weekend event planner

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

Take a stroll down Discovery Green and celebrate some Houston heroes .

Courtesy photo

The summer movie season officially starts this weekend with Avengers: Infinity War, where all your fave superheroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe join forces to defeat some purple, Bruce Willis-looking dude intent on destroying the world. It might be exciting but enjoyable, but it also might be noisy and chaotic — just like every other superhero movie that comes out these days.

If you prefer to take part in some superhero-less events this weekend, here are a few that might get you soaring:

Thursday, April 26

Kristen Johnston stars in Recovery’s Spring Luncheon
For its 35th-annual spring luncheon, the Council on Recovery and the Waggoners Foundation Speaker Series found a keynote speaker who’ll most likely have some harrowing tales about dealing with drugs and alcohol — and still be hella funny. Most people know Kristen Johnston as the Emmy-winning star of the wacky sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. But anyone who’s read her bestselling memoir, Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster, knows she’s had her own hellish battles with addiction. It starts at 11:15 am.

Fishbone rocks “Party on the Plaza”
We can say, without any certainty, that Avenida Houston’s latest “Party on the Plaza” show will be all kinds of rockin’. How do we know this? Because the headliners are going to be Fishbone, the ska/funk/punk band of brothas who’ve been raising a ruckus — musically — for nearly 40 years. (No Doubt, Smash Mouth and every other ’90s skacore band also owes them a debt of gratitude, but that’s for another time.) Opening up for them will be local DJ crew The Waxaholics, who we’re sure will be just as rockin’ as the headliners. It starts at 6 pm.

Ride a Latin Wave at the MFAH
It’s time once again for Houstonian cinephiles to get a taste of what Latin America has to offer — in terms of challenging, innovative cinema — with this year’s Latin Wave 13 program. Not only will there be a fine selection of eight recently released Latin American films that’ll be screened Thursday through Sunday, but several of the filmmakers will be in attendance for the screenings, as well as available for selfies, chitchat and what not for a “Meet the Filmmakers Brunch” on Saturday at 11 am at Under the Volcano. The whole thing starts at 7 pm.

Friday, April 27

Enjoy tea with Mario Lopez
Tea on the Lawn invites guests to don fancy attire and enjoy a benefit for New Danville, a community that enriches the lives of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and we find that lovely and worthy. However, the big news about this event is the keynote speaker, and that speaker is a dashing hunk of man by the name of Mario Lopez. We’re not saying we have on crush on Lopez, the former star of Saved by the Bell and currently the host of Extra. We’re just saying he’s an attractive man and Mark-Paul Gosselaar ain’t got nothin’ on him. It starts at 10 am.

Celebrate Houston Harvey heroes
Hurricane Harvey may be a thing of the past, but it’s a thing that people are still trying to recover from. It’s also a thing where many people stepped up and selflessly took action. Discovery Green will be saluting people with Harvey Heroes: Discovery Discussion, which will feature several Houstonians who aided in rescuing, assisting, feeding, clothing, and sheltering those affected by Harvey. There will also be a presentation by Dr. Stephen Klineberg about Harvey’s impact on Houstonians, as reflected in the 37th annual Kinder Houston Area Survey. It starts at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, April 28

“Yoga on the Meadow” at the Houstonian
Look, we all need some yoga in our life. A lot of us need to stretch out and do some downward dog or whatever and try to alleviate some of the stress that gets locked in our muscles and bones from time to time. With all the yoga events that pop up in this city every weekend, how about attending one that’s for a good cause? “Yoga on the Meadow” is a family-friendly event hosted by Nora’s Home, which helps out organ failure and transplant patients at Texas Medical Center. This event will also educate guests on the needs of organ failure and transplant patients. It starts at 10 am.

Take in a pleasant Heights art stroll
When was the last time you went for a stroll, huh? And when was the last time you looked at art while you were going on said stroll, hmmm? If you would like to check out some vivid visuals while gaining some steps on your FitBit, the Sawyer Yards Spring Biannual Art Stroll will be open for both browsing and moseying. More than 300 local artists will open their studios so visitors can hang with the artists and even pick up a piece or two. Artists will donate a portion of proceeds to establish a student scholarship at the Glassell School of Art. It starts at 4 pm.

