weekend event planner

Top things to do in Houston this weekend: Queens of the Stone Age, Michael Bublé, and more

Houston rocks out this weekend with some big concerts: A.J. Croce, Akon, and Queens of the Stone Age all take the stage. Speaking of big shows, Jurassic Quest features more than 50 massive, animatronic dinosaurs at equally big NRG Center.

In a nod to our city's nation-leading diversity, the Islamic Arts Festival celebrates 10 years, while an astronaut-hosted screening of The Right Stuff pays homage to our Space City status. And for Sunday Funday, America's Got Talent fans can spend an evening with Howie Mandel.

Enjoy; here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, December 7

Michael Bublé hosts “Easy, Now” pop-up lounge at Spec's

$Michael Bubl\u00e9 Fraser & Thompson tux lawn chair$ Superstar and “sentient tuxedo of a man” Bublé will pass out whiskey here in Houston. Photo courtesy of Fraser & Thompson

Charming singer/actor/pitchman Michael Bublé will host a fan meet-and-greet and tasting event for his Fraser & Thompson Whiskey from 4 pm to 5 pm Thursday, December 7 at Spec’s - Fountain View (2020 Fountain View Dr.). Plan for a long line, arrive early, and be ready to sip the Canadian showman’s celebrity spirit at what’s dubbed the “Easy, Now” pop-up lounge within the store. Bublé is expected to pass out sips only — officially, he’s not slated to sign bottles or pose for photos. 4pm to 5 pm.

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston presents THIS WAY: A Houston Group Show opening reception

THIS WAY: A Houston Group Show showcases new work from 12 visionary, Houston-based Black artists, including Imhotep Blot by way of Amaechina Blot and Studio KER led by Michael Bennett, Colby Deal, Nahtan (Nate Edwards), Dom Elam, Amarie Gipson, Gem Hale, Charonda Johnson, Berlin Nicholas, Irene Antonia Diane Reece, and Jason Woods (Flash Gordon Parks). They all were invited to examine innovative ways of participating in the storytelling of Black legacy and heritage in Houston Freedmen’s Town. Through Sunday, March 24. 7 pm.

AKON in concert

Senegalese-American singer/producer/entrepreneur Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam – that’s AKON, to you and me – will be in Houston this weekend. He’ll be performing as part of The Superfan Tour, in support of his 2022 album, TT Freak. Watch him perform such hits as “Locked Up” and try to forget that he has a Wakanda-inspired city in Senegal that he hasn’t finished building yet. 7:30 pm.

Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life

Brett Goldstein is a breakthrough British creative force on and offscreen who has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after multi-hyphenates. He is the co-executive producer, writer, and star of Ted Lasso, playing the brash yet lovable Roy Kent. He is also the host of podcast, Films To Be Buried With, which finds him in candid conversation with special guests as they discuss the films that have shaped them. Now, he’s going around the country giving you some stand-up goodness. 8 pm.

Friday, December 8

The Ultimate Watch Event at Zadok Jewelers

If you’re a person who still prefers to check the time by looking at your wrist, join Zadok Jewelers for an extraordinary showcase of the world's rarest and most remarkable timepieces. Shop among many brands such as Bulgari, Cartier, Chopard, Grand Seiko, Hublot and IWC. And there will also be booze! On Friday only, guests can join in for a whiskey tasting from 4 to 6 pm with The Macklowe Whiskey. 10 am.

Jurassic Quest

Jurassic Quest Triceratops Meet a kind Triceratops. at Jurassic Quest. Photo courtesy of Jurassic Quest

Jurassic Quest is a dinosaur adventure for the whole family. The main dinosaur exhibit features over 50 ultra-realistic, life-size animatronic dinosaurs. Visitors can interact with these huge creatures, learn about them, and even ride a few. There are also huge T-Rex and Triceratops fossil digs where young paleontologists can uncover long, hidden dinosaur bones, the “Dino Bounce” area with several dinosaur-themed inflatable mazes, face painting, dino crafts, and more. Noon (9 am Saturday and Sunday).

Midtown Cultural Arts presents Mistletoe Market

The Midtown Mistletoe Market, with the theme of "Holiday Twinkle in Midtown," will feature artisans and specialty crafters showcasing their unique creations. 29 artists and makers will be participating, including Miriam O’Brien, Anna Naumenko, Charles Washington, and Samantha Peterson. There will be picture-twinkling lights, Santa Claus, holiday music, craft classes for both adults and children, holiday-themed public art installations, food options, and more. 5 pm (10 am Saturday).

The Music Box Theater presents A Beatles Holiday Cabaret

The Music Box Theater will celebrate Christmas and The Beatles in one memorable, festive holiday concert, A Beatles Holiday Cabaret. Song selections include some of the group’s original Christmas/Beatles mash-ups, such as “O Darlin”/”Please Come Home for Christmas,” “The First Noel”/”Here Comes the Sun,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”/”Marshmallow World” and “Help”/”O Come Emmanuel.” There will also be lots of other holiday and The Beatles musical surprises. Through Sunday, December 23. 7;30 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Saturday, December 9

Islamic Arts Society presents Islamic Arts Festival

This year, the Islamic Arts Society will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Islamic Arts Festival, the oldest festival of Islamic arts in the country. During the two-day festival, visitors will have the opportunity to see the work of renowned artists who will be available in person. They will be able to browse through the festival hall and purchase magnificent pieces of art for their homes. We’re talking hundreds of pieces of art under one roof, live paintings, Ebru, henna, bazaar, food, and more. 10:30 am.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents The Right Stuff

Based on the bestseller by Tom Wolfe, this Oscar-winning, 1983 epic is about the race to put the first man on the moon. Four U.S. Air Force test pilots (Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard) are chosen as the bravest, the best, and the most daring—the men with “the right stuff.” Retired Astronaut Colonel Terry Virts, who will introduce this “Movies Houstonians Love” presentation, says this film inspired him to become an astronaut. 5 pm.

