weekend event planner

Here are the top 13 things to do in Houston this weekend

Enjoy the sunshine and a good cause with Saturday's iWalk for Animals.

Photo by Getty Images

Halloween is behind us and people will most likely be celebrating Dia de los Muertos (aka the Day of the Dead) for most of the weekend. But, if you're looking for other non-holiday-themed happenings, here, as always, is our list. Be sure to take advantage of the friendly weather on Saturday.

Thursday, November 1

Chip Gaines stars in The Spirit of Excellence Gala
Chip Gaines, best known as the co-host of HGTV's Fixer Upper (a duty which he shares with his wife Joanna), will be the keynote speaker at a night of raising funds for and awareness of institutional scholarships. Along with Gaines's speech, there will also be a dinner, the presentation of award recipients, and an auction of experiences, such as a private tour and dinner in three University Museums. 6 pm.

Help out fire-damaged Presidio with Ladybird's pop-up feast
Last weekend, Heights restaurant Presidio was damaged by a fire. In an effort to raise some funds for the employees, sister bar Ladybird's will be holding a pop-up event featuring Presidio's favorite bar bites. What's on the menu? Look for 16-month-aged prosciutto San Daniele, pastured chicken wings, hydroponic bibb salad, coriander-spiced pork ribs, grilled backyard burger, cinnamon crumble coffee cake, and five leches cake. 6:30 pm.

Slurp down oysters for a good cause with Oysters, Brews and Blues
It's oyster season, which means there will be events around the area where you'll be fully able to get your shuck on. Goode Co. Armadillo Palace will be having an oyster-themed event which will also benefit the Coastal Conservation Association's Building Conservation Trust oyster reef building project. There will be plenty of oysters and oyster dishes, as well as live, Texas Gulf Coast roots music from The Mighty Orq. 6:30-9 pm.

Friday, November 2

Enjoy art and the outdoors with the Art @ Discovery Green festival
It's that time again for Discovery Green to throw its third annual Art @ Discovery Green festival. This outdoor fine art and contemporary craft market will feature more than 60 vendors from across the United States. This year’s featured artist is the iconic Houston street artist GONZO247, who will be on-site selling his studio work. The Orange Show will also be around to provide craft activities for all ages. 6-10 pm (10 am-6 pm Saturday; 10 am-5 pm Sunday).

Indulge in a collection of Luchino Visconti films
A two-week retrospective on the films of Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti (aptly titled "Discovering the Passionate Films of Luchino Visconti") kicks off this weekend with a rare, 35mm screening of Bellissima. This 1951 film stars the late, great Italian actress Anna Magnani as a stage mother who gets an education on how the business works. Other films in this program include White Nights, Death in Venice, and historical epic The Leopard. 7 pm (5 pm Sunday).

Dine with the animals at The Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts
Now in its thirteenth year, the Houston Zoo's Feast with the Beasts celebration continues to be an event where people can do just that: take in food, beer, and wine while also taking in the fantastic creatures the zoo has on display. Sixty of Houston's finest restaurants will supply the grub, while the zoo will also provide special animal presentations and feedings as well as a live performance by Everclear. 7 pm.

Saturday, November 3

Walk with heart at the 2018 Houston Heart Walk
Believe it or not, you can actually get healthy by just spending most of your days walking. Those of you who are scared off by exercise can just spend 30 minutes to an hour every day just strolling around your neighborhood, and you'll be surprised how slimmer and fitter you'll feel. You can also take part in the 2018 Houston Heart Walk this weekend, where Houstonians will be able to walk to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. 7:30 am.

Memorial Park goes mutty with iWalk for Animals
Saturday's weather already promises to be divine. Perfect time to grab your pooch and head to Memorial Park for the Houston SPCA's 2018 iWalk for Animals. This is a walk and festival that benefits the Houston SPCA's lifesaving programs like adoptions, cruelty investigations, 24-hour injured animal rescue ambulance, foster care, and more. Expect exciting demonstrations, live music, and pet-related vendors. Don't miss the Best Costume and Best Trick contests. 8 am-11:30 am.

Shake it at Latin dance collective Bombon's anniversary celebration
Bombon will be celebrating its eighth anniversary. What's Bombon, you ask? It's a collective of Latin DJs and musicians who integrate traditional Latin vibes with booming basslines and a dash of H-Town's deep-purple aura to make "screwmbia" — aka their signature sound. Since they'll be turning eight(or, as the Latinos like to refer to the number, ocho), Bombon will throw a huge party, right after they're given a Proclamation Day by Mayor Turner. 9 pm-2 am.

