weekend event planner

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

Dive into Hotel Derek's Float & Flick party.

Hotel Derek/Facebook

The warmer temps are here, which means locals flock to poolside shindigs or chill, indoor events. This week features a splashy pool/movie bash, a pet-themed soiree, and a hip art market.

Here, then, are some fun events to heat up your weekend.

Thursday, May 30

Fierce & Fabulous at The Bellemore
Houston PetSet, Sotheby’s, and Al Ross Luxury Homes, along with the adoptable pets from ADORE Houston, will host this event at the prestigious Bellemore. Donation proceeds will benefit PetSet, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to ending the suffering and homelessness of companion animals in the Greater Houston area. Guests can look forward to complimentary appetizers, champagne, and a luxury Chopard showcase. 5-8 pm.

Float & Flick Summer Movie Series at Hotel Derek
Hotel Derek is once again starting up this monthly series, where films will be screened at the SPLASH pool for lounging moviegoers. The first movie up is the classic blockbuster Jaws, with Footloose, Apollo 13, and Mean Girls coming up in next few months. Tickets include complimentary gourmet popcorn, one complimentary signature drink, complimentary self-parking, and access to SPLASH starting at 7:30 pm for an after-work dip in the pool. 8:15 pm.

Friday, May 31

Keep Houston Rolling at Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
This event has bike-share program Houston BCycle throwing its first-ever fundraiser over at Saint Arnold's beer garden. This is a great opportunity to meet other BCycle riders and bask in the glory of car-free transit. There will also be free drink coupons for those who donate, BCycle T-shirts and hats for sale, Texas GOLD Sprint'em stationary cycling races, and a raffle. 5-11 pm.

Near Dark and Ginger Snaps at Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra
This Graveyard Shift double feature shines a light on a pair of down-and-dirty, horror flicks that have both a cult following and critical acclaim. First off, we have a grungy, vampire Western from future Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow, with Lance Henriksen and the late Bill Paxton as part of a family of nomadic bloodsuckers. Next up is a made-in-Canada werewolf flick where the lives of two teenage sisters get even more complicated once one of them gets attacked by a wild creature. 9 pm.

Saturday, June 1

Heartmade Art Market at Main Street Square
This semi-annual, downtown art market will return to Main Street Square this weekend. Conceived and created by Tracy Manford Carlson of Tracy Carlson Photography and Sonja Fulbright of Crush Design Co., this fest will feature more than 75 local and regional artists selling wares ranging from apparel and jewelry to home goods and art, as well as music, food truck fare, a beer and wine garden, free cotton candy from Lush Puff, and more. 10 am to 5 pm.

Silent Disco Vibe at CityPlace
Well, this dance party sounds intriguing as hell. This event will have people wearing wireless, LED headphones with three distinct channels of music, including two live DJs, giving the audience the power to decide who and what to listen to during the course of the evening. Depending on the selection, the headphones will change colors, adding an element of social experiment to the scene. Headphone rentals are just $5 each. 7:30-10:30 pm.

Sunday, June 2

Sunday Supper at Kau Ba Saigon Restaurant & Bar
"If I won't eat it, I won't serve it" is the mantra of Nikki Tran, a chef who has been featured on such Netflix food shows as Ugly Delicious and Street Food and also runs the Kau Ba Saigon eatery in Montrose. Starting this weekend, Tran is launching a monthly dining series known as Sunday Supper. The menu will change monthly, but it will always feature some of Tran’s favorite dishes, nostalgic flavors and recipes from her own family. 5 pm.

Hannah Gadsby: Douglas at Jones Hall
Last year, Australian comic Hannah Gadsby rattled the international comedy world with her Netflix special Nanette. It's basically a trojan horse of a stand-up special, with Gadsby doing a half-hour of bone-dry, observational humor before sliding into a dead-serious, brutally honest monologue on her life as a lesbian. Even though she said she was dipping out comedy after Nanette, she returns with the new show Douglas, where she talks about everything she went through after Nanette. 7:30 pm.

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Movie Review

New thriller Crime 101 majors in cool with Hemsworth at the wheel

Photo courtesy of Amazon Content Services

Chris Hemsworth in Crime 101.

The career of actor Chris Hemsworth is a curious one, as it feels like he’s a huge star (mostly from playing Thor in Marvel movies) and not at the same time, with most of the non-MCU movies featuring him in a lead role failing to become big successes. But he still has a certain presence about him, which is why he’s being given another chance to prove his star power in the new thriller, Crime 101.

Hemsworth plays Davis, a talented thief who knows how to get what he wants without resorting to violence. When a job early in the movie turns slightly sideways, it makes him think twice about working with his handler (Nick Nolte), who seems to prefer someone with a stronger touch, like the up-and-coming Ormon (Barry Keoghan).

Davis is the main character, but two others who come into his orbit get their own subplots. Lou (Mark Ruffalo) is a slightly schlubby LAPD detective who’s convinced he knows the pattern of an unknown thief that likes to hit places close to Highway 101. Sharon (Halle Berry) works for a high-end insurance agency known for working with ultra-wealthy clients, the types who might be a great target for a thief like Davis.

Written and directed by Bart Layton, the film has a decent propulsion to it that comes with most crime thrillers. Davis and Ormon represent the yin and the yang of criminal approaches, and and it’s interesting to see the juxtaposition between the two as their simmering rivalry heats up over the course of the film. When the film commits to actually showing its crimes, it has an excitement that’s worth watching.

Unfortunately, Layton displays a real lack of focus, taking the audience into subplots with each of the three main characters that prove unnecessarily distracting. Lou’s marriage problems may explain his disheveled appearance, but there’s no need to see him deal with them with wife Angie (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Sharon’s troubles with her male-dominated company prove slightly pivotal, but still don’t merit the time put into exploring them.

The most baffling subplot is Davis pursuing a relationship with Maya (Monica Barbaro), a woman he randomly meets. At different points in the movie, including many of his interactions with Maya, Davis seems like the most uncomfortable, antisocial person in the world. And yet he somehow morphs into a suave smooth-talker who’s able to convince anyone to do what he wants at other key points, making it unclear exactly what kind of person he really is.

Hemsworth does relatively well in the lead role, but he’s still missing that certain something to make his character, and therefore the movie, truly compelling. The rest of the cast is fine, too, but each of them seem to be putting in just the minimal amount of effort to make the film watchable. Ruffalo and Barbaro come off the best, but with the talent in the cast (11 Oscar nominations and one win), they could have been used better.

Crime 101 has most of the ingredients to be another great entry in the genre, and it succeeds when it actually decides to deliver on its promise. But too much of the film is spent on things that have no real bearing on plot or character development, leaving the movie in the middle of the pack.

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Crime 101 is now playing in the theaters.

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weekend event planner

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

Movie Review

New thriller Crime 101 majors in cool with Hemsworth at the wheel

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