The 15th annual Houston Cinema Arts Festival took place Nov. 9 to Nov. 19, showcasing films from diverse perspectives. Both fiction and nonfiction films from around the globe were showcased across Houston, enriching the city’s greater film community. Here are some of the best films showcased at the festival this year.
Eli Roth’s new holiday slasher “Thanksgiving” boasts a most appropriate tagline: “This year, there will be no leftovers.” And even if there were, after sitting through the movie, you probably will not have the appetite for them.
December may seem like a dreary time of year on campus, but there are plenty of events happening in Houston to lift your spirits. If you’re hoping to get your mind off your mounting pile of exams to study for and essays to write (or procrastinate on), then look no further.
When PinkPantheress released her debut mixtape “To Hell With It” in October 2021, few expected she would have a Billboard top five single in the next couple of years. After creating her first songs on GarageBand as a teenager and releasing them on SoundCloud, PinkPantheress found breakout success as a TikTok sensation. This first mixtape was a fantastic introduction to the voice of an exciting new artist, inventively combining samples, 2000s style contemporary R&B and liquid drum and bass instrumentation to create bittersweet snapshots of love and longing. Two years later, PinkPanteress is back with her first full-length album, “Heaven Knows,” that sounds more polished than ever while still including the mix of yearning and rhythmic beats she’s become known for.
At this point, the Marvel discourse has become as ubiquitous as the film series itself. Since “Avengers: Endgame” was released, clickbait articles about superhero fatigue have flooded the internet. And while this commentary is often completely hackneyed, it comes from a very legitimate place. Upon announcement, “The Marvels” felt like an obligation to longtime fans, rather than an event to look forward to.
Houston is a city bursting with creatives, many of whom are local, getting their art, crafts and food onto the scene — only if you know where to look. If you don’t, though, the Thresher has got you covered. Here’s a list of local markets for those looking to shop small or find their next eccentric buy.
Situated just outside Hanszen College is a structure that at first seems to be yet another construction site on Rice campus. As you look closer, it eventually reveals itself to be a multimedia piece of art, weaving together sight and sound. “Ash and Spirits,” created by artist Devin Kenny, is the newest installation on campus and the most recent addition to the Moody Center for the Arts’ Platform series.
In a world dictated by facts, seemingly everything can be explained by some scientific principle or research. Certain events, though, just can’t be explained, falling outside our conceptions of how the world works — which many call the paranormal. Records of unordinary events have been kept for centuries in the form of books, photographs, letters and government documents. Since 2014, the Woodson Research Center at Fondren Library has been gathering these accounts detailing the supernatural, placing them in a collection aptly named the Archives of the Impossible.
Jimmy Buffett, the legendary star behind “Margaritaville” and “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” passed away earlier this year. Now, his latest album, “Equal Strain on All Parts,” has been released posthumously. As a lifetime fan of Buffett — or, a ‘Parrothead’ — this album did not disappoint and likely won’t for those new to his music as well. Though currently lacking my Margaritaville Crocs, I was thoroughly happy with Buffett’s final journey.
If you’ve seen ktru or Lovett College Woodstock shirts around campus, chances are they’re made by Possum Prints, a small-scale screen-printing company founded by Keegan Pierce, a Lovett senior who “just really likes possums.” Pierce founded the business in the summer of 2022, creating shirts in his living room, and is currently working on college night shirts for Lovett and Sid Richardson College. He will also be live-printing and selling shirts at Archi Market Monday, Nov. 13.
Artist, architect, engineer, rock climber and Pub general manager — Natalie Pellette nearly does it all. A Hanszen College senior majoring in studio art and civil engineering, Pellette has immersed herself in various academics and activities at Rice, though she didn’t have a typical start here. Hailing from San Diego, she first attended Scripps College, a liberal arts school in Claremont, Calif. before transferring to Rice.
With Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 film “Elvis” renewing interest in one of the biggest figures in American pop culture history, Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” has continued the Elvis renaissance — this time from a different perspective. “Elvis” was criticized by some for glossing over many of the uncomfortable and controversial aspects of the star’s life, specifically his relationship with the 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu. “Priscilla” looks at Elvis through the lens of a girl oft-forgotten, providing a view into the turbulent life of Elvis’ wife in a way that’s tender and tactful.
You might know Sampha from his insane run of memorable hooks on rap songs such as Kendrick Lamar’s “Father Time” and Kanye West’s “Saint Pablo.” In each of his appearances with other musicians, Sampha’s inimitable vocals steal the show, adding another dimension to the sound.
Despite ongoing industry strikes, 2023 has been a good year for Hollywood, specifically for well-known auteurs. David Fincher’s “The Killer” once again proves his firm grasp on the thriller genre, and joins the likes of Wes Anderson and Martin Scorsese’s releases as one of 2023’s best films.
Architect and anarcho-socialist, Ludwig Hilberseimer is the subject of Scott Colman’s latest book. “Ludwig Hilberseimer: Reanimating Architecture and the City” details the influence of Hilberseimer on urbanism.
An album that signaled Taylor Swift’s final move from the world of country to mainstream pop music, “1989” was full of catchy tracks, albeit cheesy at times — sorry, “Welcome to New York” — that truly cemented Swift’s pop stardom and fueled an ever-growing Swiftie fanbase. Nine years later to the day, Swift re-released this album as “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” the next stop on her years-long journey of re-recording all of her original masters.
Born and raised in Oklahoma City, musician Danny Davis’ self-described surfy, beach pop sound might be surprising, given his roots in a land-locked state. Drawing musical inspiration from The Beach Boys, Davis, who’s part of the band Husbands, said the sort of music he most wants to emulate is what people can dance to.
Starting off as a standalone lore-filled game in 2014, the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise has expanded to toys, books and now, a much-anticipated movie. The FNaF empire has now revolutionized both the indie gaming sphere and the internet horror genre as a whole. As a result, the investigative journalists here at the Thresher spent a night at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza to determine if this film was a soulless cash grab of an adaptation or if Freddy truly had been cooking.
First performed at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham, England in 1952 and now holding the Guinness World Record for longest-running play in history, Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” has arrived at Rice Theatre. An esteemed whodunit murder mystery that boasts over 28,000 performances worldwide, the show will run for two weekends at Rice’s Hamman Hall.
