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    weekend event planner

    These are the 14 best things to do in Houston this weekend

    Craig D. Lindsey
    Feb 5, 2025 | 6:30 pm

    Yes, Sunday will be the day where everyone will watch the Super Bowl to either the Chiefs and Eagles go at it once again – or just check out all the expensive commercials.

    Still, lots of fun things are going down in H-Town this weekend: the return of Cirque du Soleil, film screenings that celebrate two recently deceased artists, a home and garden show, an event where you can play with Legos, and live stand-up from the guy who gave us “Whazzup!”

    Thursday, February 6

    Cirque du Soleil: ECHO
    Experience the magic of Cirque du Soleil: ECHO, this 20th Big Top Show where poetry, stagecraft, daring acrobatics, and cutting-edge technology come together to explore the delicate balance between people, animals, and the world we all share. Fueled by the power of invention, the hope of the youth, and the importance of empathy, Cirque du Soleil: ECHO invites the audience to participate in a universe of color, wonder, and infinite possibilities. Through Sunday, March 9. 7:30 pm (3:30 and 7 pm Saturday; 1 and 4:30 pm Sunday).

    Houston Cinema Arts Society presents Claudine
    In this 1974 working-class dramedy, Claudine (Diahann Carroll) is a single mother in New York City who endures an exhausting commute to the suburbs where she works as a maid for wealthy families. She meets Roop (the late James Earl Jones), a charismatic but irresponsible garbage collector. Romance quickly ensues, but Claudine doubts that their relationship is good for her six children. After the screening, college professor/film critic Ralph Nickerson will discuss the evolution of Black cinema. 7:30 pm.

    Punch Line Houston presents Kyle Kinane
    Kyle Kinane is a comedian from Addison, Illinois. As a comedian, he has been on Conan, The Tonight Show, Netflix’s The Standups, and three of his own hour-length specials on Comedy Central. As an actor, he’s been in the Judd Apatow series Love and truTV’s Those Who Can’t. As a voice-over actor, he was the former voice of Comedy Central for eight years and played Bullet on the Netflix series Paradise PD. 7:30 pm (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday; 7 and 9: 15 pm Saturday).

    Friday, February 7

    Houston Home + Garden Show
    The Houston Home + Garden Show is a place to discover the country's best new renovation ideas, interesting products, and the preeminent resources for home improvement and landscaping. The spring 2025 show will feature HGTV celebrities Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis, Destin Noak (aka the Texas Garden Guy), a plant market presented by PlantCon International, Petopia, food trucks, adoptable furry friends from the Houston Humane Society, and more. 11 am (10 am Saturday; 9 am Sunday).

    Czech Center Museum Houston presents "Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America Through Galveston Island" opening night
    From 1845 to 1924, the Port of Galveston was a major gateway for American immigration. This exhibition is the first of its kind to explore Galveston’s legacy as a port of entry on a national scale. It brings to light the little-known yet rich era of Galveston’s history and its importance to the growth of Texas and the American Midwest. The exhibition highlights enduring themes in the history of immigration including the dangers of the journey, making a life in a new land, navigating bureaucracy, and confronting discrimination. Through Tuesday, April 28. 6 pm.

    Asia Society Texas presents The Big Swim
    The Big Swim celebrates Lunar New Year with a one-act opera. In this retelling of the Jade Emperor and the Great Race — a fable that sets the order of the 12 animals in the zodiac calendar — the animals learn to put aside fierce competition to instead care for and support one another, side by side. The work will be presented as part of its Lunar New Year festivities and will be preceded by activities, including shadow puppets, calligraphy demonstrations, and an original children's dance piece. 6:30 pm (2 pm Saturday and Sunday).

    The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Mulholland Drive
    Revered filmmaker and artist David Lynch passed away last month. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston mourns the loss of this visionary artist and presents one of his most acclaimed films, 2001’s Mulholland Drive, shown in glorious 35mm! This seductive and surreal vision of Los Angeles’s dream factory is a tale of love, jealousy, and revenge that earned Lynch the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. 7 pm (2 pm Sunday).

