weekend event planner

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

Chow down on Bun B's new Trillburgers at his tasty pop-up this Sunday.

Photo by Emily Jaschke

While the Olympics are in full swing, locals can still find plenty of diversions this weekend. Dabble in art — and wine, check out some classic tunes, or roll to an anime fest.

Or, support Black-owned businesses at a thriving market, heckle some comedians at a fun show — and get away with it, celebrate an unofficial white linen night party, imbibe at an 8.8 Day celebration, or meet and chow down with Houston's rap legend with his new line of burgers.

Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, August 5

Russian Cultural Center presents Art and Wine Evening
This art and wine evening will focus on the history of Matryoshka, a famous, Russian nesting doll. With mixed media, guests will paint this symbol of Russian folk art. For inspiration, guests can visit the Russian Cultural Center gift shop and check out a collection of unique, Russian nesting dolls. New Jersey artist/art educator Tangerine Summer will be around to brief you on the main ideas of the movement and will guide you through the creation of your own art piece. 7 pm.

Swearingen & Kelli: The Music of Simon & Garfunkel at Main Street Crossing
This concert will be a nostalgic night of the music of Simon & Garfunkel, performed by folk duo Swearingen & Kelli. They'll deliver a true tribute to the sound of those 1960s Greenwich Village, coffeehouse performances of the iconic folk-rock duo. AJ Swearingen has been performing this music for 20 years, with mastery of Paul Simon's intricate guitar playing. His baritone blends perfectly with Kelli's vocals, which invoke a true sound in the spirit of Art Garfunkel. 8 pm.

Friday, August 6

Anime Houston 2021 at Hyatt Regency Houston Intercontinental Airport
For all those CultureMap readers who heads over to Crunchyroll on the regular, join your fellow anime fans for a three-day convention in talking about your favorite anime and cosplays. Come together and learn about anime, video games and more. Get your tickets for $20 and have a great weekend with your fellow anime fans. Shop from a bunch of vendors selling anime stuff. Find plushies, DVDs, wall scrolls and other officially licensed anime merchandise in our awesome vendor room. 2 pm (9 am Saturday and Sunday).

BLCK Market Houston
Go ahead and spend some of this weekend showing you're an ally by supporting some fine, local, Black-owned businesses. BLCK Market Houston features the largest gathering of Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs every first Friday and second Saturday. Guests can buy from over 50 vendors, with products from clothes, candles, skincare products, books and more. If you're down with The Struggle, let the brothas and sistas know by buying their stuff. 6 pm.

The Riot Comedy Show presents Off Script
Over at Rudyard's, The Riot Comedy Show will present this unique comedy experience, where the audience is encouraged to speak to the comics during their sets and talk to the host. Arielle Isaac Norman will be presiding over the certain-to-be-raucous festivities, along with a featured lineup that includes Mikey Swenson, Heather Keith, Radu Bondar, and Tre Tutson. Guests get to be the best friend or worst enemy of a comedian in this interactive comedy show. 7:30 and 10 pm.

Saturday, August 7

"Margaret Miller: Respite" all-day opening at Archway Gallery
This exhibition of oil paintings by Margaret Miller represents her artistic journey through the COVID-19 pandemic. Miller got a great sense of relief from painting during the pandemic. This exhibition contains Miller’s response to the turbulent times of 2020-21, with feelings of loneliness, thoughtfulness, whimsy, and hopefulness. Some of the paintings are moody, while others are rich with the sheer appreciation of being alive. Through Thursday, September 2. 10 am.

White Oak Linen Night at Bobcat Teddy's
The annual Bobcat Teddy's White Oak Linen Night Party is back with plenty of entertainment upon its return. Lone Star, Miller Lite and Deep Eddy are setting up a special VIP tent on the lot. There will also be live music, great food from Chapman House Smoked Meats, VIP tent opportunities, fun giveaways, activations from various sponsors and plenty of white linen. VIP passes are limited and will include a private bar, bathroom, seating, a close view of the live music and AC. 6 pm.

First Saturday Arts Market
First Saturday Arts Market returns this weekend for its final summer-evening market of the year. The artists that attend this market are the same that fill 19th Street for White Linen Night in The Heights (which has been postponed to 2022). The artists (about 3 dozen) will be set up in the usual monthly space, and art patrons can still don their best white linen attire and visit the artists. Houston Winery and Houston Cider Co. will have wine and cider on deck, and a food truck will be on site. 6 pm.

