weekend event planner

These are the 15 best things to do in Houston this weekend

This weekend in Houston is all about art and music.

On the art side, we have new exhibit openings over at Reeves Art + Design and Community Artists’ Collective. CAMHLAB will host a workshop featuring artist-in-residence Tay Butler. See a documentary on Texas artist Kermit Oliver at the MFAH.

As for music, we have live shows featuring Jason Aldean, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Swedish rock band Ghost, and a ‘90s mixtape concert at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Cactus Music is hosting a listening party for Jon Batiste’s latest album.

Well, it seems like you can’t stop the beat this weekend.

Thursday, August 14

Jo’s Houston presents Half-Birthday Drink Specials
Located on the corner of Studewood and E 10 1/2 St. in the Heights, Jo’s Houston is the first location of Bunkhouse Hotels' iconic Jo’s Coffee shop to open outside of Austin. In honor of its first half-birthday, Jo’s will be celebrating with half-off coffee from 7-10 am on Thursday. There will also be a specialty Birthday Cake Latte available throughout the weekend, plus festive birthday decorations to set the mood. 7 am.

Reeves Art + Design presents Jaymes Earl: "Roots and Rhymes" opening reception
Reeves Art + Design will present an exhibition that celebrates the profound influence of African and hip-hop cultures through the expressive medium of string art. The collection by Houston-based artist Jaymes Earl intricately weaves together vibrant threads that reflect the rhythms, colors, and narratives inspired by these rich cultures. Each piece serves as a homage to the dynamic spirit of hip-hop, echoing its boldness and creativity while drawing from traditional African patterns and storytelling. Through Tuesday, August 26. 6 pm.

River Oaks Theatre presents Film Strip: Hairspray
It's Baltimore, 1962, and a rebellious teenager with the biggest bouffant on the block attempts to win the coveted "Miss Auto Show" crown as she fights against racial discrimination. The great John Waters brought this 1988 musical romp (featuring Diving in his/her last role) to the screen. Now, Grimm and Ghoulia, headmistresses of The Sisterhood of Lili St. Cyr, will screen the flick this weekend, followed by a show featuring a cast of strip teasers. 8 pm.

Friday, August 15

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents A Portrait of a Postman
This fascinating new documentary profiles Texas artist/veteran postman Kermit Oliver. An alumnus of Texas Southern University who was mentored by professor and muralist John Biggers, Oliver created a remarkable body of work that includes paintings, works on paper, designs for Hermès silk scarves, and commissions. (Beyoncé’s mama Tina Knowles is a longtime collector.) Discussions with filmmaker Christopher Charles Scott and guests follow each screening. 7 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Improv Houston presents Marlon Wayans
After years of being the little brother of Keenan Ivory, Damon, and Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans is about to make some major moves at the multiplex. He and his bros will drop another Scary Movie (the horror-parody franchise they started way back in 2000) next summer. And, next month, he’ll get serious in the Jordan Peele-produced sports-related scary movie Him. Until then, catch him doing standup all weekend at Improv Houston. 7:30 and 9:45 pm (7, 9:30 and 11:30 pm Saturday; 7:30 pm Sunday).

Jason Aldean and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings in concert
Local country fans will have to make a choice this weekend: Which country star will they see on Friday night? Multi-platinum Grammy nominee Jason “Try That in a Small Town” Aldean will be performing at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, along with Nate Smith, RaeLynn, and Dee Jay Silver. However, if you like your country with some bluegrass and Americana mixed in, Gillian Welch and her musical partner David Rawlings will be over at Cullen Performance Hall, playing tunes from their 2024 album Woodland. 7:30 pm.

Classic Replay presents '90s Mixtape
Remember the thrill of going to the record store and tearing the plastic off a brand new CD? How about listening to the radio, hoping to hear the latest hits from Alanis Morissette, Boyz II Men, Britney Spears, Green Day, Nirvana, En Vogue, or NSYNC? Miller Outdoor Theatre will have those – and more. With a lineup of four Broadway vocalists putting their own spin on classics like “Smells like Teen Spirit” and “I Will Always Love You,” this show is nothing but the biggest bops of the decade. 8 pm.

Saturday, August 16

93' Til X Khói Barbecue
Chef Lung Ly of 93’ Til and pitmaster Don Nguyen of Khói Barbecue join forces for a one-day-only collaboration menu of Vietnamese barbecue. Available on a first-come-first-served basis, the pop-up marks a rare opportunity for diners to experience the culinary styles of both chefs, who will showcase their Vietnamese culture through dishes cooked with fire, smoke, and wok hei. 11 am.

Community Artists’ Collective presents JajaH: "As It Is" opening reception
A former member of Project Row Houses and co-founder of the Annunaki Artist Collective, JajaH (aka Joshua Gray) has exhibited widely, including his 2018 solo show “The Light Machine.” Community Artists’ Collective will present “As It Is,” showcasing the works of JajaH, who describes his work as exploring themes of self-awareness and inner transformation. The opening reception will feature an artist talk and musical performance. Through Saturday, September 27. 4 pm.

