weekend event planner

Here are the top 15 things to do in Houston this weekend

The Craft Project Houston Orange Show 2021

Get crafty with the Orange Show this weekend.

Photo courtesy of The Orange Show

This weekend's welcoming weather sees a ton of fun. Look for some hot concerts, one featuring Mr. Worldwide. An edgy comic hits downtown, and speaking of downtown, Friday at Minute Maid Park sees a chance to score a jersey of a red-hot Astros star and Nancy's Hustle fan.

Families and kids can enjoy a free video event on the grass, and our beloved Orange Show invites fans to get crafty at a local park.

Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, September 8

Off The Wall Gallery presents Mackenzie Thorpe: "A World of Love" opening weekend
This exhibit features new original paintings, sculptures, and limited editions by the celebrated British artist. One of the world's most collected and sought-after contemporary artists, Thorpe's works speak to one's imagination; and are a powerful expression of the human spirit's hope, kindness, and endurance. Thorpe will be on hand for special events on Friday and Saturday. Through Saturday, September 24. Noon (5 pm Saturday; 1 and 5 pm Sunday).

Giveon in concert
On his recently released debut album Give or Take, Long Beach soul singer Giveon is seriously going through it. The artist, who has collaborated with such pop giants as Drake and Justin Bieber, spends most of Give singing about heartbreak (“Unholy Matrimony,” the final track, is one heart-wrenching tale of an aborted wedding day), with Giveon also having a heart-to-heart with his moms on the phone. Get ready for a night of sad, soulful songs when he comes to Houston to perform this weekend. 8 pm.

Friday, September 9

River Oaks District presents FotoFest Exhibit opening day
The posh shopping/dining/entertainment hub is partnering with contemporary arts organization FotoFest in the District’s latest art exhibition. The two-week-long presentation, located next to Veronica Beard, will feature a powerful collection of contemporary fine print photography from a bevy of acclaimed international artists; each piece in the exhibition is thoughtfully selected by FotoFest’s dedicated team, with special attention being paid to skill and cultural impact. 10 am.

Bridgeland presents Friday Night Bites
Bridgeland, one of the top-selling, master-planned communities in the Greater Houston area from The Howard Hughes Corporation, celebrates the return of Friday Night Bites. Enjoy an evening under the stars, featuring an assortment of Houston-area food trucks and field games. Guests can enjoy a diverse line-up of savory dishes from Houston favorites, and entertainment will be provided by the lively local band Nervous Rex. 6 pm.

Bill Burr (Slight Return)
When it comes to telling jokes that tick off people on both sides of the aisle (watch his latest Netflix special, Bill Burr: Live at Red Rocks and see that we’re not lying), Bill Burr is a master. A Grammy-nominated comedian, Burr is one of the top comedic voices of his generation, achieving success in TV and film as well as on stage. Burr sells out venues internationally and his Monday Morning Podcast is one of the most downloaded comedy podcasts. As we reported, he makes his slight Houston return at Toyota Center. 7 pm.

Houston Ballet presents Peter Pan
Choreographed by Trey McIntyre, this reinterpretation of Sir James M. Barrie’s classic tale is told through the eyes of a child, with spectacular flying sequences, swashbuckling sword fights, giant puppets, and, of course, a little pixie dust. Set to a soaring score by Sir Edward Elgar, arranged by Niel DePonte, with elaborate sets by Thomas Boyd and colorful, punk-fashion inspired costumes from Broadway great Jeanne Button, this magical ballet is sure to mesmerize audiences of all ages. Through Sunday, September 18. 7 pm (7:30 pm Saturday; 2 pm Sunday).

Mexico en el Corazon at Discovery Green
Here, guests can immerse themselves in the colors, artistry, and music of Mexico with Mariachis, folkloric ballet, and more. This showcase of traditional Mexican culture features more than 50 performers in stunning traditional costumes as part of the second North American tour presented by NAIMA. Local performers and a live presentation of El Grito create a magical evening of culture and community. 7 pm.

Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels
The Astros open up a three-game series with the Angels, with the first 10,000 fans scoring a throwback Justin Verlander 1990s Astros jersey. Aside from giving away the jersey of a potential 2022 Cy Young winner, the night also celebrates 60 years of Major League Baseball in Houston. The familiar Friday Night Fireworks features music and spectacle (weather permitting), and fans who show up early can partake in Pregame Happy Hour presented (5 pm-7 pm). Game starts at 7:10 pm.

Saturday, September 10

Roots Semi-Annual Wine Sale
Over at Roots this weekend, vendors will showcase a hand-selected medley of wines that offer variety and completeness at a significant discount, while providing information on the wine and samples. You don’t want to miss out as they may even have a “secret” offering. At the sale, customers can simply fill out a form, pick their preferred wines and make a payment. The wines will be available for pick-up the following week. The sale is free to attend, but bottle prices will vary. Noon.

Community Artists’ Collective presents “Every Body” reception and artist talk
Shani Crowe, an interdisciplinary artist from Chicago’s South Side, celebrates the diversity of women’s bodies and interconnectedness in this exhibition. Crowe, who received her BFA in film production from Howard University and has collaborated with Solange Knowles, centers her work on traditional African coiffure, beauty ritual and how African aesthetics can be re-contextualized to foster connectivity and unity among people of African descent. Through Saturday, October 22. 1 pm.

