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    weekend event planner

    Legally Blonde, a pita party, a brai beer bash, and more lead things to do in Houston this weekend

    Craig D. Lindsey
    Jul 6, 2023 | 6:00 am
    Legally Blonde

    Think pink like Elle at Rooftop Cinema Club.

    Legally Blonde Official/Facebook

    This weekend offers a chance to pay tribute to Barbie and really think pink at our rooftop movie hot spot: think Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and more "pink power" flicks.

    Foodies can chow down at a South African chicken and beer bash courtesy of Nando's, while Craft Pita cooks up a delicious event.

    Art openings and comedy awaits, as does a Hot Wheels showcase that's rolling into town. Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

    Thursday, July 6

    Midsummer Sip and Shop with Reagan Bregman and Julia Morales at Georgia James

    Astros fan favorites Reagan Bregman and Julia Morales are hosting a Midsummer Sip and Shop at Underbelly Hospitality’s Georgia James this weekend. Come to the rooftop pop-up shop for bites and cocktails and peruse the plethora of predominantly women-owned businesses. All ticket holders will be entered in a raffle for a chance to win some truly enviable prizes. All proceeds from ticket sales and a portion of proceeds from vendors will go towards Bregman Cares and Houston Pets Alive. Noon.

    Heat and Hops Party at 8th Wonder Brewery

    The countdown is on for the opening of Nando’s Post Oak location, and what better way to celebrate than with the heat of Nando’s wings and the crisp taste of a PERi Pilsner from 8th Wonder Brewery. Join Nando's for their Heat and Hops event, where guests are invited to try a taste of South Africa featuring free food from Nando’s (while supplies last), complimentary beer (while supplies last), a commemorative pint glass, DJ, and surprises throughout the night. 5 pm.

    Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown presents Pink Power

    Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown kicks off its July programming with the Pink Power series in honor of Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie release, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. They will be celebrating women’s empowerment with a series of beloved movies featuring strong, female leads, including Legally Blonde this weekend, Clueless on Thursday, July 13, and Bridemaids on Thursday, July 20. Dressing to theme is highly encouraged, so make sure to wear pink. 7:30 pm.

    Friday, July 7

    Texas Restaurant Show 2023

    Part trade show and part conference, the Texas Restaurant Show motivates and inspires everyone – from first time restaurateurs to industry veterans. Engaging seminars and interactive panels are offered by industry thought leaders on trending topics and an array of specialty pavilions offer an exciting, diverse and valuable glimpse into the latest products and services that the market has to offer. This is the place to do business and become a better restaurateur. 1 pm (8 am Saturday; 9:30 am Sunday).

    Creative Movement Practices presents The Secret in the Wings

    When her parents ignore her pleadings, a young girl is left at home to be watched over by an amorous ogre. The monster offers her six fairy tales, each one deadlier than the last, and each a part of a greater mystery. Will the girl be swept away by the darkness, or live to tell her own tale? Audiences will (re)discover long forgotten or seldom-told lore through an enchanting carousel of stories woven by dreams, dry wit, and magic. Through Saturday, July 22. 8 pm (3 pm Sunday).

    The Secret Group presents James Austin Johnson

    James Austin Johnson is an American comedian and actor originally from Nashville, Tennessee. He has garnered attention for his impression of former President Donald Trump, sometimes being referred to as "the best Trump impersonator." He is currently a cast member of Saturday Night Live, where he impersonates both Trump and Joe Biden. He can also do a surprisingly dead-on Michael McDonald. 8 pm.

    Miller Outdoor Theatre presents An Evening with Booker T. Jones

    As leader of the legendary Booker T and the MGs, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recipient/pillar of soul music Booker T. Jones has collaborated with Otis Redding, Albert King, and more during his tenure at Stax Records. Booker has lent his trademark keyboard chops to such songs as Willie Nelson’s multi-platinum hit “Stardust,” and produced classic albums like Bill Withers’ Just As I Am, featuring the hit song “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Most recently, Booker released his memoir, Time is Tight, and an accompanying album, Note by Note. 8:30 pm.

    Saturday, July 8

    Hot Wheels Legends Tour

    The 2023 Hot Wheels Legends Tour rolls into the Houston area with a contest that offers custom car builders the unique opportunity to have their passion projects turned into the next Hot Wheels die-cast toy car. The event will feature a unique mix of vehicles from across the state, Hot Wheels Garage of Legends life-size cars, and an array of onsite experiences and collectables that are only available on the tour. 8 am.

    Craft Pita Cookout

    Craft Pita, the popular Mediterranean restaurant, is hosting their first annual Craft Pita Cookout this weekend. As the summer season heats up, Craft Pita owner/chef Rafael Nasr is teaming up with local culinary stars Abbas Dhanani (Burger Bodega), Josh Deleon (Underground Creamery), and Christina Au (Blacksmith) for a cookout collaboration. Nasr and the guest chefs will bring the Houston community a range of exclusive, limited-time menu items showcasing their innovative twists on Mediterranean cuisine. 11 am.

