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.

event-planner

Movie Review

Denzel Washington brings new spectacle to the Colosseum in Gladiator II

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Paul Mescal in Gladiator II.

There are some films for which making a sequel is natural, and others where a follow-up is wholly unnecessary. Gladiator, which made both tons of money and was named Best Picture at the Oscars, told an impactful stand-alone story that ended with the protagonist dead and no real loose ends. And yet because there’s always more money to be made, here we are 24 years later with Gladiator II.

The lead character this time around is Lucius (Paul Mescal), a general in a North African army who becomes a prisoner of war when the Roman army led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) bests him and his troops in battle. Taken back to Rome, he is put in the pool of captured men forced to fight at the Colosseum for the amusement of twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracella (Fred Hechinger).

Lucius is controlled by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), an ambitious schemer who bets liberally on his prized fighter and always has an eye to move up in the world. Meanwhile, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), the sister of Emperor Commodus from the first film, is now married to Marcus Acacius and has a unique connection with Lucius that is fairly obvious from the get-go.

Directed once again by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa, the film commits a number of sins throughout its 150-minute running time, the most blatant of which is that, aside from a few embellishments, it essentially tells the same story as the first film. Lucius, like Maximus, is a deposed military leader who’s out for revenge on the person who killed his family. Instead of one obnoxious emperor, there are now two. And the only way for Lucius to earn his freedom is to fight his way out.

Stories told in the same world can echo each other and, if done well, overcome those similarities. But Gladiator II is shockingly boring for a purported sword-and-sandals epic. Scott and his team try to introduce new elements to the fights, like a gladiator riding a rhinoceros or a ship battle inside the Colosseum (with sharks!), but most of the sequences are inert with no propulsion to them.

The action fails because none of the relationships in the film amount to much. There are stand-out characters like Macrinus and the twin emperors, but instead of creating antipathy or strong feelings of triumph or defeat, the story just kind of happens without any sense of excitement or importance. Much of that issue lies at the feet of Lucius, who simply doesn’t inspire in the same way that Russell Crowe’s Maximus did.

Mescal is a fine actor who’s done good work in more intimate roles, but he’s not up to the task of being an action star, at least not in this film. Any bombast he shows with the character feels forced, and the story doesn’t give him enough opportunities to counteract that lack. Washington, however, fills up the screen with his charisma, and it’s during his scenes that the film comes closest to being rousing. Quinn and Hechinger are a lot of fun as the twin emperors, but in the end they feel like retreads of Joaquin Phoenix from the original.

Any sequel should have a purpose that sets it apart from what came before, but Scott, Scarpa, and the rest of their team fail in that respect in Gladiator II. It’s a mostly lifeless film that delivers scenes that would be exciting if they had any kind of good story to back them up.

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Gladiator II opens in theaters on November 22.

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

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Movie Review

Denzel Washington brings new spectacle to the Colosseum in Gladiator II

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Houston intel delivered daily.