Weekend Event Planner

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

This weekend, we have art, music and a lot of outdoor stuff.

On the art side, the MFAH is opening up a new photography exhibit, DiverseWorks is debuting an exhibit on environmental crisis and climate change, and a mural festival will be going on all over the city. As for music, Weezer, Sum 41, Future Islands, and Tarbaby will be performing.

Enjoy the first hint of fall weather at an outdoor food and wine fest, a 5K family walk and run, or a nature festival at Discovery Green.

And, if all of that doesn’t interest you, there’s always Sausage Fest!!!

Thursday, September 26

Big Walls Big Dreams Houston Mural Festival
On Sunday, the late, local graffiti legend DECK WGF will be saluted with a live graffiti tribute. Also this weekend, at the Big Walls Big Dreams Houston mural-painting festival, a group of local, national, and international artists, curated by UP Art Studio, will simultaneously paint 30+ large-scale murals in communities throughout the city. This festival experience will also include programming such as events, tours, and more. 10 am.

DACAMERA presents Takács Quartet and Jeremy Denk
DACAMERA opens its 2024-25 season with an evening of music filled with unparalleled virtuosity and deep intelligence. In their first DACAMERA appearance, Takács Quartet will perform a Haydn quartet filled with dramatic twists and surprises and Janáček’s first quartet, inspired by Tolstoy’s tale of passion, jealousy, and murder. Dvořák’s piano quintet transforms folk themes and dances into one of the most beloved works of the chamber music repertoire. 7:30 pm.

Nameless Sound presents Tarbaby
MATCH will have eclectic power trio Tarbaby performing at its venue this weekend. The three members of Tarbaby – pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Nasheet Waits – are an ensemble of serious intentions and riotous humor, fervid spirit, and fierce intellect, passion, and purpose. All of that melds and collides in their provocative and risk-welcoming sound, as they mix originals with wide-ranging covers by Ornette Coleman, David Murray, Andrew Hill, Sunny Murray, and The Stylistics. 8 pm.

Friday, September 27

DiverseWorks presents "River on Fire" opening reception
DiverseWorks will present "River on Fire," an exhibition and symposium that explores artists' responses to the impacts and effects of environmental crisis and climate change. The multidisciplinary exhibition showcases the work of 14 artists who respond to environmental crises and climate change. Through artistic research and lived experience, they highlight the unique environmental challenges facing local, regional, and national landscapes. Through Sunday, November 16. 5 pm.

American Lebanese Cultural Center presents Houston Lebanese Festival
The annual Houston Lebanese Festival, named "Uniting Community, Building Tomorrow," aims to bring together the Lebanese community while also introducing their rich cultural heritage to non-Lebanese attendees. The event, held every year since 2015, aims to foster connections within the community and to share their traditions with a broader audience. The event supports the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon by donating 10 percent of the net income to their cause. 6 pm (1 pm Saturday; noon Sunday).

Vincent Victoria Presents: Mr. Booker T at the Door
BAPP's Houston Black Theatre Week will feature Mr. Booker T at the Door from Vincent Victoria Presents. Booker T. Washington is the most famous black man in America in 1901 and receives an invitation to dinner at the White House with President Roosevelt. While in DC, Booker stays with the McKinlays, a prominent African American family. Tensions arise because of the opposing views offered on how to advance the black race in a time of strict segregation in the US. 7:30 pm (2 pm Saturday).

Future Islands in concert
Any Houstonian who’s ever wanted to see Future Islands live, especially after that now-iconic 2014 appearance they did on Late Show with David Letterman, will finally get their chance this weekend. Future Islands will be in Houston in support of their new album, People Who Aren't There Anymore. So, don’t think for one second you won’t see frontman Samuel T. Herring doing that signature, white-guy dance of his. 8 pm.

Saturday, September 28

Harvest Green presents 7th Annual OutRun Hunger 5K
Over at the Harvest Green Farm House in Richmond, runners and walkers will have an opportunity to get outdoors, get some exercise, have fun, and take a bite out of hunger during the OutRun Hunger 5K Family Walk & Run. A post-race party will feature a bounce house, face painters, vendors, and a balloon artist. All proceeds benefit the East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry. 8 am.

Discovery Green presents Take Me Outdoors Houston
At Take Me Outdoors Houston, visitors can discover the wonders of nature, starting with the animals and resources in Houston’s own backyard. Presented by Texas Parks and Wildlife, the family-oriented outdoor festival features exhibitors with hands-on activities, booths, and opportunities to engage audiences and inspire curiosity. A live predator bird demonstration by Birds of Prey will take place at 11 am and 1 pm. 9 am.

Chefs for Farmers Food and Wine Festival
Chefs for Farmers, one of Texas’ premier food and wine festivals, returns to Houston for its third year. The all-inclusive, two-day tasting event celebrates local top chefs and culinary personalities, who will serve curated, locally sourced dishes, promoting and showcasing family farms across Texas. Festival-goers will also enjoy a variety of activities, including immersive experiences, live entertainment, wines from top vineyards, and craft cocktails. 1 pm (1 pm Sunday).

