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    weekend event planner

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

    Craig D. Lindsey
    Jun 11, 2025 | 6:30 pm

    This weekend is Father’s Day weekend. If you have one of those dads who likes leaving the house and doing stuff, lots of events are happening where you can hang and chill with Pops.

    Take dad to an art-show opening, a one-night-only haunted house, a Japanese indoor festival, a white linen night, two concerts featuring two legendary, renegade groups, or a new digital restoration of an indie-film classic. If all else fails, head over to Typhoon Texas and let dad float a lazy river for free.

    Thursday, June 12

    Architecture Center Houston presents Falon Mihalic: "Verdant Laboratory" opening reception
    This immersive exhibition by artist and landscape architect Falon Mihalic explores Houston’s wild ecologies through large-scale drawings, sculpture, and video. The exhibition highlights the city’s living landscape as a vital force in building urban resilience. As the effects of climate change become more visible and the city of Houston continues to grow, this exhibit prompts a critical question: How can we foreground landscape ecology in shaping the resilient cities of tomorrow? Through Friday, August 22. 5:30 pm.

    The Wiggles: Bouncing Balls! Tour
    With this interactive show based on the hit single “Bouncing Balls,” The Wiggles aims to spark creativity, curiosity, and a love of learning through their signature mix of entertainment and education. Families can sing, dance, and wiggle along to the high energy musical extravaganza, featuring all eight Wiggles: OG Blue Wiggle Anthony, Simon, Lachy, Tsehay, John, Lucia, Caterina, and Evie. 6 pm.

    Houston Ballet presents Sparrow
    Houston Ballet's final program of their 2024-2025 season, Sparrow features three one-act ballets by choreographers spanning from yesterday’s eminence to today’s prominence: George Balanchine, Houston Ballet director emeritus Ben Stevenson, and artistic director Stanton Welch. Along with Balanchine’s Theme and Variations and Stevenson’s Four Last Songs, Welch’s Sparrow, set to some of Simon & Garfunkel’s most recognizable music, fills the stage with a vibrant and large ensemble cast. Through Sunday, June 22. 7:30 pm (2 pm Sunday).

    Friday, June 13

    Clear Lake Symphony presents Season Closing Concert
    The Clear Lake Symphony will perform their sixth and final concert of their 49th season, with music including Russian Sailor’s Dance by Gliere; Piano Concerto No. 2 Opus 18 by Rachmaninoff (featuring Dr. Stephanie Chen, guest pianist); and Symphony No 3 in C Minor (Organ Symphony) by Saint-Saens (featuring Dr. Brad Morrison, guest organist). The Symphony will be led by Robert Wall, in his 31st year as conductor. 7:30 pm.

    Cultural Center "Our Texas" presents Kseniia Abramovskaia: "The Artist Behind The Trees & Cats" opening reception
    Russian-born, Houston-based artist Kseniia Abramovskaia transforms wood and canvas into worlds where nature pulses with life, and the mystical feline reigns. With acrylics, spray paint, palette knives, and brushes, she constructs textured landscapes brimming with movement and emotion. Her pieces are more than visual treats; they are storytelling spectacles. The exhibition marks Abramovskaia's first solo show, where nature meets the artist, one tree, one cat, and one bold brushstroke at a time. Through Friday, July 18. 7:30 pm.

    Punch Line Houston presents Emil Wakim
    Brooklyn comedian Emil Wakim just finished his first year as the first Lebanese-American cast member on Saturday Night Live’s milestone 50th season. He made his late-night television debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and was selected as a New Face of Comedy at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. Wakim has also opened for comedians like Roy Wood Jr., Kyle Kinane, Nikki Glaser, Hasan Minhaj, and Neal Brennan. 7:30 pm (7 and 9:15 pm Saturday).

