weekend event planner

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

Houston Ballet presents never-before-seen footage of Just by Stanton Welch.

Photo by Noor Eemaan

This weekend offers up some drive-in laughs, dog-friendly fun for National Fetch Day, and some totally stroll-worthy local markets. Meanwhile, the ballet spins to a virtual performance, while a local theater company pays homage to the legendary Stevie Wonder.

Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, October 15

Houston Ballet presents A Night at Jacob’s Pillow
This weekend is the last time you can check out this virtual ballet, which made its world premiere in August 2018 at the historic Ted Shawn Theater. This ballet will also feature never-before-seen footage of Just by Stanton Welch. Commissioned by Jacob's Pillow for the company's return to its famous summer festival after 40 years, Welch's edgy choreography showcases the dancer's raw emotion while exploring the heartbreak of lost love. 10 am.

A.D. Players presents Signed, Sealed, Delivered: John-Mark McGaha Sings Stevie Wonder
Now that the real Stevie Wonder has recently decided to part ways with longtime Motown, perhaps now would be a good time to have somebody take you back to those classic songs the Grammy-winning legend did for the label. Singer and multi-instrumentalist John-Mark McGaha (The Ray Charles Legacy, Smokey Joe's Cafe) will pay tribute to Wonder and his music with this show, which will run through Sunday, October 31. 7:30 pm (3 and 8 pm Saturday; 2:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, October 16

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival
Like so many things that have been popping off during these pandemic times, the Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival is going virtual. A celebration that is designed to bring the joy of fine art and fine crafts into the homes of art lovers in the community and beyond, the festival will also have a VIP Art Dash Party on Friday. It will be transformed into an intimate, virtual experience with an online “happy hour” and raffle for art by featured artist and naturalist Christina Smith. 10 am.

Bert Kreischer at Moonstruck Drive-In
Bert Kreischer has been making some cool moves lately. Earlier this week, his new show The Cabin with Bert Kreischer debuted on Netflix, where he and fellow comic buddies rough it in the woods. But you can still see him in his element: onstage, with his shirt off, telling embarrassing but usually funny stories. The thing is, you’re gonna have to be in your car to take that in. He’s just one of several comics as of late who’ve been hitting the road and playing drive-ins across the country. 10:30 pm.

Saturday, October 17

Canines and Croissants at CityPlace
Saturday is National Fetch Day, and CityPlace has an event where you can spend some quality time with your beloved pet. This complimentary, pet-friendly event will feature professional dog portraits, pet adoptions from Special Pals, vet consultations from Banfield Pet Hospital, and live music from musician Lloyd Hughes. Vendors such as Furrever Doggies, MexiPaws Boutique, and Natural Pawz will be on site offering delicious treats and handmade accessories for dogs of every breed and size. 10 am.

Jack Rabbit Gallery presents "Nostalgia!" opening reception
Jack Rabbit Gallery, the Heights-located spot which prides itself on being “not your typical art gallery,” has an exhibition debuting this weekend that, judging from the title, may have some spectators affectionately reminiscing about certain points in time. This group show features new paintings and photo composite works by Elisabeth Ladwig, Matthew Paoletti, Tom Jean Webb, and more. It will be on view through Tuesday, December 1. 6 pm.

Sunday, October 18

Wanderlust Market HTX
Well, this looks like a fun, bohemian time had by all. Head over to East Downtown (that’s EaDo, for people in the know) every Sunday and take in four hours of outdoor shopping, live music, games, food trucks, a full bar, and oh-so-much more. No flights are needed to discover international foods, textiles, artisan products, games ,and performances representing countries from all over the world. 11am.

Art Hop at Sawyer Yards
Have you ever visited a bunch of art studios and said to yourself, “Do you know what would make this better? Beer!” Holler Brewing Co. will be making your dreams come true with this ale-saturated tour throughout Sawyer Yards. Each participant will pick up his or her map at Holler, grab some beer to-go and visit multiple stops to chat with artists and view artwork on display. There will also be prizes given out by the artists, as well as a prize from Holler if you visit five stops. 3 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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