weekend event planner

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

Look forward to a spirited Saturday.

Houston's diversity is in the spotlight this weekend, with festivals celebrating Iran and Turkey. Speaking of festivals, Texas Txotx runs Friday through January 31. Bars, restaurants, and bottle shops throughout Texas will be pouring fine ciders and wines from the El Pais Vasco region and establishments will host tastings, dinners, and happy hours.

Here are some other fun events happening this weekend.

Thursday, January 17

College Night at Main Street Theater
For the next three Thursdays, Main Street Theater has some free theater for y'all. The theater will be having free showings of the offbeat comedy The Secretary. Visit the website to reserve your ticket and bring your ID to the show so you can get it. This is good for those who love theater but can't afford the prices or those who just want to have an entertaining night with their friends, family, or significant other. 7:30 pm.

Friday, January 18

26th Annual Iranian Film Festival
Houston's annual Iranian Film Festival, established by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Rice Cinema, is back again for its 26th edition. This year's collection of films will be screened at both locations as well as Asia Society Texas Center. The first movie out the gate, which will be screened at the museum, is 3 Faces (Se rokh), the latest film from Jafar Panahi, who has been banned from making films in Iran. This one has him traveling to northwest Iran to help an aspiring actress. 7 pm.

2nd Annual Turkish Music Festival
Turkey isn't just a part of the world that gave us coffee, baths, and confectionery delights. There is a rich history of music that has come out of there, much of which will spotlighted at this two-day festival. This will feature a wide range of Turkish traditions, from folk music and Ottoman court music to the contemporary music of Turkey. It will be presented by The Hoppa Project and feature award-winning musicians from the traditional Turkish music and classical music worlds. 7:30 pm (8 pm Saturday).

10th Annual Yaga’s Chili Quest & Beer Fest
This two-day extravaganza will feature 100-plus varieties of craft and imported beer selections and over 65 chili cook-off teams. There will also be live music, a variety of vendors, a 5K fun run, a strand merchant walk-about, margarita and washers contests and, more importantly, a diverse crowd. 8 pm (9 am Saturday).

Saturday, January 19

Memorial Park Conservancy presents Memorial Park Arbor Day
In celebration of Arbor Day, local nonprofit Trees for Houston will host its 4th annual, Arbor Day community planning event. Volunteers will plant over 870 native trees along Memorial Park's northeastern border that will help the park's ongoing, ecological restoration efforts. Volunteers are invited to join and be part of a planting that will leave a multi-generation legacy and will impact thousands of Houstonians. 9 am.

Whiskey, Cigars and Gumbo at Barge295
It's gonna be a smoky Saturday over at Barge295. It all starts off with a First Annual Gumbo Cook-Off, where teams will be prepping their signature pots of creole magic before they get judged on aroma, consistency, color, taste, and aftertaste. There will also be a whiskey and cigar social on the same day, where folks can dive into the world of fine cigars while six whiskey brands (Larceny Bourbon, Devil's River Whiskey, etc.) pour from 3 to 6:30 pm. 10 am.

Da Camera presents Jazzmeia Horn Septet
Da Camera of Houston will be bringing in Jazzmeia Horn for a special show at Wortham Theater Center. Winner of the 2015 Thelonious Monk Competition, this Texas-born young singer arrives after recording her debut, A Social Call, an album that reveals a performer ready to take her place alongside the best headlining jazz vocalists of today. 8 pm.

Sunday, January 20

Dave Fenley at The Rustic
Dave Fenley, singer/songwriter and a finalist on The Voice, will give a free concert in Houston on Sunday. Born and raised in Lufkin, Texas, Fenley began trying his hand at guitar as a teenager, playing in bars and small music venues. He became serious about songwriting during college and, after his time on The Voice, Fenley was ready to take on the country music scene with new songs and a band to back him up. He is now taking his sound on the road, performing songs from his album The Spread Love Sessions, Vol. 1. 9 pm.

event-planner

Movie Review

Over-the-top acting and incoherent plot drag down Her Private Hell

Photo courtesy of Neon

Sophie Thatcher in Her Private Hell.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not someone who plays nice with the general film world. His 2011 film Drive introduced him to American audiences in a big way, but that pulsating thriller was followed up with artier films like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon that eschewed coherent plots in favor of moody, atmospheric pieces.

Winding Refn, who hasn’t made a feature film in 10 years, has gone fully down the rabbit hole with Her Private Hell. Taking place in a liminal space that kind of resembles Earth but also feels like someone’s dreams/nightmares, the film focuses on Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor currently starring in a sci-fi film. Staying at a hotel with newcomer Hunter (Kristine Froseth), the two bond over their shared passion and the legend of Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), who’s now married to Elle’s friend Dominique (Havana Rose Liu).

After spending a good amount of (mostly incomprehensible) time with that group, Refn introduces Private K (Charles Melton), who seems to be living in post-World War II Japan. He is looking for his daughter, who might have been taken by a mysterious figure known as “Leatherman,” and he will stop at nothing to find her, fighting whoever stands in his way.

It becomes clear almost right away that Winding Refn has no desire to engage in traditional storytelling in this film. The main characters wander through neon-drenched streets and buildings, which are often surrounded by a mist that is referred to on multiple occasions but never explained. Everyone speaks as if in a constant state of wonderment, and there are many moments where it’s unclear if events are actually happening, part of a movie-within-a-movie, or something else entirely.

Unlike his previous films, Winding Refn has taken the characters in this film completely out of the real world, with every scene taking place in a sparsely decorated room or street that is obviously a movie set. While there are moments where this decision really works, especially the striking first shot of a human-like figure mixed in with a cityscape and clouds, most of the time it only adds to the stilted nature of the film as a whole.

In fact, the entire movie has the feel of an avant-garde theater exercise. Every actor seems to be trying to outdo the others with awkward performances and out-sized reactions. Two very specific characters make appearances in both sides of the story for seemingly no reason other than to inject their weirdness into both spaces. The shocking violence that crops up on occasion would have more of an impact if it was related to anything intelligible.

Thatcher (Companion) and Liu (Tuner) are among the young stars who have had breakout moments in recent years, but neither of them is served well by this hot mess of a movie. They, along with Melton, still demonstrate the talent they possess, but the oddity of the film weighs them down. Scott makes an impression for all the wrong reasons, while Froseth is called upon to play a character who might as well not be there at all.

If there’s any kind of message that Winding Refn was trying to convey with Her Private Hell, it’s lost among the flashing lights, overload of pink, and jewel-like structures. Filmmakers who try to make art for art’s sake have a place in the world, but this film too often feels like people are making things up as they go, with no real goal in mind.

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Her Private Hell opens in theaters on July 24.

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