    13th Floor Haunted House presents Blackout
    We know it’s the summer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a bit frightened this time of year. Blackout is a one-day event where monsters and mayhem lurk in total darkness. Upon arriving, each group (not each person) is given one glow stick. Venturing into the depths of darkness, a horde of monsters roam freely. Visitors may catch a glimpse of them under the glow of black lights, but monsters may steal glow sticks, leaving groups in the dark. 8 pm.

    Saturday, June 14

    Tokyo X
    There’s a good chance all the weebs (translation: non-Japanese people who like Japanese stuff) in town will be at NRG Center for Houston’s biggest Japanese indoor festival. Tokyo X is a two-day celebration of Japanese culture that seamlessly blends modern and traditional elements. It will be a showcase of Japanese culture featuring renowned anime voice actors, cosplay, a car show, live concerts, martial arts demonstrations, workshops, free arcades, 30+ food vendors, and more. 10 am.

    White Linen Night—A Local Art Affair
    Residents and visitors to League City are invited to dress in white and step into an enchanting evening of art, culture, and community during the City’s White Linen Night—A Local Art Affair. Inspired by the timeless New Orleans tradition of wearing white linen to embrace the summer season and stay cool in the heat, this night invites guests to enjoy an evening of artistic discovery, local talent, live entertainment, food and drinks, and neighborly connection under the canopy of century-old oak trees. 4 pm.

    City Place presents Hot Nights, Cool Grooves
    At the summer concert experience Hot Nights, Cool Grooves, guests can enjoy a picturesque setting overlooking waterfront City Place Park and a monthly showcase of regional musical artists from a variety of genres. Each evening will feature back-to-back sets, food trucks, promotional pop-ups, beer samplings from Saint Arnold, photo opportunities, swag giveaways, and other surprise elements. Through Thursday, August 2. 5:30 pm.

    Metallica and Wu Tang Clan in concert
    Two legendary groups will be in Houston this Saturday night. For the hardcore metal heads, Metallica will be at NRG Stadium, performing the same headbanging classics that made them the veteran rock giants they are today. For all the hardcore hip-hop heads, the surviving members of the Wu-Tang Clan (RIP ODB!) will be at Toyota Center. They’ll be hitting you with some iconic, East Coast rap as part of their final tour, Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber. 6 pm and 8 pm.

    Sunday, June 15

    Father’s Day at Typhoon Texas
    This weekend, all the fathers out there will be getting a hookup, courtesy of Typhoon Texas. Simply purchase any ticket at the gate, and dad gets in free. The offer is valid only at the gate, and cannot be combined with any other offer. (It’s also not available online.) Now celebrating its 10th year, Typhoon Texas offers multiple water slides, a massive wave pool, a winding lazy river, and a child-friendly play area including Typhoon Jr., aka five, junior-sized versions of its most popular waterslides. 11 am.

    The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Killer of Sheep
    Killer of Sheep examines life in mid-’70s, Los Angeles neighborhood Watts through the eyes of Stan (Houston native Henry G. Sanders), a sensitive dreamer who is growing detached from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse. Frustrated by money problems, he finds respite in moments of simple beauty. Charles Burnett’s acclaimed debut — screening in a stunning new restoration — combines lyrical elements with a starkly neorealist, documentary-style approach that chronicles the unfolding story with depth and riveting simplicity. 5 pm.

    Performing Arts Houston presents Glory to Glory (A Revival For Spiritual and Devotional Art)
    The only event from Solange Knowles’ Eldorado Ballroom live music series that isn’t sold out, this program celebrates women shaping Black praise in contemporary spiritual and devotional sounds. Gospel icon Twinkie Clark takes center stage alongside The Clark Sisters in a tribute to her unmatched artistry. The evening also pays tribute to Mary Lou Williams, a jazz luminary whose spiritual choral works continue to resonate with the brilliance that once guided legends like Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis. 6:30 pm.

    Metallica
    Photo by Herring Herring

    Metallica performs at NRG Stadium on Saturday.

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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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