Weekend event planner

Here are the top 10 things to do in Houston this weekend

The weekend is almost here, and we’re ready to hit the town. From a happy hour social hosted by your favorite digital lifestyle platform — CultureMap (duh) — to some amazing concerts and lively family-fun happenings, we’ve put together a list of can’t-miss events so that you won’t have a single dull moment from Thursday straight through to Sunday. Read on for the top 10 best things to do in Houston this weekend.

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

Get social
Thursday, May 18
Don't miss CultureMap’s summer social for young professionals at River Oaks luxury apartment community, Marq 31. Lifestyle blogger Natalie Harms of It's Not Hou It's Me will give tips on how to host the perfect summer picnic, while several boutiques including Baanou, Kissue, and Stag Provisions will offer up summer essentials for sale. Enjoy refreshing sips by Casamigos Tequila and Saint Arnold Brewing Company, popsicles by Kicpops, and spins by DJ Bizonee. Proceeds benefit Memorial Park Conservancy. (6-8 pm; tickets: $20 per person)
3131 Timmons Ln.

Supermodel alert
Friday, May 19
Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Ashley Graham heads to Barnes and Noble in River Oaks for a signing session of her memoir, A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty and Power Really Look Like. (6 pm; tickets; free entry)
2030 W. Gray St.; 713-522-8571

Whiskey river
Friday, May 19
Sample a large roster of whiskies and fine spirits at the second annual whiskey social. Your ticket also gets you entry to master classes led by brand ambassadors and hors d’oeuvres. (6 pm; tickets: $75 per person)
2401 W. Bellfort Blvd.; 713-899-9321

Fun for kids
Saturday, May 20-Sunday, May 21
The Houston Texans, Texas Children’s Hospital, and Kids Triathlon, Inc. team up to host the 2017 Houston Texans Kids Triathlon at NRG Stadium, featuring interactive triathlon expos and racing fun (6 am; tickets: $50-$60 per person)
8400 Kirby Dr.; 904-448-2114

Discover downtown
Saturday, May 20
Learn about downtown’s public art and architecture from the experts as Architecture Center Houston and AIA Houston host a tour including stops along Market Square Park, Buffalo Bayou, and areas West of Main St. (10 am; tickets: $5 per person for AIA Houston members and $10 per person for nonmembers)
Market Square Park at Travis St. and Congress Ave.; 713-520-0155

Like a boss
Saturday, May 20
Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Lil Keke, Kirko Bangz, Dice Soho, and more hit the stage at the Space City Liftoff concert at jewelry retailer Johnny Dang & Co. (1 pm; tickets: $30-$150 per person)
6224 Richmond Ave.

The right stuff
Saturday, May 20
New Kids on the Block, 90s teen sensations, bring their The Total Package tour to downtown’s Toyota Center. Paula Abdul and Boyz II Men are also on the bill. (7:30 pm; tickets: floor seats (only) are still available for $249.95 per person)
1510 Polk St.; 713-758-7200

Feast for a good cause
Sunday, May 21
Load up on delicious fare, from smoked Gouda grits (with herb butter, crawfish tails, and smoked chorizo; $8.50) to smoked bacon banana waffles ($7.50 for two), at a special fundraiser brunch at El Burro & the Bull restaurant. All proceeds go towards medical expenses for Norma Brooks, of the highly-acclaimed Brooks’ Place Barbecue in Cypress, who recently suffered a stroke and has been diagnosed with cancer. (11 am-3 pm; tickets: free entry)
1010 Prairie St.; 713- 503-2299

Kiddie art fest
Sunday, May 21
Kid-friendly fun, Texas Children’s Art Festival, held at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, presents art-making workshops, a collaborative group art project, interactive games, and live music on the terrace. As well, the first floor of Ima Hogg’s onsite historic house will be open for tours. (1 pm; tickets: free)
6003 Memorial Dr.; 713-800-5345

Nose-to-tail throwdown
Sunday, May 21
At pork-tacular foodie event, Cochon555, five chefs, each given one week to prepare a whole pig, go head-to-head at Hughes Manor in a competition scored by a panel of judges. Sample to eats, plus sips from a handful of winemakers (5 pm; tickets: $125-$200 per person)
2811 Washington Ave.; 201-675-9711

Cochon555 rolls in Houston for pork-tacular event at Hughes Manor.

Photo courtesy of Cochon555

Cochon555 rolls in Houston for pork-tacular event at Hughes Manor.

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Movie Review

Avatar: Fire and Ash returns to Pandora with big action and bold visuals

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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