Weekend events planner

Here are the top 9 things to do in Houston this weekend

You’ve been working hard all week, so let loose this weekend with our picks for the best things to do in Houston. Enjoy some amazing concerts, a standout dinner prepared by some renowned chefs, and a soccer exhibition competition. And don’t forget to get your tickets and head to CultureMap’s Country Club Social. Read on for nine can’t-miss happenings going on Thursday through Sunday.

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

It's a dog-eat-dog world
Thursday, July 20-Sunday, July 23
The World Series of Dog Shows heads to NRG Park. The canine extravaganza features agility and performance events, creative grooming contests, AKC conformation, and breed judging, plus goods and services from more than 230 vendors. (Various times; tickets: $5-$20 per person)
8400 Kirby Dr.; 281-536-0528

Quintessential preppy
Thursday, July 20
Put on your pearls and tennis skirts, pop your collars, and head to CultureMap’s Country Club party at SkyHouse River Oaks. Held on the 25th floor of the luxe high-rise, both inside the chic clubhouse and on the rooftop terrace, expect amazing views, bites by Liberty Kitchen, and beverages by Gentleman Jack whiskey, Deep Ellum Brewing Company, and Topo Chico. Shop 'til you drop with Sid Mashburn and Ann Mashburn and play games, from bocce ball to mini golf. All proceeds benefit Candlelighters Houston, which supports families facing childhood cancer. (6:30- 9 pm; tickets: $25 per person)
2031 Westcreek Ln., 25th floor

Game on
Thursday, July 20
English Premier League rivals Manchester United F.C. and Manchester City F.C. face off at NRG Stadium in the Manchester Derby, part of the 2017 International Champions Cup. This match is the first Manchester Derby played outside of the United Kingdom in the rivalry’s 115-year history. (8:30 pm; tickets: $50-$250 per person)
8400 Kirby Dr.; 713-629-3700

Weekend flick
Friday, July 21-Saturday, July 22
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents a film series starring award-winning English actor Sir Alec Guinness, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. The Ladykillers plays July 21, while The Lavender Hill Mob screens on July 22. (Various times; tickets: $9 per person)
1001 Bissonnet St.; 713-639-7300

Country star
Friday, July 21
Country artist Travis Tritt, who has 11 studio albums under his belt, performs at the Arena Theatre. Tritt’s hit songs include “I’m Gonna Be Somebody,” "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares),” "It’s a Great Day to Be Alive,” and “"Best of Intentions.” (8 pm; tickets: $$25.50-$65.50 per person)
7326 Southwest Fwy.; 713-772-5900

Say I Do
Saturday, July 22-Sunday, July 23
The Bridal Extravaganza Summer Show at downtown’s George R. Brown Convention Center presents 350 wedding vendors, fashion shows, cake tastings, and more. (Various times; tickets: $15-$45 per person)
1001 Avenida de las Americas; 281-340-7777

Puppy love
Saturday, July 22
Score refreshing treats by Saint Arnold Brewing Company and Hot Rod Pops at the Dog Days of Summer event at Doc’s Motorworks Bar and Grill. The afternoon, which benefits BARC animal shelter, also offers a dog costume contest and frosty PUPsicles to keep Fido cool. (4-7 pm; tickets: free to enter)
1303 Westheimer Rd.; 713-521-3627

Pop concert
Saturday, July 22
Singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes performs onstage at Toyota Center in support of his newest album, Illuminate. Songs by the 18-year-old Canadian heartthrob include “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back,” “Lights Out,” “Stitches,” and “Handwritten.” (7:30 pm; tickets: $47.50-$67.50)
1510 Polk St.; 713-758-7200

Good eats
Sunday, July 23
At the Salty Supper No. 3 dinner at Midtown’s Reef restaurant, enjoy a delicious meal prepared by local and national top chefs including Bryan Caswell (Houston’s Reef), James Beard award-winning chef John Currence (Oxford’s City Grocery, Big Bad Breakfast), Kelly English (Memphis’s Restaurant Iris, The Second Line), Ryan Pera (Houston’s Coltivare, Revival Market), Martha De Leon (Houston’s Pax Americana), and Sarah Schnitzer (Houston’s Pax Americana). As well, sip cocktails created by Morgan Weber (Houston’s Eight Row Flint). (6:30-9:30 pm; tickets: $250-$2,000 per person)
2600 Travis St.; 713-526-8282

The World Series of Dog Shows heads to NRG Park.

