weekend event planner

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

A new gallery exhibition celebrates the bayou.

Courtesy photo

It's Martin Luther King Day Weekend, and you can honor the great civil rights leader's legacy by checking out a couple of virtual events: the 25th Annual Foley & Lardner MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, where fourth and fifth-grade students at HISD elementary schools will compete for the winning title; and the Virtual 43rd Annual “Original” Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade, hosted by the Black Heritage Society and the City of Houston.

Meanwhile, as the weather warms (a bit), other events vie for your attention. Here are you best best for the weekend.

Thursday, January 14

Mildred’s Umbrella Theater presents The Drowning Girls
Mildred’s Umbrella Theater Company continues their digital 2020-21 season with the video release of this production. Originally produced for the stage in 2015, it's a moody, experimental piece that combines poetry and stagecraft to revisit the true horror story of the "Brides in the Bath Murders" from early 20th-century England, allowing the victims — Alice Burnham, Margaret Lofty, and Bessie Mundy — to speak once again. This will be available to stream through Saturday, February 6. 7 pm.

Bruce Bruce at Improv Houston
Bruce Bruce will be playing the Improv all four nights this weekend. Anybody who grew up watching BET's Comic View probably knows a Bruce Bruce joke or two. The portly-yet-dapper comedian was a regular (and, for a couple of seasons, the host) on the stand-up showcase. Even in this messed-up pandemic, Bruce continues to tour, hitting audiences with his patented arsenal of side-splitting jokes. 7:30 pm (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday; 7 and 9:30 pm Saturday; 6 pm Sunday).

Friday, January 15

Donnie Houston x OST Liquor Double Cup Cocktail Collab
Hip-hop producer/podcaster/historian/DJ Donnie Houston has a busy weekend ahead of him. First, he'll be over at OST Liquor debuting his new beverage, which is called Donnie "MFing" Houston, serving up cocktails to whoever wants a little taste. Then, on Sunday afternoon, he'll be back there recording an episode of his popular Donnie Houston Podcast, where he interviews Houston hip-hop stars past and present. We're sure that'll be tipsy episode right there. 4 pm.

Virtual Movie Night with NAMC: Presents '76!
The Nigerian-American Multicultural Council was supposed to have a drive-in movie night this weekend. Now, it's been changed to a virtual movie night. They still will be showing this award-winning, Nigerian historical drama, about the military/authoritarian rule that dominated the first four decades of Nigeria as a republic. This is a must for those who want to know more about the bloody coups and assassinations of public figures that are all over Nigerian history. 6 pm.

Saturday, January 16

Redbud Gallery presents "On The Bayou" - Texas Sculpture Group Exhibition opening reception
Redbud Gallery will present this new exhibition, which will feature the diverse works of 80 artists from the Texas Sculpture Group. This crew of regional Texas sculptors represents a vast repertoire of styles, mediums, and forms for the viewer to contemplate, experience, or simply enjoy. Inside attendance will be limited to 50 people at a time and no alcoholic beverages will be served. This will remain on view through Tuesday, February 23. Noon.

Archaeology Now presents Parties, Pirates, Punch - and Rum!
This weekend, local nonprofit Archaeology Now will be taking folks to the Caribbean for a generous pour of history and a virtual cocktail party. The party festivities start with a virtual tour of the Grateful Dane, Houston’s only legal rum distillery. Dr. Frederick Smith — archaeologist and rum historian — will serve as a guide and mixologist as he takes participants on an excursion through the history of rum, while he makes a delicious punch using a recipe from the 1600s. 5:30 pm.

Sunday, January 17

MATCH Family Fun Day
This year, Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston — or, MATCH — will be presenting its annual Family Fun Day celebration online, with performances and activities for the entire family to safely enjoy from home. We're talking video dance performances from Open Dance Project of both The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and their new educational series ENGINuity; puzzles and activities about popular children’s books; hip-hop dance lessons, and so on. All material will be available through Sunday, January 24. 9 am.

The Singing Trees at CityCentre Houston
Just because the holidays are over doesn't mean you can't partake in this cute bit of fluorescent fun, right in the middle of CityCentre Houston. Head over to the courtyard between Fellini Cafe and Paper Source to see the trees dazzle in reaction to sound. Watch the night sky sparkle as you clap, sing, and spread very colorful cheer. This will run through Sunday, February 28. 6 pm.

event-planner

Movie Review

New thriller Crime 101 majors in cool with Hemsworth at the wheel

Photo courtesy of Amazon Content Services

Chris Hemsworth in Crime 101.

The career of actor Chris Hemsworth is a curious one, as it feels like he’s a huge star (mostly from playing Thor in Marvel movies) and not at the same time, with most of the non-MCU movies featuring him in a lead role failing to become big successes. But he still has a certain presence about him, which is why he’s being given another chance to prove his star power in the new thriller, Crime 101.

Hemsworth plays Davis, a talented thief who knows how to get what he wants without resorting to violence. When a job early in the movie turns slightly sideways, it makes him think twice about working with his handler (Nick Nolte), who seems to prefer someone with a stronger touch, like the up-and-coming Ormon (Barry Keoghan).

Davis is the main character, but two others who come into his orbit get their own subplots. Lou (Mark Ruffalo) is a slightly schlubby LAPD detective who’s convinced he knows the pattern of an unknown thief that likes to hit places close to Highway 101. Sharon (Halle Berry) works for a high-end insurance agency known for working with ultra-wealthy clients, the types who might be a great target for a thief like Davis.

Written and directed by Bart Layton, the film has a decent propulsion to it that comes with most crime thrillers. Davis and Ormon represent the yin and the yang of criminal approaches, and and it’s interesting to see the juxtaposition between the two as their simmering rivalry heats up over the course of the film. When the film commits to actually showing its crimes, it has an excitement that’s worth watching.

Unfortunately, Layton displays a real lack of focus, taking the audience into subplots with each of the three main characters that prove unnecessarily distracting. Lou’s marriage problems may explain his disheveled appearance, but there’s no need to see him deal with them with wife Angie (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Sharon’s troubles with her male-dominated company prove slightly pivotal, but still don’t merit the time put into exploring them.

The most baffling subplot is Davis pursuing a relationship with Maya (Monica Barbaro), a woman he randomly meets. At different points in the movie, including many of his interactions with Maya, Davis seems like the most uncomfortable, antisocial person in the world. And yet he somehow morphs into a suave smooth-talker who’s able to convince anyone to do what he wants at other key points, making it unclear exactly what kind of person he really is.

Hemsworth does relatively well in the lead role, but he’s still missing that certain something to make his character, and therefore the movie, truly compelling. The rest of the cast is fine, too, but each of them seem to be putting in just the minimal amount of effort to make the film watchable. Ruffalo and Barbaro come off the best, but with the talent in the cast (11 Oscar nominations and one win), they could have been used better.

Crime 101 has most of the ingredients to be another great entry in the genre, and it succeeds when it actually decides to deliver on its promise. But too much of the film is spent on things that have no real bearing on plot or character development, leaving the movie in the middle of the pack.

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Crime 101 is now playing in the theaters.

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