From hula to karaoke and more, the first three Saturdays in May hit a high note during AAPI Amplified.
The free cultural celebration at Avenida Houston is your all-access pass to experiencing the city’s vibrant Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
It’s all happening in honor of AAPI Heritage Month, and the extravaganza of traditional and contemporary dance, music performances, and art is something you don’t want to miss.
Here’s what to expect during this tour of Asian culture and destinations.
May 6 Kick off the month with some hip-shaking fun and experience the Pacific Islands by way of Malia’s Hula Hut. They have an eclectic range of music, dancing, and fire performances in store.
May 13 Maxim, one of Houston’s leading bands, will have you on your feet with their creative mix of traditional Vietnamese music and American pop favorites.
You can also see traditional Thai cultural performances presented by the Wat Buddhavas Temple on Avenida’s main stage, and a contemporary art exhibition of colorful, stunning pieces by local Asian American artists on the Wharf.
May 20 Asian Elvis is in the house at the grand finale of AAPI Amplified. Tribute artist John Newinn, also known as Johnny Elvis, is hosting the ultimate karaoke night — because no Asian celebration is complete without a sing-along.
Photo courtesy of Avenida Houston
May 13 brings traditional Thai cultural performances presented by the Wat Buddhavas Temple.
With these three distinct nights of one-of-a-kind, fun-filled programming, held from 7:30-9:30 pm, AAPI Amplified is ready to spice up your Saturdays.
Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and Hayley Atwell in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
Over the course of 30 years and eight films, the Mission: Impossible series has proven to be the most reliable of any action movie franchise. Not all of them are equally good, but with Tom Cruise in the lead as Ethan Hunt, they can be counted on for at least a couple of mind-blowing stunt sequences per film, enough to keep fans clamoring for more.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning has the feel of being the last film in the series, and not just because the 62-year-old Cruise is getting up there in age. Following up closely on the events of 2023’s Dead Reckoning Part One (Part Two changed to The Final Reckoning for unknown reasons), the film has Hunt trying to stop an A.I. villain known as The Entity from taking over the world’s collective stash of nuclear weapons.
To do so, Hunt and his cobbled-together team — Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell), and Paris (Pom Klementieff) — must hopscotch around the world, tracking villain Gabriel (Esai Morales) and trying to figure out a way to get The Entity’s source code, which is located on a sunken Russian submarine. Oh, and they also have to evade capture by a disgruntled U.S. government, led by now-President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett).
Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie and co-written by Erik Jendresen, the film might just be the most convoluted one in the series so far. The filmmakers layer on tons of exposition, with lots of flashbacks to previous events in the series to explicate the events of the present, as well as providing unexpected connections to previous films. The plan for stopping The Entity and the references to the past are so dense that the first half of the film is relatively boring.
Things pick up in the final 90 minutes of the three-hour film, mostly because that’s when the majority of the action takes place. More than other entries in the series, the film considers the geopolitical implications of Hunt’s actions, and he has to negotiate with a variety of high-powered people to do what he deems best. While his efforts are somewhat preposterous, even by the standards of the series, they lead to a bunch of fun sequences that provide levity among the world-changing drama.
Ultimately, what makes the film succeed are its action scenes. Cruise has done stunts on planes/helicopters before in the series, but what he does during a biplane sequence toward the end of the film is almost beyond belief. Yes, he’s attached to the plane with harnesses that are digitally erased, but he’s still doing it hundreds of feet in the air at great bodily risk considering. While the series has always featured spectacular stunt sequences, this one deserves to be near the top of the list.
The flashbacks to scenes from throughout the series underscore just how much Cruise has changed in the past 30 years, but also emphasize how amazing it is that he’s still willing to sacrifice his body as much as does to make these films. No other actor goes as far as he does to entertain the masses, and the events of the story even give him opportunities to show off his dramatic acting skills.
The supporting cast is more packed than usual, and all of them enhance the film. In addition to Hunt’s team, the President has a group of advisers that includes actors like Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Nick Offerman, and Janet McTeer. Other recognizable faces like Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Trammell Tillman (Severance), and Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding) show up for impactful roles.
Whether or not this is the last film in the current incarnation of the series, The Final Reckoning has a lot to offer longtime fans, with action set pieces that remains some of the best Hollywood has to offer. The story may be completely baffling, but with Cruise and other appealing actors leading the way, there’s more than enough great entertainment to go around.
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Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning opens in theaters on May 23.
