weekend event planner

These are the 14 best things to do in Houston this weekend

If you’re the type of person who is open to anything, this weekend is going to a blast. You can drink copious amounts of Belgian ale downtown, consume sushi and matcha in Garden Oaks, watch a Japanese movie in the Museum District, listen to a football star’s mom speak near UH, hear an LGBTQ+ country star’s new album in Montrose, and get your heavy metal on in the East End.

Yeah, it’s one of those weekends where anything goes. Read on for this weekend’s best bets.

Thursday, June 25

The Flying Saucer presents 100 Duvel Pours
Next week, the Flying Saucer's downtown location will send server Andie Chisholm to Las Vegas to compete in the Duvel Perfect Pour competition. To practice, she is going to attempt to sell and pour 100 bottles of Duvel in one night. One of the signature characteristics of Duvel is its massive pillowy head that takes a bit of extra time and love to pour correctly. As one of the largest Duvel accounts in the world, the Flying Saucer believes this will mark the most Duvel poured by a single person in a day. 4 pm.

Mariachi Festival presents Catrin & Catrina Competition
This weekend, it will be showtime at Talento Bilingue de Houston as Mariachi Festival invites people to the Catrin & Catrina Competition. This is a free event, so come out and see some of the most beautiful, body-painted men (or “catrin,” which is Mexican slang for “a Dandy-like gentleman”) and women (or “catrina,” which is Mexican slang for “a well-dressed woman”). Mariachi Festival is a nonprofit organization founded in 2019, and their mission is to celebrate Hispanic culture through the arts. 6 pm.

Stomping Grounds presents Karina Nistal & the Cosmic Cats
Karina Nistal & the Cosmic Cats will be back at the Stomping Grounds in Garden Oaks this weekend. Join them for dinner from one of these amazing restaurants: Luloo’s Day & Night, Bollo Woodfired Pizza, La Mex, Rooster & Rice, Pho Fix, Himari Sushi, Sonoma Wine & Cheese, or Fat Cat Creamery. You certainly can’t miss all these cool options. There will also be a live fashion show from Gigi Jewelz after the performance. 8 pm.

Friday, July 26

Jurassic Quest
Jurassic World: The Exhibition is still making noise in Katy, but there’s another dinosaur-filled journey coming back to town this weekend. Jurassic Quest is a three-day adventure through 165 million years of dinosaurs where visitors can roam among the true-to-life dino herd, take the video tour, and enjoy plenty hands-on for kids with a giant fossil dig, inflatables, rideable dinosaurs, a live Raptor training show, real fossils, photo opps, and more. 9 am.

CLASS Bookstore presents A Conversation with Sabrina Greenlee
Come and participate in an intimate conversation with author Sabrina Greenlee, mother of NFL star DeAndre Hopkins, about her book Grant Me Vision: A Journey of Family, Faith, and Forgiveness. Attendees will find light bites and refreshments, door prizes, and giveaways for the first 20 people who pre-order their books through the CLASS Bookstore website. Since there will only be a limited number of copies of the book on-site, preorders are strongly encouraged. 6:30 pm.

Houston Broadway Theatre presents Next to Normal
Next to Normal is a musical that delves into the heart of a typical American family dealing with the complexities of mental illness. With an electrifying pop/rock score, this performance takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, offering a deeply moving and insightful portrayal of life through love, sympathy, and acceptance. Recommended for audiences aged 13 and up, Next to Normal addresses adult themes, including mental health conditions and strong language, with sensitivity, humor, and heart. 1:30 pm (1:30 & 7:30 pm Saturday; 1:30 & 7 pm Sunday).

Theatre Southwest presents The Festival of Originals
Starting this weekend, Theatre Southwest will be giving audiences The Festival of Originals, otherwise known as The FOO, an annual event in which playwrights all around the world have an opportunity to submit a short play that they’ve written. Theatre Southwest selects five of these plays, each of which are assigned to different directors. The five plays are then put together in a single show on the stage, performed back-to-back. Through Saturday, August 10. 8 pm.

Saturday, July 27

Himari and ensō present Matcha Pop-Up
Himari is partnering with local tea company ensō to bring a one-day-only matcha pop-up to Houston’s Garden Oaks neighborhood. Guests can experience various combinations of matcha with suggested sushi pairings and enter for their opportunity to win a $100 gift card to Himari. Matcha options include the OG Series (Three options of Ceremonial Matcha (Uji Homare, Seion, Kiyona), oat milk, pure cane) and the Matcha Lemonade (Cold Brew Matcha, Lemon, Pure Cane). The event is open to the public, and no reservation is necessary. 11 am.

Cactus Music presents Orville Peck Stampede Listening Party
For all you Orville Peck fans out there, giddy up to Cactus to listen early to his anticipated duets album Stampede. The 15-song collection, where the masked country star performs alongside artists such as Willie Nelson, Elton John, Beck, Margo Price, Kylie Minogue, and Diplo, will be out next Friday, August 2. The event will have free posters and free refreshments. Enter a raffle to win an Orville Peck Pride shirt. 1 pm.

