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    weekend event planner

    Top things to do this weekend in Houston: Beyoncé brunch, a lit downtown party, and more

    Craig D. Lindsey
    Nov 30, 2023 | 5:55 am
    Houston Ballet

    Houston Ballet celebrates its visionary artistic director in a special performance.

    Photo courtesy of Houston Ballet

    This weekend, SNL alum and famous funnyman Pete Davidson comes to town to bring the laughs and dish on his very public private life.

    Houston Ballet celebrates its visionary artistic director Stanton Welch in a Jubilee of Dance, while the whole city can celebrate Queen Bey at a Beyoncé-themed brunch to toast her new movie.

    And speaking of city celebrations, don't miss the Mayor's Holiday Spectacular as light it up. Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

    Thursday, November 30

    DASH Holiday Market at the Houston Design Center

    One of Houston's boutique markets is partnering with the Houston Design Center to present DASH Holiday Market. The four-day market will give Houston shoppers an all-inclusive experience as they discover the finest home accessories, art, jewelry, clothing, and gifts under one roof. Ove 75 local and national dealers will bring Houston shoppers the newest in trending decor and unique holiday gifts for everyone. 6 pm (10 am Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).

    Bayou Music Center presents Pete Davidson

    Actor, comedian, and professional rizzmaster Pete Davidson will be down here to do some stand-up. Davidson was a cast member on NBC’s Saturday Night Live from 2014-2022, and is the creator, executive producer, writer and star of the new Peacock comedy, Bupkis. But, of course, you mostly know him as the guy who somehow can get any A-list dimepiece any time he wants. Yeah, it boggles our minds too. 7 pm.

    The Doll Foundation presents Model of the Year

    The 2023 Model of the Year Awards will embrace the glamorous atmosphere of Studio 54, encouraging attendees to dress up as their favorite '70s icons. The occasion will honor individuals recognized as “Women of Influence”: Dr. Vanessa Barrow, Jessica Hatch Farrokhza, Dr. Cheryl Murphy Haseeb, LeBrina Jackson, Staci LaToison, Malaika Mukoro, Milka Waterland, and Susan Hough. Additionally, the event will salute Cheryl Creuzot, recipient of the "Model of a Lifetime" award, for her significant achievements. 7 pm.

    Friday, December 1

    University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance presents Emerging Choreographers Showcase

    For over 20 years, the UH School of Theatre & Dance has presented the three-day Emerging Choreographers Showcase to introduce audiences to rising student talent. UH School of Theatre & Dance students produce, choreograph, perform, and design the entire evening, showcasing their performance, design, and production skills in a professional theater setting. Noon & 7:30 pm (7:30 pm Saturday).

    Sawyer Yards presents Ray Jiang: "Life" opening reception

    Sawyer Yards presents "Life," a solo exhibition of oil paintings on canvas by artist Ray Jiang. Jiang's work explores deeply felt themes such as life, love, death, sex, and dreams. His approach is between surrealism, minimalism, and symbolism; and his goal is to express the profound essence of the human experience, going beyond culture through the use of abstract and concrete forms, and brilliant colors. Through Saturday, January 20. 6 pm.

    The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Farewell My Concubine (Ba wang bie ji)

    On its 30th anniversary, experience this influential Chinese film, restored and uncut for the first time. Dieyi (Leslie Cheung) and Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) are classmates at the Peking Opera Academy. The boys mature and their dramatic identities become real for Dieyi when he falls in love with Xiaolou, who fails to reciprocate his affections and marries a courtesan (Gong Li), This genre-bending love story captures the historical scope of a changing country and features performances showcasing the remarkable tradition of the Peking Opera. 7 pm.