Yeah, baby! Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra presents Austin Powers
It might be hard to convince people these days that Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a funny movie. With all the bad impressions of Mike Myers's swinging-spy protagonist we've been bombarded with over the years (not the mention the two, mediocre sequels this movie begat), it's understandable how people who haven't seen it might think it was junk. But, even after 21 years, Austin Powers is still a silly, shagadelic experience. 7:30 pm.

Get lit at the Ann & Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival
This weekend marks the kickoff of the two-week, 46th annual Ann & Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival, where wall-to-wall, Jewish authors will be speaking/reading/signing. The first author up on opening night is Nell Scovell, a legendary TV writer (The Simpsons and Late Night with David Letterman are a couple of her credits) who'll be promoting her book, Just the Funny Parts:…And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys’ Club. 8 pm.

Sunday, November 4

It's fun and dance in Rice Village with Cigna Sunday Streets
Rice Village will be the latest spot for the monthly, Cigna Sunday Streets series to do its business. For this celebration of health and community, booths and activities will be set up throughout Rice Village inviting the community to get up and be active with family and friends. As for Cigna's booth, it will host several family-friendly activities, such as a photo booth, wellness-themed games, and dance exercises. Noon-4 pm.

Rock out with Karbach Brewing at the Foamhenge 2018 festival
When you have a name like Foamhenge, you know we have to give you a shout-out in this column. Karbach Brewing Company's rock festival has some good bands for its second-annual lineup. Australian hard-rock group Wolfmother headlines the festivities, with April Wine, Red Fang, The Sweet, and Texas Flood rounding out the bill. And, of course, there will be beer. (Our personal fave is Rodeo Clown Double IPA.) 1:30 pm.

event-planner

Movie Review

Anne Hathaway's busy 2026 continues with meta-thriller Verity

Photo by Alisha Wetherill

Anne Hathaway in Verity.

Anne Hathaway has been inescapable for movie fans in 2026, starring in no fewer than five different movies across multiple genres, including Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Odyssey, and The End of Oak Street. The actor (who’s pregnant and about to take a well-earned break) is wrapping up her supremely busy year with the psychological thriller, Verity.

Hathaway plays the title character, Verity Crawford, a hugely successful author who writes beach read thrillers, often from the perspective of the villain. An unpublicized car accident renders her immobile and mute, and her husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), and agents make the decision to recruit someone to ghostwrite her next book in order to continue her legacy.

The person hired for the job is Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), an aspiring author whose books mostly get ignored. She’s eager to take on the project, but the reality of Verity’s situation throws her for a loop. When she discovers a secret file that seems to be Verity admitting to some very bad things, Lowen starts to spin even more, imagining situations that may not actually be happening.

Directed by Michael Showalter and adapted by Nick Antosca from the book by Colleen Hoover, the film initially has a nice rhythm to it, setting up the three main characters well and building up tension. Though current day Verity can’t speak or move, the film gets to the heart of her through old interviews Lowen watches to get to know her mind better. Using that footage and other small moments at the house, a type of rivalry develops between the two characters.

Strangely, though, Showalter and Antosca fail to capitalize on the early momentum. The story stagnates about halfway through the movie and never delivers on what it seems to be promising. Whether they’re too true to Hoover’s original story or change things too much is difficult to tell for those who haven’t read the book, but either way, the result is a big tease with not much in the way of a payoff.

What’s most disappointing about the film is its inability to decide on a tone. There are some points where it feels like over-the-top, campy fun, and others where it seems like the filmmakers are going for a straight-up horror vibe. The down-the-middle approach that they land on serves neither the story nor the characters well. Moments that should be full of suspense or could get laughs often fall flat because of the indecisiveness of the filmmakers.

Due to her character’s affliction, Hathaway is reduced to a supporting role in the film, but she gets by on presence alone and still has a few scenes where she demonstrates her star power. Johnson delivers a good performance despite her typical lack of emotion. Like many of her roles, it’s her body that seems to get more attention than her acting. Hartnett is on a roll thanks to recent roles in Oppenheimer and Trap, and he puts in solid work here, as well.

Verity has the bones of a tense thriller, but it’s filled in with a bunch of questionable story beats that don’t prove as satisfying as the premise. The meta-plot of the authors of thrillers becoming involved in a thriller themselves should have been juicy and full of great twists, but ultimately it’s as catatonic as Verity herself.

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Verity is now playing in theaters.

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