It's Party Time

The 10 hottest (and most exclusive) Super Bowl parties in Houston

Houston is set to host Super Bowl LI on Sunday and the city’s social scene is kicking into high gear with several mega soirees going on all week, and weekend, long.

So many parties, so little time.

Allow us to narrow down the choices for you. Before the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons hit the field at NRG Stadium, get amped for the big game at these 10 hottest Super Bowl parties.

Thursday, February 2

The Big Texas Party: Presented by CultureMap, ESPN Radio, SB Nation
Former Houston Oilers Mike Barber, Gregg Bingham, and Cris Dishman, along with former Dallas Cowboys Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Randy White, are set to host blowout Super Bowl soiree, The Big Texas Party. And they’re taking this pre-game bash for the NFL’s biggest game of the year seriously with tasty ‘cue from some of the city’s top joints (think El Burro & The Bull, Feges BBQ, and Killen's Barbecue), plus bourbon, beer, surprise NFL stars, and a slew of VIP guests like Elvin Hayes, Jamaal Charles, Jadeveon Clowney, and Ricky Williams. What’s more, country star Bart Crow, named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 new country artists you need to know,” will perform. You don’t want to miss it! (Silver Street Studios; 2000 Edwards St., 77007; Tickets:$125 to $1,250).

EA Sports Bowl
It’s video game paradise at EA Sports Bowl, the successor to the long-running EA Sports Madden Bowl. Pro athletes will go head-to-head in both EA SPORTS Madden NFL 17 and FIFA 17 tournaments before a trio of top entertainers hit the stage, including country music singer Sam Hunt, Grammy-nominated duo The Chainsmokers, and Snoop Dogg. Expect to see sports stars like Eric Berry, Dak Prescott, Mike Evans, and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson on the sticks. (Club Nomadic; 2121 Edwards St., 77007; Tickets: $100-$275 per person).

Friday, February 3

Bruno Mars at Club Nomadic: Presented by LIFEWTR
Pop superstar Bruno Mars, who just released his 24K Magic album, will bring his Uptown Funk to newly-constructed, 62,500 square-foot traveling nightclub Club Nomadic. Our dancing shoes are ready. (Club Nomadic; 2121 Edwards St., 77007; Sold out, but tickets on Ticketmaster resale site $200-$1,200 per person; agencies like Vivid Seats also have tickets starting at $158).

ESPN The Party Houston
Super Bowl weekend gets Fergalicious at ESPN’s The Party thanks to a performance by The Duchess herself, Fergie. DJ Khaled will also headline the over-the-top affair in a warehouse decorated in "construction chic." If you can’t score a ticket to the exclusive shindig, watch it live on ESPN at 10 pm CST (1201 Oliver Street, Tickets: invite only).

Leather and Laces (Friday and Saturday night parties)
A favorite of Victoria's Secret models and Hollywood celebrities, the sexy Leather and Laces soiree spans two nights. Friday, NKOTB member and Blue Blood star Donnie Wahlberg and his wife Sirius XM/iHeart Radio Host and actress Jenny McCarthy will host with Sprint Cup Winner Kyle Busch. Victoria Secret Angel's Adriana Lima and Sara Sampaio will head up Saturday’s party, which will feature performances by Cirque USA, DJ Michael Jerome, DJ Avi, and DJ Automatic (Hughes Manor Campus; 2811 Washington Avenue; Tickets: $375 to $20,000).

Saturday, February 4

Taste of the NFL
Top chefs from the 32 NFL cities, including Houston's Robert Del Grande of Cafe Annie, will team up with Hall of Fame and alumni players from each of the NFL franchises to serve up delicious fare at the 26th annual Taste of the NFL. The Band Perry will play for guests including Fox sports broadcaster Daryl Johnston, Miss America 2017 Savvy Shields, and celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern. Taste of the NFL is dedicated to raising funds for hunger relief (University of Houston; Tickets: $700 - $10,000).

Rolling Stone Live Super Bowl Party
It stands to reason that this party, hosted by leading entertainment publication Rolling Stone Magazine, boasts a killer lineup of artists including Grammy-nominated rapper Diplo, hip-hop artist Nas, and DJ Cassidy. The magazine, which has covered the music industry since 1967, is celebrating its 50th anniversary and, as this A-list event kicks off the celebration, it’s guaranteed to be one heck of a blowout bash (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Tickets: invite only).