    Houston Ballet presents Margaret Alkek Williams Jubilee of Dance: A Celebration of Stanton Welch

    This year’s Margaret Alkek Williams Jubilee of Dance celebrates the 20th anniversary of Stanton Welch as artistic director for one special night only. The evening will begin with a selection of highlights of Welch's work created in Houston over the past 20 seasons. Audiences will be introduced to four world premieres — three new ballets by soloist Jacquelyn Long, demi-soloist Jack Wolf and Corps de Ballet dancer Jindallae Bernard, capped off by a one-act ballet from Welch. 7:20 pm.

    Saturday, December 2

    2023 Comic Indie Con

    Whether you're a die-hard indie media fan or curious about the world of indie comics, board games, arts and crafts, this event will have something for everyone. You'll have the opportunity to explore a wide range of independent comics and discover unique stories that push the boundaries of traditional storytelling. Explore some self-published novels and get a chance to see and play with some indie board games. Don't leave without purchasing some unique indie arts and crafts. 10 am.

    The Union Kitchen presents Bubbles & Beyoncé

    All five of The Union Kitchen’s Houston-area locations will celebrate Beyoncé with a themed brunch, coinciding with the release of Bey’s newest concert film Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. Chef James Lundy and his team have curated a themed menu just for the day, including a handful of cocktails and decadent dining options. Brunch fare includes The Blue Ivy (blueberry muffins with blueberry compote) and The Disco Cakes (classic fluffy pancake stack, topped with colorful sprinkles and housemade honey butter). 10 am.

    Reliant Lights Mayor’s Holiday Spectacular

    Reliant Lights Mayor\u2019s Holiday SpectacularHouston Mayor Sylvester Turner will preside over his final Reliant Lights Mayor's Holiday Spectacular. Photo courtesy of City of Houston

    Mayor Sylvester Turner and Reliant will kick-off the holidays with one of Houston’s favorite family events of the season. This annual free event will feature live music, dance performances, the lighting of the holiday tree, and other festive activities for all ages. American Idol star and Grammy nominee Jordin Sparks will headline the event. There will also be performances by Eduardo Trevino, Houston Children’s Chorus, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts’ theater department, and more. 6 pm.

    The Orange Show presents Negativland featuring SUE-C

    Does technology help connect people? Or does it replace them? In "We Can Really Feel Like We’re Here," a collaboration between legendary sound collage group Negativland and live cinema video artist SUE-C, this live performance project is about our nervous systems, our realities, and the evolving forms of media and technology that inevitably insert themselves between them, with original music, found sounds, unique visuals, and a few surprises. 7 pm.

    Sunday, December 3

    Super Happy Christmas Toy Show and Art Market

    Super Happy Incredible Toys, the premier vintage toy store in Houston, presents the annual Christmas Toy Show and Art Market. Held at the famous Saint Arnold Brewery, this all-ages event will combine the amusement of a toy show and creativity of an art market with the opportunity to purchase many examples of both. If that wasn't enough, it'll all be dressed up as one of the year's best Christmas parties with a special appearance by Santa Himself. 11 am.

    The Winning Wonderland: Black Girl Christmas Market

    For the next two Sundays, The Black Girl Christmas Market will be the best place for holiday shopping, supporting women- and minority-owned businesses. Sponsored by Wins For Black Girls, this holiday mark is back for its third year. The shopping experience will spotlight about 20 brands, including StirTEAse, a luxury honey-stirrer brand, and Sania Ameris, a crochet couture brand. The market will feature clothing, accessories, hair care, skincare, candles, art, and more. Noon.

    Asia Society Texas presents Alka Joshi: The Perfumist of Paris

    New York Times' bestselling author Alka Joshi joins Asia Society Texas for an author talk on her latest novel, The Perfumist of Paris. As the third entry in Joshi's J'aipur Trilogy, The Perfumist of Paris takes readers to 1970s Paris where Radha’s budding career as a perfumer competes against the growing demands of her family and the secrets of her past. With her signature evocative storytelling, Joshi invites readers on a transformative journey through the deep meaning of family, identity, goals, and dreams. 2 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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