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Here are the top 9 things to do in Houston this weekend

Take part in the Revolution when Prince's band stops here on Sunday.

It's holiday season, with many Houstonians enjoying a much-needed getaway. For those still here, it's a relatively quiet week of events: All the hardcore stuff happens Monday night — New Year's Eve — when we all count down to 2019.

Until then, enjoy these fun happenings:

Thursday, December 27

Tea with the Dames at the MFAH
If you're a huge fan of old, English ladies getting together and shooting the breeze, here's the new documentary Tea with the Dames, which will be playing Thursday through Saturday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. This film features legendary British actresses Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, and Maggie Smith meeting up for a weekend in the country and just reminiscing about their glorious, award-filled careers as acclaimed dames. 7 pm.

Station Theater presents The SpaceCat Show: Thursday Night Comedy
Improv comedy can either be a fun or grating experience, depending on who's doing the ad-libbing. Hopefully, the folks who put on Station Theater's SpaceCat Show will be giving audiences more of the former. Every Thursday night, guests can see a line-up of local Houston improv comedy teams followed by SpaceCat Lab, the theater's signature house team, who debuts a new improv comedy form every season. 8 pm.

Friday, December 28

Jill Scott vs. Erykah Badu — Night Light Vibe and A Tribute to Jill Scott presented by Liz Vaughn
It appears that two different events on Friday night will be saluting neo-soul queen Jill Scott in very different ways. First up, there's the 3rd Ward Tours' Night Light Vibe, which will have people cruising the streets on Dutch bikes while listening to music from Scott as well as Dallas R&B diva Erykah Badu. Meanwhile, over at Martini Blu, local vocalist Liz Vaughn will be doing a tribute to Scott, performing some of her most well-known ditties. Both start at 7:30 pm.

Saturday, December 29

Save Drag Queen Storytime
Apparently, there are people who don’t like it when drag queens encourage children to read. When a branch of the Houston Public Library started a program earlier this year where local drag divas read to kids, some folks freaked out, even taking legal action over it. This is why the Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library will be holding this protest, welcome to those who want their young offspring to learn more about literacy — and acceptance. 1 pm.

Kato Gentry's Last Day Party of the Year (Ugly Sweater Edition)
Just because Christmas is over doesn't mean you can't rock that ugly Christmas sweater one last time. The Davenport will be having a day party where guests are encouraged to show up in their tackiest yet most festive top. DJ MeekThaFreek will be spinning tunes, while the EaDeaux's food truck will be out near the patio. And after you're done partying, you can go home and finally put that ghastly piece of clothing in storage until next Christmas. 2-8 pm.

Divine Kegel at Cactus Music
Any band that named themselves after a memorable phrase from a Key & Peele skit has got our full attention. This El Paso band is a garage-punk two-piece featuring Daniel Lopez on guitar and Elijah Watson on drums. The group has been described as a trifecta of Death From Above 1979, Lightning Bolt, and Black Sabbath. Before they headline a show this Sunday night at the White Swan Live, you can sample them at this in-store performance. 3 pm.

Sunday, December 30

The Last Supper of 2018 at The Flat
Chef Casey Guhl of the Food Music Life food truck is laying out quite the spread for The Flat's year-end, blowout party. Let us just list some of the succulent items on this menu: bacon macaroni and cheese stuffed in whole roasted squash, pomegranate basil mahi mahi ceviche, pork ribs in adobo sauce served over polenta, and brisket lasagna and aged shredded cheddar cheese. 4-8 pm.

The Revolution at House of Blues Houston
It still hurts that Prince Rogers Nelson — better known as just Prince — was taken away from us a couple of years ago, at the way-too-young age of 57. Thankfully, his music lives on, as well as his backup band, The Revolution. The band he officially introduced to the world in the iconic 1984 movie Purple Rain, this quintet — Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin, Bobby Z., Matt Fink, and Brown Mark — accompanied on the Purple One on his most classic albums, which they are now on performing on tour. 8 pm.

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Movie Review

Comedic horror movie Y2K takes nostalgic trip with mayhem twist

Photo courtesy of A24

Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, and Julian Dennison in Y2K.

Movies that rely on nostalgia can be successful if they’re timed right. Generally, 25-30 years seems about the right amount of time to try to take advantage of people’s fond feelings for a certain era, which is why movies/TV shows about the ‘80s have been prevalent for much of the 21st century, and ‘90s-set films started to pop up in the last 10 years.

Y2K, a horror comedy that plays on the fears of technological mayhem many people thought would happen at the turn of the century, is right on the cusp of that rule, taking place 24 years after its timeline. It centers on two teenage boys, Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison), who are opposite in demeanor but have an unshakeable bond. Eli likes a popular girl, Laura (Rachel Zegler), and Danny convinces him to crash a New Year’s Eve party where she’ll be.

As the clock strikes midnight and the year moves from 1999 to 2000, everything that uses an electrical current goes haywire, with many of them combining forces to attack the humans around them. Eli and Danny find themselves on the run with Laura, as well as two stoners, Ash (Lachlan Watson) and CJ (Daniel Zolghadri), with each of them trying to use their unique skillset to help defeat a growing robot army.

Directed by Kyle Mooney and written by Mooney and Evan Winter, the film lands some solid jokes about the era in its opening 20 minutes or so, whether it’s the extreme slowness of dial-up internet, the goofy user names from AOL Messenger, or the various high school cliques of the time. However, many of them seem to echo ones told in 1999’s American Pie, a weird kind of art-imitating-art moment instead of commenting on real life.

The jolt of the machines attacking partygoers seems to promise a fun — if bloody — romp, but Mooney and Winter don’t seem to know where to take the story. They establish the computer bona fides of Eli and Laura early on, but when it comes time for them to put their talents in action, it feels like two actors going through the motions instead of real people who know what they’re doing. Almost none of the characters are believable or entertaining, and the few that rise above are dispatched way too early.

And because the filmmakers don’t make you care about the main group, nothing they face is that interesting, either. The villainous robots are made up of a bunch of disparate parts, which would seem to offer the opportunity for funny sight gags. Mooney and his team fumble most of their chances, though, leaving that side of the story stuck in limbo where it’s not absurd enough to be hilarious or scary enough to really count as horror.

Martell, Dennison, and Zegler are each rising stars who have their individual charms, but only Dennison is able to make much of an impact. Zegler, who starred in West Side Story and will soon be Snow White, is especially misused. They try to shoehorn in a cameo by Limp Biskit lead singer Fred Durst, but his appearance makes little sense and adds almost nothing to the story.

Filmmakers who want to mine nostalgia, especially in a comedy, need to really commit to the bit instead of throwing in a few references and needle drops. Mooney, who’s making his directorial debut, demonstrates little feel for timing, and so most of the film is like a car spinning its wheels, going nowhere.

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Y2K opens in theaters on December 6.

movies film

weekend event planner

Here are the top 9 things to do in Houston this weekend

Movie Review

Comedic horror movie Y2K takes nostalgic trip with mayhem twist

Houston’s 13 most festive holiday bars serve lots of Christmas cheer

Ben Stiller delivers lighthearted fun in new Hulu movie Nutcrackers

Only one Houston eatery makes the cut on OpenTable's top 100 restaurants

weekend event planner

Here are the top 9 things to do in Houston this weekend

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Movie Review

Comedic horror movie Y2K takes nostalgic trip with mayhem twist

Houston’s 13 most festive holiday bars serve lots of Christmas cheer

Ben Stiller delivers lighthearted fun in new Hulu movie Nutcrackers

Only one Houston eatery makes the cut on OpenTable's top 100 restaurants

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Houston intel delivered daily.