Weezer in concert
As a Saturday Night Live skit brilliantly laid out once, there are two types of Weezer fans: fans who loved the band when bassist Matt Sharp was in the group, and fans who love the band now with longtime bassist Scott Shriner. For the Matt Sharp-era fans, Weezer will be in Houston this weekend to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their self-titled 1994 debut album (famously known as The Blue Album). The band will play the album in full along with other fan favorites, rarities, and more. 7 pm.

Sunday, September 29

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents "Navigating the Waves: Contemporary Cuban Photography" opening day
Celebrating the acquisition and promised gift of 300 photographs from Chicago-based collectors Madeleine and Harvey Plonsker, "Navigating the Waves: Contemporary Cuban Photography" traces the evolution of photography’s role in Cuba through 100 images over nearly five decades - from promoting the Revolution in its first decades, to engaging in social and political critique after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and the years following. Through Sunday, March 16. 12:30 pm.

Sesame Street Live! Say Hello
It’s time to go down everybody’s favorite, Muppet-filled neighborhood. Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, and their friends from Sesame Street come to Houston this weekend with Sesame Street Live! Say Hello. The audience can sing, dance, and play alongside their favorite furry friends while they follow Elmo’s puppy, Tango, in a fun game of hide & seek. It’s just like watching Sesame Street at home, but without the PBS pledge-drive breaks. 2 pm.

Sum 41 in concert
It’s been a nice, long run for Canadian pop-punk band Sum 41. They rose to fame in the early 2000s, when their 2001, platinum-selling debut album All Killer No Filler gave us hits like “In Too Deep” and “Fat Lip.” (We’ll always remember when they teamed up with Ludacris for a rock remix of “Get Back.”) Now, Sum 41 comes to Houston as part of their last headlining world tour, Tour Of The Setting Sum, in support of their new, and final, album, Heaven :x: Hell. 7 pm.

Courtesy of Weezer

Weezer will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their "Blue Album."

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Movie Review

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck square off in Netflix crime thriller The Rip

Photo by Claire Folger/Netflix

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in The Rip.

For as closely tied together as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are, it might come as a surprise how few times they’ve led a movie together. They’ve appeared alongside each other in Good Will Hunting, The Last Duel, and Air, but the only time they were on equal footing in a story was Kevin Smith’s Dogma. So the fact that they are the two true stars of the new Netflix movie The Rip makes it a rare opportunity for the longtime friends to square off against each other.

Damon and Affleck play Lt. Dane Dumars and Detective Sgt. J.D Byrne, respectively, the two highest ranking members of a Miami police department squad that specializes in drug and drug money raids. A tragedy to begin the film already has the team — which includes Detectives Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandina Moreno) — on edge, with the FBI and DEA breathing down their neck.

Going off a tip, Dumars gathers the team to raid a house in nearby Hialeah that is supposed to have a stash of a relatively small amount of money. But when they get to the house occupied only by Desiree Molina (Sasha Calle), they discover close to $20 million. The team, required by law to count the money on site, must not only fight the urge to skim a little off the top for themselves, but also worry about the Cartel and other agencies that might want a slice of the pie.

Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, the film is a surprisingly effective crime thriller made even better by its high-quality cast, which also includes Kyle Chandler as a DEA agent. The story is designed for the audience to not know who’s trustworthy until the last possible second, and the various twists and turns it takes are well done, with barely a hint of narrative cheating.

Taking place entirely at night, the mood is set right from the start, with the only surprise being that Carnahan didn’t add in rain for extra effect. He keeps things tense with a number of subtle elements, including having the house located in a seemingly deserted cul-de-sac. This allows for the characters to remain on high alert at all times, with anything out of the ordinary — an unexpected noise, a flashing light, etc. — adding to the stress of the situation.

The only element that could have used a bit more of a punch-up is the characterization. The story is set up to cast suspicion on almost everybody, making it tougher to understand exactly what type of person each of them is. As the two leads, more time is spent with Dumars and Byrne, leaving everyone else with slightly underwhelming arcs. It’s to the credit of the actors that everyone else below Damon and Affleck is still compelling.

Damon and Affleck play their sometimes friendly, sometimes adversarial roles well, showing an ease together that’s a result of their friendship and the acting skills they’ve honed over 30+ years. Taylor, an Oscar hopeful for One Battle After Another, and Oscar nominee/Emmy winner Yeun have a pedigree that elevates their supporting roles. Chandler, Moreno, and Calle each get just enough to demonstrate why they were cast in their respective roles.

Damon and Affleck have had their individual ups and downs throughout their careers, but when they choose to work together, the results are usually good-to-great, as they are in The Rip. It’s a different take on a crime thriller that features a story that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.

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The Rip is now streaming on Netflix.

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