Photo by Zuzana Leckova

The World Series of Dog Shows heads to NRG Park.

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Movie Review

The Mandalorian and Grogu lacks the cinematic magic of a true Star Wars movie

Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm

The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu in The Mandalorian and Grogu.

At one point in the 2010s, Disney planned to release a different Star Wars movie every year, with an “Episode” film (like The Rise of Skywalker) alternating with anthology movies like Rogue One. But when 2018’s Solo underperformed, those plans changed, and the pandemic made any Star Wars movie less appealing, with Lucasfilm shifting heavily toward TV shows like The Mandalorian.

The popularity of that show in particular has led to the return of Star Wars to the theaters in the form of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. The film follows the bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) and his Force-sensitive adopted child as they travel around the universe, hunting down the remaining members of the Galactic Empire (the film, like the series, is set in the years following The Return of the Jedi).

The main thrust of the film has the duo, at the behest of Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) of the New Republic, trying to track down Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White), the son of the late Jabba the Hutt, who’s supposedly been kidnapped. The discovery of the ultra-buff Rotta sets them down a different path than they thought, one that puts Mando and Grogu in the crosshairs of Rotta’s twin cousins.

Directed by Jon Favreau and written by Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Noah Kloor, the film is perfectly fine if you consider it to be an extended Mandalorian episode, but at no point does it rise to the level of a great movie experience.

The film, like the show, is defined by the Mandalorian’s unflappable nature and strict code, as well as Grogu’s mischievousness and unquenchable appetite. Right from the start, the Mandalorian has a “take no prisoners” approach, laying waste to all comers in a PG-13 sort of way. Grogu is mostly along for the ride, occasionally breaking out the Force to help out, but mostly serving as the comic sidekick. Their relationship keeps the film watchable, but only just barely.

The biggest issue, one which was starting to affect the Disney+ show as well, is that the story never seems to go anywhere despite the fact that its two main characters are constantly on the move. No matter how big or ferocious the opponent they face, the overall stakes are so low as to almost be nonexistent. If Favreau and Filoni (who has a small part in the film) are trying to build toward some larger story, it doesn’t come through on screen.

The film’s action fits in well with sequences that have been put forth in previous Star Wars films, but to call them “cinematic” would be stretching things. There are all manner of monstrous creatures that the duo comes across in their adventures, but only a few of them are memorable. The most interesting sequence features a snake/dragon hybrid that Mando fights in a watery pit that is reminiscent of the trash compactor scene in the original Star Wars. Much of the rest of the film blends together in a mish-mash of uninteresting opponents.

For a live action film, there are precious few actors who actually show their faces. The Mandalorian removes his helmet exactly once, making it clear that Pascal is merely providing the voice for the character. White affects a tough voice for Rotta that may be canon, but frankly sounds ridiculous coming from the character’s body and in no way resembles White’s actual voice, which negates his casting altogether. Weaver is close to a non-factor in her small role, but Martin Scorsese is kind of fun voicing a four-armed fry cook/informant.

The cachet of Star Wars and the fun of The Mandalorian series may be enough for many to enjoy the inoffensive lark that is The Mandalorian and Grogu. But the film does not come close to reaching the heights of the best Star Wars movies, and does nothing to indicate what to expect from the valuable intellectual property going forward.

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Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu opens in theaters on May 22.

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