weekend event planner

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

Even though the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing is already behind us, there are some spots that are still in a spacey, celebratory mood.

Discovery Green’s The Grove has $5 artisanal moon pies and $10 Moonwalk cocktails that will be available through July 27. The luxe moon pies are available in classic and chocolate, and the Moonwalk is made with grapefruit juice, orange liqueur, rose water, and champagne.

As always, here are some events that will add a blast to your weekend.

Thursday, July 25

Klearly Kristen Resort 2020 Fashion Show at Social Graces Social Club
Local jewelry designer Kristen Fenrick will show off some brand-new bling as she hosts her Resort 2020 Fashion Show this weekend. She’ll debut Klearly Kristen Inc., an offshoot of her jewelry brand, designed to assist women by empowering them to create their own financial realities. Fenrick says no woman should ever feel the hopelessness that comes from loss of financial means. Fashion influencer Chris Lavish will make a special appearance. 7-10 pm.

The Catastrophic Theatre’s Speeding Motorcycle at MATCH
For those not in the know, there is a rock opera based on the songs of legendary outsider musician and artist Daniel Johnston. This revival of the 2006 production, directed by Catastrophic’s associate artistic director Tamarie Cooper, reunites much of the original creative team along with an updated script by artistic director Jason Nodler. For the next two weekends, this show promises to take audiences deep into the astounding, hilarious, and heartbreaking world of one of America’s most compelling cult musicians. 7:30 pm (8 pm Friday and Saturday; 2:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, July 26

J.B. Smoove at House of Blues Houston
J.B. Smoove is, quite simply, a damn fool. He's like one of those family members who says and does the most, um, ignant things that'll leave you in a constant state of stitches. He's been doing it for years as Leon, the houseguest who simply refuses to leave Larry David's property, on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He can currently be seen on the big screen, acting as ridiculous as he possibly can in Spider-Man: Far From Home. You can also see him doing stand-up this weekend. 7 pm.

Iyanla Vanzant at Jones Hall
Many of you may know Iyanla Vanzant as one of Oprah Winfrey's longtime homies and the host of Iyanla: Fix My Life on OWN, while some of may know her from this ever-resourceful meme. The celebrity life coach will be making a stop on her Acts of Faith Remix tour. This inspirational and interactive event celebrates the updated 25th anniversary edition of this internationally acclaimed bestseller. 8 pm.

Saturday, July 27

Rock It Baby Rock It Festival Preview at Cactus Music
On Friday and Saturday at the Continental Club, the Rock It Baby Rock It Festival will bring in bands and fans from across Texas and beyond for two nights of contemporary and legendary rockabilly, psychobilly, and old school country music. For those who prefer a daytime taste of this zoot-suit riot of hot rods, hair grease, sharp threads, and vintage tunes, Cactus will have an in-store preview, featuring music from DJ Black Slacks and Tomcat y el Rock N Roll Combo. 1-2:30 pm.

Robby Bennett at the Grand 1894 Opera House
Saturday night is going to be one magical night. Of course, we got Houston’s own Ben Jackson, doing his regular thing at the Four Seasons. But, also, visiting illusionist Robby Bennett will be over in Galveston, performing his spellbinding routines with gripping stories and hilarious anecdotes as narration. Bennett will even take someone from the audience and turn them into a genuine magician in a matter of minutes. This unique blend of fantasy and comedy makes this the kind of performance modern audiences have been waiting for. 7:30 pm.

Sunday, July 28

Matisyahu at White Oak Music Hall
Remember back in the day when Matisyahu was a rising reggae singer/rapper on the scene and he looked like a rabbinical student? These days, dude's out here resembling a beach-bum David Strathairn. Well, he's still around, as he and his band record music, do shows, and keep things respectably irie. He's currently on tour, as part of Slightly Stoopid's How I Spent My Summer Vacation 2019 Tour, along with Tribal Seeds and Hirie. 4:30 pm.

Tarnation and Angel at Rice Cinema
The 23rd annual QFest, better known as Houston's international LGBTQ+ film festival, is currently underway, running through this Wednesday. The fest has many special screenings going on around the city, including two at Rice Cinema on Sunday. First, there's Tarnation, the 2004 award-winning, coming-of-age documentary by Houstonian Jonathan Caouette (who will be in attendance). Next, things get a little sleazy with a screening of the 1984 exploitation flick Angel. 5 pm.

Take in a fashion show with a good cause on Thursday.

Klearly Kristen Fashion Show Houston Weekend Events

Photo courtesy of Klearly Kristen

Take in a fashion show with a good cause on Thursday.

event-planner

Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer visits Houston in new Christmas movie Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

movies film