weekend event planner

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

St. Patrick's Day Parade Houston downtown

Celebrate Saint Patrick on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Downtown Management District

This week is still all rodeo, all the time, but plenty of non-RodeoHouston options abound.

A classic Greek story rises with Houston Ballet, a magician works his tricks, and a local hotel pays tribute to an iconic gangster movie — check that, the greatest gangster movie of all time.

Enjoy and get out there — here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, March 10

Susan G. Komen presents More Than Pink Luncheon
This second-annual luncheon will celebrate the vision of Komen’s founders with the hope and increasing promise of a cure for breast cancer. Co-chairing the event this year will be Doug Perley, Kathleen Perley and Meghan Leggett. They will be honoring Dorothy Paterson for her support of breast cancer awareness and treatment, as well as her legacy and longtime commitment and service to Susan G. Komen. 11 am.

Sicardi Ayers Bacino presents "Gustavo Díaz: Confronting Silence" opening reception
Expect 11 new drawings by gallery artist Gustavo Díaz, and will be accompanied by a curatorial text written by Nikki Moore, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow in the Global Arts at Wake Forest University. Díaz presents his findings through intricate, abstract works on paper and installations that map the conceptual connections between disparate, yet related, theories. Through April 23. 6 pm.

Houston Ballet presents Sylvia
Choreographer Stanton Welch brings his own interpretation to the classic story of the strong mythological heroine, the huntress Sylvia, and her love for a mortal shepherd. The ballet provides an opportunity to see the story through Welch’s unique and creative narrative, as it follows her journey as she’s torn between her duty and her desires. Welch’s inspired work will showcase a constellation of figures from Greek mythology woven together in a tapestry of three love stories. Through Sunday, March 20. 7 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Friday, March 11

Holocaust Museum Houston presents "Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg"
Based upon the New York Times bestseller of the same name, this unique exhibition explores the American judicial system through one of its sharpest legal minds, the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Through archival photographs and documents, contemporary art, media stations, and playful interactives, the exhibition tells the parallel stories of RBG’s remarkable career and the efforts she joined to expand “We the People” to include those long left out of the Constitution’s promises. Through Sunday, July 31. 10 am (noon Sunday).

Blossom & Sol Wellness and Natural Hair Festival
The Blossom & Sol Wellness, taking place on Friday, is an outdoor multi-sensory experience where attendees will be able to experience a variety of mental & physical wellness-related activities, which includes meditation, yoga, sound therapy, women’s health, and more. The Blossom & Sol Natural Hair Festival on Saturday will showcase plenty of natural hair demonstrations, as well as panels and workshops on beauty, finance, natural hair, entrepreneurship, women's health, and more. 3 pm (noon Sunday).

Moody Center for the Arts presents Samsāra VR Experience and Remote Q&A with Artist opening reception
Using the concept of embodied cognition, the virtual-reality film Samsāra uses virtual reality and interactivity to create the experience of transforming one's body into different beings while promoting empathy and a holistic view of our shared existence. At this event, guests can experience the film and speak with director/artist Hsin-Chien Huang about how VR can promote a spiritual evolution via immersive experiences grounded in building empathy. 7 pm.

The Conjurer: An Intimate Magical Experience with Master Magician Curt Miller
The Conjurer is an “intimate magical experience” like nothing you’ve ever seen. You’ll witness world-class, sleight-of-hand magic and hilarious comedy performed right before your eyes, in an immersive intimate setting that will transport you into another world. This two-night show is highly interactive and includes an amazing trick you will perform yourself. Arrive early and enjoy a drink and/or dinner before this incredible magic & comedy experience for a complete & unforgettable evening. 8 pm.

Saturday, March 12

Downtown District presents St. Patrick's Day Parade & Pub Crawl
Even though St. Patrick's Day is on Thursday, you can start your green beer-drinking early this weekend. Celebrate the luck of the Irish at the 62nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, now with a new route in Historic Market Square. The fun continues at Market Square Park with food, games, and live music until 3 pm. Guests can then head out, dressed head to toe in green, to the neighborhood’s eclectic bars and restaurants for drink specials on all their Irish favorites. Noon.

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art presents Yasmin Williams
With her ambidextrous and pedidextrous, multi-instrumental techniques and influences ranging from video games to West African griots subverting the predominantly white male canon of fingerstyle guitar, Yasmin Williams is truly a guitarist for the new century. Her sophomore release, Urban Driftwood, is for and of these times. Though the record is instrumental, its songs follow a narrative arc of 2020, illustrating both a personal journey and a national reckoning, through Williams’ evocative, lyrical compositions. 6 pm.

Take the Cannoli – 50 Years of The Godfather at Hotel ZaZa Memorial City
For one night only, Hotel ZaZa will be celebrating the iconic film's 50th anniversary in style. Channel your inner Vito Corleone and go back in time in the "Godfather Suite," adorned with red velvet, film memorabilia and art deco throughout. Bartenders dressed to the nines will be slinging Negronis in-suite from 6-9 p.m., hotel guests will be graced with a single rose at turndown and can even take the cannoli at check-in to enjoy the irresistible Italian treat made in-house. 6 pm.

Houston Chamber Choir presents De La Noche Al Día
Under the directions of Venezuelan guest conductor María Guinand, “De la noche al día” (which means “From Night to Day”) will explore things of a darker, somber nature, then move into daylight and the brightness of the spirit. Most of the music comes from Central and South America—spotlighting creators ranging from Esteban Salas, an 18th-century Cuban composer, to Alberto Grau, Guinand’s husband and an esteemed composer in his own right. 7:30 pm.

Sunday, March 13

Houston Arboretum presents Pup Crawl & Pet Expo
The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center invites all interested humans to bring their favorite furry friends to the best “pup” crawl around, on the Arboretum grounds. After four special, Saint Arnold beer stops along the trails, participants will interact with local pet vendors at the Pet Expo and walk away with a commemorative Pup Crawl glass. Proceeds support the conservation and education programs of the Houston Arboretum and animal shelter/adoption center BARC. 4 pm.

Kristina Kuzmic: The Hope and Humor Tour
Kristina Kuzmic is a cheerleader for her fellow humans. It’s not something she ever anticipated doing, but after immigrating to America from Croatia during the war in her homeland and later facing more challenges (divorce, single parenting, poverty, depression), Kuzmic wanted to be for others what she wished someone had been for her during her darkest hours. Now, with over one billion video views and this "night out" show, she's providing her audience with encouragement, hope and humor in a role she never expected to fill. 6:30 pm.

Grandson at the Scout Bar
Known for his polemical songwriting and exuberant live performances, platinum-selling alt-rocker grandson is fresh off some of his biggest collaborations to date. From writing "Rain," an exclusive track with Jessie Reyez for The Suicide Squad, to tapping Travis Barker and pop superstar Kesha for "Drop Dead" and even partnering with the legendary Tom Morello for the gut-busting "Hold The Line," grandson's Houston show this weekend promises to be unforgettable. 7 pm.

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.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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