weekend event planner

Here are the top 12 things to do in Houston this weekend

Fur babies can receive a blessing this weekend.

Photo courtesy of Bellaire United Methodist Church

Nearly the entire city will be (rightfully) watching your Houston Astros take on the Boston Red Sox this weekend. But another sporting event is popping off downtown, too.

The Houston Rockets Fan Fest goes down this Saturday starting at 10 am. Expect music, an open practice to see the team, games, Bun B’s Trill Burgers, Trae Tha Truth’s Ice Cream shop, Rockets legend appearances, and more. Get more details here.

As for the rest of this weekend, a second — and what's billed as the original — Immersive Van Gogh experience is making a splash in Houston. Jump on tickets quickly; they'll go fast. Meanwhile, your furry friends can receive a blessing, and later, you can head downtown for a massive block party.

Enjoy the cooler temps; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, October 14

Young Audiences Of Houston presents The Essence of Mexico
Mixteco Ballet Folklórico presents dances from the Northern state of Nuevo Leon, which were first brought to Mexico from European countries such as Germany, Austria, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. In the state of Veracruz, the “Zapateados,” or footwork, are very intricate and reminiscent of the Flamenco dances from Spain. The group’s final numbers are from the state of Jalisco, where the Mariachi music is believed to have originated. 11 am.

Immersive Van Gogh Houston
Presented by Lighthouse Immersive and Impact Museums, this digital art experience invites audiences to enter the works of van Gogh, evoking his highly emotional and chaotic inner consciousness through art, light, music, movement, and imagination. The exhibition merges state-of-the-art technology, theatrical storytelling, and world-class animation, transporting guests inside the artist's most famous paintings. The art experience has over 500,000 cubic feet of projections that bring each of Van Gogh’s brushstrokes to life. On display through Sunday, November 28. 2 pm.

The Broach Foundation for Brain Cancer Research presents Stand Up for Brain Cancer Gala
The Broach Foundation for Brain Cancer Research presents their Stand Up for Brain Cancer Gala, featuring Mike Birbiglia. Birbiglia is an award-winning comedian, storyteller, director, and actor. His most recent shows, The New One, Thank God for Jokes, and My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend are streaming on Netflix, and he's currently the host of the podcast Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out. He has written two bestselling books, Sleepwalk With Me as well as The New One. Additionally, Birbiglia is a filmmaker who wrote, directed, and starred in the films Sleepwalk With Me, which won an audience award at Sundance and Don’t Think Twice. 6 pm.

Friday, October 15

The Houston Seminar presents Under the Radar: Tracing Houston’s Music History - The Texas Jazz Archive
The “Big Wide Open Texas Sound” of Houston jazz was spearheaded by Arnett Cobb (1918–1989), the legendary Wild Man of the Tenor Sax. Cobb’s daughter Lizette Cobb and Abra Schnur, processing archivist of the Texas Jazz Archive from 2017 to 2019, will give an insider’s tour of materials from 22 Houston jazz musicians. Guests will get to listen to recordings of the “Texas Tenor Sound” shaped by Arnett Cobb and his contemporaries and discover how these Houston talents would go on to play on the world stage with jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzy Gillespie. 10 am.

DiverseWorks presents Candice D'Meza: WAIL
This community grief ritual performance film was conceived and organized by Candice D’Meza, to honor the 95 individuals whose unmarked remains were unearthed in 2018 and who labored and died on a state-sanctioned convict leasing camp between 1897-1912 in Sugar Land, Texas. An online panel discussion titled Unshackling History: Convict Leasing Camps in Sugar Land, TX will happen on Thursday, October 21. 6:30 pm

14 Pews presents Karen Dalton: In My Own Time
Texas-born folk singer Karen Dalton, who came up in the downtown New York scene of the 1960s but blazed a trail all her own with her unique take on folk and the blues, was one of the most famously reclusive musicians of the 20th century. With beautiful fingerpicked guitar and her lovely off-kilter voice reminiscent of Billie Holiday, Dalton captivated audiences with her live performances and two albums for Capitol Records, It’s So Hard to Tell Who’s Going to Love You Best (1969) and In My Own Time (1971), before disappearing to a remote Colorado cabin and swearing off a life as a professional musician. Idolized by Bob Dylan and Nick Cave, Karen discarded the traditional trappings of success and led an unconventional life until her early death. 7 pm.

Saturday, October 16

Bellaire United Methodist Church presents Blessing of the Animals
Bellaire United Methodist Church (BUMC) is set to host its tenth annual event this weekend. This event is free, family-friendly, open to the public, and will be lots of fun. People from all walks of life are invited to bring their pets and have them blessed by the church's pastors. All pets should be friendly and either on a leash (dogs), in protective carriers (cats), cages (birds, small mammals), fish bowls, or terrariums (amphibians, reptiles). 1 pm.

“Enchanted: Visual Histories of the Central Andes” Menil Collection Community Day
The Menil Collection will have an upcoming Community Day and collaboration with Axelrad this weekend. The Menil’s programs will include dance performances, talks on the exhibition Enchanted: Visual Histories of the Central Andes, and live music. Axelrad’s event following will include music from El Dusty and Mexican Blackbird. Tacorlando will be on site to provide snacks, and a special cocktail will be available at the bar to mark the occasion. 3 pm.

A Night at Market Square
This annual block party showcases Downtown’s Historic District, this year with a Tex-Orleans block party theme. The band Quaker City Night Hawks will headline the evening, with an opening set from one of Houston’s premiere funk bands, Bayou City Funk. In addition to enjoying live music and performances, explore the neighborhood's eclectic bars and restaurants where you’ll find food and beverage specials, giveaways and other pop-up fun. 6 pm.

Sunday, October 17

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents "Georgia O’Keeffe, Photographer"
Georgia O’Keeffe forged a career as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. This is the first exhibition devoted to O’Keeffe’s work as a photographer. Nearly 100 photographs from a newly examined archive reveal the American icon’s Modernist approach to the medium. Complementing the photographs are paintings and drawings to represent the full scope of her career. On display through Monday, January 17. 12:30 pm.

Holocaust Museum Houston presents "Withstand" Closing Event: Community Altar Blessing and Artist Talk
Holocaust Museum Houston will host this special closing event,featuring artist Theresa Escobedo and MECA curator Luis Gavito. Escobedo will share her artistic process and the various elements of the altar that preserve the memory of loved ones passed. Gavito will highlight the history and traditions of Dia De Los Muertos, followed by a blessing of the altar. Face masks are required for all guests ages two and up. 5:30 pm.

Kinetic Ensemble presents Sound and Color: The World of Miro
Joined by percussionist Brady Spitz, Kinetic will premiere South African composer Peter Klatzow's The World of Miró, for marimba and string quartet. This program centers on the exploratory and radical artistic movements brewing in Paris around the turn of the century and their ripples through time and space. The World of Miró creates sonic tapestries that pair with Catalan artist Joan Miró’s fresh and geometric paintings. 6 pm.

event-planner

Movie Review

An all-star cast delivers clever laughs in new comedy The Invite

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film — which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century — has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples — the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis — turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights — and occasional bawdiness — make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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