weekend event planner

Dave Chappelle, Willie Nelson, and a giant shark headline fun things to do in Houston this weekend

Dave Chappelle steps into Toyota Center this weekend.

Photo courtesy of Dave Chappelle

This weekend, America celebrates its birthday with a boom. (Check out our big list of Fourth of July fireworks and events here.)

We'll also see some big names coming to town — Dave Chappelle, Willie Nelson, and a really, really big shark. Asia Society goes Bollywood via a fun film screening, the Post downtown hosts a french toast pop-up, and Ru-Paul makes Sunday a real drag (show).

Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, June 29

Del Frisco’s Grille presents “Hot Grille Summer”

This season, have a “Hot Grille Summer” at Del Frisco’s Grille in The Woodlands. Spend time enjoying the summertime weather while snacking on some of Del Frisco’s Grille’s best bites and refreshing drinks. Join them for a party on the patio (for $45 each) for an all-inclusive experience. Enjoy delectable light bites & sip on a glass of Hampton Water Rosé, a refreshing rosé sangria founded by Jesse and Jon Bon Jovi, or a smoky Guava Margarita made with Dos Hombres Mezcal, founded by Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. 5 pm.

Young Thug Business is Business Listening Event at Cactus Music

Young Thug has a new album out, and Cactus Music will have a party for those who pick it up over there. The CD has five additional exclusive tracks not released with the digital album. Space is limited to 120 people. They’ll have CDs to buy the day of, but they’re encouraging folks to buy it online & secure their spots. (People can pick up their online orders starting at 4 pm.) Attendees will receive free merch and light snacks & refreshments will be served. 5:30 pm.

A.D. Players presents Smoke on the Mountain

Smoke on the Mountain features two dozen, rousing bluegrass songs played and sung by the Sanders Family, a traveling family music group making its return to Mount Pleasant Baptist Church after a five-year hiatus. As each family member takes a turn sharing an important life event, one thing after another goes awry and they reveal their true - and hilariously imperfect - natures, endearing themselves to us and allowing the audience to share in their triumphs. Through Sunday, July 30. 7:30 pm (8 pm Friday; 2:30 & 8 pm Saturday; 2:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, June 30

Blake’s Last Call

Blake's BBQ & Burgers, one of Houston's favorite burger joints, will re-open for a community event and city recognition. City council member Tiffany D. Thomas will recognize Donald Blake and Blake's BBQ & Burgers for 42 years of service to the westside and the entire city of Houston. In addition to the council member recognition ceremony, Blake's will provide complimentary light bites as well as menu items, and a live performance with Ronnie Coleman, Jr. There will also be a $1 beer special while supplies last. 10:30 am.

Houston Museum of African American Culture presents “El Franco Lee II: Career Survey” opening reception

This exhibition is the first solo museum exhibition by Houston-based artist El Franco Lee II. El Franco aptly refers to his style as Urban Mannerist Pop Art as the bizarre and grotesque come together in his paintings in ways that feel illogical, but perfectly balanced. This retrospective survey is a collection of 30 works created over the past 16 years of the artist’s professional career. Through Saturday, September 2. 6 pm.

Improv Houston presents Marlon Wayans

For a while there, Marlon Wayans was Team Netflix. His first standup special, Woke-ish, premiered on Netflix in 2018, and he’s been in the Netflix movies Sextuplets and The Curse of Bridge Hollow. But, lately, he’s been doing his best work on HBO Max. His latest special, God Loves Me, has him hilariously breaking down the infamous Oscar slap, as well as his relationships with the principal players involved. Catch him this weekend as he does a couple nights over at Improv Houston. 7:30 & 9:45 pm (7 & 9:30 pm Saturday; 7:30 pm Sunday).

