weekend event planner

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

Enjoy some Hogwarts fun this weekend.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

As Christmas quickly approaches, more events around town are moving to virtual offerings. Stream some Latin-American bass music or hang with a Season 12 American Idol finalist from Houston.

For those who want to get out and about, there's a visit with Santa, a Harry Potter-themed event, Sunday brunch, and even a candle-making workshop for crafty gift-givers.

Enjoy our best bets for your weekend fun.

Thursday, December 10

Red Bull Estados Unidos de Bass in Austin
Last week, Red Bull kicked off its second annual Red Bull Estados Unidos de Bass series, which showcases the bi-cultural sounds of Latin-inspired, American bass music. This year, the event has gone virtual, celebrating Latinx music across the U.S. From Thursday through Saturday, sets will be streaming out of Austin, featuring production stalwart Maceo Plex, Las Cruxes founder/director Veronica Ortuño and DJs from the Austin-based collective Peligrosa. 10 pm (6 pm Saturday).

Gastrochurch presents Hogwarts Christmas Village
Potter fans, you still can appreciate Hogwarts-related stuff this holiday season. From Thursday through Saturday, Gastrochurch will present this village, where visitors can drink butterbeer, play Harry Potter trivia, and raise money for a good cause. Once guests enter Diagon Alley, they’ll be given a car pass that will unlock the rest of the wizarding world for everyone in their vehicle. 6 pm.

Friday, December 11

The Women’s Fund presents Virtual Holiday Luncheon and Concert
The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency is hosting this virtual luncheon/concert, featuring — via Zoom — native Houstonian and Season 12 American Idol finalist Vincent Powell. Guests are invited to pick up their three-course lunch and demi bottle of bubbles from Tony’s, as well as be the first to hear Christmas with Vincent Powell & Houston Ensemble, a compilation that features original tunes and holiday classics. Noon.

Da Camera presents Tyshawn Sorey: Perle Noire
With this virtual event, soprano Julia Bullock, composer/pianist/percussionist Tyshawn Sorey and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) will be hitting audiences with this tribute to the great Josephine Baker. This unique and poignant evening will honor the brilliance, daring, public courage, and private tragedies of the icon who created a singing, dancing declaration of independence and blazed a trail of irresistible challenge and charm in France in the 1920s. 7 pm.

Saturday, December 12

Kings Harbor presents Holiday at the Harbor
All ages will certainly get their festive-activities on at this free holiday extravaganza, going down at the Kingwood waterfront village. Activities will include complimentary photos with Santa, a holiday market by Arts by Aaron, hot chocolate, and cookies provided by Chimichurri's South American Grill and Sharky's Waterfront Grill, holiday-themed slushes available for purchase at The Berry Bar and a gift-card drive benefiting L3 Foundation. 1 pm.

Emancipation Park Conservancy presents Holiday in the Tre
Emancipation Park Conservancy's second-annual Holiday in the Tre will be going virtual this year, over at the Conservancy's Facebook page. This event will feature multi-Grammy winner David De La Garza, The Voicefinalist Shawn Sounds and Houston favorites Nesha Cortez and Patrice Dominique. There will also be bike and toy giveaways, a virtual tree lighting sponsored by Reliant Energy and a few special-guest appearances. 2 pm.

Sunday, December 13

Sunday Brunch with Lawndale featuring 2020 Lawndale Lending Library Silent Auction
It's gonna be art, libations, and a picnic brunch provided by Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen as Lawndale Art Center hits us with this iteration of Sunday Brunch with Lawndale. Guests can support Lawndale’s exhibitions and programs at this brunch, which will be at Lawndale’s newly renovated, Mary E. Bawden Sculpture Garden. This will also feature the silent auction of their 2020 Lawndale Lending Library Collection. Seating is limited to 50 guests. 11 am.

Candle-Making Workshop at Urban South - HTX
Hey, who feels like making candles this weekend? Well, The Streets at New Orleans, Good. Coffee HTX and Urban South — HTX are joining forces for this certain-to-be-alcohol-heavy, candle-making workshop. Tickets include guided instruction on the candle-making process, the choice between a custom message label or a pre-made label, all supplies needed to make an 8-ounce, coconut blend wax candle, coffee, and a free beer tasting. 4 pm.

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Movie Review

Fun visuals can't save The Magic Faraway Tree's meager plot

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids — Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) — are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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Movie Review

Fun visuals can't save The Magic Faraway Tree's meager plot