Weekend events planner

Here are the top 9 things to do in Houston this weekend

The Fourth of July celebrations might be over, but that doesn't mean you can't keep the fun going. From sensational exhibits to free pizza slices and a summer rosé fest, read on for your guide to the best nine things to do in Houston this weekend.

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

Mexican movies
Thursday, July 6-Saturday, July 8
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents “The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema,” featuring 14 films complementing current museum exhibition, Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910–1950. Screenings include You’re Missing the Point (Ahí está detalle) on Thursday, July 6; Another Dawn (Distinto Amanecer) on Friday, July 7; and A Woman in Love (Enamorada) on Saturday, July 8. (2 pm, tickets: $9 per person)
1001 Bissonnet St. 713-639-7300

Wish you were here
Thursday, July 6
Pink Floyd veteran Roger Waters plays at Toyota Center as part of his US + Them Tour, which comes behind his new solo album, Is This the Life We Really Want? Waters will also perform new songs as well as classic Pink Floyd tunes. (8 pm; tickets: $55-$295 per person)
1510 Polk St.; 713-758-7200

Chills and thrills
Thursday, July 6-Sunday, July 8
New arts company Strange Bird Immersive presents The Man From Beyond: Houdini Séance Escape Room at the Silos on Sawyer. With only eight seats per show, the interactive adventure promises an adrenaline rush as participates take part in a séance hosted by eccentric medium Madame Daphne. (8 pm; tickets: $29-$36 per person)
1502 Sawyer St.; 832-314-8804

Art exhibit
Friday, July 7
"The Big Show" opening reception at Lawndale Art Center kicks off the art center's annual juried exhibit with work in all media by artists living within a 100-mile radius. Artwork will remain on display through August 12. (7-9 pm; tickets: free)
4912 Main St.; 713-528-5858

Jingle bells
Saturday, July 8
Celebrate the holidays early at 5K run, Christmas in July, benefiting The Salvation Army of Greater Houston. (7 am; tickets: $35-$50 per person)
1500 Austin St.; 713-752-0677

We’ll drink to that
Saturday, July 8
Wine representatives serve up free tastings of several refreshing rosés at the Summer Rosé Festival at Midtown’s Izakaya restaurant. The afternoon lineup also includes DJ spins and a photo booth, plus free appetizers from the kitchen and free samples from next door’s Fluff Bake Bar. Proceeds go to Houston Area Women’s Center. (12-4 pm; tickets: $25 per person or bring a donation of new — with tags — yoga pants, sweatpants, and sweatshirts)
318 Gray; 713-527-8988

When the moon hits your eye
Saturday, July 8
Montrose pizzeria Love Buzz celebrates its two-year anniversary with free slices of pizza and drink specials. Grazie. (1-6 pm; tickets: free entry)
412 Westheimer Rd.; 713-521-2899

Slam dunk
Saturday, July 8
The Harlem Globetrotters bring their show to NRG Arena in back-to-back games. The team roster includes Big Easy Lofton, Ant Atkinson, Hi-Lite Bruton, Thunder Law, Bull Bullard and Cheese Chisholm, along with female stars TNT Maddox, Ace Jackson, Swish Young, and Hoops Green. After each game, Globetrotter stars will sign autographs and take photos with fans. (2 pm and 7 pm; tickets: $$19-$408 per person)
1 NRG Park; 713-629-3700

Say yes
Sunday, July 9
Be inspired to create the wedding of your dreams at the Bibi Bridal Show at downtown’s Hyatt Regency Houston. Check out the newest trends in wedding design curated for luxurious South Asian weddings and get advice from industry experts on a range of topics from decor to choosing a photographer. (12 pm; tickets: $15 per person)
1200 Louisiana St.; 713-654-1234

The Harlem Globetrotters bring their show to NRG Arena in back-to-back games.

Photo courtesy of Harlem Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters bring their show to NRG Arena in back-to-back games.

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Movie Review

New horror movie Sinners sings the blues with twin turn from Michael B. Jordan

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Michael B. Jordan and Miles Caton in Sinners.

Writer/director Ryan Coogler has become so well-known for his blockbuster films — Creed, Black Panther, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — that it’s easy to forget that he made his debut with the small-but-powerful 2013 film, Fruitvale Station. After more than a decade, he’s finally returning to original material with his latest film, Sinners.

Each of Coogler’s films has either starred or featured Michael B. Jordan, and this one gives moviegoers a double dose, as Jordan plays twins who go by the nicknames of Smoke and Stack. Set in 1932, the two hustlers have recently returned from mysterious (and possibly criminal) work in Chicago to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi to open a juke joint.

They call upon a number of friends and family to help them with the venture, including cousin and guitar player Sammie Moore (Miles Caton), Smoke’s old girlfriend Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), piano player Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), bouncer Cornbread (Omar Miller), and Chinese couple Bo and Grace Chow (Yao and Li Jun Li). Trouble is never far from the brothers, though, whether it’s Stack’s old girlfriend Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), the Ku Klux Klan leader who sold them the property for the juke joint, or something even more sinister.

Coogler began his feature film career by confronting the issue of unjustified shootings of Black people by police. How Black people are perceived by society has been a part of everything he’s done since. By placing this film firmly in the middle of the Jim Crow era, he infuses the story with all manner of subtext, including the injustice of sharecropping and prevalent segregation in the South.

Music, specifically Blues, plays a big part in the film as well. It’s championed through the emerging talent of Sammie and the veteran presence of Delta Slim, but it’s also a driving force for other parts of the plot. Sammie is decried by his pastor father for playing “the devil’s music,” while strange newcomer Remmick (Jack O’Connell) seems to appreciate it a little too much. A fantastically surreal scene at the juke joint turns into an entertaining and educational lesson on the history of Black music.

It’s Remmick’s obsession that’s at the center of the final hour or so of the film, one in which all hell breaks loose. The manner of that hell is probably better enjoyed if it’s not spoiled here, but suffice it to say that Remmick has an evil to him that threatens to destroy Smoke and Stack’s venture before it even gets started. The horror aspect of the film is fine, but it winds up being the least interesting part of the story.

Jordan can occasionally go over-the-top with his performances, and with him playing twins the threat of doing so was doubled. But he remains relatively restrained for most of the film, giving each twin their own unique spin. Caton, a rising R&B singer, makes his acting debut in the film and winds up stealing every scene he’s in. The rest of the cast complements each other well, with Mosaku and Steinfeld being standouts.

Coogler has proven himself to be a savvy filmmaker in each of his previous four films, and with Sinners he combines the personal with crowd-pleasing elements to great effect. It features great music, an insightful story, and even some gory action for an experience you’re not likely to find anywhere else.

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Sinners opens in theaters on April 18.

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