weekend event planner

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

It's time for the Chevron Houston Marathon.

Photo courtesy of Chevron Houston Marathon

A lot of heavy comedy hitters will be in and around Houston this weekend.

On Thursday, Earthquake starts a four-night-stint of making 'em laugh at the Improv. On Friday, Arnez J, Tommy Davidson and others will be doing the Black Laughs Matters show at NRG Arena.

Saturday gives us a twofer: Dave Attell and Jeff Ross will be doing their Bumping Mics shtick at Revention Music Center, while Lewis Black will be ranting and raving at Cullen Performance Hall.

Finally, Kathleen Madigan will be closing things out with her regular-jane humor, also at Revention Music Center.

And then, there's a host of great fun this weekend:

Thursday, January 16

Charlaine Harris at Murder by the Book
Charlaine Harris will always be known as the writer who wrote The Southern Vampire Mysteries, the Gothic horror page-turners that were adapted into that supernatural HBO orgy known as True Blood. But she has also dropped several other series of books. The latest one she's been doing is the Gunnie Rose series, starting with An Easy Death in 2018. Harris will be in town to sign copies of the latest installment, A Longer Fall, where protagonist/gunslinger Lizbeth Rose transports a mysterious crate through Dixie. 6:30 pm.

Legend at Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra
Once upon a time, Tom Cruise wasn't this Scientologist movie star who keeps making Mission: Impossible movies to prove that, even though he's pushing 60, he can still do death-defying stunts. Back in the ’80s, he was a matinee idol, the kind of heartthrob who made young girls (who are now, probably, your mommas) swoon. And he did it while starring in movies like this, a bit of 1985 dark fantasy from Ridley Scott. Cruise plays a hunky dude who must stop the Prince of Darkness (Tim Curry) from covering the world with eternal night. 7:30 pm.

Friday, January 17

Diamond Dreams Gala at Minute Maid Park
It's Diamond Dreams Gala time, presented by Chevron and the Astros Foundation, held on the field of Minute Maid Park. Lionel Richie will be the special guest performer, so you know you'll get some "Easy," some "All Night Long," maybe even some "Dancing on the Ceiling." (It would be nice if we also got "Love Will Find a Way" — aka our favorite solo Richie song.) Astros players and legends will also be on hand. Proceeds from the gala will benefit New Hope Housing and the Astros Foundation. 5:30 pm.

The Host at Landmark River Oaks
For those Parasite fans who are psyched that the black-comic thriller has been nominated for a bunch of Oscars this week, you may wanna check this out this film from the same director, Bong Joon-ho, that'll be this weekend's midnight movie at the River Oaks. This 2006 spin on the monster-movie genre is about a family of misfits who attempt to take down a strange amphibious creature that has taken the daughter of one of the family members. Since this is Bong, expect this movie to be more than just a creature feature. 11:59 pm.

Saturday, January 18

Gulf Coast Model Expo at Lone Star Flight Museum
As Steve Martin would say, things will get really small over at this second-annual model expo. See hundreds of scale model aircraft, cars, tanks, trucks, spacecraft, ships, and more. And to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the end of World War II, a special display of models related to the last nine months of the war, from January 1, 1945 to September 2 — VJ Day — will showcase the men and machines of the war's end. The public can also bring their models and share their work with museum visitors. 10 am-4 pm.

Enrique Martínez Celaya: The Sword or the Road at Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art
Los Angeles-based artist Enrique Martínez Celaya has had his work featured in collections at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and has done projects in London, Berlin and other swanky, international locales. But, in his first solo project in Houston, Martínez Celaya will be officially introducing himself to the Texas art world by showing off the nuanced, psychologically charged and symbolism-rich paintings and sculptures that he's been doing since the early '90s. Runs through February 29. 6-8 pm.

