Weekend Event Planner

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

The weekend is meant for fun. But with so much to do in America’s fourth largest city, it can be tough to narrow down the choices. Let us help with our guide to the weekend’s top events, from the return of Cirque du Soleil to a can't-miss barbecue fest. Read on for the top 11 things to do in Houston this weekend.

For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Cool cars
Thursday, April 6-Sunday, April 9: Gear up for the 34th Houston Auto Show at NRG Center. The event showcases nearly 800 new car models by 30 automakers, from Chrysler to Lamborghini (times vary; tickets: $12 per adult, $5 per child). 8400 Kirby Dr.; 713-629-3700

More cool cars
Thursday, April 6-Sunday April 9: A four-day festival celebrating the 30th Annual Houston Art Car Parade Weekend culminates in the big parade in downtown on Saturday at 2 pm with more than 250 entries. Cheech Marin is the grand marshal. Other events include the Sneak Peek at Discovery Green on Thursday night, the Legendary Art Car Ball on Friday night around Houston City Hall, and The Houston Art Car Parade Awards Ceremony on Sunday at Smither Park. www.thehoustonartcarparade.com

Under the big top
Thursday, April 6-Sunday, April 30: Cirque du Soleil rolls into town for a month-long run of Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities, a tale in which time comes to a complete stop, transporting the audience inside a fantasy world filled with strange characters and reality is relative (times vary; tickets: $35-$210 per person). Sam Houston Race Park, 7575 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. W.

An affair to remember
Thursday, April 6-Sunday, April 9: The Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair amps things up this year with a dinner, called “The Boiling Point,” by renowned chef Bryan Caswell (Reef), James Beard Award nominee and BravoTV Top Chef alum Ed Lee, and chef David Bancroft (Acre Restaurant in Auburn, Alabama) on Thursday (7:30 pm; tickets: $150 per person). The foodie fun continues through the weekend with tasting sessions and classes (times vary; tickets: $65-$200 per person). Multiple locations; 713-747-9463

Beer dinner
Friday, April 7: Head to Hotel Granduca’s new al fresco dining venue Il Giardino for a four-course Italian meal paired with craft beers by Italian beer distributor Birradamare, all part of a special “National Beer Day” dinner (7 pm; tickets: $75 per person). 1080 Uptown Park Blvd.; 713-418-1104

Wine fest
Saturday, April 8: Sip, nosh and stroll at the Brenner's on the Bayou Wine Fest (3 pm-6 pm; $75 per person in advance; $85 at the door; $135 VIP). The event, which takes place on the scenic grounds near Buffalo Bayou, showcases eclectic wines, live music and light bites from several Landry's chefs, including Jason Cole (Brenner’s Steakhouse), Michael O’Connor (Vic & Anthony’s) and pastry chef Eunice Grassa (Landry’s Signature Group). 1 Birdsall St.; 713-868-4444

Pop life
Saturday, April 8: Singing sensation Ariana Grande brings her Dangerous Woman concert tour to downtown’s Toyota Center (7:30 pm; tickets: $49.95-$250 per person). The tour supports Grande’s third studio album by the same name, which features hits including the title song, plus “Everyday,” Let Me Love You,” and “Into You.” 1510 Polk St.; 866-446-8849

Hot beats
Saturday, April 8: Iceland’s DJ Yamaho brings her eclectic spins, from disco to techno and to house, promising a hot night at the Opera Ball Encore after-party (10 pm; tickets: $150 per person). UPDATE 04/06: DJ Yamaho had to cancel her appearance because of a family medical emergency and has been replaced by DJ Whitney Fierce, who is currently touring in Mexico but will fly to Houston for the Encore party. 501 Texas Ave.; 713-546-0277

Sunday funday
Sunday, April 9: This weekend, brunch at Hugo Ortega’s newest concept, Xochi, includes more than just the delicious buffet (11 am-2:30 pm; $34 per adult, $12 per child). Actor, comedian and writer Cheech Marin will be on-hand, celebrating his new memoir, Cheech Is Not My Real Name: …But Don’t Call Me Chong. Buy a copy and have it signed by Marin (11 am-1 pm; tickets: free entry), while you sip $6 cocktails stirred with Tres Papalote Mezcal (11:30 am-2:30 pm). Marriott Marquis Houston Downtown, 1777 Walker St.

