Weekend Event Planner

Here are the top 10 things to do this weekend in Houston

It's the weekend before Thanksgiving and there's so much happening in Houston that it's a bit difficult to keep this list at 10. Comedienne Amy Schumer taking over the Toyota Center, the Via Colori Street Festival, and the Houston BBQ Throwdown are all a part of the fun happenings. (We admit we had 11 suggestions, but Morrissey canceled his Saturday night concert at the White Oak Music Hall.)

This roundup is just a taste of events going on this weekend, but you can always check out the full list on our CultureMap Events Calendar.

Thursday, November 17

METdance presents Breaking Borders

Breaking Borders, the latest production by the Houston-based dance company, highlights and celebrates the various cultural backgrounds and movement styles that past and present METdance choreographers are inspired by. It features a world premiere by Princess Grace Award winner Rosie Herrera, along with work by Camille A. Brown, Joshua L. Peugh, and Katarzyna Skarpetowska. Performances are also scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Friday, November 18

Fresh Arts Winter Holiday Arts Market

Art and handmade goods from more than 90 Houston artists will be available for sale at the three-day Winter Holiday Arts Market (WHAM) presented by Fresh Arts. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the amazing local talent we have in the city. WHAM kicks off the weekend with an Ugly Sweater Party on Friday and then carries on with the market for the remainder of the weekend.

Eat. Drink. Art. at the Houston Museum of African American Culture

Eat. Drink. Art. is a series at the Houston Museum of African American Culture that aims to expose artists to tastemakers and art enthusiasts. Ticket purchases benefit programming for the next year at the HMAAC. Guests at this series will also enjoy a fashion show, light bites, drinks, and shop goods from local artists and businesses.

Space: The Final Playground by ROCO

The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra presents Space: The Final Playground, featuring the Texas premiere of "Cosmos" by composer Michael Gibson. Co-commissioned by ROCO, the musical piece is composed in five short movements, each of which are inspired by an element of the Cosmos. WindSync, a Houston wind quintet, will engage in the performance by moving throughout the space while playing. A second performance is on Saturday.

Friday Flicks on the Lawn at GreenStreet

Families, couples, and singles are welcome to bring a blanket and watch a movie on the large screen on The Lawn. This Friday's feature film is Elf and is sure to be a nice way to spend the evening now that cooler temperatures are finally here.

Saturday, November 19

The Great Inflatable Race

The Great Inflatable Race at Sam Houston Park is a fun experience that knows no age limits. Adults and children alike are invited to join this unique fun run full of inflatable obstacles. Be prepared to bump, bounce, and slide throughout the course. What a cool way to get out and interact with new people in the city; think of it as a large scale bounce house.

Via Colori Street Painting Festival

The streets of downtown Houston will once again be transformed by over 200 local and international artists as "A Colorful World" is the theme of the two-day festival. Also take in various food, art and entertainment options (25 performers, including Jessica Meuse from American Idol, on three stages). The festival benefits The Center for Hearing and Speech, whose mission is to help deaf children learn to speak, listen, and hear; a worthy cause to benefit in a creative and expressive festival.

Ghetto Dinner with Anthony Calleo and Adam Doris

Adam Doris (CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Chef of the Year) brings back his Ghetto Dinner pop-up with special guest Anthony Calleo (Pi Pizza) Saturday night at Ladybird's. The menu includes Togarashi Spiced Pork Rib Fried Pie, Fire Dome Roasted Lamb Sandwich with pepronata, Napa slaw, and brown butter aioli as well as a Big Feast Plate — Fire Dome Roasted Free Range Chicken, whole roasted pork hash w/smoked potato and grilled honeycrisp apple, butternut squash with charred rapini salsa verde, smoked pork sausage kolache, and a sanguinaccio doughnut (courtesy of those badasses at Morningstar). The two chefs are shaking things up on the Houston culinary scene and this dinner is a great way to experience their creative abilities.

Sunday, November 20

Houston BBQ Throwdown

CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler is one of the judges for the 2nd Annual Houston BBQ Throwdown at Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Fourteen of Houston's best barbecue spots will serve dishes that aim to show the culinary diversity in the Bayou City and earn top honors. Guests can also vote for the "People Choice" as their favorite of the night. Who's going to win this finger-licking battle?

Amy Schumer at Toyota Center

The Inside Amy Schumer star has taken the entertainment world by storm and created a loyal fan base. Whether it's her take on current events, her award winning show, or hilarious movie roles, Schumer is unapologetically herself. Expect to hear some choice words from the comedienne about the president-elect.

Enjoy the weekend and be sure to share your events experiences with us via social media.

METdance presents Breaking Borders.

Photo courtesy of METdance

METdance presents Breaking Borders.

event-planner

Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

---

Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

movies film