weekend event planner

Here are the top 14 things to do in Houston this weekend

St. Patrick's Day Parade Houston downtown

Celebrate Saint Patrick on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Downtown Management District

This week is still all rodeo, all the time, but plenty of non-RodeoHouston options abound.

A classic Greek story rises with Houston Ballet, a magician works his tricks, and a local hotel pays tribute to an iconic gangster movie — check that, the greatest gangster movie of all time.

Enjoy and get out there — here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, March 10

Susan G. Komen presents More Than Pink Luncheon
This second-annual luncheon will celebrate the vision of Komen’s founders with the hope and increasing promise of a cure for breast cancer. Co-chairing the event this year will be Doug Perley, Kathleen Perley and Meghan Leggett. They will be honoring Dorothy Paterson for her support of breast cancer awareness and treatment, as well as her legacy and longtime commitment and service to Susan G. Komen. 11 am.

Sicardi Ayers Bacino presents "Gustavo Díaz: Confronting Silence" opening reception
Expect 11 new drawings by gallery artist Gustavo Díaz, and will be accompanied by a curatorial text written by Nikki Moore, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow in the Global Arts at Wake Forest University. Díaz presents his findings through intricate, abstract works on paper and installations that map the conceptual connections between disparate, yet related, theories. Through April 23. 6 pm.

Houston Ballet presents Sylvia
Choreographer Stanton Welch brings his own interpretation to the classic story of the strong mythological heroine, the huntress Sylvia, and her love for a mortal shepherd. The ballet provides an opportunity to see the story through Welch’s unique and creative narrative, as it follows her journey as she’s torn between her duty and her desires. Welch’s inspired work will showcase a constellation of figures from Greek mythology woven together in a tapestry of three love stories. Through Sunday, March 20. 7 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Friday, March 11

Holocaust Museum Houston presents "Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg"
Based upon the New York Times bestseller of the same name, this unique exhibition explores the American judicial system through one of its sharpest legal minds, the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Through archival photographs and documents, contemporary art, media stations, and playful interactives, the exhibition tells the parallel stories of RBG’s remarkable career and the efforts she joined to expand “We the People” to include those long left out of the Constitution’s promises. Through Sunday, July 31. 10 am (noon Sunday).

Blossom & Sol Wellness and Natural Hair Festival
The Blossom & Sol Wellness, taking place on Friday, is an outdoor multi-sensory experience where attendees will be able to experience a variety of mental & physical wellness-related activities, which includes meditation, yoga, sound therapy, women’s health, and more. The Blossom & Sol Natural Hair Festival on Saturday will showcase plenty of natural hair demonstrations, as well as panels and workshops on beauty, finance, natural hair, entrepreneurship, women's health, and more. 3 pm (noon Sunday).

Moody Center for the Arts presents Samsāra VR Experience and Remote Q&A with Artist opening reception
Using the concept of embodied cognition, the virtual-reality film Samsāra uses virtual reality and interactivity to create the experience of transforming one's body into different beings while promoting empathy and a holistic view of our shared existence. At this event, guests can experience the film and speak with director/artist Hsin-Chien Huang about how VR can promote a spiritual evolution via immersive experiences grounded in building empathy. 7 pm.

The Conjurer: An Intimate Magical Experience with Master Magician Curt Miller
The Conjurer is an “intimate magical experience” like nothing you’ve ever seen. You’ll witness world-class, sleight-of-hand magic and hilarious comedy performed right before your eyes, in an immersive intimate setting that will transport you into another world. This two-night show is highly interactive and includes an amazing trick you will perform yourself. Arrive early and enjoy a drink and/or dinner before this incredible magic & comedy experience for a complete & unforgettable evening. 8 pm.

Saturday, March 12

Downtown District presents St. Patrick's Day Parade & Pub Crawl
Even though St. Patrick's Day is on Thursday, you can start your green beer-drinking early this weekend. Celebrate the luck of the Irish at the 62nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, now with a new route in Historic Market Square. The fun continues at Market Square Park with food, games, and live music until 3 pm. Guests can then head out, dressed head to toe in green, to the neighborhood’s eclectic bars and restaurants for drink specials on all their Irish favorites. Noon.

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art presents Yasmin Williams
With her ambidextrous and pedidextrous, multi-instrumental techniques and influences ranging from video games to West African griots subverting the predominantly white male canon of fingerstyle guitar, Yasmin Williams is truly a guitarist for the new century. Her sophomore release, Urban Driftwood, is for and of these times. Though the record is instrumental, its songs follow a narrative arc of 2020, illustrating both a personal journey and a national reckoning, through Williams’ evocative, lyrical compositions. 6 pm.

