Weekend Roundup: May 14-16

It’s going to be another hot and humid weekend here in Houston!  My top picks for what to do this weekend, May 14-16 are:

Friday May 14

The Angelika Film Center is where I am going to be Friday night at 8 PM.  I am looking forward to the screening of “La Mission”, the story of a Catholic ex-con, his gay son, and their lives in the Mission district of San Francisco.  The film was written by Peter Bratt and stars his famous brother Benjamin (“Law & Order”, “Miss Congeniality”).  A 15-minute Q-and-A with Benjamin and Peter follows the screening.  The Angelika is located at 500 Texas St. in downtown Houston (map) and tickets for the 8 PM Friday screening & discussion are $9.50 per adult (seniors $7, children $6.75).  Box office information can be found online or by calling 713.225.1470.  La Mission has an R rating. *

The Houston Symphony is performing outside of the city in The Woodlands at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.  Their Friday evening performance of “Forces of Nature” begins at 8 PM.  This evening of music by both Mozart and Beethoven will be conducted by Hans Graff.  Gates open at 7 PM and picnic dinner is welcome, but “no beverages” are requested by the venue.  Free lawn and mezzanine seating, or $15 per orchestra seat.  The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is located at 2005 Lake Robbins Dr., The Woodlands (map).  Tickets are available online.

(Confession: Benjamin Bratt was the ultimate tie-breaker for our Friday night plans.  I loved him on “Law & Order”)

Saturday May 15

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is showing at the Main Street Theater‘s Chelsea Market children’s theater at 4617 Montrose (map).  Sure, it’s a production for children but who doesn’t love the story of Charlie and his Golden Ticket?  To this day one of the best plays I’ve seen was a children’s production of “Bunnicula”!  There is a new 10:30 showing of  “Charlie” on the 15th; preferred seating is $12, side seating $10.  The theater requests that you call for tickets for public shows at 713.524.6706 but there is also a buy tickets online link.  This production is recommended for 1st grade and older, and no children under 3 are allowed in the theater (this includes sleeping babies, according to the theater website).

Saturday nights are for romantic Italian dinners and Carmelos fits the bill, deliciously.  The restaurant does a steady business lunch-trade during the day, but it’s perfect for date night.   Carmelos serves Italian cuisine in an elegant atmosphere – we aren’t talking red-checked tablecloths and shakers of parmesan and red pepper flakes here (no offense, red-checkered tablecloths!  I love you, too.)  Carmelos is located at 14795 Memorial Drive (map) (but Austin is lucky enough to have one, too).

Sunday May 16

This weekend is the 4th annual Palestinian Film Festival in Houston.  The HPFF was the 2009 Best Film Festival winner in the Houston Press ”Best of Houston” contest; the festival is highly regarded by critics and artists alike.  The themes and issues explored by the films are sure to be challenging and exciting to all audiences.  The festival goes on all weekend but I am specifically recommending their Sunday matinee offerings.  Starting at 7 PM at the Rice Media Center two films, Fatenah (30 min.) and Maria’s Grotto (52 min.), will explore the lives of two different Palestinian women; you can view trailers here.  The Rice Media Center is located at 6100 Main St. (map); look for Entrance #8 on the Rice University Campus.

At the other end of the spectrum, Sunday marks the end of Craft Beer Week …in Vancouver (did you read about it in our Vancouver Guide?) which means … well, technically I suppose it doesn’t mean anything for us, but hey – why not celebrate with like-minded friends?  I told you a few months ago about the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in downtown Houston, where you can get all kinds of amazing beers both on tap, and in the bottle.  Unfortunately most local breweries only offer tours on Saturdays, but Flying Saucer is the perfect place to go and taste from a huge variety of local, domestic and foreign beers.  The Flying Saucer is  located at 705 Main St. (map) and is easily accessible by light rail if you can’t find a designated driver.  If you would rather spend the day outside with friends, family, and your favorite craft beer, head to Brazos Bend State Park (one hour from downtown Houston) with crew and brew, and spend the day in the Texas sunshine.  Bring your camera because Brazos is crawling with alligators!  The park is located 28 miles southwest of Houston at 21901 FM 762, Needville, TX (map) and entry is $5 per person (that Texas State Park Pass would come in handy!)

*Author’s Note: PR information for the event listed the date and time as “Friday, May 15″.  The author called to confirm the time and date of the event and was told Friday night tickets were still available so tickets were purchased for the Friday show (Friday was the 14th, not the 15th).  Upon arriving at the theater the manager on duty asked if we were attending “La Mission” to see the Q-and-A with the Bratt Brothers and we were informed of the mistake.  They exchanged our tickets for the next night’s performance/Q-and-A quickly, and the staff was very apologetic.  Excellent customer service and a pro-active approach to correcting their mistake.

Photo credit: Joshua Payne