weekend event planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Sunday Funday comes courtesy of Second Sunday Revival at Market Square Park.

Photo by Morris Malakoff

Thursday is the International Day of Charity. So, if you've been looking to donate to a charity or nonprofit, or do some volunteer work, Houston has many charities you can help out.

As for the weekend, look for a divine drag show, a Spice Girls tribute, and a vintage market. Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, September 5

Katya: Help Me I'm Dying at Cullen Performance Hall
Fans of RuPaul's Drag Race know that Katya Zamolodchikova is a prominent figure on that show. The drag goddess (aka Brian McCook) was a contestant on the seventh season, as well as the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars. It turns out that Katya will be in town for a wild evening of entertainment. Known for doing funny personas and characters (including everybody’s favorite dumpster-living hairdresser Trish), her show promises to be one hilarious night. 8 pm.

Spice Girls Rad City Tribute at Present Company
On the first Thursday of every month, Present Company's Rad City Thursdays (organized by One Night Stand Events, the men behind RTB Event Group) will pay tribute to different iconic artists and moments in their career. (Selena and Madonna will be later this year.) First up, the Spice Girls and their 1996 debut album Spice will be saluted. Come dressed as you are, in Spice Girl glamour or any '90s attire, as DJ Fredster will be jamming all of the '90s guilty pleasures and many more hidden gems. 9 pm to 2 am.

Friday, September 6

Eric Roberson at Henke & Pillot
Eric Roberson is one of the most independent R&B artists out there. For nearly two decades, the man has been dropping music on his own label, Blue Erro Soul, collaborating with such artists as Lalah Hathaway, Marsha Ambrosius and rapper/singer Phonte. He also tours frequently, hitting spots here and abroad. He's currently on tour celebrating the 10th anniversary release of Music Fan First, his sixth studio album. The album was made as a reward to his fans and as a personal reminder that, he too, is a fan of music first. 7-11 pm.

Giselle at Wortham Theater Center
In 1967, Giselle was the first full-length ballet performed by Houston Ballet Foundation, and Houston Ballet is fittingly bringing it back to kick off the 50th anniversary season. Artistic Director Stanton Welch’s version of this iconic ballet has 61 company dancers vying for coveted roles in a production that cost more than $1 million to build. The two-act ballet is filled with stunning creations by Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno, and the music will be brought to life by the Houston Ballet Orchestra. 7 pm (7:30 pm Saturday; 2 pm Sunday).

Saturday, September 7

Zine Fest Houston 2019: Zine Cuisine at Lawndale Art Center
Zine Fest Houston is upon us, and this year brings a culinary theme. This annual event of zine exhibitors in Houston will have two spaces — project and classroom — where you can learn such things as community food and civic activism, youth zine-making, and crafting culinary dyes. There will also be a screening of the short film Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers. Featured food vendors this year include Moon Rooster Food Truck and Somos Semillas Vegan Kitchen. Noon to 6 pm.

Game Theory Expo 2019 at Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake Hotel
Get ready for two days of exciting tabletop gaming, featured guests, panel discussions, local game masters, and company-sponsored, demo groups events at this gathering. (A Friday-night preview begins at 8 pm, kicking off 24-hour gaming for weekend badge holders.) This expo is out to promote tabletop gaming in all its diversity through hosting of local game conventions. And this year’s featured charity is Gnosis Project, which provides economic benefits to partner museums. 9 pm.

Sunday, September 8

Second Sunday Revival: Vintage Vida at Market Square Park
Downtown District closes out its monthly, Second Sunday Revival series this weekend, and they're going out with a vintage bang. For this one, Vida Antigua Vintage and Yoko Vintage present Got Vintage Market, the ultimate retro market. DJ MLE will provide the music as event-goers sip and shop in the all-day shopping extravaganza. OLI.Style will also present a fashion show featuring fabulous vintage looks. Lots of other fun activities will be happening throughout the day. Noon to 5 pm.

BERT at 14 Pews
Bert Long Jr. was a Houston artist who was known as one of the art world's most compelling, creative, and talented artists. In this documentary, director (and Houston Museum of African-American Culture CEO) John Guess tells Long's story, beginning from the cotton fields of Crabb Switch, Texas, and ending up in Rome and Spain. Long's quest for success becomes that of the quintessential American. After this screening, Guess and art chronicler Peter Gershon will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A. 3-4:30 pm.

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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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