labor day 2022

13 best Labor Day weekend events to kick back in Houston

Clé makes Labor Day an all-out pool party.

Hard to believe, but September is here, which means the start of more holidays like Labor Day. For some, it means a chance to fire up the grill and chill. For others, it means a quick road trip.

For those staying in town, the weekend offers a host of events (more here), a chance to catch first-run movies in the theater for only $3, or an opportunity to add a furry friend to the family. Other events include a colorful (literally) party, a slabfest, a foamy fest, soaring fun at the flight museum, water sliding at Bobcat Teddy's, and a pool party at Clé.

Relax, kick back, and stay cool; here are your best bets for Labor Day.

Saturday

Gemma’s Boutique in Pasadena will have a Labor Day market. This spot is filled with art, crafts, home decor, clothing, glassware, purses, totes, candy, etc. So, you’ll be able to find something good. 10 am.

The Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation will present the Harris County Labor Day Celebration, over at the Pasadena Fairgrounds. There will be a silent auction, a raffle and a petting zoo, as well as entertainment, games and activities for the whole family. 10 am.

The Avenue Apartments will have something called a Labor Day color party. It’ll be a fun and unique theme that celebrates happiness, colors, and the spirits of all happiness. This will be a kid-friendly event. 5 pm.

Sunday

Taylor’s of Houston is looking for all slabriders to show up to its Labor Day Weekend Slabfest. Lowriders, slingshots, bikers and jeeps are also welcome to the party, which will have food, vendors and live performances. 4 pm.

The Dive will have what they call a “Blunted Session” the day before Labor Day. Special guest McPullish will come in and play reggae, dub and dancehall music for the deep listeners and dance floor groovers. 5 pm.

Amazonia Discotheque will get real foamy with a Labor Day foam party. Enjoy the best Latino music as you get all lathered up in non-toxic foam — the way God intended! 9 pm.

Monday

Lone Star Flight Museum will say goodbye to a plane-amazing (ya get it?) summer with a day of Labor Day goodies. A $10 admission will get you a free hot dog, chips and a drink, as you check out all the cool things they got. 10 am.

Cheeky Monkeys in Sugar Land will have a Labor Day Safari for the kiddies. For $19.99 per kiddo, they’ll be doing such fun stuff as face painting, balloon bending, crafts and an animal freeze dance party. 11 am.

Bobcat Teddy’s Ice House will have its annual Labor Day party. Hot dogs and burgers will be on the grill, Chris Goodwin will be providing the music, and it’ll be your last chance to water-slide the day away. Noon.

Jeremiah’s Italian Ice of Pearland will be slinging out the ices for a Labor Day fest. They will have games of the patio, music & dancing, some swag giveaways, limited-time flavors like Melon Fresca Italian Ice and so much more. Noon.

Texas Leaguer Brewing Company will have a good ol’ Labor Day BBQ at its beerpark. Boot Shooters BBQ will be sending its food truck over there to serve up scrumptious barbecue for people to consume while guzzling down some Texas Leaguer ales. Noon.

Clé Houston will once again throw a “Supa Soca” Labor Day pool/day party. It will be the ultimate Afro-Caribbean throwdown, complete with soca music, hip-hop and R&B jams spinning all day long. 2 pm.

Therapy Lounge will have an all-white, Labor Day party. There will be live music from Angelica, zydeco band Raa-Raa and other special guests. The cover is $10, and it’s BYOB. Don’t worry — there will be hookahs! 2 pm.

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Movie Review

Chris Pratt fights for his innocence in popcorn thriller Mercy

Photo courtesy Amazon Content Services

Chris Pratt in Mercy.

It seems like every other movie set in modern times being released these days includes either a reference to or a plot revolving around artificial intelligence. In the real world, the benefits of the technology compete with its downsides, but when it comes to movies A.I. is almost always seen as a threat, including in the new film Mercy.

The audience is thrown headlong into the slightly futuristic story involving LAPD Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), who finds himself strapped in a chair in a sparse room, being told that he is on trial for killing his wife. Turns out he’s in a court dubbed “Mercy,” which is overseen by an AI judge named Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson). By the rules of the court, Raven has 90 minutes to provide reasonable doubt of his guilt, or he will be executed on the spot.

Raven is in a multi-pronged quandary: Not only does he believe he’s innocent despite a trove of evidence pointing to his guilt, but he’s also the poster boy for the law enforcement side of the equation, having arrested the first man who went to Mercy. Anger and disbelief for Raven turn into acceptance, which then turns into him tapping into his detective skills, scrutinizing every shred of evidence the court provides him in a desperate attempt to save his own life.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Marco van Belle, the film is a relatively propulsive thriller despite having a so-so story and even worse acting. The film is told in real time (with a few fudges here and there), so the concept alone of a man trying to prove his innocence in a short amount of time provides good intrigue. Bekmambetov’s use of digital elements as Raven scrolls through files or calls potentially exculpatory witnesses like his partner, Jaq Diallo (Kali Reis), keeps the film visually interesting.

On the other hand, the swift viewing of videos and documents by Raven, not to mention the high degree of cooperation by Judge Maddox, opens up more than a few plot holes. The filmmakers try to explain away a few leaps in logic by having Raven falling off the sobriety wagon the night before, but they can only use that excuse for so long. They also have the AI judge experience technical glitches along the way, errors that seem to point toward a wider conspiracy until they’re completely forgotten.

More than anything, it’s difficult to get over the wooden acting of Pratt and the misuse of other usually reliable actors. Pratt has no real presence, especially when he’s confined to a chair, so any emotion he tries to conjure up comes off as contrived. Ferguson is done no favors by a role that shows only her upper body and has her alternating between robotic and oddly sympathetic. Reis earned an Emmy nomination for True Detective: Night Country, but has little to do here, a fate that also takes out Chris Sullivan as Raven’s AA sponsor.

If you’re okay with turning off your brain for a little while, Mercy can be an enjoyable watch. But if you find yourself scrutinizing why characters make the odd decisions they do, or the wishy-washy way the film approaches AI in general, then you’re likely to find the whole thing lacking.

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Mercy is now playing in theaters.

movies film chris pratt rebecca ferguson movie review

labor day 2022

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Movie Review

Chris Pratt fights for his innocence in popcorn thriller Mercy