Sunday, August 8

8.8 Day at 8th Wonder Brewery
Eighth Wonder Brewery is throwing a party, which will serve as the Wonder Water Herbal Seltzer Official Launch Party (featuring non-alcoholic, zero-calorie, reverse-osmosis sparkling waters Delta-8 Wonder Water and CBD Wonder Water) and feature the debut of its latest beer, Hard 8 Pale Ale. There will be a stacked, live music lineup (including Fat Tony, psych-rock outfit Howard & the Nosebleeds, hip-hop phenom Sea Sic and good vibes guru DJ Trillanoise) and no cover charge. Noon.

Official Trill Burgers Pop-Up at Sticky's Chicken
Trill Burgers, a new smashed burger concept from local rap legend Bun B, Andy Nguyen, and siblings Patsy and Benson Vivares, will host its first pop-up at Sticky’s Chicken. The menu will include an “OG Classic” burger and a Grilled Onion Smashburger — featuring thin, crispy-edged smashburgers, available to customers first-come, first-served. Bun B and partners will be on site to serve and interact with customers. The first 50 guests will receive a Trill Burgers giveaway. Noon.

event-planner

Movie Review

Feuding couple fights for survival in dark comedy Over Your Dead Body

Photo courtesy of IFC Films

Jason Segel and Samara Weaving on Over Your Dead Body.

When dysfunctional couples are depicted in movies, about the worst that typically happens is an acrimonious divorce. But in the new comedy/thriller Over Your Dead Body, the husband-and-wife have already gone way past that point by the time they’re introduced to the audience, with their plans leaning toward murder.

Dan (Jason Segel) is a low-level filmmaker relegated to directing pop-up ads, while Lisa (Samara Weaving) is an actor making do in small theater productions. The film finds them heading toward a rare getaway to a remote lake cabin, but it’s clear from the start that the married couple has been at odds for months, if not years. As the film begins, Dan clumsily drops hints at an alibi for his planned murder of Lisa to his ailing dad (Paul Guilfoyle) and others.

His shoddy planning was already sussed out by Lisa, who turns the tables on him when he tries to attack her, revealing a plan of her own. The situation naturally heightens their shared enmity of each other, but their blind hatred turns out to reveal the presence of Pete (Timothy Olyphant) and Todd (Keith Jardine), two escapees from a nearby prison who were helped by guard Allegra (Juliette Lewis). What was once a shared murder plan turns into a fight for survival, forcing Dan and Lisa to work together.

Directed by Jorma Taccone (The Lonely Island) and written by former SNL writers Nick Kocher and Briand McElhaney, the film aims to mine comedy out of darkness. Dan and Lisa’s ire for each other is palpable, and their interactions early in the film are uncomfortable. As the film turns increasingly violent with the introduction of other unsavory characters, most of the humor is derived from the creative ways people are attacked and the ultraviolence that results from them going after each other.

It’s a little tough to get fully invested in the story when the filmmakers throw the audience directly into the plot with almost zero setup. There’s not even a cursory montage of Dan and Lisa being in love, so it’s hard to care a lot about their current hate for each other. Likewise, the presence of the prison guard and escapees is completely random, and the three of them aren’t utilized well in the story despite having a couple of well-known actors portraying them.

The saving grace of the film, though, is the twists and turns it takes in the final act. Everyone on screen is put through the wringer, with each of them suffering multiple injuries or worse. The mayhem becomes so chaotic that it’s almost impossible to tell what’s going to happen next, which slightly makes up for the fact that the story as a whole is lackluster. Even though the audience knows they’re being manipulated, the sequences are entertaining enough to overcome that fact.

The cast as a whole is solid. Segel (How I Met Your Mother, Shrinking) uses his comic sensibility to keep the proceedings light. Weaving (Ready or Not) has done multiple movies in this vein, so she knows how to navigate the comedy/thriller waters. Olyphant feels a little out of place, but he has a presence that elevates his part. Lewis goes a little too manic in her part, and Jardine ably embodies the dumb brute.

The comedy history of Taccone, Segel, and Weaving keeps Over Your Dead Body as a positive experience even when the story doesn’t quite measure up. The film never becomes fully predictable, giving the audience a great dose of pandemonium that lifts it up despite its other faults.

---

Over Your Dead Body is now playing in theaters.

movies film