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art presents The Craft Project
Join The Orange Show and 2022 Craft Project co-chairs Jackie Wallace and Katelyn Wallace for the beloved, annual community crafting day. Each year, we invite the public to help create hand-made centerpieces for the Orange Show's annual gala. Bring the family out to beautiful Smither Park and get crafty. Guest creations will be featured at REPSYCHEDELIC: The Orange Show's 41st Annual Gala on November 5th. Also enjoy beer sampling from Saint Arnold Brewing Company, bites and margaritas available for purchase from El Patio, and tunes from Blue Heron Yacht Club. 1 pm.

14 Pews presents The Automat
Producer/director Lisa Hurwitz’s menschy, 2021 documentary tells the 100-year story of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, the inspiration for Starbucks, where generations of Americans ate and drank coffee together at communal tables. From the perspective of former customers entertainer Mel Brooks, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Horns, the Hardarts, and key employees, audiences will watch a business climb to its peak success and then grapple with fast food in a forever-changed America. 7 pm.

Hope Stone presents “smART breaks”
Hope Stone, Inc. will be giving parents and kids a robust digital arts library of music, theater, and dance classes that combines social and emotional learning competencies to motivate a child’s engagement and joy. This video library of arts education and mindfulness classes can be useful with parents at home or for teachers in the classroom. Blending the arts and mindfulness have proven to inspire creative thinking, ignite the brain, and bolster academic success. Read more here. 7 pm.

Sunday, September 11

Obscure Houston Oddities Market at Numbers
Creep through Numbers Nightclub and marvel at the mystifying and macabre offerings of our 30 unique vendors. Offerings will include wet specimens, taxidermy, antiques, live exotic mantises, one-of-a-kind toys and collectibles, found art, original works, artisan products, skulls, bones, and so much more! We will have performances from a one-man band and sideshow act, along with a drag show. This event is family-friendly and all ages are welcome. 1 pm.

Pitbull in concert with Iggy Azalea
Pitbull, Mr. Worldwide himself, will be showing up and getting loco at The Woodlands this weekend, as part of his Can’t Stop Us Now Tour. (Let’s hope he’ll be pouring out some of that vodka he created awhile back for everybody!) He’s touring in support of his new album, Timeless. Joining him on this tour is Iggy Azalea, Miss I’m-So-Fancy herself. So, expect a ton of booty-shaking will be going on at this show. 8 pm.

event-planner

Movie Review

Action-packed Kraven the Hunter showcases gritty Marvel antihero

Photo by Jay Maidment

Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kraven the Hunter.

One of the oddest things about the blockbuster era we live in is that while Disney owns the rights to the majority of Marvel comic book characters, Sony Pictures owns the rights to Spider-Man and any affiliated characters. Since they’re sharing Spider-Man himself with Disney, Sony has been trying to capitalize on those rights by making stand-alone films using niche characters that only comic book fanatics would know.

Having exhausted Venom and whiffed on attempts with Morbius and Madame Web, they’re trying again with Kraven the Hunter. Also known as Sergei Kravinoff, Kraven (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is a self-styled vigilante who, as the film tells it, travels the world exacting vengeance on the truly bad people of the world. He’s the son of Nikolai (Russell Crowe), a hard-edged Russian oligarch, and brother to Dmitri (Fred Hechinger), who is relatively weak compared to the rest of his family.

The origin story has Kraven gaining his animal-like powers - including super-strength, speed, and jumping abilities - as a teenager from a mysterious serum given to him by a girl named Calypso (played as an adult by Ariana DeBose) after he was mauled by a lion. The two maintain a tenuous partnership as adults, with Calypso helping him hunt down other villains like Aleksei Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola) and The Foreigner (Christopher Abbott).

Directed by J.C. Chandor and written by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, the film looks and feels enormously lazy, something made merely to hold on to potentially valuable intellectual property. Other than the tense family dynamic between the Kravinovs, little makes sense in the story. Kraven has an indecipherable moral code that has him going after poachers - because he’s part lion? - in addition to other high-powered criminals, with no clear goal except to … get back at his father?

The laziness extends to the action scenes, which feature Kraven being mostly impervious to any damage, whether it’s hand-to-hand combat, knives, or guns. The CGI-heavy scenes don’t even allow moviegoers to enjoy an R-rated bloody free-for-all, as all of the blood splatter is computer-generated, too. Since apparently one Spider-Man villain is not enough, three others make appearances with abilities that are under-explained and CGI that is poorly done.

That’s not even counting Calypso, another Spider-Man villain whose purpose in this film is nebulous at best. Her early connection with Kraven is so coincidental as to be laughable, and her continued reasons for helping him as an adult strain credulity as well. The only saving grace of her presence is that the filmmakers don’t try to shoehorn romance into the plot; perhaps they’re saving that for the (inevitable?) sequel.

Taylor-Johnson has had one of the most prolific-yet-anonymous careers in modern Hollywood, with appearances in big films like The Fall Guy, Bullet Train, and Tenet that have made very little impact. Even as the star here, he fails to hold your attention, with the story and visuals doing him no favors. DeBose has followed up her Oscar win for West Side Story with schlock like I.S.S., Argylle, and this, which doesn’t bode well for her career. At least Crowe gets to chew the scenery.

With a contractual inability to mention the name “Spider-Man,” movies like Kraven the Hunter exist in a weird area that forces filmmakers to make up stories for characters to which most people have no attachment. And just like Sony’s previous efforts, it is a very poor way to spend two hours in a movie theater; avoid at all costs.

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Kraven the Hunter opens in theaters on December 13.

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