    The Waffle Bus Walk-Up Coffee Window Grand Opening

    The Waffle Bus is celebrating the grand opening of their walk-up coffee window with a weekend-long bash. The team will be serving up delicious coffee drinks to accompany their mouth-watering brunch bites at their Montrose brick and mortar, near The Menil Collection. The two-day grand opening will treat the first 50 guests to a free coffee drink and will be offering 50-percent off all coffee drinks throughout the weekend. The walk-up bar is perfect for city dwellers seeking a delicious caffeine fix. 11 am.

    Sawyer Yards presents April DeConick: "Flow Meets Fiber" opening reception

    This solo exhibition of textile works by artist April DeConick is about remediation. It provides a space for us to enter, reflect, and remember the Flow, our connection to nature and each other. Modernity – the author of technology, consumerism, and urbanization – has an underbelly which has left many of us overly stressed, depressed, and anxious, living lives detached from our ancestors and in conflict with our neighbors. Through Saturday, July 29. 3 pm.

    Sunday, July 9

    Alamo Drafthouse Houston presents World of Animation: When Marnie Was There (Subtitled)

    When shy, artistic Anna moves to the seaside to live with her aunt and uncle, she stumbles upon an old mansion surrounded by marshes, and the mysterious young girl, Marnie, who lives there. The two girls instantly form a unique connection and friendship that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. Based on the young adult novel by Joan G. Robinson, this 2014 drama has been described as “Ghibli Gothic,” with its moonlit seascapes, glowing orchestral score, and powerful portrayals that build to a stormy climax. 11 am.

    The Menil Collection presents “Art of the Cameroon Grassfields, A Living Heritage in Houston” closing day

    Sunday is the final day for this exhibition, which celebrates the enduring artistic traditions from Cameroon and its diaspora. The show will present more than 20 historical works from Houston-based collections, including the Menil; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and local private collections. In a separate gallery space, the museum will display recent artworks by Douala-based artist Hervé Youmbi. 11 am.

    Houston Museum of African American Culture presents Beats on Screen: Wild Style

    This summer, the Houston Museum of African American Culture and Emancipation Park Conservancy are celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with a film series featuring classic films significant to the culture. These films will also be preceded by musical sets led by well-known Houston DJs. Join them for a screening of the classic film that started it all. It will be preceded by a DJ battle between DJ Aggravated and Def Jam Blaster, where they will take us through a sonic history of hip-hop. 7:30 pm.

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    Movie Review

    Meta-comedy remake Anaconda coils itself into an unfunny mess

    Alex Bentley
    Dec 26, 2025 | 2:30 pm
    Jack Black and Paul Rudd in Anaconda
    Photo by Matt Grace
    Jack Black and Paul Rudd in Anaconda.

    In Hollywood’s never-ending quest to take advantage of existing intellectual property, seemingly no older movie is off limits, even if the original was not well-regarded. That’s certainly the case with 1997’s Anaconda, which is best known for being a lesser entry on the filmography of Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez, as well as some horrendous accent work by Jon Voight.

    The idea behind the new meta-sequel Anaconda is arguably a good one. Four friends — Doug (Jack Black), Griff (Paul Rudd), Claire (Thandiwe Newton), and Kenny (Steve Zahn) — who made homemade movies when they were teenagers decide to remake Anaconda on a shoestring budget. Egged on by Griff, an actor who can’t catch a break, the four of them pull together enough money to fly down to Brazil, hire a boat, and film a script written by Doug.

    Naturally, almost nothing goes as planned in the Amazon, including losing their trained snake and running headlong into a criminal enterprise. Soon enough, everything else takes second place to the presence of a giant anaconda that is stalking them and anyone else who crosses its path.

    Written and directed by Tom Gormican, with help from co-writer Kevin Etten, the film is designed to be an outrageous comedy peppered with laugh-out-loud moments that cover up the fact that there’s really no story. That would be all well and good … if anything the film had to offer was truly funny. Only a few scenes elicit any honest laughter, and so instead the audience is fed half-baked jokes, a story with no focus, and actors who ham it up to get any kind of reaction.

    The biggest problem is that the meta-ness of the film goes too far. None of the core four characters possess any interesting traits, and their blandness is transferred over to the actors playing them. And so even as they face some harrowing situations or ones that could be funny, it’s difficult to care about anything they do since the filmmakers never make the basic effort of making the audience care about them.

    It’s weird to say in a movie called Anaconda, but it becomes much too focused on the snake in the second half of the film. If the goal is to be a straight-up comedy, then everything up to and including the snake attacks should be serving that objective. But most of the time the attacks are either random or moments when the characters are already scared, and so any humor that could be mined all but disappears.

    Black and Rudd are comedy all-stars who can typically be counted on to elevate even subpar material. That’s not the case here, as each only scores on a few occasions, with Black’s physicality being the funniest thing in the movie. Newton is not a good fit with this type of movie, and she isn’t done any favors by some seriously bad wigs. Zahn used to be the go-to guy for funny sidekicks, but he brings little to the table in this role.

    Any attempt at rebooting/remaking an old piece of IP should make a concerted effort to differentiate itself from the original, and in that way, the new Anaconda succeeds. Unfortunately, that’s its only success, as the filmmakers can never find the right balance to turn it into the bawdy comedy they seemed to want.

    ---

    Anaconda is now playing in theaters.

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