weekend event planner

Here are the top 12 things to do in Houston this weekend

Ingenious Brewing is serving up Oktoberfest in September.

Photo courtesy of Ingenious Brewing

This weekend offers up a wide range of fun, starting with a dazzling Diamond Gala with your Houston Astros (and the always fun Lyle Lovett), outdoor movies, a dad joke tournament (we're not kidding), Oktoberfest in September, and more.

Oh, and gearheads can enjoy a fried chicken and car meet. (Again, we're not kidding.) Here are your best bets for the weekend.

Thursday, September 9

Foltz Fine Art presents "Texas Emerging: Volume II" opening reception
Foltz Fine Art presents this ongoing series of group exhibitions, featuring emerging visual artists of all disciplines from the state of Texas. Six Houston artists on the rise are being showcased: Erika Alonso (painting), Dylan Conner (sculpture), Laura Garwood (painting), Peter Healy (painting/mixed media), Matt Messinger (painting/mixed media), and Meribeth Privett (painting). The exhibit will on display through Saturday, October 16. 5:30 pm.

Astros Foundation presents Diamond Dreams Gala
The Astros Foundation will present Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter/Texas native Lyle Lovett and his Large Band as the entertainment for the sixth annual Diamond Dreams Gala, presented by Chevron. (We wonder if he'll perform his wonderfully weird classic "Here I Am.") The event benefits the Astros Foundation and New Hope Housing, an organization combatting homelessness by providing housing and support services for those in need. 7 pm.

A.D. Players presents Elvis My Way with Brandon Bennett
With his authentic southern charm, glorious voice and powerful moves, Brandon Bennett was named “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist” by Elvis Presley Enterprises at Graceland. His retrospective traverses the King's career — from the rock 'n roll nativity of the '50s to the iconic comeback of the '60s to the legendary lounge acts of the '70s. Hits include “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” “Suspicious Minds,” and many more. 7:30 pm (2:30 and 7:30 pm Saturday; 2:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, September 10

Stages presents Outdoor Movies at The Gordy
This weekend of outdoor movies will feature three cult classics from the '90s/'00s, lawn games, a bad sonnet competition and live music, among others. The first two movies are cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew: 1999's 10 Things I Hate About You on Friday, and 2003's Deliver Us from Eva on Saturday. This is following on Sunday with a showing of The Lion King, but we don't know if the 1994 original or the 2019 computer-generated remake. So, show up at your own risk. 6 pm (5 pm Sunday).

Dad Joke Tournament at Eureka Brew Co.
This is the day you've been training for ever since you bought those New Balances from an outlet store (for a very reasonable price) and then watched NCIS in your Lazy Boy. Rules are simple: It's a one-on-one competition where each person takes a turn telling the lamest/daddest joke possible. Each contestant will tell three jokes. After three jokes, they'll use a decibel meter to judge audience reaction. The jokester with the loudest applause moves on. Sign-up starts at 5:30pm that day. Must sign up in person. No, you don't need to be a dad to play. 7 pm.

Houston Chamber Choir presents Two Streams, A Cantata
The Houston Chamber Choir opens its season with a cantata scored for choir and string orchestra, composed by young, American composer Daniel Knaggs. Based on Biblical texts and the writings of Polish nun Saint Faustina, this 70-minute work was composed in memory of the composer’s father. The concert will also feature Houston-based string ensemble Kinetic and international soloists Caitlin Aloia, soprano; Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano; Christopher Bozeka, tenor; and Mark Diamond, baritone. 7:30 pm.

Saturday, September 11

Ingenious Oktoberfest
Yes it's September, but GastroCraft will be hosting Oktoberfest at Ingenious Brewing this weekend. Plus, their good friends at 6 Wards Brewing are also joining in on the fun. As part of this celebration, they will have not only Festbier on draft but also 6 Wards Oktoberfest on draft and some awesome 6 Wards liter steins. Sign up for Oktoberfest activities and get liter pours of all Oktoberfest beers. Pilsners and kölsch on draft will be for the same price as regular 16oz pours all day. Noon.

The Riot Comedy Show presents Andy Woodhull
Get ready for some North Caca-laca goodness as The Riot presents Raleigh-based comedian Andy Woodhull. Andy has appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Conan, Live at Gotham and The Half Hour on Comedy Central. In 2014, he was the first comedian to make his network television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. His comedy special Andy Woodhull - World's Great Step Dad on YouTube has over 7 million views as well. 7:30 and 10 pm.

Proud Tina: The Ultimate Tribute to Tina Turner
Playing on Friday and Saturday, this stage production will feature Tina Turner's hits from the '60s, '70s, '80 and '90s. Audiences will experience the powerful raspy vocals, high-intensity dancing and thrilling stage presence live on stage, complete with band, brass section, backing vocalists and dancers to make this the definitive tribute. It will feature hits like "What’s Love Got to Do With It," "Proud Mary," "Nutbush City Limits," "We Don’t Need Another Hero," "Private Dancer," and many more. 8 pm.

Sunday, September 12

Chicken and Cars
You know what's been missing at car meetups these days? That's right — fried chicken! This meetup is here to kill two birds with one stone, as car clubs can show up at the Hartz Chicken Buffet on 1215 Piedmont Dr. and chow down on some delicious chicken in the process. Everyone is welcome, and bring chairs and canopies if you need them. General rules apply (no burnouts, no donuts, etc.) and the club with the most attendance snaps up the trophy this month. 11 am.

LaBrunch in Bleu at Bisong Art Gallery
This year's Le Brunch In Bleu will benefit worthy survivors and students of survivors of human trafficking. This brunch will be a joyous occasion to celebrate the bright young scholars, future scholars, and survivors of human trafficking that are persevering, thriving and excelling despite many obstacles. They are asking for the ladies and gents in attendance to dress in your best blue, gold or white dresses and suits. Hats are welcomed and encouraged. 1 pm.

Fashion Haus HTX presents In a New York Minute...
Using New York as their muses for ready-to-wear and couture fashion, guests will experience a rush of senses and styles as designers Greenwear Designs, A Herd of Bison, Legacy Lapels, Haus of Erotic, Nhan Doan, and Ruben Isaza debut their new fall fashion lines, exclusively shown at this show, to be held at the Crystal Ballroom at Rice Lofts. If you still feel like checking out audacious fits during these COVID-crazy times, then get down to this show in a New York minute. 8 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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