weekend event planner

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

Bun B (center) hosts Houston's hottest food event Thursday.

Photo by Jacob Power

If you're in the mood for some fine, culinary delights, this weekend will not disappoint.

First off, the CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Awards, CultureMap's signature, in-person tasting event and awards ceremony, will be going down at Silver Street Studios on Thursday night.

And since Sunday is National Wine & Cheese Day, Mutiny Wine Room will be offering up a tasting of four goat cheeses of different ages paired with a different wine for each cheese. The special flight of wine and cheese will be available Saturday and Sunday for $37.

Aside from the city's hottest food awards event and tasty Sunday offerings, look for hilarious comedians, an engaging art opening, a hot wine festival, geeky comic fun, and a gripping play. Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, July 22

Rothko Chapel presents Our Moral Obligation: Ensuring the Dignity of All
Rothko Chapel will present its first virtual lecture in their Beyond the Rhetoric: Civil Rights & Our Shared Responsibility summer lecture series, featuring the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, president and senior lecturer for Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign. In this virtual conversation, Barber will address his perspectives on civil rights in the United States through a moral and faith-based lens. 6 pm.

Improv Houston presents Mark Normand
If you've never heard of Mark Normand, you gotta check him out this weekend. Through his relentlessly punchy writing and expert delivery, he's quickly becoming one of the most talked-about comedians on the scene. He recently self-released a one-hour special, Out To Lunch, on YouTube. A veteran of the late-night shows, Normand also has his own podcast, Tuesdays with Stories. 8 pm (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday; 9:30 pm Saturday).

Friday, July 23

Galactic Events presents Comic Conroe
Y'all had Comicpalooza last weekend — now here comes another geekfest! Comic Conroe will be the first-ever comic convention in North Houston, gathering comic, anime, and sci-fi fans for an exciting and star-studded event. The weekend features over 5,000 square feet of panels and workshops, celebrity autographs, vendors, cosplay meet-ups and costume contests, and an open area for gaming. Celebrity guests will include Kevin Sorbo and Booker T, among others. Noon (9 am Saturday and 10 am Sunday).

A.D. Players presents 18 Birthdays
Starring Jennifer and Kevin Dean and written by Apollo 8 playwright Jayme McGhan, 18 Birthdays follows one evening with Ben and Viv, a married couple waiting to adopt and processing through the what-might-have-beens. This original play explores the complexity of marriage, loss, love, redemption, and God's ability to bring hope to broken places. The production will be available to stream at any time through Friday, August 6. 7 pm.

Miller Outdoor Theatre presents Live in Central Park Revisited: James Taylor
The transcendent harmonies of Lee Lessack and Johnny Rodgers pay homage to the unique artistry and indelible music of James Taylor. Guests can relive the incredible moment in 1979 when the renowned Taylor played live in Central Park. Favorites like “Carolina in My Mind,” “Walking Man,” and “Sweet Baby James” will all be rendered by Lessack and Rodgers. All we hope is that they better do our favorite JT song! 8:30 pm.

Saturday, July 24

2021 Houston Trap Wine Fest
Trap Wine Fest is back for its third year and this is gonna be the best one yet. They will be turning Grooves Restaurant & Lounge and the entire block into the livest wine festival you'll ever see. Entertain your classy and rachet sides at one fun-filled event. With 20 different wines to sip, Houston's top DJs in the mix playing all the trap hits, trendy local chefs, games and activities, you know its about to go down. 3 pm.

Caldera Music + Art Experience at East End Backyard
Caldera (not to be confused with the jazz fusion band from the '70s) is a music and arts festival in the heart of east downtown (aka EaDo) Houston. It takes place annually in the month of July under a full moon. This year, the Work in Progress Movement is presenting five local bands and six graphic artists at this primarily outdoor event, complete with food trucks and two fully stocked and staffed bars. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Houston chapter of Mental Health America. 3:30 pm.

The Grogan Gallery Grand Opening Reception
We don't know if you've heard, but Jack Rabbit Gallery now goes by the Grogan Gallery. (We're assuming the new title comes from the gallery's founder, Jodi Groganto.) The gallery is delighted to welcome guests to their new location in the Houston Design District. The reception will be held this Saturday at 7800 Washington Ave., featuring both new and familiar works from the gallery’s represented artists. 6 pm.

Sunday, July 25

Basketmouth at Ebony House of Vibes Houston
Who is ready for Basketmouth? You don't know who the hell is Basketmouth, you say? Why, Basketmouth (real name: Bright Okpocha) is one of the most popular comedians in Nigeria. In fact, when he was in Houston in 2015, former mayor Annise Parker declared July 17 as Basketmouth Day in Houston. This was for his "commitment on bringing our community together through comedy." He will be back in Texas this weekend, performing in Dallas on Saturday and Houston this Sunday. 4 pm.

Two Headed Dog Anniversary Market
For the second event in its anniversary week, beloved Midtown watering hole Two Headed Dog is bringing their monthly market back with a little of everything. Check out the vendors: Janglin' Jack with the vintage goods; Backseat Love with the amazing illustrative wares; Feral Boy with its custom knives; MiddyMade with the apothecary. As always, parking in lot is free for patrons — just tell the attendant. Also, plenty of parking down Fannin. 4 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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