Goals
Sunday, April 9: The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team takes on Russia in an international friendly game (1 pm; tickets: $25-$250 per person). BBVA Compass Stadium, 2200 Texas St.

Tasty ‘cue
Sunday, April 9: The Houston Barbecue Festival boasts tasty barbecue from favorite joints near and far, including Houston’s El Burro & the Bull, Feges BBQ, Killen's Barbecue, and The Pit Room, Taylor’s Louie Mueller Barbecue, and Elgin's Southside Market (1 pm-4 pm; tickets: $60 per person). NRG Park, Gate 13; 832-454-6106

Singing sensation Ariana Grande brings her Dangerous Woman concert tour to downtown’s Toyota Center.

Photo by Chinh Phan

Singing sensation Ariana Grande brings her Dangerous Woman concert tour to downtown’s Toyota Center.

event-planner

Movie review

Messy Frankenstein movie The Bride! stitches camp and confusion

Photo by Niko Tavernise

Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley in The Bride!.

The story of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster is now over 200 years old, with Mary Shelley’s book having been adapted or referenced in close to 500 films. Less common is the character of The Bride of Frankenstein, which existed in the original text but has more often than not been excised in adaptations. Writer/director Maggie Gyllenhaal has tried to rectify that by giving the character a big showcase in her new film, The Bride!.

Gyllenhaal has reimagined the story as one in which a woman named Ida (Jessie Buckley) becomes possessed by the spirit of Shelley (also Buckley). At the same time, the already-existing Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) approaches Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening), who specializes in reanimation, with the request to make him a wife. When Ida falls to her death in an “accident” involving her boyfriend (John Magaro), the ideal corpse becomes available.

After Ida’s resurrection, she and the monster become restless being studied by Dr. Euphronius and decide to break out to experience the world. The world, naturally, is not exactly welcoming to them, and soon the couple are on the run for causing mayhem, including a few murders. In hot pursuit are detective Jake Wiles (Peter Sarsgaard) and his assistant, Myrna Mallow (Penélope Cruz), as well as other authorities.

It’s clear that Gyllenhaal wanted to merge the Frankenstein story with Bonnie & Clyde, especially since she sets the film in the mid-1930s. And that wouldn’t have been a bad idea if having the monster and The Bride going on a crime spree was truly the focus of the movie. But most of the time there’s less intentionality in their misdeeds and more confusion, leading to a muddled plot with no clear direction or end goal in mind.

One of the biggest problems is that Gyllenhaal starts the energy of the film at an 11, giving her and everyone else nowhere to go but down. She dabbles in multiple different tones, at times going the straight drama route and other times making what seems like full-on camp. At one point, she even has the monster and the Bride in a dance sequence set to “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” which would be hilarious as an homage to Young Frankenstein if the film weren’t so disjointed.

Most baffling of all is what Gyllenhaal wants from The Bride character. She morphs multiple times over the course of the film, from close to unintelligible at the beginning to rough-and-tumble at the end. There are hints at the lack of control she has over her autonomy, including Shelley’s possession of her and the monster lying to her about her past, but any commentary that Gyllenhaal might be trying to make gets lost amid the oddity of the film as a whole.

Both Buckley and Bale are all-in for their performances, which definitely fall in the “love it or hate it” dichotomy. Each scene is pitched so high that there’s little nuance to either of them, and neither is on par with their previous Oscar-caliber roles. The high-powered supporting cast of Bening, Sarsgaard, Cruz, and Jake Gyllenhaal is watchable based on previous roles, but none of them elevate this particular movie.

Whatever intentions Maggie Gyllenhaal had in making The Bride! are only halfway legible in a film that can never find its tonal footing. There has rarely been subtlety in movies featuring Frankenstein’s monster and related characters, but this one makes all the others seem like stuffy dramas in comparison.

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The Bride! is now playing in theaters.

movies film maggie gyllenhaal annette bening christian bale jessie buckley peter sarsgaard penélope cruz movie review