AEG presents An Evening with Dan Carlin
Dan Carlin is a podcast pioneer whose Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast has been downloaded more than 100 million times to date. Carlin’s passion for history, politics, and storytelling has provided audiences with unforgettable listening experiences and sparked a renewed appreciation for the past. This weekend, you can head over to Cullen Performance Hall and catch Carlin go into hard mode as he drops historical nuggets in front of a live audience. 7:30 pm.

Ghost in concert
This Swedish band is known for doing “theatrical rock,” which means a lot of makeup, costumes, and an arena rock-style theatricality. Whatever they’ve been doing, it’s working like gangbusters. Skeleta, their sixth, recently-released album, was also the first album they’ve done that reached the top of the US Billboard 200 chart. (The last time a Swedish band did this was Ace of Base’s The Sign in 1993.) Houstonians will be able to see them glam it up when they play Toyota Center this weekend. 8 pm.

Sunday, August 17

Gracie’s Corner Live: Gracie’s Global Adventure
Gracie’s Corner, the award-winning, family-favorite YouTube series, comes to Houston to present a live version of the show's beloved songs, characters, and educational magic. Created by Drs. Javoris and Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth and starring their daughter Graceyn "Gracie" Hollingsworth, Gracie’s Corner was launched to celebrate inclusivity, cultural representation, and educational empowerment through music. Noon and 4 pm.

CAMHLAB Public Program: History, Houston, and Collage with Tay Butler
Join CAMHLAB Artist in Residence Tay Butler for a workshop which blends historical images, documents, and ephemera of Houston's past with contemporary collage for a fun-filled analog exercise in archival study. From Freedmen's Town to Third Ward, downtown to Fifth Ward, participants will learn intimate details and happenings that make Houston the culturally rich metropolis it is now. Dive deep into the imagery of this past to create interesting and abstract collages to take home. 1 pm.

Cactus Music presents Jon Batiste Big Money Listening Party
Oscar/Grammy-winning soul man/former The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste will drop Big Money, his seventh album, next Friday. Batiste melds classic and modern styles of R&B, Americana, soul, roots, jazz, gospel and more to create sounds of jubilee and diasporic expression. Drink Saint Arnold beer and chowing down on free slices from Star Pizza during the performance. 4 pm.

Photo by Chad Wadsworth

Jo's Coffee is celebrating six months in the Heights.

event-planner weekend events

Movie Review

Sheriff Bob Odenkirk is back in over-the-top new action movie 'Normal'

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Bob Odenkirk in Normal.

Screenwriter Derek Kolstad, who wrote the first three John Wick movies, has essentially had a blank check to do what he wants in the movie landscape since 2014. In recent years that has meant writing the action series Nobody for Bob Odenkirk, who has turned from a comedian into an unlikely action star in his sixties. Kolstad and Odenkirk are teaming up again in Normal.

A film that tries to evoke Fargo in multiple ways, Normal finds Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) serving as a temporary sheriff for the small town of Normal, Minnesota after the previous sheriff died. Knowing he’s just a steward until a new sheriff is elected, Ulysses takes a live-and-let-live approach to the job, letting the deputies (Ryan Allen and Billy MacLellan) do the grunt work and trying to stay out of everyone’s way, including Mayor Kibner (Henry Winkler).

A bank robbery attempt by two non-citizens upsets his best-laid plans in more ways than he can imagine. Not only is he forced to confront a crime not often seen in a town like Normal, but the robbery uncovers secrets that turn the film into an all-out bloodbath. Soon, almost everyone in town becomes involved in what comes to resemble a war, along with — you guessed it — Yakuza henchmen from Japan.

Directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Kolstad, the film is a slight twist on the everyman-turned-hero character Odenkirk played in the two Nobody films. While Ulysses is in law enforcement, he prefers to use words instead of weapons, and it’s only when he’s pushed to the brink that he crosses that line. Naturally, his skills are beyond what anyone would expect of him, allowing him to match up well with people half his age.

The film is not a comedy in the traditional sense, but instead aims for laughs by catching the audience off-guard with its ultraviolence. Some characters are dispatched in shockingly unexpected ways, with one of the only natural reactions to the jarring nature of their deaths being laughter. That’s not necessarily the case for other killings, which range from blasé to sadistic, and the only reason they count as entertainment is because the filmmakers have primed the audience to accept them as such.

After a relatively solid setup, where Wheatley and Kolstad seem to take their time getting to know the main characters, the second half of the film is pure action that dispenses with good storytelling. Like many action movies, there are double crosses, surprise revelations, and more, but the filmmakers don’t seem to care about making sense of any character arcs. All they care about is delivering mayhem, and they succeed on that front.

Odenkirk has perfected the mild-yet-intimidating nature of his action characters, and it is satisfying to see him get the better of those who have done him wrong. He doesn’t run or jump like fellow 63-year-old Tom Cruise, but — with the help of fast-paced editing — he still makes for a credible action hero. The only other actors of any note in the film are Winkler, who’s a nice presence with his sardonic personality, and Lena Headey, whose small role doesn't match up with her experience.

You have to have a certain mindset to enjoy a film like Normal, but if you can abide its over-the-top bloodiness, it’s a serviceable action film. Few would have expected Odenkirk to take on these kinds of roles at this late stage of his career, but he’s making the most of his opportunities.

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Normal opens in theaters on April 17.

movies film