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    Weekend Event Planner

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

    Dominique McGhee
    Nov 24, 2016 | 3:00 pm

    With Thanksgiving out of the way, there are plenty of great events happening this weekend to continue enjoying your time with family and friends. These 9 events offer a great way to get out of the house and celebrate what Houston has to offer.

    Whether catching local band Blue October in concert or taking in the new Nutcracker at the Houston Ballet, there's plenty to enjoy. For a full list of what's happening around the city, check out our CultureMap Events Calendar.

    Friday, November 25

    Holiday Fashion Truck Festival

    Take in shopping, craft beers, live music, brunch, and cocktails as you enjoy 12 fashion trucks from across Texas at the two-day festival at Onion Creek in the Heights.

    Houston Ballet The Nutcracker

    A holiday favorite is getting a new look as Houston Ballet premieres its updated version of The Nutcracker. The classic story of a little girl, Clara, and her magical nutcracker doll has been reimagined by Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch, with new sets and costumes. It continues through December 27.

    The Catastrophic Theatre presents Songs About Himself

    The latest offering from the cutting-edge Houston theater company examines the role of social media in our lives, with a corrupted/fragmented version of the internet now called "the weed" and a woman who unlocks its secrets after joining a rogue social media site.

    Blue October

    The Houston alt-rock band brings it back to where it all started with a concert at Revention Music Center to support their new album Home.

    Saturday, November 26

    Sing Saturday presented by Universal Pictures

    Unwind with a movie after your busy Thanksgiving dinner and Black Friday-hopping with a free advance screening of the new animated film Sing at select AMC Theaters. Sing tells the story of a koala named Buster Moon who has one final chance to revive his theater by producing the worlds greatest singing competition. The voices of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, and John C. Reilly round out the cast for this new animated film.

    Ice on Discovery Green

    Discovery Green offers Houstonians a taste of winter by transforming the park's model boat basin into a outdoor ice rink, using renewable energy recycled water from Kinder Lake, all the while being kept at a frigid 22 degrees. The Houston skyline is the perfect backdrop for ice skating now through Super Bowl Sunday on February 5, 2017.

    Carolyn Wonderland in Concert with John Egan

    Carolyn Wonderland's soulful voice and instrumental talents are what her fans have come to love. This blues singer will be joined by John Egan, whose repertoire ranges from county blues to a more modern electric style. Wonderland's skillful, poetic approach to singing is often complemented by a whistling solo; it sounds like a must see show!

    Sunday, November 27

    Barbara Streisand in Concert

    This will be the legendary singer's first-ever concert in Houston as she performs hits from each of the last six decades and other favorites, including songs from her latest number one album, ENCORE: Movie Partners Sing Broadway. The performance will be modeled after her first highly successful tour The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic.

    Sugar Land Holiday Lights

    The Sugar Land Skeeters present the 3rd Annual Sugar Land Holiday Lights featuring the largest inflatable snow globe in Texas, 2.5 million lights, and over 100 walkthrough displays at Constellation Field. Holiday lights will continue through December 23 and includes children's activities, movie nights, shopping, food trucks, and Santa Claus each night.

    Share your event experiences with us on social media or leave a comment below.

    Houston band Blue October comes home for a concert at featuring their new album "Home."

    Blue October_band_older photo
    Photo by Chris Barber
    Houston band Blue October comes home for a concert at featuring their new album "Home."
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    Movie Review

    Over-the-top thriller The Housemaid revels in camp, chaos, and excess

    Alex Bentley
    Dec 22, 2025 | 6:00 am
    Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid
    Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
    Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

    Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

    Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

    After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

    Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

    The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

    Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

    Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

    The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

    ---

    The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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