weekend event planner

Here are the top 12 things to do in Houston this weekend

Raise a glass to your Houston Astros at The Rustic on Thursday.

Judging by this weekend, Houstonians are getting out there en masse. Toast your Houston Astros as they toss the first pitch of the season, meet a winemaker at a happy hour, hit an outdoor market, stroll a waterfront art fest, and feast on crawfish.

Pet parents, look for two dog-friendly (and pet-friendly) events this weekend — including pilates for pets. And work of your stress with a free yoga class.

Whew, that's quite a list. Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, April 8

Astros Opening Day Celebration at The Rustic
The Rustic (aka the go-to destination for Houston Astros pre- and post-game celebrations) will open early for Astros fans to grab drinks and food before the first pitch. Starting at 3 p.m., DJ Dayta will perform while guests hang out and enjoy drink specials, including a Karbach Brewing Co. tap takeover with free swag and $25 buckets of five beers. They will also grill hot dogs and serve double queso for guests to quickly grab on the front yard. Noon.

The Great Garment Giveaway at SuitMart
SuitMart announces the first “Houston Strong” community-wide clothing giveaway (at its South Main location) to help those economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent weather-related events. With more than 20,000 units of women’s apparel to be made available, the speciality retailer has invited local churches, shelters, charities and municipal leaders and dignitaries within the Houston area to give back to local organizations in need. 5 pm.

Friday, April 9

Savoir presents Meet the Winemaker happy hour
Armenian winemaking began over 6,000 years ago, making it the oldest winemaking region in the world. Savoir will be celebrating that by welcoming winemaker Vahe Keushguerian for a tasting of wine from Armenia. Keushguerian is the founder of a winery called Keush, which specializes in sparkling wine made from grapes indigenous to Armenia. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Keushguerian and learn about the past, present, and future of Armenian winemaking. 4:30 pm.

Walk to End HIV Virtual Celebration
This weekend, AIDS Foundation Houston (AFH) will host a virtual celebration at AIDSWalkHouston.org to celebrate the 32nd annual Walk to End HIV. The event will recognize year’s top fundraisers, present grants to benefitting agencies and honor the 2021 AIDS Walk underwriters and agency partners. The celebration, hosted by a surprise local celebrity, will feature special performances and appearances from leaders in the community. 6 pm.

Saturday, April 10

Eastside Market at Tres Chic
The 3rd Eastside Market Pop-Up will be going down this weekend, and all the vendors will be showing up and coming correct. We're talking Aspire Accessories, Anna Irions, Collectivo, Lexington, Hila, Monica Haff Designs, and, of course, Tres Chic. The Bovine & Barley cocktail truck will be there, serving adult ice-cream specialties, from 10am-4pm. Other food trucks will also be in attendance. 9 am.

Citizen Pilates presents Pilates for Pets
Bring your own mat and meet us a free, 30-minute, outdoor Pilates workout, hosted by Citizen Pilates, benefitting Animal Justice League. Snuggle up to the furry guests that will be around, and don't forget to bring dog/puppy, kitten/cat food to donate at the event. Bully sticks are a bonus. This event is open to anyone and family-friendly. For every donation received, enjoy a complimentary queso from Valencia’s Tex-Mex Garage. 10 am.

Lone Star Flight Museum B-17 tours and peeks
This weekend, The Lone Star Flight Museum will offer free tours and peeks inside the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress to museum visitors for one last time this year. Thunderbird is preparing to head to the Mid America Flight Museum in Mt. Pleasant for the remainder of the year, but will return to LSFM next year. Tours and sneak peeks, normally $5 per person, will be offered for free throughout the day to all visitors with a general admission ticket. Members get in free. 10 am.

Saturday crawfish boils w/ a live DJ at B.B. Lemon
B.B. Lemon will be taking advantage of crawfish season three more times before it ends. They'll be having a regular, Saturday brunch with a live DJ this Saturday — and on May 8 and June 5. Enjoy tunes by a live DJ and mudbugs featuring Berg Hospitality's own Jeff Baron's NOLA recipe. For this weekend, the DJ will be DJ Friendster. Crawfish will be served from 11am-3pm — or until it runs out. Reservations are recommended and can be made by phone. 11 am.

Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival
This Saturday and Sunday, the scenic banks of The Woodlands Waterway and Town Green Park will be transformed into an outdoor art gallery featuring the work of over 150 international, national, and regional juried artists. A variety of original art, including painting, fiber, jewelry, photography, and mixed media will be on display. Live music and children’s art activities will provide a fun family experience, and local food, wine, and beer will add to the atmosphere. 11 am.

Dog Day at Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.
Bring your pup to celebrate National Pet Day at Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co., which will be referring to itself at "RuffBrew" this weekend. Join them out in the tents for flavorful, homemade dog-friendly eats and treats both you and your pup will enjoy. A special appearance from Houston PetSet, puptastic raffle items, and brews on tap are waiting for you. Leash up your furry friend and come "pawty" with the pack. Noon.

The War on Pleasure at The Plant House
Back by popular demand, 5th Wave Productions presents Robin Goldstein's informative musical comedy. This one-man musical will bring health food fanatics, fast food lovers and theatre aficionados together to listen to the story of the 200-year fight against delicious food, started by 19th-century Puritan radicals who originally created the health-food industry as a cure for adolescent sexuality. Tickets are $20 and includes free beer. 6 pm.

Sunday, April 11

YogaSix Restore - free yoga class
YogaSix will be having a free yoga class this weekend, outside their new studio at West University. The class will develop your strength, flexibility, comfort level, and stamina as you challenge your body and mind. You will receive an experience that is energizing, empowering, and fun. After the class, receive 20 percent off from Fellini Cafe and a free, avocado hummus voucher from Flower Child. Please arrive up to 15 minutes before to register and get yourself "sixuated." 9 am.

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Movie Review

Avatar: Fire and Ash returns to Pandora with big action and bold visuals

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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