weekend event planner

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

Raise a glass at Houston Cocktail Fest.

While the weather has been a wet one this week, hopefully that won’t stop you from attending the George Floyd Remembrance Walk this Saturday morning. Organized by The Brothers of Jack Yates, this two-hour walk will start at McGregor Park and end at Jack Yates High School, and all social clubs — Greek organizations, motorcycle riders, school bands, line dancers, etc. — are invited to tag along.

As always, there are other events for those who aren’t afraid to go out and get a bit damp. Such as:

Thursday, May 20

People Against Leigh Syndrome presents Green Out for PALS
Goode’s Armadillo Palace will be the location for this annual fundraiser — also known as Green Out for PALS — chaired by Rosie Murphy and Peyton Jones. Guests will enjoy food and libations from Goode Company, while helping to fund research and clinical care for Leigh syndrome, pediatric-onset, progressive, and fatal neurological disease closely linked to Parkinson's Disease. 6:30 pm.

The Parkway at Regent Square presents Cinematic Throwbacks
Regent Square is expanding its calendar of outdoor programming at The Parkway with Cinematic Throwbacks. The moonlit movie event will feature campy classics on a giant inflatable screen. The evening will be BYOC (bring your own chair), with Bovine & Barley’s Adult Ice Cream Truck on site selling concessions for noshing. May’s throwback film, the 2001 comedy Zoolander, with Ben Stiller flashing that blue-steel look as a bumbling male model. 8 pm.

Friday, May 21

The Menil Collection presents "Dream Monuments: Drawing in the 1960s and 1970s" opening day
The Menil Collection will present this exhibition, which features drawings that challenge the conventional idea of the monument as a permanent, grand or commemorative form. The exhibition takes its inspiration from the unrealized “Dream Monuments,” planned by the Menil Collection’s founders Dominique and John de Menil. This will remain on display through Sunday, September 19. 11 am.

MECA Performing Arts Series presents From Buenos Aires to New York
MECA’s Performing Arts Series presents this benefit concert, which will celebrate Latin American melodies performed by world-renowned pianist and MECA alum Alejandro Vela. Praised for his power to carry an audience away by creating an atmosphere of mystery and sensuous beauty, Vela is a pianist of northern Mexican origin, now performing in concert halls and orchestras worldwide. 8 pm.

Houston Cocktail Fest
Houston Cocktail Fest is back and ready to celebrate the art of the cocktail, showcasing some of Houston’s favorite mixologists as they put their skills to the test. Signature recipes are offered to consumers, with a “people’s choice” cocktail awarded to the evening’s best recipe. Consumers can experience the joy of these cocktails along with reveling in an atmosphere that celebrates the finest mixologists in Houston. 9 pm.

Saturday, May 22

Tropical Summer Party at Parkview Terrace
As part of the Marriott Marquis Houston’s seasonal "Parkview Terrace Presents" series, locals are invited to enjoy rooftop season with elevated entertainment and pool party programming on the sixth floor all summer long. Things will kick off with this inaugural party, featuring music from DJ Athenz, tropical leis & Instagrammable scenes, Bacardi giveaways and access to the infamous, Texas-shaped lazy river. 1 pm.

Social Bud Garden with Highway Vodka
Social Beer Garden will be hosting this event with Highway Vodka, which will be serving two special cocktails on site. The Liquid Marijuana, with vodka, melon, coconut, blue curacao, pineapple and ginger beer; and the Pink Lady, with vodka, aperol, St. Germain, peychaud bitters, fresh lemon juice and sparkling rose. There will also be a smoke lounge, CBD products and food by Funnelocity, Nelson Cheese Steaks & Captain Ceviche. 4 pm.

Weekend Smokehouse Series at Woodshed Smokehouse
The Levy Park smokehouse concept by celebrity chef Tim Love is kicking off a free, summer concert series this weekend with live music on Saturday and Sunday evening. John Egan will perform an acoustic solo set on Saturday, and Dustry Neuman will perform an acoustic solo set on Sunday. The concert series will continue all summer on Saturday and Sunday nights, weather permitting. 6:30 pm.

Sunday, May 23

Memorial City Farmers & Feel Good Market
This outdoor, experiential shopping event, held next to the new Torchy’s Tacos and Mia’s Table on Gessner Road and Mathewson Lane, will feature more than 50 local farmer and artisan vendors, offering locally curated fresh produce and foods, as well as stylish jewelry, clothing, and gifts. There will also be family-friendly entertainment including face-painting, a balloon artist, acrobatic performances, a DIY succulent bar, music, and more. 10 am.

“As I Am” Art Festival
KNOWAutism Foundation is hosting this free, inaugural festival, which will spotlight the artwork from the students of 12 participating Houston-area schools and nonprofit organizations, representing a different art medium that will be available for purchase. There will also be music, bubble activities, a magician and live performances from the Houston Ballet, The River, Social Motion Skills and much more. 11 am.

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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