weekend event planner

Here are the top 14 things to do in Houston this weekend

Houston graffiti icon GONZO247 makes a splash this Saturday.

GONZO247/Facebook

This weekend presents a mix of art and food fun, as a vaunted steakhouse from Tilman Fertitta celebrates 20 years, and four OGs of graffiti get their due. Some cool comedians come to town, while Discovery Green makes STEM fun in a free event.

Also look for erotic psychodrama at Houston Grand Opera with a world-class production, jazzy events, and a festive Eid event at Asia Society.

Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, April 27

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Latin Wave 16

The annual Latin Wave series provides the opportunity for Houstonians to see new films from Latin America, and to meet internationally acclaimed filmmakers. The nature of the festival allows audience members to interact with the filmmakers in Q&A sessions and informal conversations. These dialogues enrich the understanding of contemporary filmmaking in Latin America. Screenings will take place in both the Brown Auditorium Theater and the Lynn Wyatt Theater. 5 pm (7 pm Friday; 1 pm Saturday and Sunday).

Improv Houston presents Rosebud Baker

Rosebud Baker is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. Her intensely personal, remorselessly dark brand of humor has not only made her a favorite on the comedy scene, but a sought-after TV writer. She’s currently a writer for both Saturday Night Live and That Damn Michael Che. Along with having a standup special, Whiskey Fists, she also has a recurring role on Amy Schumer’s Hulu series Life & Beth. She’s also gonna be a mom real soon! 7:30 pm.

The Riot Comedy Club presents Sam Jay

For the past two seasons, stand-up comic and Emmy-nominated writer Sam Jay was having a grand ol’ time on her HBO show Pause with Sam Jay. Unfortunately, HBO canceled it in February. She also has a sitcom on Peacock she stars and co-created, titled Bust Down, that’s now up in the air since co-star/co-creator Zak Knight tragically passed away last year. Nevertheless, the comedian charges on, ready to do several shows at the Riot this weekend. 9 pm (7 and 9 pm Friday and Saturday).

Friday, April 28

De de los Ninos 20th Annual Celebration

AAMA – founded as the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans – will be celebrating this celebration (aka “Day of the Child”) at its main campus at 6001 Gulf Fwy. AAMA is the one of the longest-standing, Latino-operated nonprofit organizations in the city of Houston, this year celebrating its 53rd anniversary. Its programs and services reach 10,000 individuals annually in the state of Texas. This one-day family celebration is free, open to the public, and will include games, music, prizes and more for the entire family. 3:30 pm.

Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse 20th Anniversary Celebration

Houstonians are invited to join Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse as they celebrate its 20th anniversary with a champagne toast, craft cocktails, live music, exceptional food, as well as private barrel wines from Angel’s Envy and Whistlepig and opening up the cellar for 2003 vintage wines. Attendees will also receive an exclusive swag bag including an invitation to La Griglia’s grand opening party, a 'Weekend Staycation' special rate at The Westin, a pair of etched wine glasses, and a signature chocolate box. 5 pm.

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens presents David B. Warren Symposium

The biennial David B. Warren Symposium addresses different aspects of the theme “American Material Culture and the Texas Experience” before 1900. The symposium was established in honor of David B. Warren, founding director emeritus of Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. The presentations explore the ways images that were created in and of Texas, the Lower South, and the Southwest constructed, represented, dismantled, or concealed the identity of the people who lived there. 6:30 pm.

Houston Grand Opera presents Salome

Strauss’s erotic psychodrama returns to HGO with the U.S. premiere from Spanish director Francisco Negrin, who makes his company debut with this gripping production. Based on the scandalous play by Oscar Wilde, the opera recounts the story of a deeply disturbed princess who has fallen in love with Jokanaan (also known as John the Baptist). After he denies her advances, she performs the infamous and seductive Dance of the Seven Veils for King Herod, in exchange for John’s head. 7:30 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Saturday, April 29

12oz. OG’s Live Art Exhibition & Market

Saint Arnold Brewing Company presents "12oz. OGs," a live painting exhibition featuring Houston graffiti art veterans GONZO247, Colors, Article, and Skeez181 at this live graffiti show at Saint Arnold Brewing Company. They spent their early years getting doors slammed in their faces, getting called gang members, doing work for free, still getting devalued, brushed aside at times. Now, they’re awarded with presence, love, and appreciation, because the scene has changed. Look for a cool art market during the five-hour event. 11 am.

Skeeter’s Mesquite Grill 35th Anniversary

Family-owned restaurant Skeeter's Mesquite Grill has been serving locals with its mesquite grilled burgers, salads and Tex-Mex favorites since 1988. To commemorate its 35 years of deep-rooted Houston history and community support, both Skeeter’s locations at West University and Kingwood are hosting an all-day celebration, where family and friends can take part in happy hour ($5 house margs, $1 off beer + wine), and complimentary servings of the signature chips and queso. 8 am (West University); 11 am (Kingwood; 9 am Sunday).

