Weekend Event Planner

Dave Matthews, classic boy band and festival fever top weekend events in Houston

It's prime festival season in Houston, as no fewer than four different festivals will take place around the city this weekend. If you'd rather stay inside, there's a unique take on a classic play, a boy band still hangin' tough after all these years and a rock band going above and beyond the normal call of duty.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, May 14

20th Annual Houston Greek Festival
It's time to get your Greek on at the annual Houston Greek Festival at St. Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church. Every day through Sunday, you can get your fill of gyros and wine, dance to some great music and shop in the pop-up marketplace. For even more entertainment, you can also watch competitive eaters like Joey Chestnut and Matt Stoney compete in the Niko Nikos Gyro Eating Contest on Sunday.

Pachanga Latino Music Festival
The Pachanga Latino Music Festival is taking place in Houston, Austin and Dallas simultaneously this weekend, bringing each city a variety of music and cultural performances, not to mention great food. The acts performing at Warehouse Live will include Kinky, Compass: M. I. S. + Toy Selectah and Ceci Bastida.

Friday, May 15

Rice Village Food & Wine Festival
If you love the various food and drink establishments at Rice Village, this is your weekend as they're banding together for a special food and wine festival. The variety of events include a shrimp and crab boil at Savory Spice Shop, paella at El Meson, tea at British Isles and more. The festival will take place through Sunday.

Society for the Performing Arts presents Scottish Ballet in A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire earned instant classic status upon its Broadway debut in 1947, and cemented it even further with the movie version four years later. But this performance at Wortham Theater Center will be completely unique, as the Scottish Ballet interprets the story of Blanche DuBois through dance.

Saturday, May 16

New Kids on the Block in concert with TLC and Nelly
Folks, brace yourself: It's now been over 30 years since New Kids on the Block officially got their start, which raises the question of whether you can still be called a boy band if you're pushing 50. You can judge for yourself if NKOTB still has it when they perform at Toyota Center, along with opening acts TLC and Nelly.

Dave Matthews Band in concert
You can't argue that the Dave Matthews Band isn't giving fans their money's worth these days. During both their 2014 and 2015 tours, the band, which will perform at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, has played two full sets - one acoustic and one electric - almost ensuring that each and every fan will go home happy.

Sunday, May 17

East End Cultural District Open House Tour
The East End Cultural District is full of art studios, galleries, theaters and creative fabrication “makerspaces," and many of them will throw open their doors on Sunday for this special open house. The self-guided tour lets you get a direct experience with the art making process. Swing by East End Foundation booth on the Navigation esplanade for a map of all participating locations.

2015 Texas Children's Art Festival
If your little ones can't get enough of drawing, painting or other art projects, take them out to Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens for the annual Texas Children's Art Festival. Children and their families are invited to participate in art-making activities, interactive games, and engaging demonstrations by potters, wood turners, silversmiths and quilt makers.

Ars Lyrica presents Alexander’s Feast—Or, The Power of Music
It will be a fiery end to the 2014-2015 Ars Lyrica season as they present Alexander’s Feast—Or, The Power of Music at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. The musical tale relates how the rapturous song of a musician named Timotheus aroused and moved Alexander the Great. The performance is sure to contain abundant vocal and instrumental fireworks.

New Kids on the Block will play at Toyota Center on May 16 alongside TLC and Nelly.

New Kids on the Block Facebook

New Kids on the Block will play at Toyota Center on May 16 alongside TLC and Nelly.

unspecified

Movie Review

An all-star cast delivers clever laughs in new comedy The Invite

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film — which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century — has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples — the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis — turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights — and occasional bawdiness — make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

---

The Invite is now playing in theaters.

movies film