a pedigree that elevates their supporting roles. Chandler, Moreno, and Calle each get just enough to demonstrate why they were cast in their respective roles.

Damon and Affleck have had their individual ups and downs throughout their careers, but when they choose to work together, the results are usually good-to-great, as they are in The Rip. It’s a different take on a crime thriller that features a story that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.

---

The Rip is now streaming on Netflix.

movies