weekend event planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Come fly with Tony DeSare and the Houston Symphony this weekend.

Photo courtesy Houston Symphony

It's a big weekend for local music fans. Legendary nightclub Numbers will throw a David Bowie birthday tribute, this Saturday night, where you can don your most fab garb and celebrate The Starman. Speaking of music, the symphony is ringing in the new year with a swingin' show.

Other activities include some inspiring art, raw comedy, and 2021 wellness. Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, January 7

Vision Board + Afternoon Tea at Honey Art Cafe
Folks, it’s 2021, which means one thing: New Year, New You. Start this year off right — by working on what you want to accomplish this year by creating a good ol’ vision board. Honey Art will provide all the supplies, instructions, a drink of your choice and a cookie! So, do yourself a favor: seriously let go of the pitiful past of last year and get in the swing of figuring out what you wanna do this year. 2 pm.

Ali Siddiq at Improv Houston
Whitney Cummings was supposed to be the headlining comedian at Improv Houston this weekend. Unfortunately, since California is currently in lockdown mode, shel had to cancel. Thankfully, Houston has enough comic talent around here to fill such a void. Here comes H-Town’s own Ali Siddiq to the rescue, ready to hit audiences with his own brand of hilariously honest stand-up. 8 pm (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday; 7 and 9:30 pm Saturday; 7:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, January 8

All Access Art Museum at Finn Hall
Since 2016, The All Access Art Show’s goal has been to connect art lovers city-wide with local emerging talent. And this market they’re having is a COVID-19 cautionary event which provides a platform for creatives to showcase and sell their work in a safe and uplifting environment. This event will take place at the European-inspired, art deco food hall with casual, diverse dining options, bars, and a cocktail lounge. 9 am.

In the Mood: A Big Band New Year at Jones Hall
The Houston Symphony was supposed to offer up a this Louis Armstrong salute. But, once again, things change. Nevertheless, there will be some swinging music going on with this socially distanced concert (which will also be live-streamed). The Symphony, along with vocalist David Caceres, will be hitting the audience with big-band classics that’ll definitely make people dance their troubles away. 8 pm (2:30 pm Sunday).

Saturday, January 9

Eastside Pop-Up Shopping Market
Tres Chic Boutique recently hit us up to remind us of this inaugural, pop-up market they will be having. It will be an outdoor shopping event with over a dozen of Houston's premier vendors. This market is in conjunction with the Tri Delt's annual event "the SALE,” which was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Of course, masks will be required during the event for all vendors and attendees during the duration of the event. 4 pm.

"Duo • Identity" Virtual Opening & Artist Talk at Archway Gallery
In this joint exhibition, Jiashan Lang and Anthony Pabillano explore ideas related to duality and contrast, as well as identity and culture through their shared interest in figurative art. Lang and Pabillano are equally concerned with culture and identity – they strive to understand, capture and celebrate the lives of others, past and present. They seek not only to explore culture and identity in others but also to discover and define their own along the way. 6:30 pm.

Sunday, January 10

WOMEN IN ART:SHOW at Modern Ink
Modern Ink Fine Art Gallery is a new, women-owned gallery that’ll be having its grand opening this weekend. And the spot is ready to show off all the feminine power it has hanging on its walls (which will also be ready for purchase) with this art show. Of course, they will be respecting all social-distancing guidelines and providing hand sanitizer and free masks. Drinks and finger food will also be available. 11 am.

Grow with the Flow at Inanimate Nature Studio
Since we’re officially in the New Year, maybe now is a good time to relax with some plants. Multi-disciplinary, Third Ward-based design collective Inanimate Nature will be launching their studio this weekend with this all-day, hassle-free, wellness market/plant studio. There will be a mix of workshops ranging from yoga, breath-work, meditation and much more. There will be food, refreshments and, of course, plants. Noon.

event-planner

Movie Review

20-year-old YouTube horror creator's Backrooms is an auspicious debut

Photo courtesy of A24

Chiwetel Ejiofor in Backrooms.

YouTube has become such a big part of the culture that it was only a matter of time before content creators started making waves in big screen filmmaking. Interestingly, most of them have made their names in the horror genre, including Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk to Me, Bring Her Back), Mark "Markiplier" Fischbach (the recent Iron Lung), and now Kane Parsons with Backrooms.

Set in 1990, the film centers on Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who owns a rundown furniture store in a nondescript city. He is divorced and seemingly depressed, two things that come up in his multiple sessions with his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve). Lately, he has taken to sleeping in the store instead of going home, which allows him to notice strange electrical activity when the lights are supposed to be turned off.

When investigating the issues one night, he discovers a mysterious opening that leads to a completely different structure with a seemingly endless amount of rooms and corridors. Some of them are innocuous and some of them contain strange and creepy elements. With nothing else of interest in his life, Clark returns to the area night after night, eventually drawing in his employee, Kat (Lukita Maxwell), her boyfriend Bobby (Finn Bennett), and Mary.

The 20-year-old Parsons, helped by a number of well-known producers, demonstrates an astonishing level of filmmaking prowess for a first-time feature filmmaker. There is no trace of amateurishness in the progression of the story or the visual style of the film. Whatever confusion arises comes from the plot itself, which is designed to raise way more questions than answers.

Clark’s journey into the bewildering collection of rooms is full of intrigue instead of scares for most of the film, but when Parsons decides to amp things up, he really goes for it. The final third of the film contains some haunting imagery that defies description or explanation. It seems clear that Parsons’ preferred method of storytelling is to keep the audience off-balance, unable to predict what comes next.

What he also seems to understand, however, is that you have to give the audience something to hold on to, and in this case it’s the backstories of Clark and Mary. Both seem to be living differing versions of pathetic, uninteresting lives, but things revealed in their sessions broaden the scope of their stories. The strange world they find seems to reflect their respective traumas, giving a tenuous connection to reality that keeps the film from becoming too frustrating.

Ejiofor and Reinsve, both of whom are Oscar nominees, give the film an air of legitimacy that allows viewers to follow whatever odd roads Parsons wants to go down. Because it’s impossible to tell where the film is heading, the steady acting of Ejiofor and Reinsve is crucial in its success. Maxwell, Bennett, and Mark Duplass are good in brief appearances, but don’t appear enough to have a huge impact.

The ambiguous nature of Backrooms lends it the possibility of becoming a franchise, as Parsons could seemingly take it in any direction he wanted and have it feel part of the larger whole. Given how well done this and other recent films by YouTubers have been, the melding of the two seemingly disparate mediums makes more sense than ever.

---

Backrooms opens in theaters on May 29.

movies film

weekend event planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Movie Review

20-year-old YouTube horror creator's Backrooms is an auspicious debut

Lively Houston neighborhood bar will shutter after only 1 year

10 things to know in Houston food: Openings, closings, and chefs get spicy

Pat Green's massive bar and live music venue begins building new Houston home