    Saturday, February 8

    Brick Fest Live
    Brick Fest Live is all-in on imagination with stations and attractions designed to inspire creativity and play. Families can get hands-on with different brick challenges throughout the event as well as explore community collab builds and master creations from all over the world. The event will feature a Guinness World Record Challenge where visitors can help create a massive floor mosaic. There will also be a Giant Brick Pit where everyone can explore a play area filled with over 200,000 colorful bricks. 9 am (10 am Sunday).

    The Shop Club Houston presents Midday Motors
    The Shop Club Houston and Hagerty Insurance will present Midday Motors, an event that will bring car enthusiasts and brunch lovers together for a one-of-a-kind experience. Midday Motors welcomes vehicles of all makes, models, and years, offering a vibrant showcase of automotive excellence. With more than 250 parking spaces available, attendees will have ample opportunity to explore the diverse lineup of cars and connect with fellow enthusiasts who share their love for the open road. 10 am.

    International Voices Houston presents Arte Puro
    International Voices Houston presents Arte Puro, an organization with the mission to bring Hispanic music and art to the stage through musical fusion and artistic collaboration. This show will feature Artists-in-Residence Cecilia Duarte (mezzo soprano) and Jesús Pacheco (percussion), in collaboration with International Voices Houston musicians, performing a special recital celebrating Hispanic culture and music, including works by Manuel de Falla, Alberto Ginastera, Manuel Ponce, Javier Busto, and more. 7 pm.

    Martin Lawrence: Y’all Know What It Is! Tour
    Comedy legend Martin Lawrence comes to Houston as part of his first comedy tour since 2016. The Y’all Know What It Is! tour is an all-new stand-up show and fresh one-hour set where Lawrence, the man who assumed such memorable characters as Sheneneh, Tyrone, and Dragonfly Jones on his beloved Fox sitcom Martin, brings the real talk and finds the funny in everything from family to culture as only he can. He'll be joined by fellow comedians Rickey Smiley, Adele Givens, and Benji Brown. 8 pm.

    Sunday, February 9

    The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts presents Relaxed and Sensory Inclusive Performance: Orígenes: Voice and Percussion Through the Ages
    The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with Ars Lyrica Houston, presents a sensory inclusive performance of Orígenes: Voice and Percussion Through the Ages, an exploration of Spanish and Latin American musical traditions, Relaxed and sensory inclusive performances offer a welcoming environment for individuals with sensory differences and their families to enjoy and include adjustments like modified lighting in audience spaces, designated quiet and activity areas in the lobby, sensory supports, trained volunteers, and more. 1 pm.

    PlazAmericas presents “San Valentin” Valentine’s Day Celebration
    PlazAmericas will celebrate Valentine’s Day early this weekend. Experience Chinelos Morelenses, a traditional dance with costumed dancers and popular in the Mexican state of Morelos, in addition to a folklórico performance (aka the traditional folk dance of Mexico). Additionally, Mariachi Perla Tapatía will perform festive and traditional Mexican music and The Milto Show will showcase a comedic performance. Fun giveaways and contests will take place throughout the event, which is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome. 1 pm.

    Theatre Under the Stars presents Mean Girls
    Sunday will be the last day for Theatre Under the Stars’ run of Mean Girls, the Broadway musical based on the 2004 high-school comedy that made a star out of Lindsay Lohan and was written by Tina Fey, who also wrote the book for this musical. Fey collaborated with several vets in adapting her movie to the stage, including composer/husband Jeff Richmond, lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), and original director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). 2 pm.

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    Movie Review

    Avatar: Fire and Ash returns to Pandora with big action and bold visuals

    Alex Bentley
    Dec 18, 2025 | 5:00 pm
    Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash
    Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
    Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

    For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

    The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

    Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

    Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

    The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

    Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

    A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

    There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

    ---

    Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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