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    Weekend Event Planner

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

    Dominique McGhee
    Jan 5, 2017 | 6:00 am

    This first full weekend of the new year is shaping up to be full of many fun happenings around Houston. With concerts, architectural tours, and the lastest stop on the Super Bowl Touchdown Tour among the options, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

    We've put together a list of 9 events taking place from Thursday through Sunday that you'll want to check out, but you can view our full list on the CultureMap Events Calendar.

    Thursday, January 5

    River Oaks Chamber Orchestra presents Beer and Brass

    The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra's annual Beer and Brass event at Saint Arnold Brewery is a "spirited" affair that combines jazz from the 1920s and traditional German beer hall music, all performed by the orchestra's Brass Quintet. Enjoy jazz classics such as "It Had to be You" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" while sipping on a selection of craft beers.

    Friday, January 6

    62nd Annual Houston International Boat, Sport & Travel Show

    If boating is of high interest to you then the 62nd Annual Houston International Boat, Sport & Travel Show will be like paradise. More than 700,000 square feet of NRG Center will be filled with everything imaginable for the outdoors at the largest indoor show for outdoor sports in the country. Get a closeup look at the latest boats of all sizes, campers and travel trailers, fishing and camping equipment and accessories, patio furniture, and even exotic vacation locations. The show debuts Friday and and runs until January 15, except for Saturday (January 8) due to the Texans playoff game.

    10th Annual Houston Film Critics Society Film Awards Show

    Moonlight, La La Land, Arrival, and Manchester By the Sea are among the films nominated for top awards at the 10th Annual Houston Film Critics Society Awards to be held for the first time at the Midtown Arts & Theatre Center (MATCH). Houston critics will also honor an indie film made in Texas as well as providing a bit of comic relief with the "Worst Film of the Year" award.

    Houston Symphony presents Cirque Goes to the Movies

    This weekend, lovers of the symphony and acrobatics will be thrilled by a dazzling show combining the two arts. Cirque de la Symphonie has joined forces with the Houston Symphony to perform aerial acrobatic feats to film scores from such classics as The Magnificent Seven, E.T., and Gone With the Wind.

    Saturday, January 7

    AIA Houston presents Rice University: Quads, Courts & Axis Walking Tour

    Rice University is an architecture lover's dream with designs by Cesar Pelli, Michael Graves, John Staub and other top architects. A tour hosted by the American Institute of Architects Houston chapter explores the various buildings around the campus and delves into how they enhance the university experience. Also on the tour are large scale art works by James Turrell and Michael Heizer.

    Houston Super Bowl Host Committee presents Touchdown Tour

    With just a month to go before Super Bowl LI in Houston, the local host committee continues it series of community events to tout the big game with a stop at Burnett Bayland Park in southwest Houston. Attendees will enjoy live entertainment, “neighborhood tailgating” complete with food and beverages, games and other special guest appearances to promote fun and healthy community activities.

    Ran Blake in Concert

    Modern jazz pianist Ran Blake will perform a free sunset concert under the James Turrell Skyspace at the Live Oak Friends Meeting House. Blake combines early influences such as Bartok, Debussy, Stravinsky, Monk, and Ellington with his love for singers like Mahalia Jackson, Al Green and Ray Charles to produce a unique, deeply introspective, experience.

    Red Hot Chili Peppers in Concert

    The American funk rock band makes a Houston stop at the Toyota Center to tout their new album, The Getaway, and also perform some of their classic hits. Opening acts are Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Jack Irons.

    Sunday, January 8

    Southern Salt Foundation Salty Supper No. 2

    Five top chefs — Bryan Caswell (Reef), Richard Knight (Hunky Dory), Steven Satterfield (Miller Union), Michael Gulotta (MoPho), and Phillip Speer (Bonhomie) — will headline the second edition of the Southern Foundation Salty Super dinner. The five-course meal will feature wine pairings by Miner Family Wines and a specialty cocktail by Pura Vida Tequila. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit organization that works to encourage a holistic approach to the conservation of the Gulf Coast including the estuaries, bays, waterways, wetlands, native wildlife and their habitats.

    See Rice University's architectural gems up class during the AIA Houston walking tour.

    Rice University framed by trees
    LSRCommunities.com
    See Rice University's architectural gems up class during the AIA Houston walking tour.
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    Movie Review

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

    Alex Bentley
    Dec 18, 2025 | 5:00 pm
    Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash
    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.

    ---

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

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