DirectTV's Super Saturday Night
“Bad Blood” singer Taylor Swift will be the top bill at the DirecTV’s 12th annual Super Saturday Night concert, slotted for the night before the Big Game. The event, hosted by Mark Cuban, marks Swift's first time performing as part of the Super Bowl festivities (Club Nomadic; 2121 Edwards St., 77007; Tickets: invite only).

The 2017 Maxim Party
Houston-based rapper Travis Scott and DJ Khaled headline Maxim Magazine’s legendary annual bash. Get your motors running, there will also be a Monster Energy FMX Motorcycle show, as well as art installations and countless celebrity attendees (Smart Financial Centre, Sugar Land; Tickets: $750 - $22,500).

Sunday, February 5

2017 Players Tailgate
Tailgate like a VIP with chef and TV personality Guy Fieri and over 30 NFL players. Fieri, joined by chefs Eddie Jackson, Aaron May, Douglas Rodriguez, Reno Henriques, Rodolfo Valdes and Pete Blohme, has created a menu of stellar eats, including made-to-order gourmet nachos, tender brisket smoked 18 hours, and whole Maine lobster. Bon appetit (Mike Calvert Toyota; Tickets: $699 per person).

Pop superstar Bruno Mars performs Friday night at Club Nomadic.

Photo by Kai Z. Feng

Pop superstar Bruno Mars performs Friday night at Club Nomadic.

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Movie Review

Margot Robbie ignites provocative new take on Wuthering Heights

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights.

Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights is one of those classic books assigned in high school English classes, and it has received a number of film adaptations over the years — each of which differ in numerous ways from the source material. Purists won’t receive any reprieve from Emerald Fennell’s 2026 adaptation, with a title that is stylized as "Wuthering Heights” for good reason.

Cathy (played as an adult by Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) have known each other their entire lives, with Cathy’s alcoholic and inveterate gambler father (Martin Clunes) taking in Heathcliff on a whim when he was a boy. The two bond as they grow up together, although Cathy always seems to have an eye on moving up in society from their relatively impoverished lifestyle.

Cathy finally gets her wish when the rich Linton familyled by Edgar (Shazad Latif), moves in down the road, Despite discovering she has feelings for the now grown-up Heathcliff, Cathy sees Edgar as her way out and agrees to marry him. A scorned Heathcliff flees, returning years later as mysteriously wealthy. His reappearance ignites something in Cathy’s soul, and the two engage in a perhaps unwise affair.

Fennell (Promising Young Woman, Saltburn) infuses the dusty material with an energy that’s not typically present in stories set in this particular time and place. Aside from the occasional Charli XCX song (the singer created a whole concept album for the film), the film looks and feels like a period piece, albeit one that doesn’t get bogged down in the drudgery that can sometimes come from films set in the distant past.

Much of that has to do with the lust the filmmaker puts into the story. Even if you’re not familiar with Brontë’s book, you can rest assured that Fennell has strayed far from the text, giving Cathy and Heathcliff thoughts and actions unthinkable in the 19th century. Fennell plays with expectations by opening the film with audio featuring creaking noises and a man grunting, conjuring up a situation far different than what is actually happening, and she also makes liberal use of rain, sweat, and tears to make the actors enticing.

What she can’t do, however, is make the two lead characters compelling. Cathy is a striver who never seems to know what she wants out of life, and Heathcliff goes from a bore to a brute over the course of the film, with no clear indication that he likes anybody, much less Cathy. Anyone expecting some kind of grand romance will be disappointed as Fennell is much more interested in making the film weird, like having the walls of Cathy’s room look like her skin, complete with freckles.

Robbie and Elordi do well enough with the material, and it’s clear that both of them are committed to bringing Fennell’s vision to life. Their styles tend to balance each other out, and if the story had been committed to their characters’ relationship, they might be lauded for their chemistry. In the end, though, the supporting actors feel more interesting, including ones played by Hong Chau, Alison Miller, and Clunes.

This version of Wuthering Heights should never be construed as an alternative to reading the book for any high schoolers out there. While Fennell makes the film interesting with her technical filmmaking choices, the story never finds its footing as it fails to sell the one thing that it seems to promise.

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Wuthering Heights opens in theaters on February 13.

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