Weekend Event Planner

Here are the top 11 things to in Houston this weekend

This weekend's events are full of fun for anyone with eclectic tastes and income levels. Whether enjoying a $3,000 per couple dinner featuring the world's best cognac at The Federal Grill, brunching for a cause at Izakaya, catching a performance of the incomparable Andrea Bocelli, or taking in a free talk about the Astrodome, you're sure to have a great time in the city. And if you missed the annual Dickens on the Strand in Galveston last weekend because of the heavy rains, organizers have added another weekend of activities.

These are 11 events to add to your calendar, but be sure to check out our CultureMap Events Calendar for more events happening around the city.

Thursday, December 8

Architecture Center Houston presents The Eighth Wonder of the World: The Life of Houston Astrodome book talk

For the last 50 years, the Houston Astrodome has been regarded as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" locally and around the nation. Authors Robert C. Trumphour and Kenneth Womack discuss their book that explores how the Astrodome has played a role in Houston's development and also its emotional connection to the city.

Louis XIII Experience

The Federal Grill hosts an opportunity for diners to splurge with a meal featuring Louis XIII, the world's most famous cognac, with brand ambassador Matthew Springate. At $3,000 per couple, the three-course tasting menu is steep, but the opportunity to taste other Remy Martin spirits during the dinner, a bottle of Louis XIII for each couple and a special pair of the brand's signature fleur de lis cufflinks is priceless.

Friday, December 9

43rd Annual Dickens on The Strand Festival

Due to the record breaking rainfall of last weekend, Galveston Historical Foundation is adding an unprecedented second weekend of the 43rd Annual Dickens on The Strand Festival on Friday night and Saturday. First weekend ticket holders will have their admissions honored the second weekend. The annual holiday Galveston street festival, based on 19th-century Victorian London, features parades, non-stop entertainment on seven stages, strolling carolers, roving musicians, bagpipers, jugglers and a host of other entertainers.

East End Table

The Historic Fire Station #2 in East End is the backdrop for a meal prepared by Chef German Mosquera as a part of the East End Foundation's East End Table. This dining experience aims to highlight local creative talent and notable chefs while enjoying a meal in unexpected settings. Proceeds benefit the East End Cultural District.

Couture for a Cause

Salon A Studio combines fashion and fundraising at this Couture for a Cause. Designer Viktor Luna from Project Runway season nine and Project Runway: All Stars season one winner Mondo Guerra will be on hand to show their fashion looks and help Out for Education celebrate nearly two decades of supporting higher education.

Josh Garrels in Concert

Independent singer/songwriter Josh Garrels performs at the recently refurbished Heights Theater s a part of his "The Light Came Down Christmas" tour. Garrels' music ranged from punk to hip hop, indie-funk, and Christian as he gives his listeners a look into his life through his personal lyrics.

Saturday, December 10

Towers to Trees

Discovery Green, The Houston Center, Hermann Square and other points of distinction in downtown will be visited on AIA Houston's Tower and Trees tour. This tour will explore the changing scenery of downtown Houston and give attendees the opportunity to see the city from a different point of view.

Saint Arnold Pub Crawl

Join revelers for the Saint Arnold Pub Crawl as it kicks off at Under the Volcano and continues to five other popular bars. Get your punch card stamped at each stop, grab a drink, and have a fun day crawling from bar to bar with other beer and cocktail lovers.

6th Annual Ho Ho Ho Down

Help out a good cause and hear some great music from Buxton, Blue Healer, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, and special DJ sets from Houston rapper Fat Tony. A portion of this year's proceeds will benefit the music program at Northside High School (formerly Jefferson Davis High).

Sunday, December 11

Izakaya Second Sunday Charity Brunch

Diners at the December Sunday Charity Brunch at Izakaya can savor a special $8 cocktail; $5 from each one sold will be donated to Texas Children's Hospital. Brunch for a good cause and a bring new, unwrapped toy that will be distributed to children at the hospital.

Andrea Bocelli in concert with Houston Symphony, Katherine McPhee, and Ana Maria Martinez

The renowned Italian tenor presents a stunning new production based on his latest album Cinema, which includes epic theme songs from films such as Scent of a Woman, The Godfather, Love Story, and Life is Beautiful. This special performance also features Bocelli’s beloved repertoire of soaring arias and crossover hits. Guest artists include former American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee and soprano Ana Maria Martinez.

Andrea Bocelli comes to the Toyota Center Sunday night.

News_Houston Symphony_Andrea Bocelli_Italian tenor

Photo courtesy of Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli comes to the Toyota Center Sunday night.

event-planner

Movie Review

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is technically stunning but lacks emotion

Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

Matt Damon in The Odyssey.

For a story that is 3,000 years old and has been referenced innumerable times since the advent of the moving picture, it’s striking that The Odyssey has not been adapted into a film more often. Christopher Nolan’s new film is, depending on your definition, just the fourth time in film history that someone has attempted to tell the original story (oddly, the third film — The Return — came out just two years ago).

Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, who has been gone from his home of Ithaca for over 20 years. Waiting at home for him is his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland), as well as a hall full of suitors — most notably Antinous (Robert Pattinson) — who are hoping that Penelope will finally believe that Odysseus is dead and choose to marry one of them.

In typical Nolan fashion, the film goes back-and-forth in time often to show what has happened to Odysseus in the past two decades. His sea voyages with his crew have him attacking Troy using the legendary Trojan Horse; taking on the cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin); trying to escape the clutches of the witch Circe (Samantha Morton); living with the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron); communing with the vision of Athena (Zendaya); and more.

Nolan, who wrote and directed the epic film, has a clear reverence for the material and, perhaps more than any current filmmaker, has the chops to make the sprawling story feel coherent. With a plethora of characters who have names that take some time to understand for those not familiar with the ancient tale, it’s extremely tough to wrangle everything and everyone together, and Nolan and his team make that trick seem relatively easy.

However, there’s a difference between making the story comprehensible and making it compelling, and Nolan is not as successful on this front. As portrayed in this film, it’s difficult to care whether Odysseus ever finds his way home. His connection with Penelope and Telemachus is tenuous, at best, and his status as a hero is called into question on multiple occasions. Complicated protagonists are nothing new, but in a story where the hero’s journey is the whole point, Nolan fails to make the quest all encompassing.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some standout moments along the way. The sequence in Polyphemus’ cave is tremendous, as are a few other scenes in which Nolan’s reported reliance on practical effects make you wonder how the crew accomplished what they did. Damon has said this is the hardest movie he’s ever made, and that effort shows up in every scene, especially those on the water.

At 56 years old, Damon is getting close to elder statesman status in Hollywood, and he ably embodies the role of the respected and feared leader. Hathaway, Holland, and Pattinson get the next most screentime, and each makes their character interesting if not mesmerizing. The murderer’s row of the supporting cast — Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya, Elliot Page, Morton, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and more — give each scene a nice sheen whether or not their individual arc makes sense.

While the technical achievements of Nolan and his team in The Odyssey are admirable and occasionally awe-inspiring, the story he lays out is not quite as overwhelming. The structure he chose to use doesn’t allow the story to overcome the episodic nature of Odysseus’ brutal journey, keeping big emotions mostly at bay.

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The Odyssey opens in theaters on July 17.

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