weekend event planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Toast National Margarita Day on Friday.

This weekend will see people celebrating either Valentine's Day or Presidents Day, but we're also looking forward to National Margarita Day on Friday. In fact, The Rustic, The General Public, and Fajita Pete's will be offering up margarita specials the whole day.

Here are other things that are worth checking out this weekend:

Thursday, February 14

Bootycandy at the Catastrophic Theatre
African-American playwright Robert O'Hara has written several intriguing things that have sadly not seen the light of day, like screenplays for biopics on Richard Pryor and filmmaker Oscar Micheaux that were to be directed by Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee, respectively. But he has managed to bring his works to the stage, like this autobiographical, certain-to-be-outrageous comedy about a gay, black man who goes on a journey through his life and times. It runs through March 10th. 7:30 pm.

Friday, February 15

Vox Culture Presents Beer Summit
The third annual, Vox Beer Summit will have the Mental Health America of Greater Houston, Comcare and the Houston Grand Opera will present information pertaining to their work, the current mental health challenges and stigmas Houstonians face, what more needs to be done to give proper support and creative methods to raise awareness. 6 pm.

Blazing Saddles Movie Party at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
There are many movies staffers around these parts hold very dearly to our hearts. (The Big Lebowski comes up in casual conversation way too often.) And Mel Brooks's classic, 1974 Western parody is one of them. Written by Brooks and several other funny guys (including Richard Pryor), this tale of a black railroad worker who becomes the sheriff of a lily-white town is raunchy, vulgar, offensive — and, by gum — one of the most subversive, influential, and still-hilarious movies ever made. 7:30 pm.

The Original Harlem Globetrotters at University of Houston
A couple of weeks ago, two Harlem globetrotters — a man and a woman — showed up at our offices, took photos and wowed the staff with the b-ball tricks that have made them the most entertaining, exhibition basketball team of all time. The whole crew will be in town this weekend, as part of their "Fan Powered World Tour." There will also be the "Flying Gobies," an acrobatic trampoline dunk team that'll keep the audience hyped with their exciting in-air stunts. 7:30 pm (7 pm Saturday and 3 pm Sunday).

Saturday, February 16

Horn from the Heart: The Paul Butterfield Story at 14 Pews
Back in the day, Paul Butterfield was one hell of a harmonica player. Coming out of the blues mecca of Chicago and learning from such greats as Muddy Waters, Butterfield was the frontman for The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, a group that played once-in-a-lifetime sets at the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock. Unfortunately, like many '60s music legends, he eventually died of a drug overdose. But if you want to see what kind of a blues-rock powerhouse, check out this documentary. 4:15 and 6:45 pm.

Comedy Festival Weekend at Horseshoe Bay Resort
The Horseshoe Bay Resort is officially getting into some funny business with the debut of its Comedy Festival Weekend. The festival basically consists of two headlining comedians. First up on Saturday is veteran weirdo Harland Williams, who you might have seen in movies like Half-Baked. And, on Sunday, Heather McDonald, best known as a former regular on Chelsea Lately, will be doing a show and also sticking around for a meet-and-greet. 7:30 pm.

Charlie Wilson & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds at Smart Financial Centre
Yeah, Valentine's Day is on Thursday, but that doesn't mean that ladies can't get seductively serenaded by a pair of iconic, soul singers two days later. Charlie Wilson, former frontman for the '80s funk trio The Gap Band, and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter who has penned tunes for Madonna, Whitney Houston, Eric Clapton and so many others, will be here to perform their biggest songs. 8 pm.

Sunday, February 17

Cochon555 2019 Tour at Four Seasons Hotel
Wine and pork — it might seem weird, but they can work together perfectly. And those two things will definitely be flowing at this epic culinary celebration. This feast will feature a hundred-plus prominent chefs, farmers, sommeliers, distillers, brewers, and barkeeps all working in concert to create luxurious moments that educate the palate. This is also a fundraiser for Piggy Bank, a start-up farm in Missouri that serves as a kickstarter for new family farms and a safety net for those in the wake of a disaster. 5 pm.

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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.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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