Grand Central Park presents Jazz Fest

Jazz enthusiasts can groove to the sound of local artists at Grand Central Park during Jazz Fest. Boomtown Band, Raquel Cepeda, and Bayou City Funk will take the stage during the festival, which also features food trucks, a balloon artist, face painters, and more. The first 100 families to attend will receive a free picnic blanket. Guests will also have an opportunity to tour Grand Central Park’s nine model homes. 1 pm.

Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective presents “Shorts in Color”

Discovery Green Conservancy welcomes back Houston organization Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective for this free, family-friendly event, which will showcase dance, film, STEM, and more with cultural awareness. Stacey Allen of Nia’s Daughters has curated a selection of diverse local filmmakers and creatives, making positive and empowering work for families to enjoy. The films feature stories that local families and children tell about themselves. 6 pm.

Sunday, April 30

Cool Bus Houston Brewery Tour

Cool Bus will host a Houston brewery tour, visiting three Houston destination breweries: Eureka Heights Brewery, Frost Town Brewing, and Holler Brewing. The tour covers transportation on the Cool Bus, complimentary beer on the bus, one pint at each brewery, giveaways, and behind-the-scenes tours and visits with each brewery's staff. In addition to the complimentary beers on the bus, guests can BYOB. 1 pm.

Asia Society Texas and the National Arab Orchestra presents An Evening of Eid Celebration: Art and Music with National Arab Orchestra

Asia Society Texas and the National Arab Orchestra will celebrate Eid al-Fitr during Arab American Heritage Month, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and is an occasion for peace, joy, and festivity. The event highlights the richness and beauty of the Arab world, where guests can enjoy a curated art show, as well as a ticketed reception and concert from the National Arab Orchestra Takht Ensemble, featuring vocalists Abdul Salaam al-Najjar and Hela Melki. 4 pm.

Majority Rule AAPI Art Exhibit Opening Ceremony

CARA, Matt Manalo, and Erika Mei Chua Holum are teaming up to host an Asian American and Pacific Islander art exhibition featuring AAPI artists. The exhibition draws on storytelling, myth-marking, and survival strategies of South and Southeast Asian artists in Houston to consider forms of connected knowledge in the Global South, such as warm-weather solidarities and tropical futures as a way to preserve and elevate artistic practices located within and along cultural and political peripheries. Through Sunday, May 21. 7 pm.

Movie Review

Over-the-top acting and incoherent plot drag down Her Private Hell

Photo courtesy of Neon

Sophie Thatcher in Her Private Hell.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not someone who plays nice with the general film world. His 2011 film Drive introduced him to American audiences in a big way, but that pulsating thriller was followed up with artier films like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon that eschewed coherent plots in favor of moody, atmospheric pieces.

Winding Refn, who hasn’t made a feature film in 10 years, has gone fully down the rabbit hole with Her Private Hell. Taking place in a liminal space that kind of resembles Earth but also feels like someone’s dreams/nightmares, the film focuses on Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor currently starring in a sci-fi film. Staying at a hotel with newcomer Hunter (Kristine Froseth), the two bond over their shared passion and the legend of Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), who’s now married to Elle’s friend Dominique (Havana Rose Liu).

After spending a good amount of (mostly incomprehensible) time with that group, Refn introduces Private K (Charles Melton), who seems to be living in post-World War II Japan. He is looking for his daughter, who might have been taken by a mysterious figure known as “Leatherman,” and he will stop at nothing to find her, fighting whoever stands in his way.

It becomes clear almost right away that Winding Refn has no desire to engage in traditional storytelling in this film. The main characters wander through neon-drenched streets and buildings, which are often surrounded by a mist that is referred to on multiple occasions but never explained. Everyone speaks as if in a constant state of wonderment, and there are many moments where it’s unclear if events are actually happening, part of a movie-within-a-movie, or something else entirely.

Unlike his previous films, Winding Refn has taken the characters in this film completely out of the real world, with every scene taking place in a sparsely decorated room or street that is obviously a movie set. While there are moments where this decision really works, especially the striking first shot of a human-like figure mixed in with a cityscape and clouds, most of the time it only adds to the stilted nature of the film as a whole.

In fact, the entire movie has the feel of an avant-garde theater exercise. Every actor seems to be trying to outdo the others with awkward performances and out-sized reactions. Two very specific characters make appearances in both sides of the story for seemingly no reason other than to inject their weirdness into both spaces. The shocking violence that crops up on occasion would have more of an impact if it was related to anything intelligible.

Thatcher (Companion) and Liu (Tuner) are among the young stars who have had breakout moments in recent years, but neither of them is served well by this hot mess of a movie. They, along with Melton, still demonstrate the talent they possess, but the oddity of the film weighs them down. Scott makes an impression for all the wrong reasons, while Froseth is called upon to play a character who might as well not be there at all.

If there’s any kind of message that Winding Refn was trying to convey with Her Private Hell, it’s lost among the flashing lights, overload of pink, and jewel-like structures. Filmmakers who try to make art for art’s sake have a place in the world, but this film too often feels like people are making things up as they go, with no real goal in mind.

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Her Private Hell opens in theaters on July 24.

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