Weekend event planner

Here are the top 10 things to do in Houston this weekend

The weekend is near, so punch out, wind down and start planning. Read on for your guide to the best things to do in Houston. From an extra cheesy festival to some amazing concerts, your weekend starts here.

For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Spanish wine
Thursday, April 13: The “Dynamic Spain Wine Tasting” event at downtown’s Pappas Bros. Steakhouse (5:30 pm; tickets: $75 per person) showcases several unique vintages, including Godello, Rafael Palacios "As Sortes", Valdeorras 2014; Priorat Blanco, Celler Piñol “L’ Avi Arrifo" 2011; and Listán Blanco, Suertes del Marques "Vidonia", Canary Islands 2014. Seasonal hors d’oeuvres, the chef’s pick, will also be served. 1200 McKinney St.; 713-658-1995

Class is in session
Thursday, April 13: From the history of shochu to how it’s made, learn all about the Japanese liquor at Izakaya’s “Shochu for Dummies” class (6:30 pm; tickets: $45 per person). You'll also enjoy shochu tastings, both straight-up and in cocktails, along with food pairings by executive chef Jean Philippe Gaston. 318 Gray St.; 713-527-8988

Disney day
Friday, April 14-Sunday, April 16: Grab the kids and head to Memorial City Mall (various times; tickets: free but limited. Sign up here) for your fill of all things Disney/Pixar’s Cars 3: Road to the Races (scheduled to hit theaters June 16) related. Activities include a sneak peek of the film in a mobile movie theater, visits — and selfie opps - with life-size, character look-alikes, a movie-themed play area, and more. 303 Memorial City

Concert fun
Friday, April 14: Musical group the Isley Brothers hits the stage at Arena Theatre (7 pm; tickets: $49.50-$59.50 per person). The band, first formed in the early '50s, has enjoyed a long and influential career. Their hit singles include "This Old Heart of Mine," "It's Your Thing," "Love the One You're With," and "Who's That Lady." 7326 Southwest Fwy.; 713-772-5900

More concert fun
Friday, April 14: Although Morrissey, the former front man of The Smiths, canceled his San Antonio appearance Wednesday night due to health concerns, the Houston show is still on, according to a tour spokesperson, who adds that the concert has been moved from White Oak Music Hall to the Smart Financial Centre (8 pm; tickets: $49.50-$58 per person). Although the Smiths disbanded in 1987, Morrissey has gone on to have a successful solo career boasting 49 singles and 12 top 10 albums. Hits by the indie rock/Britpop singer include “Everyday is Like Sunday,” Suedehead,” and "The Last of the Famous International Playboys." 18111 Lexington Blvd, Sugar Land; 281-207-6278

Airport fest
Saturday, April 15: Celebrating Hobby Airport, HobbyFest offers a lineup that’s fun for the whole family including vintage aircraft, a kiddie zone, and DJ (10 am; tickets: free). Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to bring a canned food as donation. Hobby Airport, east ramp at 8402 Nelms St.; 713-213-0908

Pedal away
Saturday, April 15: Midtown Houston and BikeHouston team up for a bike ride (10 am - 12 pm; tickets: free), that begins at Bagby Park and continues to downtown and to Montrose, with a stop for refreshments at Rico's Morning Noon Night. 415 Gray St.; 713-526-7577

Get cheesy
Saturday, April 15: Cheese it up at the Mac and Cheese Festival at Silver Street Studios (12-4 pm; tickets: $50-$80 per person), featuring bites from 36 restaurants (think Jonathan’s the Rub, Luby’s, Peli Peli, and Ritual), plus sips several breweries from City Acre Brewing to Karbach. 2000 Edwards St.

Catch a buzz
Saturday, April 15: Expect performances by a laundry list of bands, including Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin, P.O.D., Red Sun Rising, The Unlikely Candidates, and the Toadies, at 94.5 FM’s 2017 Buzzfest (1 pm; tickets: $43-$73 per person) at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. 2005 Lake Robbins Dr., The Woodlands; 281-363-3300

Hop to it
Sunday, April 16: Houston's most festive Easter party continues with the 38th edition of Bunnies on the Bayou (1-6 pm; tickets: $50-$100 per person), at Fish Plaza in front of downtown’s Wortham Center. Join thousands of Houstonians at the massive outdoor cocktail party. All proceeds from the event benefit local charities in the LGBT community. 501 Texas Ave.

Houston's most festive Easter party continues with the 38th edition of Bunnies on the Bayou.

Photo by © Dalton DeHart

Houston's most festive Easter party continues with the 38th edition of Bunnies on the Bayou.

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Movie Review

New horror movie Faces of Death puts a modern twist on cult classic

Photo courtesy of of IFC Films

Dacre Montgomery in Faces of Death.

True horror fans will likely be familiar with the 1978 cult film Faces of Death, which purported to be a documentary showing real-life killings in gory detail. It didn’t, of course, but that didn’t stop rumors from continuing to spread for decades. Now, almost 50 years and multiple sequels later, comes a new version of Faces of Death, an actual movie that pays homage to the original in interesting ways.

Margot (Barbie Ferreira) works at a YouTube-like company called Kino as a content moderator, flagging videos that violate the company’s policies. This means her job often involves seeing some truly despicable things from all manner of depraved people. One day, though, she comes across a video that seems a little too real, and after seeing more similar videos, she starts to believe they’re genuine murders.

Going against her company NDA, she starts to investigate the videos on her own, which puts her on the radar of Arthur (Dacre Montgomery), who is actually kidnapping people and killing them on camera through methods seen in the original Faces of Death film. It’s not long before Arthur tracks her down, with a plan to make her one of his next victims.

Written and directed by Daniel Goldhaber (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) and co-written by Isa Mazzei, the film is not so much scary as it is creepy, with the occasional gross-out sequence. The idea of having someone emulate the killings in the cult film is a good idea, and pairing it with the modern-day attention economy — in which content creators go to increasing lengths for clicks — is a clever twist on a concept that other films have done.

The film as a whole is a commentary on how social media and video sharing sites have often decided to prioritize profits over the well-being of their users. Margot is shown allowing videos involving violence and sexual assault to stay on the site while nixing ones depicting how to use Narcan or demonstrating putting on a condom on a banana. Josh (Jermaine Fowler), Margot’s boss, is even explicit in the company mandate that outrageous videos drive views.

While Arthur has the makings of a good villain, there are few attempts to make him seem truly diabolical. His kidnappings often seem more spur-of-the-moment than calculated, and even though he has a well thought-out dungeon at home, the house’s location in the suburbs seems to make him vulnerable to easy discovery. Goldhaber and Mazzei leave more than a few unanswered questions along the way that take away from the intensity of the story.

Ferreira is yet another actor from Euphoria who’s capitalizing on her exposure from that show. She plays Margot’s increasing anxiety well, and when the action ratchets up in the final act, she meets the moment in a satisfying way. Montgomery returns to the vibe he had while playing the evil Billy on Stranger Things, and even though his character doesn’t fully live up to his potential, Montgomery sells his evil for all it’s worth.

The new Faces of Death may not be what some are expecting given the reputation of the previous films, but it’s a solid horror/thriller that uses the brand as a launching pad into something different. It doesn’t make much of a dent in the scare department, but it does give its violence and gore a degree of relevance in today’s often desensitized world.

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Faces of Death is now playing in theaters.

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