weekend event planner

Here are the top 11 things to do in Houston this weekend

With Oktoberfest kicking off this weekend, you might run into people wearing lederhosen, carrying big steins, and pretending to be German. But, as always, there is other interesting stuff popping off all over the city these next few days. Here are some highlights.

Thursday, September 20

Party for democracy at Te Vote: Bombon x El Danzon
The vivacious, tropical-dance DJ crew Bombon is joining up with the Say Something Texas organization, in order to get black and Latino communities in Harris County out the house and into the voting booths. Fabian's Latin Flavors will host a voter registration drive that'll also offer up drink specials and Mexican/South American light bites and entrees straight off the menu. 9 pm-1 am.

Nick Cannon's gets crazy with Wild 'N Out Live
For over a decade now, actor/comedian/sometimes rapper/Mariah Carey ex Nick Cannon has given MTV audiences the crazy, hip-hop-fueled form of improv comedy known as Nick Cannon Presents Wild 'N Out. He's now taking the show out on the road, bringing along the show's beloved regulars (Conceited, Chico Bean, Justina Valentine) and maybe getting some special guest rappers to join in on the fun. 8 pm.

Friday, September 21

Find your peace with the Rothko Chapel and the Silkroad Ensemble
If you want to have a nice, peaceful day instead of a day full of the regular, ol' madness, do yourself a kindness and check out the Grammy-winning Silkroad Ensemble. With Rothko Chapel observing the International Day of Peace this Friday, this crew of musicians from dozens of nationalities and artistic traditions should serve as a prime example that people can get along and create something beautiful. 7 pm.

Celebrate Armenian culture at the Houston Armenian Festival
Thanks to the Kardashians, Armenian people have gained more exposure. If you want to learn more about the Armenian culture, the St. Kevork Armenian Church will throw their annual, three-day celebration of all things Armenian. There will be food, live music, an Armenian dance class, a baking demonstration, a traditional Armenian instrument demonstration, and much more fun, non-Kardashian-related stuff. 1 pm. (10 am Saturday)

Thrills and terror with the opening of ScreamWorld
Yes, we are still in September, but it's never too early to walk around a bunch of haunted houses and get the crap scared out of you. That's what the long-running haven of horrors known as ScreamWorld is looking to do. This 4.5-acre complex has been around since 1989 and, from this weekend until November 3, its 120-person "terror team" will do everything it can to scare people senseless. 8 pm. (7:30 pm Sunday)

Mars Attacks! kicks off the Sci-Fi Drive-In Series
People forget that Independence Day wasn't the only blockbuster movie about an alien invasion of Earth that came out in 1996. At the end of that year, Tim Burton came with the downright wacky Mars Attacks!, featuring an all-star cast (Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Danny DeVito, Natalie Portman) and some psychopathic Martians. This movie kicks off City Acre Brewing's Sci-Fi Drive-In Series. 8:30-10:30 pm.

Saturday, September 22

Meet the charming and handsome Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe is an old-school, '80s heartthrob who's had his fair share of ups (starring in The West Wing and Parks & Recreation) and downs (that legendary sex tape, horribly singing with Snow White at the Oscars). Now, he's going out on the road and telling anecdotes that populated his two, bestselling memoirs, Stories I Only Tell My Friends and Love Life. (No word if dude has clips of the tape). 7 pm.

All the cute with the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck
Just when you've seen it all, here's comes the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck. This startlingly pink cafe-on-wheels returns to bestow people with different levels of sweetness. There will be some edible sweetness, in the form of giant, Hello Kitty chef cookies or petit fours/macaron box sets. But you can also pick adorable items like plush toys, bow headbands and Hello Kitty Cafe T-shirts. 10 am-8 pm.

Take off with a fun WALL-E outdoor screening
WALL-E came out ten years ago, and it's still one of Disney/Pixar's finest achievements. This dystopian parable follows the title character, the last robot on Earth who discovers love as well as an entire civilization of humans in outer space. If you and your fam have yet to see this masterwork, it will be the latest feature presentation at Discovery Green's latest, outdoor film night. 8 pm.

Sunday, September 23

Dive into Caribbean food and culture at the Houston Jerk Fest
Houston Jerk Fest is not an event where douchebags come together and embrace their obnoxiousness. It's actually a fun, enjoyable experience devoted to Caribbean food and culture. Sample some spicy, delicious cuisine while taking in live performances from Wayne Wonder, Naila Blackman, The Galaxy Band, The J-Unit Band, and others. 2 pm.

Mel Brooks' silly Spaceballs gets the quote-along treatment
If you're not a fan of Mel Brooks, then apparently you're not a big fan of joy. The man has made some of the funniest films of all time: The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein. He also made what has become a cult classic: the 1987 Star Wars parody Spaceballs. And if you know the movie's script from front to back, you can head over to this screening and quote along with the audience. 6 pm.

Peace, love, and serious joy flows with the Silkwood Ensemble at Rothko Chapel.

Photo courtesy of Silkroad Ensemble

Peace, love, and serious joy flows with the Silkwood Ensemble at Rothko Chapel.

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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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