weekend event planner

Top things to do in Houston this weekend: downtown skating, Latin music heartthrobs, and more

Hit the ice at Discovery Green.

Photo courtesy of Discovery Green

This weekend, we usher the holiday in with the Frostival party in Discovery Green — think ice skating, music, and more. Some big movies get their due — hometown hero Wes Anderson gets the scholarly treatment at his alma mater — and heartthrobs Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, and Pitbull take over Toyota Center.

Thursday, November 16

Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown presents Barbie vs. Ken Movie + Silent Disco

Rooftop CInema Club Uptown is celebrating the biggest movie of 2023 in the best way with a Barbie vs. Ken Movie + Silent Disco. Guests can arrive when doors open to enjoy all the rooftop offers with a bar, games, and stunning views. Capture the moment with your favorite Barbies and Kens, then sit back, relax and watch Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster hit Barbie. After the film, experience the Kenergy and bop along to dueling DJs: one Barbie-themed set with pop princess hits and the other a Ken-inspired set with rocking boy bands. 6:30 pm.

Miller Theatre Advisory Board presents Les Grandes Dames: A Centennial Celebration

Miller Theatre Advisory Board will host Les Grandes Dames: A Centennial Celebration with special guest Rita Moreno, in celebration of Miller Outdoor Theatre’s Centennial Celebration and honoring outgoing managing director Cissy Segall Davis. Funds raised from the gala will contribute to the current $12.5 capital campaign underway to provide renovations and improvements that will greet future Miller visitors, providing the next generation of theatergoers with an incredible, more-modern, and state-of-the art theater experience. 8 pm.

Friday, November 17

Frostival at Discovery Green

Sharpen those skating skills and head to Discovery Green’s 12-acre park to ice skate outdoors at Green Mountain Energy Ice. Make snow angels in the Snow Zone, take pictures with Santa Claus, Houston’s own Pancho Claus, and Black Santa, enjoy hip-hop dance performances from J-Dance Company, and check out spectacular art cars from The Orange Show. The evening continues through 10 pm with a chill DJ set from DJ Mohawk Steve featuring nostalgic hip-hop and H-Town favorites. The fun kicks off at 5 pm, with free ice skating for the first 50 people and Forever Green Members (Discovery Green) until 7 pm. Performances begin at 6 pm. Ice skating continues throughout the season. Tickets start at $15.

Foto Relevance presents David Reinfeld: "Composite Realities" opening reception

Foto Relevance presents "Composite Realities," a solo show by gallery artist David Reinfeld. Known in Houston for his quantum-physics inspired images of the natural world, Reinfeld presents new work exploring the urban dimension of life, traversing the architectural monuments of mankind and the moments of connection which lie within. This exhibit takes us on a tour through shadows and structures, archaeological strata embedded in paper, and visions of wind dancing through the streets. Through Friday, December 22. 6 pm.

Houston Cinema Arts Festival presents Rushmore 25th Anniversary Screening

In partnership with Friends of River Oaks Theatre, the Houston Cinema Arts Festival will have a 25th anniversary screening of Wes Anderson’s 1998 classic Rushmore as a centerpiece selection this weekend. To celebrate this milestone and its connection to Houston, the event will be held at the Lowe Theater in St. John's school – the main shooting location for Rushmore. The audience will enjoy a special video introduction from Anderson and a post-show panel sharing stories on the making of the film. 7:30 pm.

Memorial Hermann Broadway at Hobby Center presents MJ the Musical

The music. The moves. The icon. Now, the unparalleled artistry of the greatest entertainer of all time is featured in MJ, the Tony-winning new musical centered around the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour. The production goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Michael Jackson into legendary status. 8 pm (2 and 8 pm Saturday; 1:30 and 7 pm Sunday).

Saturday, November 18

Le Diner en Blanc Houston All-White Luxury Dinner Party

Le Diner en Blanc is so much more than an event. It’s a unique cultural movement that empowers friends of friends to gather and celebrate their shared passions for life, food, fashion, and community. Elegantly dressed all in white, guests arrive at a secret location for a chic picnic en masse. Over the course of the evening, guests from all backgrounds eat, dance, reconnect with the finer things in life, and make new traditions, as they appreciate their city’s beauty and the night’s magical experience. 6 pm.

Chris Dave and the Drumhedz with special guest The Hamiltones

The historic Eldorado Ballroom proudly presents two-time Grammy winner Chris Dave and the Drumhedz, featuring a special performance by North Carolina’s Grammy-nominated R&B duo The Hamiltones. General Admission tickets start at $35 and include access to the event and a cash bar. VIP tickets are on sale for $150, which provide private seating, early access to the Highway Vodka VIP bar, dinner by Lucille's, an open Highway Vodka bar, entry to the Hogan Brown Gallery meet and greet afterparty, and bottle service after 8 pm. 7 pm.

Ms. Pat: Ya Girl Done Made It

Patricia Williams (aka Ms. Pat) is a comedian, author, podcaster, and actress who brings a raw, in-your-face, hilarious perspective to her work. She has appeared on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central’s This Is Not Happening, Netflix’s Larry Charles’ Dangerous World of Comedy, TV Guide Network’s Standup in Stilettos, Nickelodeon’s Mom’s Night Out, and was featured in the second season of the Netflix stand-up series The Degenerates. She even has her own sitcom, The Ms. Pat Show, on BET+. 7 pm.

Enhrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, and Pitbull in concert

Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, and Pitbull take over Toyota Center.Photo courtesy of Enrique Iglesias

Who’s ready to go back to 1999 this weekend? All those gals who went ga-ga over Latin-music heartthrobs Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin back in the day will be happy to know that they will be in Houston, performing as part of The Trilogy Tour. They will also be joined by reggaeton rap god Pitbull. The megastars will deliver a mix of their biggest career-spanning hits with influences of reggaeton, salsa pop, dance, and electronic music. 7 pm.

Sunday, November 19

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents "Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence" opening day

"Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence" showcases Wiley’s new, monumental body of work created against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the global rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. The works in "Silence" stand as elegies and monuments, underscoring the fraught terms in which Black people are rendered visible, especially at the hands of systemic violence. Through Monday, May 27. 12:30 pm.

Kirk Franklin presents The Reunion Tour

Who’s ready to make a joyful noise this weekend? Fort Worth’s very own gospel superstar Kirk Franklin will bring The Reunion Tour to Houston. After collaborating with Maverick City Music on 2022’s Kingdom Book One. he’s hitting the road with former gospel crews The Family and God’s Property. (We’re assuming the One Nation Crew couldn’t make this tour due to prior plans.) Christian Latin rap duo New Breed are also scheduled to perform. 7 pm.

Movie Review

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

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.

movies film