Sunday, January 19

Chevron Houston Marathon
There will be a lot of things popping before we get to the Chevron Houston Marathon on Sunday. On Thursday, there's the Shake Out Run with Olympic athlete Meb Keflezighi. On Friday, we got the Houston Marathon Health & Fitness EXPO over at George R. Brown Convention Center. And, on Saturday, there's the We Are America 5K Race, along with the RunFest over at Discovery Green. But the main event will still be the marathon, going down on Congress and San Jacinto. (And don't forget about the half marathon.) 9 am-noon.

Giving Voice: Lawrence Brownlee and Friends Sing Opera, Gospel, and Standards at Wortham Theater Center
Houston Grand Opera and world-renowned tenor Lawrence Brownlee bring together a bunch of international stars for a one-night-only concert event. Audiences will be treated to a program that ranges from opera classics to spirituals, gospel and standards. The special guests will be J’Nai Bridges, Nicole Heaston, Reginald Smith Jr., Russell Thomas, Nicholas Newton, and Kevin Miller on piano. All concert guests will be invited to mix and mingle with the artists following the performance. 5 pm.

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Movie Review

28 Years Later revives zombie franchise for new generation

Photo by Miya Mizuno

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later.

The 2000s brought two of the best zombie movies ever made in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. Both films, despite being made by different filmmakers, featured intense action with fast-moving zombies, harrowing sequences, and real emotional connections with their main characters. Now the original director and writer — Danny Boyle and Alex Garland — have returned with the first of a possible three sequels, 28 Years Later.

The rage virus from the first two films that turns humans into insatiable monsters has successfully been contained to the United Kingdom, and one group of survivors has managed to band together on a small island off the coast of England. We’re introduced to the group through Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his wife, Isla (Jodie Comer), and his son, Spike (Alfie Williams).

Isla is sick with an unknown illness, while Jamie is set to take the 12-year-old Spike on his first trip to the mainland to hunt zombies. That trip not only gives Spike an education as to the different types of feral zombies that now populate England, but also a clue that other people have survived there. When he discovers that one of them may be a doctor, he makes plans to take his mother there in hopes of finding a cure for whatever ails her.

While the first two films were notable for their brisk pace that kept the potency of the stories high, Boyle and Garland almost go in the opposite direction for much of this film. The first 90 minutes are relatively slow, with only a couple of sequences that raise the blood pressure. The final half hour or so go a long way toward filling that void, so it’s clear that the filmmakers were biding their time for the story to come in the sequel. A bit more balance in this film would have served them well, though.

What they do show involves some weird, wild stuff that is objectively upsetting, even for fans of the genre. The zombies have evolved in strange ways, giving them a variety of body shapes and abilities to suit the environment in which they live. These storytelling choices may thrill some and have others scratching their heads. Another human character living on his own (played by Ralph Fiennes), appears to have gone the way of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, with a revelation that is bone-chilling.

Boyle, who’s directed everything from Trainspotting to Slumdog Millionaire, doesn’t have a signature style, and he makes some choices in this film that test your patience. He occasionally employs an odd technique in which the film stutters, for a lack of better term. It’s a bit jarring, especially since it doesn’t seem to improve the storytelling. He also inserts scenes from older films involving medieval warfare that emulate the bow-and-arrow weaponry used by characters in this film, but the exact connection he’s trying to make is unclear.

The young Williams has a lot put on his shoulders in the film, and he proves to be up to the task of carrying the story. He isn’t precocious or annoying, instead reacting almost exactly like you’d expect a boy of his age to do when faced with extreme situations. Taylor-Johnson and Comer are good complements for him, drawing him out with their polar opposite characters. Fiennes makes a huge impression in the final act of the film, while Jack O’Connell makes a very brief appearance, teasing a bigger role to come.

It’s difficult to fully judge 28 Years Later because it’s designed to only give you part of the story; part 2, The Bone Temple, is due in 2026, while a third film will follow if the first two do well. This film has its moments and winds up on the positive side of the ledger, but it’s also a frustrating experience that could have used a more stand-alone story.

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28 Years Later is now playing in theaters.

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weekend event planner

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

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28 Years Later revives zombie franchise for new generation

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