weekend event planner

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

Yoga women upside down post Yoga Six hand stand

Grab the squad and head to a yoga pop-up this weekend.

A totally 2021 version of St. Patrick's Day is behind us. Looking ahead, kids and families are enjoying spring break, and the rainy weather is finally clearing up.

That means plenty of spring break fun (check out our guide here), and virtual offerings — including a chat with Alex P. Keaton (you may also know him as Michael J. Fox). After these virtual offerings or outdoor fun, get your stretch on at a yoga pop-up on Sunday.

Here, then, are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, March 18

Asia Society Texas Center presents AsiaFest: Spring Break Edition
Visitors to Asia Society Texas Center can spend their spring break enjoying some time outdoors with family while they eat, shop, and play during the spring break "lite" edition of the AsiaFest festival. Each day, the festival will highlight cultural traditions from a different region of Asia with daily performances, arts and crafts activities, fusion cuisine, vendor booths, and exclusive after-hours access to the exhibition, "Shahidul Alam: Truth to Power." 4 pm.

Harlan Coben in conversation with Michael J. Fox
Thanks to the fine folks at Murder by the Book, we'll be able to get in on this virtual conversation between mystery novelist Harlan Coben and Alex P. Keaton himself — Michael J. Fox! This is a ticketed event, however it couldn't be easier to get a ticket — just purchase a copy of Coben's Win from Murder by the Book. A portion of the proceeds from the book sales from the event will be donated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. 7 pm.

Friday, March 19

Houston Latino Film Festival
The fifth annual Houston Latino Film Festival will kick off this weekend, starting with a selection of safe and socially distanced, drive-in film screenings at Moonstruck Drive-In Cinema on Friday and Saturday night. The festival is produced by a nonprofit, Latino arts organization dedicated to developing, promoting, and increasing awareness of Latino culture among Latinos and other communities by presenting a variety of art and films to the Houston area. The fest will run through Sunday, March 28. 7 pm.

Improv Houston presents Rickey Smiley
On Friday and Saturday night, Rickey Smiley will come down here and get the sort of yuks he usually gets on his morning show (which Houstonians can hear every weekday morning on Majic 102.1 FM). Smiley is definitely a veteran in this game, hosting not one but two seasons of BET's stand-up showcase Comic View. As a much-loved comedian/TV host/radio personality, Rickey Smiley has earned a reputation for delivering laughs onstage or off. 7:30 and 9:45 pm (4,7, and 9:30 pm Saturday).

Saturday, March 20

BLCK Market Health XPO
BLCK Market, the nation’s largest, bi-monthly gathering of Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, is launching its very first expo, spearheading with the health and wellness industry. The event will also include myriad of health and wellness vendors paired with captivating panels, an in-person workout, and even a yoga session by Yogi Jaz Porter. There will also be HIV testing with nonprofit Bee Busy Inc. Kids 12 and under are free. 1 pm.

Cone Run Running Productions presents Clue

We all like Clue, right? Whether it's the board game or the all-star, 1985 movie adaptation, Clue is a fun time had by all. Cone Man Running Productions will be doing their own, virtual production. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. Runs through Saturday, March 27. 8 pm.

Sunday, March 21

YogaSix March Pop-Up at Plaza in the Park
Join YogaSix for a free, pop-up outdoor yoga class that will develop your strength, flexibility, comfort level and stamina as you challenge your body and mind. Teaching the class will be Brazilian artist/yoga teacher Carol Germano, who has advanced teaching in restorative yoga. You will receive an experience that is energizing, empowering, and fun. After your class, visit Earthcraft Juicery or Primp and Blow for special discounts. 9 am.

j.k. livin foundation presents We're Texas Virtual Benefit with Matthew and Camilla McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey and his lovely wife Camilla will host this benefit, on his YouTube Channel and on Spectrum News 1 in Texas. The virtual event will be DJ'd by McConaughey, and will include performances by Gary Clark Jr., Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson, Khalid, Kirk Franklin, Leon Bridges, Willie Nelson, and so many more. All the proceeds go to j.k.livin foundation's Texas Relief Fund. 7 pm.

event-planner

Movie Review

Cookie Queens goes behind the scenes of Girl Scout Cookie season

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Girl Scouts in Cookie Queens.

Few people are strong enough to resist the lure of Girl Scout cookie season every year, with the cookies’ limited availability and unique flavors a strong incentive to indulge. But only the girls and their families who have sold the cookies know the joys and stresses of trying to get people to buy them, a process that is detailed in the new documentary, Cookie Queens.

The film by documentarian Alysa Nahmias uses the stories of four different girls to represent the nationwide ritual for the Girl Scouts. They include 12-year-old Olive in Charlotte, North Carolina, a longtime top seller; 8-year-old Shannon Elizabeth in El Paso, Texas, who wants to earn the reward of going to camp; 5-year-old Ara in San Diego, California, whose goal is modest compared to most other girls; and 9-year-old Nikki in Chino, California, who has to compete with her older sisters in the cookie-selling bonanza.

The girls represent a cross-section of both ages and backgrounds, with some girls coming from wealthy families and some girls dealing with more limited means. And how much money your family has makes a big difference, as not only does someone richer have more freedom with their time and supplies, but all scouts are required to reimburse the organization for every box they take in, regardless of whether they’re able to sell it or not.

That caveat makes the journeys of the four featured girls feel wildly different. It’s clear from the start that Olive and Nikki’s families don’t give a second thought to the personal economics of selling cookies, with each girl taking in thousands of boxes at the beginning of the six-week selling season. With both Olive and Nikki rightfully confident that they’ll have no problem offloading their supply, their stories turn to how selling is personally affecting them, with each trying to reconcile the fun of doing it with the pressure they feel from their family members.

Shannon Elizabeth’s story is more harrowing, as her parents feel a strong desire to help her accomplish her lofty goal, but worry that the cost might literally be too high for the family as a whole. More than once, the parents are shown fretting that they won’t have the money to pay back what they owe should they fall significantly short in their sales. Their selling approach, which includes walking through an empty swap meet and standing outside a chain restaurant at night, only adds to their stress.

The most fun story to watch is that of Ara, whose innocence is matched by her confidence. Her parents teach her how much money they’ll owe with her small goal of 55 boxes, but right away she takes on more responsibility than expected. She’s shown making sales pitches and tallying the total number of boxes she’s sold with little-to-no help from either her mom or dad. With her high voice, glasses, and a monitor on her arm to manage her diabetes, she becomes the cute and sympathetic part of the film.

There are times that the film starts to feel more than a little manipulative, however. While many of the moments documented come off as organic, some of them seem like Nahmias is actively guiding the participants in order to get a better story. This is especially evident with Shannon Elizabeth and her family, whose early struggles turn into a miraculous feel-good story by the end, a turnaround that seems implausible at best. Everything with them might have been aboveboard, but Nahmias and her team edit the family’s journey in a way that pushes a bit too hard for emotion.

Cookie Queens, which was produced by a company owned by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, helps to give insight into the business of selling Girl Scout cookies for those who’ve only been on the purchasing end of the transaction. The dedication of each girl toward selling their allotted supply proves fun and interesting, even if the filmmaker tries to gild the lily on occasion.

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Cookie Queens is now playing in theaters,

movies girl scout cookie film

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