Weekend event planner

Here are the top 9 things to do in Houston this weekend

If you're used to a hectic work week, the weekend is your time to squeeze in some fun. From a bake sale with mind-blowingly good pastries and kolaches to a luncheon with special guest, Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods, here are the top nine things to do in Houston this weekend.

For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Music at MATCH
Thursday, April 27-Saturday, April 29
Look no further than Da Camera’s latest concert series for an innovative mix of jazz, classical, and contemporary sounds. Artists, including the James Francies Trio, Bach in Brooklyn, and Red Baraat Dance Party, headline different nights of the event, held at Midtown venue, MATCH. (Various times; tickets: Start at $20 per person for a single concert and go up to $120 per person for an all access pass)
3400 Main St.; 713-521-4533

Latin nights
Thursday, April 27-Sunday, April 30
The 12th edition of Latin Wave: New Films from Latin America at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents 10 films reflecting the vibrant Latin America cinema scene. Special guests are Yanillys Pérez, director of Jeffrey, Iván Gaona, writer and director of Guilty Men, and Carlos Lechuga, writer and director of Santa & Andrés. (Various times; tickets: $8 per person for museum members, $10 per person for non-members)
1001 Bissonnet St.; 713-639-7300

Shop for a cause
Friday, April 28-Sunday, May 7
Purchase a Shop With Heart Card and score a 20 percent discount, good over a 10-day period, at 450 participating merchants including retailers like Kuhl-Linscomb and The Container Store. You also get a complimentary appetizer or dessert with purchase of an entrée at restaurants from upscale Greenway Plaza-area eatery Tony’s to casual hotspot Bowl & Barrel at CityCentre. All proceeds benefit the American Heart Association, an organization whose mission is to promote healthier lives free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. (Cost: minimum $50 donation)

Bizarre Foods for charity luncheon
Friday, April 28
Nonprofit, The Council on Recovery welcomes keynote speaker Andrew Zimmern, award-winning chef and host of Travel Channel series Bizarre Foods, to its 34th annual spring luncheon at the Hilton Americas – Houston. Presented by the Wayne Duddlesten Foundation, the fundraiser traditionally showcases guest speakers who share their personal stories related to alcoholism, addiction, recovery, health, and wellness. (11:15 am-1:30 pm; tickets: $150-$500 per person. Tables start at $1,500)
1600 Lamar St.; 281-200-9336

Hook ‘em fun run
Saturday, April 29
Fun for the whole family, the Texas Exes Houston chapter hosts its 39th annual Lone Star stampede, featuring 10K and 5K runs for adults, and a 1K children’s fun run. Presented by University Co-op and Memorial City, the event benefits the Texas Exes Houston Scholarship Fund, which raises money to provide college scholarships to Houston area high school seniors. (8 am; tickets: $17-$40 per person)
303 Memorial City; 469-233-8681

It’s good to be king
Saturday, April 29
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion as part of their 40th Anniversary tour, touted by many as their last. The band was on the forefront of the heartland rock movement, alongside artists from Bruce Springsteen to Bob Seger, which arose in the late ‘70s and ‘80s. The rocker’s hit singles include, "American Girl," "Breakdown," "The Waiting," "Learning to Fly," "Refugee," and "Mary Jane's Last Dance." Singer-songwriter Joe Walsh of Eagles band fame will also perform. (7:30 pm; tickets: platinum seats remain, including in the pit area directly in front of the stage, priced at $750 per person)
2005 Lake Robbins Dr., The Woodlands; 281-363-3300

Sunday sweets
Sunday, April 30
Don’t miss the "sweet liberty" brunch sale at Oxheart restaurant, where you can get delicious pastries and kolaches by baker Karen Man (Oxheart) and pastry chefs Jillian Bartolome (Common Bond) and Kelly Helgesen (Chicago’s Lula Cafe). All proceeds go to the Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees. (11 am-3 pm or until they run out; tickets: free to enter)
1302 Nance St.; 832-830-8592

Crawfish and beer
Sunday, April 30
Expect mudbug heaven and beer nirvana, and tunes by hip hop artist Mannie Fresh, psychedelic rock band The Bright Light Social Hour, and more, at 8th Wonder Brewery’s 4th annual crawfish and brews event. (12-6 pm; tickets: $15-$40 per person)
2202 Dallas St.; 713-229-0868

The block is hot
Sunday, April 30
As part of his Kloser 2 U tour, Lil Wayne takes to the stage at downtown’s Revention Music Center. Hit songs by the hip hop recording artist include "Go D.J.," "Fireman," "Stuntin' Like My Daddy,” and “Lollipop.” (8 pm; tickets: $65 per person)
520 Texas Ave.; 713-230-1600

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion as part of their 40th Anniversary tour.

Houston, the top 9 things to do in Houston this weekend, April 26 2017, Tom Petty

Photo courtesy of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/Facebook

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion as part of their 40th Anniversary tour.

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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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