Asia Society Texas Center presents Bollywood Film Nights: English Vinglish

Asia Society Texas Center will celebrate hits from Bollywood cinema with its Bollywood Film Nights series. In English Vinglish, Sridevi shines as Shashi Godbole, a home business entrepreneur who enrolls in an English-speaking course to prepare for a New York wedding and stop her husband and daughter from mocking her lack of English skills. Guests must bring their own lawn chairs, blankets and snacks to enjoy the show. Food, drinks, and snacks will be available for sale at the screening. 8:30 pm.

Saturday, July 1

Everything French Toast x Lea Jane's Pop-Up at POST Houston

The Everything French Toast food truck will make a special pop-up appearance at Lea Jane's Hot Chicken at POST Houston. Typically serving breakfast at The Flat every Sunday, Everything French Toast will offer two sandwiches this weekend: the French Toast Texas Monte Cristo smoked brisket sandwich with chipotle gouda, fried egg and blackberry compote, served with fries ($18); and the French toast hot honey fried chicken aandwich, served with tater tots ($16). 9 am.

Rocket Dog at Discovery Green

Built by legendary art car artist Rebecca Bass (she did the iconic Stevie Ray Vaughan car), Rocket Dog is Discovery Green’s official mascot. Along with her students, Bass created an “art cart” in 2007 to celebrate the opening of Discovery Green. The cart is filled with lawn games such as bocce ball, horseshoes, and more for patrons to borrow while visiting the park. An ID is needed to borrow games and will be returned to you when the borrowed games are returned. 10:30 am.

Benefit Betties Stars & Stripes Soiree

The Benefit Betties are back with their signature brand of bombshells & burlesque, this time with a hoppin’ Hanger Dance & dazzling variety show soaring over at the 1940's Air Terminal. Inspired by the spirit of yesteryear, this riveting retro revue promises to transport you back to the heyday of the 1940s, a time of undeniable charm and enchantment. Picture yourself surrounded by the timeless elegance of the 1940's Air Terminal, a living testament to Houston's rich history. 7 pm.

Toyota Center presents Dave Chappelle Live

Whether you love him or hate him, Dave Chappelle is recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He is the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and his work has earned him more than 30 nominations and awards in television and film for projects that include his groundbreaking sketch comedy series Chappelle’s Show, comedy specials, and guest appearances on Saturday Night Live. So, catch him this weekend and see if he does a show that’s under three hours. 7:30 pm.

Sunday, June 2

Alamo Drafthouse Houston presents Jaws Movie Party

It’s the movie that perfected the summer blockbuster and launched a million toothy (and goofy) knock-offs, but none of them can compete with the bite of Steven Spielberg’s 1975 original. As if that wasn’t enough, this is a Movie Party, so you can live the shark-hunting adventure along with your pals Brody, Hooper, and Quint – minus the salty sea air and actual mortal peril. Featuring shark hats, yellow floatie drink holders, and other surprises, it’s the most fourth-wall-busting fun you can have on dry land. 2:45 and 6:30 pm.

Outlaw Music Festival with Willie Nelson and Friends

Who doesn’t love Willie Nelson? The man is a country-music icon, a proud Texan, and someone who always knows where to get the best weed. The Outlaw Music Festival Tour continues the celebration of Nelson’s legendary life and legacy in his milestone 90th birthday year. Performing in The Woodlands will be Willie Nelson & Family, Whiskey Myers, Brittney Spencer, Particle Kid, and more. Nelson is touring in support of his 99th album, I Don’t Know A Thing About Love. 4:35 pm.

RuPaul's Drag Race: Werq the World Tour

Asia O’Hara, Bosco, DeJa Skye, Jujubee, Lady Camden, Laganja, Vanessa Vanjie and select finalists from Season 15 of RuPaul's Drag Race will serve a whole lotta face and help free minds during the Werq the World Tour, the world’s largest drag production. You gotta give these performers props for coming down here and doing their thing in a state where certain people think these divas are coming for their children. 8 pm.

Movie Review

Meta-comedy remake Anaconda coils itself into an unfunny mess

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.

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Anaconda is now playing in theaters.

movies film