weekend event planner

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

We’re a week away from Halloween and people are already gearing up for some costume-filled celebrations this weekend. The Savoy, ‘93 Til, M-K-T, and Keith Jacobs’ If It Don’t Feel Like 90s RnB party will be having some early Halloween throwdowns.

But this weekend also brings us a lot of music, whether it’s the country of Cody Johnson, the R&B of TInashe, or the hip-hop of DJ Jazzy Jeff. And, if that’s not enough, Drake is giving away hot chicken sandwiches!

Thursday, October 24

Drake’s Birthday featuring Dave’s Hot Chicken
For those of you who are still down with Toronto rap prince-turned-new Texas resident Drake, Dave’s Hot Chicken has a deal for all the fans out there. In celebration of his birthday on Thursday, Drake is hooking everyone up with a Dave’s Hot Chicken Slider. The free slider is for anyone who comes by their local Dave’s and scans the reward in the Dave’s Hot Chicken app. It’s only available when visiting the restaurant, not via online ordering or through third-party delivery services. 11 am.

The Savoy presents “Sail To The Savoy” Week-Long Anniversary & Halloween Bash
Third Ward bar The Savoy is setting sail on a week-long, pirate-themed Halloween and Anniversary Bash. Festivities will be jam-packed with activities to get everyone in the spooky spirit, including daily costume contests with a whopping $5,000 in cash and prizesand daily giveaways up for grabs. Guests can take part in "Shot O’Clock" – a signature Savoy tradition – which will be extra special for those in costume, with Branson Sneaky Link Shots handed out to the lucky ones. Through Thursday, October 31. 4 pm (11 am Friday-Sunday).

Tinashe in concert
Pop/R&B star Tinashe is currently on her Match My Freak World Tour, in support of her new album, Quantum Baby – which will make a stop in Houston this weekend. But she made big news this week when it was announced she has partnered with Urban Outfitters and will drop a dance-inspired collection sometime next year. 8 pm.

Friday, October 25

Burger Bodega presents Free Venom: The Last Dance Milkshakes
To those planning to see Venom: The Last Dance this weekend, you might want to make a stop at Burger Bodega first. On Friday, the smash burger spot will be serving a Venom-themed milkshake, with the first 50 being free for all guests. Each milkshake comes with a free bag of Venom: The Last Dance promo items. 11 am.

Wings Over Houston Airshow
Returning in its 40th year, the CAF Wings Over Houston Airshow, headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, will offer guests hours of aerial performances, displays of vintage aviation, interactive areas for children and adults, opportunities for guests to give back to the community, and more. Other special elements of this year's airshow include the Legends & Heroes tent and a drive-in style show viewing on Friday. 3 pm (10:30 am Saturday and Sunday).

Cody Johnson in concert
If you’re a fan of Sebastopol-born, Huntsville-bred Cody Johnson, then you’re a fan of manly country singers who don’t mind showing their softer, romantic side. Johnson continues to make the cowgirls swoon, dropping tunes like his new single “I’m Gonna Love You,” where he duets with Carrie Underwood. This weekend, he’ll be at The Woodlands (for two nights!) in support of his 2023 album, Leather. 7 pm.

If It Don’t Feel Like 90s RnB Halloween House Party Edition
If you haven’t been to If It Don’t Feel Like 90s RnB, the monthly celebration of Clinton-era soul music hosted by Houston R&B vocalist Keith Jacobs, then you’ve been missing out on hearing some live throwback jams performed by Jacobs and house band The Ken Chatham Project.

This month, they’re throwing a Halloween House Party Edition, which sounds like they’re encouraging attendees to show up as your favorite ‘90s R&B star. So, it’s very likely you’ll see folks dress up as Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men, Jodeci, and so on. 9 pm.

Saturday, October 26

M-K-T Hike, Bike & Fright Fest
M-K-T's 5th Annual Hike, Bike & Fright Fest will be filled with Halloween fun for all ages. Visitors can adventure through 30-plus stops on a Trick-Or-Treat Trail throughout M-K-T, and shop 50-plus artisan vendors at a sitewide HallowGreen Houston Plant Market. There will be photo ops, live performers, a haunted garden pumpkin patch, and hands-on activities. Costumes are encouraged at the event, which takes place until 6 pm. Noon.

Rice Cinema presents Psycho
If you’re gonna watch a scary movie this Halloween, you can’t go wrong with the original slasher flick. Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic, black-and-white thriller from 1960 offers a vision of Hollywood, of human beings, and ultimately the universe unlike any other. Anthony Perkins gives a career-defining performance as Norman Bates, a man trapped in his own life. Also starring Janet Leigh as the doomed Marion Crane, Vera Miles as Marion’s sister Lila, and an iconic score by Bernard Herrmann. 7 pm.

Houston Symphony presents Rocky Horror Picture Show
Even though we already mentioned a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening in last week’s planner, we have to shout-out this upcoming screening for a couple of reasons. First off, it’s being hosted by the Houston Symphony (but the Symphony won’t be there). Secondly, you’ll get not only a shadow cast, but also a special appearance from Patricia Quinn, who originated the role of Magenta. The audience is encouraged to stay late for an afterparty featuring audience participation and a costume contest. 7:30 pm.

