We ♥ Hou

No reservations: Have an unexpected Valentine

Need to get away from the world? Have a weekend of romantic seclusion with ahotel's Valentine's package.
Join the Stoplight Party in The Black Swan at Omni Hotel Houston.
For a classically elegant V-Day, take in a Valentine's concert by the River OaksChamber Orchestra.
Visit the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Whether you're single and ready to mingle or just not into fancy, multi-course dinners, that doesn't mean you should spend Valentine's Day on the couch. Whether it's a sweet hotel package, a party in an unexpected location or an Asian celebration, get ready to celebrate love – or just loving life.

Need to get away from the world? Have a weekend of romantic seclusion with the Hyatt Regency Houston's Grand Amour Package. Starting with a limo ride from your house to one of Hyatt's dual-level Grand Suites, the package also includes an in-room couples massage, a $500 gift card to I W Marks, an in-suite dinner from Shula's Steak House with a bottle of Dom Perignon, two bottles of matched wine, cordials and triple-dipped strawberries for dessert, all served by a butler. The next morning, wake up to a dozen red roses and breakfast in bed with mimosas or Bloody Marys. Trust us, the world will still be there when you get back. Package available Feb. 12-14, $2,010.

All the single ladies (and some single fellas, too) will be heading to the Four Seasons Houston for the Single's Mingle with live entertainment and signature cocktails in the lobby lounge, coinciding with a special "HeART and Soul" collection of artwork from Koelsch Gallery displayed around the hotel.

Ah, college, when being single – or in a relationship – could change in the course of one party. Go back to those heady days with the Stoplight Party in The Black Swan at Omni Hotel Houston. Wear green if you're available, red if you're taken and yellow if your relationship status is somewhere in the middle. Admission is $10.

For a classically elegant V-Day, take in a Valentine's concert by the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra at The Houstonian, while enjoying a private dinner in Houstonian's Juniper Room, with optional childcare. Or leave the kiddies at home altogether and splurge on one of The Houstonian's luxe romantic room packages.

Who needs candlelight and a white tablecloth when you can have a roaring fire and a blanket on the floor? Get the best of both worlds with Bistro Don Camillo's keepsake picnic basket, stuffed with foie gras mousse and croutons, a large loaf-shaped assortment of petite sandwiches with various fillings, the chef’s selection of cheeses, chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate, red velvet cake for two, Valentine’s Day china, a scented candle, two champagne flutes, a bottle of champagne and a Bistro-monogrammed throw blanket. Orders must be in by Friday and picked up Saturday.

Another tasty option for a DIY holiday are the at-home dinner for two packages offered by Dessert Gallery in conjunction with Stone Kitchen Catering. Choose from dinners like beef wellington, parmesan-and almond-crusted chicken, cannelloni and portobello mushroom caps, served with a salad, sides and a dessert sampler. Pick-up can be arranged Friday and Sunday, but all orders must be made three days before pick-up.

Stimulate mind, body and heart at Houston Museum of Natural Science's Love Bugs bash on Feb. 12, where you can salsa the night away to the tunes of Grupo Ka-Che between nibbles and cocktails and take a stroll with your love bug through the tropical splendor of the Cockrell Butterfly Center.

Win a date and help a good cause at the My Pink Valentine party on Thursday, Feb. 11 at Ei8ht. Bid on eligible bachelors and bachelorettes (they come with fantasy dates like a private sailing lesson, private sommelier-led wine tasting and a helicopter ride to Austin for dinner and back) and in addition to having your Valentine's plans all sewn up, all proceeds go to the Pink Door Foundation, which provides support and career opportunities to single, divorced and widowed cancer survivors.

Fall in love with Houston by joining the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance's walking tour of the Heights on Sunday among some of the area's most beautiful Victorians and early-20th century architecture. Tour starts at 2 p.m. at Cohen Plaza (Heights Boulevard at 11th Street); tickets are $10.

If Valentine's Day makes you want to say "Bah Humbug," commiserate with fellow unlucky-in-lovers at Block 7 Wine Co., where Aurora Picture Show is screening"It's Not You, It's Me," a collection of short films that show love as more battlefield than bed of roses.

And don't forget, Feb. 14 isn't just a day of love: this year it's also the Lunar New Year. Put on some red and celebrate at the Chinese Community Center Year of the Tiger Lunar New Year Festival on Feb. 13, where festivities will include a ceremony with Annise Parker and other officials, a performance by the Houston Grand Opera, an acrobatic magic show, dragon and lion dances and cultural exhibitions including origami and calligraphy.

unspecified

Movie Review

Daniel Craig shines in Queer, an unapologetic tale of love and loss

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

---

Queer is now playing in theaters.

movies film