Take the Cannoli – 50 Years of The Godfather at Hotel ZaZa Memorial City
For one night only, Hotel ZaZa will be celebrating the iconic film's 50th anniversary in style. Channel your inner Vito Corleone and go back in time in the "Godfather Suite," adorned with red velvet, film memorabilia and art deco throughout. Bartenders dressed to the nines will be slinging Negronis in-suite from 6-9 p.m., hotel guests will be graced with a single rose at turndown and can even take the cannoli at check-in to enjoy the irresistible Italian treat made in-house. 6 pm.

Houston Chamber Choir presents De La Noche Al Día
Under the directions of Venezuelan guest conductor María Guinand, “De la noche al día” (which means “From Night to Day”) will explore things of a darker, somber nature, then move into daylight and the brightness of the spirit. Most of the music comes from Central and South America—spotlighting creators ranging from Esteban Salas, an 18th-century Cuban composer, to Alberto Grau, Guinand’s husband and an esteemed composer in his own right. 7:30 pm.

Sunday, March 13

Houston Arboretum presents Pup Crawl & Pet Expo
The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center invites all interested humans to bring their favorite furry friends to the best “pup” crawl around, on the Arboretum grounds. After four special, Saint Arnold beer stops along the trails, participants will interact with local pet vendors at the Pet Expo and walk away with a commemorative Pup Crawl glass. Proceeds support the conservation and education programs of the Houston Arboretum and animal shelter/adoption center BARC. 4 pm.

Kristina Kuzmic: The Hope and Humor Tour
Kristina Kuzmic is a cheerleader for her fellow humans. It’s not something she ever anticipated doing, but after immigrating to America from Croatia during the war in her homeland and later facing more challenges (divorce, single parenting, poverty, depression), Kuzmic wanted to be for others what she wished someone had been for her during her darkest hours. Now, with over one billion video views and this "night out" show, she's providing her audience with encouragement, hope and humor in a role she never expected to fill. 6:30 pm.

Grandson at the Scout Bar
Known for his polemical songwriting and exuberant live performances, platinum-selling alt-rocker grandson is fresh off some of his biggest collaborations to date. From writing "Rain," an exclusive track with Jessie Reyez for The Suicide Squad, to tapping Travis Barker and pop superstar Kesha for "Drop Dead" and even partnering with the legendary Tom Morello for the gut-busting "Hold The Line," grandson's Houston show this weekend promises to be unforgettable. 7 pm.

event-planner

Movie Review

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 doesn't match the first movie's enthusiasm

Blumhouse

Five Nights at Freddy's 2.

Blumhouse Productions first made their name with the Paranormal Activity series, establishing themselves as a leader in the horror genre thanks to their relatively cheap yet effective movies. In recent years, they’ve added on “soft” horror films like M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy’s to draw in a younger audience, with both films becoming so successful that each was quickly given a sequel.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 finds Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) still recovering from the events of the first film, with Abby particularly missing her “friends.” Those friends just so happen to be the souls of murdered children who inhabit animatronic characters at the long-defunct Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, children who were abducted and killed by William Afton (Matthew Lillard).

A new threat emerges at another Freddy Fazbear’s location in the form of Charlotte, another murdered child who inhabits a creepy large marionette. Mike, distracted by a possible romance with Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), fails to keep track of Abby, who makes her way to the old pizzeria and inadvertently unleashes Charlotte and her minions on the surrounding town.

Directed by Emma Tammi and written by Scott Cawthon (who also created the video game on which the series is based), the film tries to mix together goofy elements with intense scenes. One particular sequence, in which the security guard for Freddy Fazbear’s lets a group of ghost hunters onto the property, toes the line between soft and hard horror. That and a few others show the potential that the filmmakers had if they had stuck to their guns.

Unfortunately, more often than not they either soft-pedal things that would normally be horrific, or can’t figure out how to properly stage scenes. The sight of animatronic robots wreaking havoc is one that is simultaneously frightening and laughable, and the filmmakers never seem to find the right balance in tone. Every step in the direction of making a truly scary horror film is undercut by another in which the robots fail to live up to their promise.

It doesn’t help that Cawthon gives the cast some extremely wooden dialogue, lines that none of the actors can elevate. What may work in a video game format comes off as stilted when said by actors in a live-action film. The story also loses momentum quickly after the first half hour or so, with Cawthon seemingly content to just have characters move from place to place with no sense of connection between any of the scenes.

Hutcherson (The Hunger Games series), after being the true lead of the first film, is given very little to do in this film, and his effort is equal to his character’s arc. The same goes for Lail, whose character seems to be shoehorned into the story. Rubio is called upon to carry the load for a lot of the movie, and the teenager is not quite up to the task. A brief appearance by Skeet Ulrich seems to be a blatant appeal to Scream fans, but he and Lillard only underscore how limited this film is compared to that franchise.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is better than the first film, but not by much. The filmmakers do a decent job of making the new marionette character into a great villain, but they fail to capitalize on its inherent creepiness. Instead, they fall back on less effective elements, ensuring that the film will be forgettable for anyone other than hardcore Freddy fans.

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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opens in theaters on December 5.

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