Bar 5015 presents DJ Jazzy Jeff
Bar 5015 is getting together with I LUV PVU and the UH Black Alumni Association for an official homecoming celebration this weekend. They also will be bringing in the magnificent DJ Jazzy Jeff to serve as the party’s DJ. Get ready to groove to his unbeatable mixes and dance the night away in style. There’s no doubt he’ll play tracks from his DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince years. But he might throw in some R&B/hip-hop classics from artists who’ve recorded at his A Touch of Jazz Studios in his Philadelphia hometown. 10 pm.

Sunday, October 27

Aiko presents Sunday Funday
Aiko is hosting its Sunday Funday series –– a new monthly dining experience for people to enjoy from now through the end of the year. The menu will feature $2 Prince Edward Island oysters, $7 martinis, half-priced wine bottles, and two new crowd-pleasers: the Mimosa Flight and the Aiko Bloody Mary. Customers will have the opportunity to win prizes via door games, snap memories at the photo wall, and enjoy specials before starting their week.There will be an extra surprise for those who wear the color yellow. A live DJ will also spin old-school vinyl. 11 am.

93' Til Block Party
93’ Til will be having a spooky good time with its block party this weekend. Attendees are encouraged to come in costumes and enjoy the festivities, which include a live DJ, vendors, and special bites prepared by 93’ Til and guest chef Joseph Manglicmot. DJs spinning throughout the day include Kay Illah, Splxxsh, Demo, Losty Los, and Dayta. Several vendors will be on-site, including Jerky & Pate, Cookie Bakery, and others. Noon.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents "Living with the Gods: Art, Beliefs, and Peoples" opening day
As a capstone for the Museum’s centennial year, British art historian/former museum director Neil MacGregor was invited to revisit his 2017 BBC radio series and book of the same title, bringing that vision to the MFAH collections, along with many exceptional loans from museums and private collections. Displayed in dialogue across a suite of 11 galleries, masterpieces in the installation explore elemental themes: the cosmos, light, water, fire; the mysteries of life and death; the divine word; and pilgrimage. Through Saturday, January 25. 12:30 pm.

Cody Johnson Facebook

Cody Johnson is playing in The Woodlands on two nights.

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Movie Review

Denzel Washington brings new spectacle to the Colosseum in Gladiator II

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Paul Mescal in Gladiator II.

There are some films for which making a sequel is natural, and others where a follow-up is wholly unnecessary. Gladiator, which made both tons of money and was named Best Picture at the Oscars, told an impactful stand-alone story that ended with the protagonist dead and no real loose ends. And yet because there’s always more money to be made, here we are 24 years later with Gladiator II.

The lead character this time around is Lucius (Paul Mescal), a general in a North African army who becomes a prisoner of war when the Roman army led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) bests him and his troops in battle. Taken back to Rome, he is put in the pool of captured men forced to fight at the Colosseum for the amusement of twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracella (Fred Hechinger).

Lucius is controlled by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), an ambitious schemer who bets liberally on his prized fighter and always has an eye to move up in the world. Meanwhile, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), the sister of Emperor Commodus from the first film, is now married to Marcus Acacius and has a unique connection with Lucius that is fairly obvious from the get-go.

Directed once again by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa, the film commits a number of sins throughout its 150-minute running time, the most blatant of which is that, aside from a few embellishments, it essentially tells the same story as the first film. Lucius, like Maximus, is a deposed military leader who’s out for revenge on the person who killed his family. Instead of one obnoxious emperor, there are now two. And the only way for Lucius to earn his freedom is to fight his way out.

Stories told in the same world can echo each other and, if done well, overcome those similarities. But Gladiator II is shockingly boring for a purported sword-and-sandals epic. Scott and his team try to introduce new elements to the fights, like a gladiator riding a rhinoceros or a ship battle inside the Colosseum (with sharks!), but most of the sequences are inert with no propulsion to them.

The action fails because none of the relationships in the film amount to much. There are stand-out characters like Macrinus and the twin emperors, but instead of creating antipathy or strong feelings of triumph or defeat, the story just kind of happens without any sense of excitement or importance. Much of that issue lies at the feet of Lucius, who simply doesn’t inspire in the same way that Russell Crowe’s Maximus did.

Mescal is a fine actor who’s done good work in more intimate roles, but he’s not up to the task of being an action star, at least not in this film. Any bombast he shows with the character feels forced, and the story doesn’t give him enough opportunities to counteract that lack. Washington, however, fills up the screen with his charisma, and it’s during his scenes that the film comes closest to being rousing. Quinn and Hechinger are a lot of fun as the twin emperors, but in the end they feel like retreads of Joaquin Phoenix from the original.

Any sequel should have a purpose that sets it apart from what came before, but Scott, Scarpa, and the rest of their team fail in that respect in Gladiator II. It’s a mostly lifeless film that delivers scenes that would be exciting if they had any kind of good story to back them up.

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Gladiator II opens in theaters on November 22.

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