Houston skies are grey and the ground is soggy, but a forecast projects sunny and warm days ahead. Perfect timing, then, for a popular north Houston beachy draw to open its sandy doors to the public.
Balmoral, the private community nestled in Humble, is opening its two-acre Crystal Lagoon experience to the all in a Summer Kickoff event running from 11am to 8pm May 31 to June 6.
The usually private getaway (located at 15808 Crystal Terrace Dr.) boasts white-sand beaches and turquoise water and offers up activities such as stand up paddleboarding, an inflatable trampoline, beach volleyball, lawn games, and a putting green.
Tickets to the kickoff event are available for $20 online and include access to the lagoon amenity, and the aforementioned free seating area, beach volleyball, lawn games, and putting green.
For an additional fee, visitors can lock down premium seating and the water activities stand-up paddleboards, Hobie boards, kayaks, and the inflatable trampoline. Cabanas for all-day lounging are a big draw, as are beach umbrella set-ups (all for additional fees).
To trek the space, guests can also rent a scooter; tasty bites and frozen cocktails are available at the onsite Beach Bar.
Activity rentals can be made same-day and onsite; cabana and umbrella set-up rentals can be made by emailing info@balmorallagoon or by calling 832-508-0399.
Importantly, no outside food or beverages are allowed, though parking is free, a press release notes.
Balmoral’s crystal lagoon comes highly lauded: the village and lagoon were named the 2020 Best Community Amenity by the Texas Association of Builder’s Texas Star Awards, press materials note.
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.