Lewis Black brings his rage to Houston
Comedian/The Daily Show commentator Lewis Black has a special relationship with the city of Houston. In his act, he used to talk about how Houston is the “end of the universe” because of those two Starbucks across the street from each other on West Gray and Shepherd. (We wonder if he knows about the Starbucks café located inside the Barnes & Noble that’s just a few feet away.) We know Black will have a lot to say about our current president, but let’s hope he brings up those twin Starbucks — and asks how they treat certain folks in there. The show starts at 8 pm.

Sunday, April 29

Celebrate Children’s Day
How many of y’all know about Children’s Day? It’s been around since 1856, when a pastor in Massachusetts decided to hold a special service dedicated to the kiddos. (It wasn’t celebrated nationally until 1923.) Over here in H-Town, the Children’s Museum of Houston gives it up to the young ones with its annual Dia del Nino Celebration. Now in its 16th year, the event will feature a live performance by reggaeton rising star Miguelito, backed up by Mariachi Imperial de America. There will also be giveaways, story time, face painting — the works. It starts at noon.

Blues, Brews, and Barbecue (what more could you want?)
As the name implies, you can get your Blues, Brews, and Barbecue on at Picnic for Parkinson's benefiting Houston Area Parkinson Society (HAPS). The cookoff is chaired by acclaimed Houston chef Brandi Key of Lasco Enterprises (Max’s Wine Dive, The Tasting Room, and The Boiler House), so you can bet the food will be on point. You can also enjoy tunes from High Tech Rednecks, Bluestown Shakedown, Road Gang, and The Steve Krase Band. The event takes place at chill Heights bar Wicklow Heights, and runs from noon to 5 pm, with VIP entry at 11 am.

event-planner

Movie Review

Over-the-top acting and incoherent plot drag down Her Private Hell

Photo courtesy of Neon

Sophie Thatcher in Her Private Hell.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not someone who plays nice with the general film world. His 2011 film Drive introduced him to American audiences in a big way, but that pulsating thriller was followed up with artier films like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon that eschewed coherent plots in favor of moody, atmospheric pieces.

Winding Refn, who hasn’t made a feature film in 10 years, has gone fully down the rabbit hole with Her Private Hell. Taking place in a liminal space that kind of resembles Earth but also feels like someone’s dreams/nightmares, the film focuses on Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor currently starring in a sci-fi film. Staying at a hotel with newcomer Hunter (Kristine Froseth), the two bond over their shared passion and the legend of Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), who’s now married to Elle’s friend Dominique (Havana Rose Liu).

After spending a good amount of (mostly incomprehensible) time with that group, Refn introduces Private K (Charles Melton), who seems to be living in post-World War II Japan. He is looking for his daughter, who might have been taken by a mysterious figure known as “Leatherman,” and he will stop at nothing to find her, fighting whoever stands in his way.

It becomes clear almost right away that Winding Refn has no desire to engage in traditional storytelling in this film. The main characters wander through neon-drenched streets and buildings, which are often surrounded by a mist that is referred to on multiple occasions but never explained. Everyone speaks as if in a constant state of wonderment, and there are many moments where it’s unclear if events are actually happening, part of a movie-within-a-movie, or something else entirely.

Unlike his previous films, Winding Refn has taken the characters in this film completely out of the real world, with every scene taking place in a sparsely decorated room or street that is obviously a movie set. While there are moments where this decision really works, especially the striking first shot of a human-like figure mixed in with a cityscape and clouds, most of the time it only adds to the stilted nature of the film as a whole.

In fact, the entire movie has the feel of an avant-garde theater exercise. Every actor seems to be trying to outdo the others with awkward performances and out-sized reactions. Two very specific characters make appearances in both sides of the story for seemingly no reason other than to inject their weirdness into both spaces. The shocking violence that crops up on occasion would have more of an impact if it was related to anything intelligible.

Thatcher (Companion) and Liu (Tuner) are among the young stars who have had breakout moments in recent years, but neither of them is served well by this hot mess of a movie. They, along with Melton, still demonstrate the talent they possess, but the oddity of the film weighs them down. Scott makes an impression for all the wrong reasons, while Froseth is called upon to play a character who might as well not be there at all.

If there’s any kind of message that Winding Refn was trying to convey with Her Private Hell, it’s lost among the flashing lights, overload of pink, and jewel-like structures. Filmmakers who try to make art for art’s sake have a place in the world, but this film too often feels like people are making things up as they go, with no real goal in mind.

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Her Private Hell opens in theaters on July 24.

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