Sawyer Yards presents Debbie Gibbs: "Hands Talk" opening reception

Sawyer Yards presents "Hands Talk," a solo exhibition of new works by Houston artist Debbie Gibbs. The mixed media artworks in this exhibit, composed of paper and acrylic on stretched canvas, highlight the role of hands in communicating and connecting. From the most literal interpretation, sign language, to symbolic gestures, hands can say a lot. The racially diverse hands visible in the works represent the beauty that diversity brings to the world as well as the complexity it brings to communication and connection. Through Friday, December 29. 5 pm.

Queens of the Stone Age in concert

When we heard Queens of the Stone Age is coming to Houston this weekend (in support of their new album In Times New Roman…), we immediately thought of the time Will Ferrell pulled out his trusty cowbell and performed with the band of Saturday Night Live. (If you’ve never seen it, here you go.) While it would be a dream to see them team up for a live performance here in H-Town, we’re still looking forward to Josh Homme and his crew performing the hard-driving numbers that make them one of the best rock bands working today. 7 pm.

Sunday, December 10

Cigna Sunday in the Park

Cigna Sunday in the Park does its final outdoor get-together of the year this weekend. Of course, Sunday in the Park spotlights Houston’s most unique neighborhoods around the city with a focus on promoting healthy living, supporting neighborhood economies and a sense of community. Since it’s December, we have a holiday-themed celebration at Tuffly Park. The free, family-friendly event will include activities for the entire family including bounce houses, live music, dancing, free food, games and photos with Santa. Noon.

Performing Arts Houston presents An Evening with Howie Mandel

Spend Sunday Funday with Howie Mandel. Photo courtesy of Howie Mandel

Howie Mandel has remained a constant force in show business for more than 30 years. He can currently be seen on NBC’s flagship series America’s Got Talent, where he has served as a judge for 11 seasons. He recently finished production on his new documentary, Howie Mandel: But Enough About Me. But let’s keep it real here: Bobby’s World was the greatest thing dude has ever done. If you have kids and haven’t introduced them to one of the best cartoons of the ‘90s, go on YouTube and watch the little ones fall in love with Lil’ Bobby. 7:30 pm.

Bayou Music Center presents Croce Plays Croce

Queens of the Stone Age/Facebook

Queens of the Stone Age reign this weekend.

After more than 25 years making his own musical mark, A.J. Croce began performing some of the songs of his dad, Jim Croce, live and forming a special show out of it. This concert will celebrate two of his father's legendary albums, 1973’s Life and Times and his final release I Got A Name, in addition to songs from You Don’t Mess Around With Jim. You know he’ll be doing such classics as “Time in a Bottle” and “Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels).” But let’s hope he also hits us with a rendition of our favorite Croce song, “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.” 8 pm.

Movie Review

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 doesn't match the first movie's enthusiasm

Blumhouse

Five Nights at Freddy's 2.

Blumhouse Productions first made their name with the Paranormal Activity series, establishing themselves as a leader in the horror genre thanks to their relatively cheap yet effective movies. In recent years, they’ve added on “soft” horror films like M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy’s to draw in a younger audience, with both films becoming so successful that each was quickly given a sequel.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 finds Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) still recovering from the events of the first film, with Abby particularly missing her “friends.” Those friends just so happen to be the souls of murdered children who inhabit animatronic characters at the long-defunct Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, children who were abducted and killed by William Afton (Matthew Lillard).

A new threat emerges at another Freddy Fazbear’s location in the form of Charlotte, another murdered child who inhabits a creepy large marionette. Mike, distracted by a possible romance with Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), fails to keep track of Abby, who makes her way to the old pizzeria and inadvertently unleashes Charlotte and her minions on the surrounding town.

Directed by Emma Tammi and written by Scott Cawthon (who also created the video game on which the series is based), the film tries to mix together goofy elements with intense scenes. One particular sequence, in which the security guard for Freddy Fazbear’s lets a group of ghost hunters onto the property, toes the line between soft and hard horror. That and a few others show the potential that the filmmakers had if they had stuck to their guns.

Unfortunately, more often than not they either soft-pedal things that would normally be horrific, or can’t figure out how to properly stage scenes. The sight of animatronic robots wreaking havoc is one that is simultaneously frightening and laughable, and the filmmakers never seem to find the right balance in tone. Every step in the direction of making a truly scary horror film is undercut by another in which the robots fail to live up to their promise.

It doesn’t help that Cawthon gives the cast some extremely wooden dialogue, lines that none of the actors can elevate. What may work in a video game format comes off as stilted when said by actors in a live-action film. The story also loses momentum quickly after the first half hour or so, with Cawthon seemingly content to just have characters move from place to place with no sense of connection between any of the scenes.

Hutcherson (The Hunger Games series), after being the true lead of the first film, is given very little to do in this film, and his effort is equal to his character’s arc. The same goes for Lail, whose character seems to be shoehorned into the story. Rubio is called upon to carry the load for a lot of the movie, and the teenager is not quite up to the task. A brief appearance by Skeet Ulrich seems to be a blatant appeal to Scream fans, but he and Lillard only underscore how limited this film is compared to that franchise.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is better than the first film, but not by much. The filmmakers do a decent job of making the new marionette character into a great villain, but they fail to capitalize on its inherent creepiness. Instead, they fall back on less effective elements, ensuring that the film will be forgettable for anyone other than hardcore Freddy fans.

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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opens in theaters on December 5.

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