The scene in the Warehouse District (sometimes known these days as EaDo) is changing, so it comes as no surprise that the venues are adjusting to keep up. With new owner Anosh Ahmed on board, The Meridian—player on the live music scene since 2008—is remodeling and restructuring, dubbing itself Wired Live.
The Houston Press got the details from manager Mike Kelley:
"The complex will now be four new parts. The main room will stay the same - it's the club's big draw and allows them to book larger shows, including upcoming Mike Snow and Booker T dates.... The Red Room is to be remodeled into something akin to the House Of Blues' loungy Foundation Room, meaning no more shows inside it. The sports-bar area will become the Channel Room and will act as the venue's smaller setting for local metal and alt-rock showcases. Kelley will book most of the acts on that stage, and hinted that one of the lower floors will be turned into a separate dance club."
The last show under The Meridian banner was performed on January 15, with Wired Live (not to be confused with EaDo neighbor Warehouse Live) shows beginning in February from nationally recognized Chicago dance DJs Felix da Housecat (Feb. 27), Mark Farina (Feb. 6) and the Rebel Rave Tour featuring Damian Lazurus (March 13), with more acts to be announced.
Anne Hathaway has been inescapable for movie fans in 2026, starring in no fewer than five different movies across multiple genres, including Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2,The Odyssey, and The End of Oak Street. The actor (who’s pregnant and about to take a well-earned break) is wrapping up her supremely busy year with the psychological thriller, Verity.
Hathaway plays the title character, Verity Crawford, a hugely successful author who writes beach read thrillers, often from the perspective of the villain. An unpublicized car accident renders her immobile and mute, and her husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), and agents make the decision to recruit someone to ghostwrite her next book in order to continue her legacy.
The person hired for the job is Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), an aspiring author whose books mostly get ignored. She’s eager to take on the project, but the reality of Verity’s situation throws her for a loop. When she discovers a secret file that seems to be Verity admitting to some very bad things, Lowen starts to spin even more, imagining situations that may not actually be happening.
Directed by Michael Showalter and adapted by Nick Antosca from the book by Colleen Hoover, the film initially has a nice rhythm to it, setting up the three main characters well and building up tension. Though current day Verity can’t speak or move, the film gets to the heart of her through old interviews Lowen watches to get to know her mind better. Using that footage and other small moments at the house, a type of rivalry develops between the two characters.
Strangely, though, Showalter and Antosca fail to capitalize on the early momentum. The story stagnates about halfway through the movie and never delivers on what it seems to be promising. Whether they’re too true to Hoover’s original story or change things too much is difficult to tell for those who haven’t read the book, but either way, the result is a big tease with not much in the way of a payoff.
What’s most disappointing about the film is its inability to decide on a tone. There are some points where it feels like over-the-top, campy fun, and others where it seems like the filmmakers are going for a straight-up horror vibe. The down-the-middle approach that they land on serves neither the story nor the characters well. Moments that should be full of suspense or could get laughs often fall flat because of the indecisiveness of the filmmakers.
Due to her character’s affliction, Hathaway is reduced to a supporting role in the film, but she gets by on presence alone and still has a few scenes where she demonstrates her star power. Johnson delivers a good performance despite her typical lack of emotion. Like many of her roles, it’s her body that seems to get more attention than her acting. Hartnett is on a roll thanks to recent roles in Oppenheimerand Trap, and he puts in solid work here, as well.
Verity has the bones of a tense thriller, but it’s filled in with a bunch of questionable story beats that don’t prove as satisfying as the premise. The meta-plot of the authors of thrillers becoming involved in a thriller themselves should have been juicy and full of great twists, but ultimately it’s as catatonic as Verity herself.
