Houston

Here are the top 10 things to do in Houston this weekend

Rock on at BowiElvis Fest.

The first weekend after the new year is generally pretty quiet, but a few choice happenings are here for your end-of-week pleasure. Brides-to-be and their future grooms can delight in a big bridal bash. Manga fans can enjoy an anime-inspired pop-up. And fans of Bowie and Elvis are in for a double-headed tribute to the two legends, born on the same day.

Happy New Year — here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, January 6

International Gem & Jewelry Show
Visit America’s longest-running, direct-to-consumer jewelry show when it comes to NRG Park this weekend. This world-famous “jeweler’s market” brings wholesalers, manufacturers and designers together under one roof. Shop from rows and rows of quality gemstone, bead, jewelry and accessory dealers. You’ll find local jewelers, international vendors and talented artisans at every show. Noon (10 am Friday and 11 am Saturday.)

Memorial Hermann Broadway at the Hobby Center: Hadestown
This production intertwines two mythic tales - that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone - as it invites the audience on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers and singers, this is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go. 7:30 pm (8 pm Friday, 2 & 8 pm Saturday and 2 & 7:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, January 7

14 Pews presents Red Rocket
For his latest film, writer-director Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project) came right here to the Lone Star State for his latest story of struggling dregs of society. Filmed in Texas City, it's about a washed-up porn star (former MTV VJ — and one-time porn star — Simon Rex) who clashes with his estranged wife after returning to his hometown. So far, it's gotten good reviews and has recently been nominated for the Houston Film Critics Society's Texas Independent Film Award (TIFA). 7 pm.

Improv Houston presents Donnell Rawlings
Fans of Chappelle's Show will definitely know Donnell Rawlings as the guy who gave us the immortal "I'm rich, beeyotch!" line. But Rawlings has been working on some other things as of late. He's been touring the world performing his new show, 2Soon with Donnell Rawlings and, like every comic out there, he has his own podcast, The Donnell Rawlings Show. He's not rich just yet, but he seems to be getting there. 7:30 and 9:45 pm (7 & 9:30 pm Saturday and 7:30 pm Sunday).

Theatre Southwest presents The Sunshine Boys
In Neil Simon's classic play, Al and Willie were top-billed vaudevillians for over 40 years. Now they aren't even speaking. When CBS requests them for a "History of Comedy" retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. This is definitely for fans of the 1975 movie version that paired up George Burns and Walter Matthau (or even the 1996 TV movie that starred Peter Falk and Woody Allen). Through January 22. 8 pm (3:00 pm Sunday).

Saturday, January 8

Bridal Extravaganza
The largest bridal planning showcase in the U.S., will return with the most cakes, gowns, local vendors, and more fashion shows than ever. Expected brides, bridesmaids, mothers-of-the-bride, grooms, family, and wedding planners will have their pick of vendors that cater exclusively to the wedding industry. The show will feature cake samples, décor, flowers, fashion shows, Instagram walls for selfies, speaker presentations on the latest bridal fashion trends, and entertainment from Houston’s top wedding professionals. 10 am.

Manga on Main
Calling all manga fans to come enjoy the most iconic scenes from Naruto and My Hero Academia at this pop-up. Be the first to experience this limited-time event over at The Lucid Experience (which was previously home to the Rusty Krab pop-up). Partake in their scavenger hunt, bingo, trivia, and more. Enjoy exhibits showcasing Naruto's transformation. Treat yourselves to delicious themed food and drinks. 11 am.

BowiElvis Fest
BowiElvis Fest will honor the shared birthdays of rock legends David Bowie and Elvis Presley, two of the most loved and influential artists of the previous century and true legends of rock n’ roll. The music goes all night on two different stages featuring multiple local and regional up-and-coming bands from the surrounding areas. This year’s event will also feature burlesque acts, face painting, games, and some Elvis-inspired concessions. 6 pm.

Sunday, January 9

Houston Symphony presents Pink Martini
Sunday will be the last time this weekend to catch Pink Martini in action, performing at Jones Hall this weekend. (The Saturday performance will be available to livestream.) This glamourous and global phenomenon features an exhilarating mix of Brazilian samba, Parisian café music, cabaret, and vintage jazz featuring lead singer China Forbes, with a special appearance by NPR’s Ari Shapiro. 2:30 pm.

The Heritage Society presents An Evening of Heritage
This Heritage Society-sponsored event will feature a discussion between James A. Baker III and Susan Garrett Baker with Jim McGrath. A native Houstonian, Baker served as the nation’s 61st secretary of state under President George H.W. Bush, served as the 67th secretary of the treasury under President Ronald Reagan, and Secretary of Commerce to President Gerald Ford. He and his wife Susan currently reside in Houston and have eight children and 17 grandchildren. 3 pm.

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Movie Review

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

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.

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

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