Weekend events planner

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

Now that the work week is coming to an end, it’s time to start planning for the weekend. There's a ton of great stuff to do around town and we’re giving you a guide so that you can make the most your time. From some festivals galore to a Sunday market, here are the top seven things to do in Houston this weekend.

For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Film fest
Thursday, September 28-Sunday, October 1
The multi-day Italian film festival Umbria in Sugar Land boasts screenings of seven award-winning, subtitled films from the 2016 international film festival in Spello, Italy, plus food, wine, and art from the region. (Various times; tickets: $8-$20 per person)
226 Lakeview Dr. Sugar Land; 281-275-2045

Innovative dance
Friday, September 29-Saturday, September 30
NobleMotion Dance presents Catapult: Dance meets Design, an evening of daring choreography at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. The production features five custom-built interactive sets (think deconstructed tunnels and flipping doors) that shape the space and offer terrain challenges for the dancers. (7:15 pm; tickets: $25-$35 per person)
800 Bagby St.; 713-315-2525

First Lady of Song
Friday, September 29
The Jazz Houston Orchestra, with artistic director Vincent Gardner, perform tunes by Ella Fitzgerald including "I Ain’t Got Nothing But the Blues" and "A Tisket A Tasket” at Midtown Arts and Theatre Center Houston (MATCH). They’ll be joined by vocalists Belinda Munro and Yvonne Washington, and vocalist/saxophonist David Caceras. (7:30 pm; tickets: free)
3400 Main St.; 713-521-4533

Ren Fest
Saturday, September 30-Sunday, November 26
The Texas Renaissance Festival returns for its 43rd season with the addition of a ninth weekend. The festival transports patrons to the 16th century offering live entertainment, works by master artists and craftspeople, food and drink, hand-powered rides and games, and over 100 interactive characters. (Various themed weekends through November 26; tickets: $11.95-$23.95 per person per day; $40 for weekend pass per person)
21778 FM 1774, Todd Mission

Beer fest
Saturday, September 30
Oktoberfest at The Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park features German and local craft beers, live music, Olympiad Games for prizes, and more. You can also show off your dirndls and lederhosen in the best dressed contest. (11 am; tickets: $25-$30 per person for general admission and $100-$125 per person for VIP)
105 Sabine St.

Black Heritage Fest
Saturday, September 30
Eric Benét, Tamia, and Elle Varner lead the group of performers at the Black Heritage Festival at Discovery Green. This year's festival pays homage to Houston’s legendary Black Heritage history makers who have made a profound impact in various industries. (Gates open at 4 pm; tickets: $25 per person for general admission and $125 per person per VIP pass)
1500 McKinney St.; 713-400-7336

Book talk
Saturday, September 30
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon will read from his latest book, Moonglow. It chronicles the life of Chabon's grandfather, a World War II soldier, engineer and rocket enthusiast who marries a troubled Jewish survivor from France and lives a challenging, wandering life in postwar America. The reading is presented by Brazos Bookstore at Christ Church Cathedral. (7:30 pm; tickets: $16.99 plus tax for one, $21.99 plus tax for two. Each ticket option comes with a paperback copy of Moonglow.)
1117 Texas Ave

Market time
Sunday, October 1
Saint Arnold Brewing Company and Urban Harvest host the Urban Harvest Farmers Market at the brewery. Expect vendors from Lira Rossa Artisan Cheese (Italian cheeses) to Sinfull Bakery (vegan baked goods) to Pain Train Salsa. Saint Arnold will also offer special brew, "Urban Harvest No.2," a blend of its popular Fancy Lawnmower beer and Java Pura’s Panamanian Hartmann Estate Geisha Coffee. (11 am-4 pm; tickets: free entry)
2000 Lyons Ave

NobleMotion Dance presents Catapult: Dance meets Design, an evening of daring choreography.

Houston, NobleMotion Dance, Catapult: Dance meets Design, Sept 2017

Photo by Lynn Lane

NobleMotion Dance presents Catapult: Dance meets Design, an evening of daring choreography.

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.

---

Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

movies film