Lawndale Art Center presents The Big Slide Show
After getting pre-empted a couple of weekends ago due to Hurricane Beryl, The Big Slide Show is back! Join Lawndale and artists from The Big Show 2024 as they give short presentations about their work. The Big Slide Show is a chance to hear directly from artists about their work and creative practice. Artists who will be giving presentations include Isela Aguirre, Beatriz Bellorin, Nabila Dadabhoy, Jeannette “Joy” Harris, Lia Rodi, Gretchen Sparks and Amy Elizabeth Wright. 2 pm.

J-Bar-M Barbecue presents Extended FAM: Backyard BBQ Edition
J-Bar-M Barbecue is partnering with Extended FAM to host an event celebrating all things Houston art and culture. The group, co-founded by visual artist Alex Roman Jr. (aka Donkeeboy), will showcase handpicked art by Roman Jr. and his Young Art Pros (YAP), a group of young professional artists mentored by Donkeeboy. The event will feature a limited menu collaboration between J-Bar-M and Taqueria Del Sol that will combine Texas barbecue with Mexican cuisine. 6 pm.

Sunday, July 28

Heavy Metal Market
The Punk Rock Garage Sale was last week. Now, get in a headbanging mood with the Heavy Metal Market, to be held at Equal Parts Brewing. Houston's metal scene is about to get even more epic with some new vendors in the market. Michael Haaga, a graphic artist and former member of Dead Horse, The Demonseeds, Superjoint Ritual and other groups, will be a special guest. Grave City will spin records, while Boombox Tacos will serve up delicious food. 1 pm.

Mutiny Wine Room presents Paella Sunday
Head to the Heights wine bar and restaurant for an exclusive culinary experience with chef Eduardo Alcayaga, who will prepare paella with seafood on the patio. Add a Spanish wine pairing for $15. Prior to the paella, snack on appetizers that include hummus and Mutabal dip with rye bread and crudité, Gulf snapper ceviche with sweet potato chips, and house-baked bread basket with cultured butter and strawberry jalapeño jam. 1 pm (Additional seatings at 4 pm and 6:30 pm).

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents The Makioka Sisters
Adapted from the 1948 literary classic by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, Kon Ichikawa’s 1983 adaptation of The Makioka Sisters follows the lives of four siblings who have taken on their family’s kimono manufacturing business in the years leading up to the Pacific War. The two oldest have been married for some time, but according to tradition, the rebellious youngest sister cannot wed until the third (conservative and terribly shy) finds a husband. See it in glorious 35mm! 5 pm.

Photo by Becca Wright

Enjoy some paella at Mutiny Wine Room.

event-planner

Movie Review

Twin sisters set out for revenge in Tarantino-esque film 'Is God Is'

Photo by Patti Perret

Kara Young and Mallori Johnson in Is God Is.

The revenge story is one of the most enduring in all of cinema as it can be adapted to multiple different genres. It most naturally fits in the action/thriller genre, but comedies, dramas, Westerns, and more have made good use of characters seeking revenge. The new film Is God Is demonstrates that malleability by detailing an intensely personal story that turns into something bigger.

Twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) have lived a difficult life, going in and out of foster care and forced to endure stares and taunts because each bears burn scars from a childhood attack. Racine, whose scars are “only” on her left arm, has developed into the protector of Anaia, who suffered burns over much of her face.

An unexpected call from their mother, Ruby (Vivica A. Fox), who was burned almost beyond recognition in the attack, gives them a purpose: Seeking revenge on the man who ruined their lives. Setting out in a barely working car and with only a small amount of direction, the sisters attempt to fulfill the mission without losing their souls.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Aleasha Harris, the film may remind some viewers of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, and not just because Fox has small roles in both films. Harris has a knack for dialogue, especially between the twins, that ably gets across the story exposition and entertains at the same time. There are many instances where she has the sisters hold silent conversations told on screen via subtitles to convey twin-speak, a method that deepens their connection and draws the viewer in.

Harris also has her characters engage in the type of shocking violence that Tarantino has used to great effect. The difference here, though, is that even though the story is heightened to a certain degree, the egregious nature of the crime perpetrated upon the girls and their mother makes the whole thing feel bracingly real. This revenge plot is not meant to merely entertain; it’s designed to put the audience in Racine and Anaia’s shoes and fully embrace the call for justice.

There are a few times when the lack of experience by Harris shows up, especially in the climactic sequence where the stunt work could have used some more precision. But overall, it’s a self-assured filmmaking debut for the playwright-turned-director, who’s adapted her own play with a richness and depth that is not often found from someone stepping behind the camera for the first time.

Young and Johnson don’t especially look alike, but they embody the essence of twin sisters, and it’s their chemistry together that makes the story as impactful as it is. They’re joined by other strong female performances by Fox, Erika Alexander, and Janelle Monáe, each of whom brings a different vibe. And anyone who loves This is Us or Paradise should prepare themselves for a completely different kind of role for Sterling K. Brown.

Is God Is uses a variety of inspirations for its storytelling, but in the end it becomes its own thing. The filmmaking world can always stand to have another strong Black voice, and Harris has made an auspicious debut, one that should have cinephiles wondering what she’ll do next.

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Is God Is opens in theaters on May 15.

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