Weekend events planner

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

Ready to have some fun this weekend? We hear you. In between cheering on the Astros in the ALCS, make time for the can’t-miss happenings below. From a kickoff soiree for a charity shopping card to several hurricane relief fundraisers, here are the top eight things to do in Houston this weekend.

For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Shopping discount
Thursday, October 19
Kick-off the launch of the Holiday Shopping Card with holiday-costumed characters, Santa Claus and his reindeer, live music, the lighting of the holiday tree by Mayor Sylvester Turner, and a spectacular fireworks show at Highland Village. Make sure and purchase your Holiday Shopping Card, $75 each, and receive a 20 percent discount on merchandise at more than 500 Houston-area participating retailers, including Bike Barn, Kuhl-Linscomb, Atrium Ready to Wear, Q Clothier, and Sur La Table, from October 19-29. All proceeds from the card benefit the American Cancer Society. (4-8 pm; tickets: free entry)
4055 Westheimer Rd.; 713-850-3100

Feast for charity
Thursday, October 19
Dine out for a good cause at Japanese eatery Roka Akor, which boasts delicious items from a robata grill alongside with sushi offerings. The restaurant will donate all proceeds for the day, from open until close, to the Houston Food Bank to assist with Harvey relief efforts. (Lunch is from 11:30 am-2:30 pm, happy hour is from 4:30-6 pm, and dinner is from 5-11 pm; tickets: free entry)
2929 Weslayan St.; 713-622-1777

Sole wonder
Friday, October 20-Sunday, October 22 (and Thursday, October 26)
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents a screening of Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards. The documentary highlights shoe designer Manolo Blahnik and includes commentary from Naomi Campbell, Rihanna, André Leon Talley, Anna Wintour, and many others. (Various times; tickets: $7-9 per person)
1001 Bissonnet; 713-639-7300

If You're Gonna Play in Texas
Friday, October 20
Country and Southern rock band Alabama comes to Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land. The group has released 23 albums in their career with hit songs including "Take Me Down," "Song of the South," “The Closer You Get,” and “Love in the First Degree.” (8 pm; tickets: $59.50-$125.00 per person)
18111 Lexington Blvd., Sugar Land; 281-207-6278

Flyby
Saturday, October 21-Sunday, October 22
Vintage and modern planes from U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds to an F-4 Phantom and to a U.S. Navy F-18 Super Hornet will buzz through the air at the CAF Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Airport. Guests will also enjoy exhibits and activities on the ground. (Various times; tickets: $32.50-$72.50 per person)
510 Ellington Field; 214-378-7970

Home sweet home
Saturday, October 21-Sunday, October 22
The 22nd annual Texas Home and Garden Show at NRG Center showcases thousands of products and services, plus advice, money saving tips, and remodeling ideas from experts. (Various times; tickets: $8-10 per person)
8400 Kirby Dr.; 713-629-3700

Hurricane relief
Saturday, October 21
Former U.S. Presidents George Herbert Walker Bush, Barack Obama, George Walker Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter join together to support hurricane relief efforts at “Deep from the Heart: The One America Appeal” at Reed Arena in College Station. Artists scheduled to perform include Lee Greenwood, Alabama, The Gatlin Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, and Yolanda Adams. All ticket sales and other proceeds from the concert will go to the special hurricane recovery effort launched last month by the five living former U.S. presidents. (7-9 pm; tickets: $30-$600 per person)
730 Olsen Blvd., College Station

Tasty ‘cue
Sunday, October 22
Dig in to barbecue dishes prepared by more than a dozen chefs from Houston around the country including Chris Shepherd (Houston’s Underbelly), Aaron Franklin (Austin’s Franklin Barbecue), and David Chang (Momofuku) at Southern Smoke. The fun also includes live music, a silent auction, bourbon samples, and wine and beer. Proceeds go to Harvey relief. (4-8 pm; tickets: $200-$1,000 per person)
1018 and 1100 Westheimer Rd; 713-202-5685

Don't miss the CAF Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Field.

Photo courtesy of US Air Force

Don't miss the CAF Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Field.

event-planner

Movie Review

Meta-comedy remake Anaconda coils itself into an unfunny mess

Photo by Matt Grace

Jack Black and Paul Rudd in Anaconda.

In Hollywood’s never-ending quest to take advantage of existing intellectual property, seemingly no older movie is off limits, even if the original was not well-regarded. That’s certainly the case with 1997’s Anaconda, which is best known for being a lesser entry on the filmography of Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez, as well as some horrendous accent work by Jon Voight.

The idea behind the new meta-sequel Anaconda is arguably a good one. Four friends — Doug (Jack Black), Griff (Paul Rudd), Claire (Thandiwe Newton), and Kenny (Steve Zahn) — who made homemade movies when they were teenagers decide to remake Anaconda on a shoestring budget. Egged on by Griff, an actor who can’t catch a break, the four of them pull together enough money to fly down to Brazil, hire a boat, and film a script written by Doug.

Naturally, almost nothing goes as planned in the Amazon, including losing their trained snake and running headlong into a criminal enterprise. Soon enough, everything else takes second place to the presence of a giant anaconda that is stalking them and anyone else who crosses its path.

Written and directed by Tom Gormican, with help from co-writer Kevin Etten, the film is designed to be an outrageous comedy peppered with laugh-out-loud moments that cover up the fact that there’s really no story. That would be all well and good … if anything the film had to offer was truly funny. Only a few scenes elicit any honest laughter, and so instead the audience is fed half-baked jokes, a story with no focus, and actors who ham it up to get any kind of reaction.

The biggest problem is that the meta-ness of the film goes too far. None of the core four characters possess any interesting traits, and their blandness is transferred over to the actors playing them. And so even as they face some harrowing situations or ones that could be funny, it’s difficult to care about anything they do since the filmmakers never make the basic effort of making the audience care about them.

It’s weird to say in a movie called Anaconda, but it becomes much too focused on the snake in the second half of the film. If the goal is to be a straight-up comedy, then everything up to and including the snake attacks should be serving that objective. But most of the time the attacks are either random or moments when the characters are already scared, and so any humor that could be mined all but disappears.

Black and Rudd are comedy all-stars who can typically be counted on to elevate even subpar material. That’s not the case here, as each only scores on a few occasions, with Black’s physicality being the funniest thing in the movie. Newton is not a good fit with this type of movie, and she isn’t done any favors by some seriously bad wigs. Zahn used to be the go-to guy for funny sidekicks, but he brings little to the table in this role.

Any attempt at rebooting/remaking an old piece of IP should make a concerted effort to differentiate itself from the original, and in that way, the new Anaconda succeeds. Unfortunately, that’s its only success, as the filmmakers can never find the right balance to turn it into the bawdy comedy they seemed to want.

---

Anaconda is now playing in theaters.

movies film

Weekend events planner

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

Don't miss the CAF Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Field.

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

French pastry chef picks Houston for U.S. debut and more top stories

Noted Houston street artist paints vibrant new mural at downtown venue

Movie Review

Meta-comedy remake Anaconda coils itself into an unfunny mess