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

Love Buzz in Montrose celebrates its two-year anniversary with free slices of pizza.

Courtesy of Love Buzz/Facebook

Love Buzz in Montrose celebrates its two-year anniversary with free slices of pizza.

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Movie Review

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 doesn't match the first movie's enthusiasm

Blumhouse

Five Nights at Freddy's 2.

Blumhouse Productions first made their name with the Paranormal Activity series, establishing themselves as a leader in the horror genre thanks to their relatively cheap yet effective movies. In recent years, they’ve added on “soft” horror films like M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy’s to draw in a younger audience, with both films becoming so successful that each was quickly given a sequel.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 finds Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) still recovering from the events of the first film, with Abby particularly missing her “friends.” Those friends just so happen to be the souls of murdered children who inhabit animatronic characters at the long-defunct Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, children who were abducted and killed by William Afton (Matthew Lillard).

A new threat emerges at another Freddy Fazbear’s location in the form of Charlotte, another murdered child who inhabits a creepy large marionette. Mike, distracted by a possible romance with Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), fails to keep track of Abby, who makes her way to the old pizzeria and inadvertently unleashes Charlotte and her minions on the surrounding town.

Directed by Emma Tammi and written by Scott Cawthon (who also created the video game on which the series is based), the film tries to mix together goofy elements with intense scenes. One particular sequence, in which the security guard for Freddy Fazbear’s lets a group of ghost hunters onto the property, toes the line between soft and hard horror. That and a few others show the potential that the filmmakers had if they had stuck to their guns.

Unfortunately, more often than not they either soft-pedal things that would normally be horrific, or can’t figure out how to properly stage scenes. The sight of animatronic robots wreaking havoc is one that is simultaneously frightening and laughable, and the filmmakers never seem to find the right balance in tone. Every step in the direction of making a truly scary horror film is undercut by another in which the robots fail to live up to their promise.

It doesn’t help that Cawthon gives the cast some extremely wooden dialogue, lines that none of the actors can elevate. What may work in a video game format comes off as stilted when said by actors in a live-action film. The story also loses momentum quickly after the first half hour or so, with Cawthon seemingly content to just have characters move from place to place with no sense of connection between any of the scenes.

Hutcherson (The Hunger Games series), after being the true lead of the first film, is given very little to do in this film, and his effort is equal to his character’s arc. The same goes for Lail, whose character seems to be shoehorned into the story. Rubio is called upon to carry the load for a lot of the movie, and the teenager is not quite up to the task. A brief appearance by Skeet Ulrich seems to be a blatant appeal to Scream fans, but he and Lillard only underscore how limited this film is compared to that franchise.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is better than the first film, but not by much. The filmmakers do a decent job of making the new marionette character into a great villain, but they fail to capitalize on its inherent creepiness. Instead, they fall back on less effective elements, ensuring that the film will be forgettable for anyone other than hardcore Freddy fans.

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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opens in theaters on December 5.

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