weekend event planner

Here are the top 10 things to do in Houston this weekend

Supergroup August Greene hits Houston this weekend.

Photo courtesy of August Greene

This is a slim calendar this week, mainly because everybody will mostly be at home for Thanksgiving weekend, probably too full to leave the house. (For some, the longest trip will be to the fridge for leftovers.) Nevertheless, there are still some worthwhile things that'll be happening, for those venturing past the Frigidaire.

Thursday, November 22

69th Annual H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade
Of course, before the eating commences, folks will line up downtown for the annual, Thanksgiving Day Parade. It all started in 1949, when Santa Claus — or some pudgy guy who looks like him — arrived at Union Houston and rode his sleigh to the downtown Foley's (remember that store?) Now in its 69th year, it's a definite tradition around these parts. So, do your damnedest to get there early for a good spot! 9 am.

It's Santa Photo Time at Katy Mills
Katy Mills is getting ready for the holiday season. Holiday hours will be extended for the mall this weekend, with its Black Friday shenanigans kicking off at 6 am. But this weekend also welcomes good' ol Santa Claus — or some portly dude who looks like him — to the shopping center. St. Nick will be available to take photos with families, children with special needs and even your freakin' dog! 6 pm.

H-Town Thanksgiving
Local hip-hop heads who who are done eating this Thanksgiving can head over to White Oak Music Hall. That's where a top-notch, Houston rap show will be taking place later that evening. Space City hip-hop's best of the best will all be onstage: Z-Ro, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Lil Keke, Lil Flip, and Yung Martez. In all likelihood, this show will be just as plentiful and satisfying as the big-ass meal you just ate. 8 pm.

Friday, November 23

Flea at Silver Street presents Black Friday Holiday Market
Chances are, the day after Thanksgiving, department stores, malls and spots like Best Buy and Wal-Mart will be littered with crazy people, hellbent on getting some Black Friday deals. Flea at Silver Street has its own, annual Black Friday extravaganza, but it lasts for the entire weekend and we're sure it won't be just as insane. Guests can visit 100 booths of handmade, vintage, original art, home decor, food, and more inside a 20,000 square warehouse. 10 am.

War'Hous and Super Happy Incredible Toys present DC vs. Marvel Art Show
With grumpy old men like Bill Maher going on about how comic books are really nothing but kids' stuff, people need to be reminded just how inspiring and influential comic-book art can be. So, here comes this event, which will have various artists showing and selling DC/Marvel-inspired artwork. There will also be a vendor market, cosplay contests and giveaways from Super Happy Incredible Toys. 6 pm (noon Saturday and Sunday).

Saturday, November 24

Saturday Morning Bake Sale with Wayne Mueller
At Fluff Bake Bar's regular Saturday-morning bake sale, studly restauranteur Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue will be there to rock people's worlds with his fabulous, smoky meats. His signature showstopper is beef ribs on a freshly-baked croissant. While we're still waiting for Mueller to bring a Louie Mueller Barbecue around our parts (he spoke to us about it last year), we'll take this special appearance — along with all the meat he can grill up.

August Greene in concert
If you've never heard the name August Greene, you've most likely heard of the men who are in this hip-hop supergroup. First off, there's Oscar-winning, conscious-rapper extraordinaire Common. Then, we have jazz pianist, producer, and hometown boy made good Robert Glasper. Rounding things out is drummer Karriem Riggins, who has also produced good tunes for artists. They'll be in town promoting their debut album, which dropped earlier this year. 7:30 pm.

Trill Sweater Party: Post Malone vs. Travis Scott
If you're still on a high from attending last week's inaugural AstroWorld Festival, the House of Blues will have a night of music from that show's two biggest draws — fest creator Travis Scott and Post Malone — and you can show up wearing trill (and tacky) attire. Maybe this event, which also benefits Toys for Tots, will also have tons of Chick-Fil-A, since Scott surprised Malone with that when he performed here last week. 7:30 pm.

Sunday, November 25

Cafe Poetes presents Le Petit Marché de Paris
If you're feeling in the mood for some French stuff this holiday weekend, may we direct you to what contemporary, Parisian-style cafe Cafe Poetes will be doing. It's partnering with Music Doing Good for a one-day, holiday artisan market called Le Petit Marché de Paris. There will be plenty of items on hand, including handmade shoes by Atelier Aliénor, active apparel by Elastique Athletics, jewelry from Morgana, arts and crafts from Mona Loves Gustav, and more. 1 pm.

Pieces of April at Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra
We're kinda surprised Pieces of April hasn't turned into one of those offbeat holiday movies that start getting heavy replays on cable this time of year. This 2003 film stars Katie Holmes as a boho, Lower East Side gal who invites her heavily dysfunctional family (Patricia Clarkson got an Oscar nom for her role as the breast cancer-suffering mom) to her apartment for Thanksgiving. Go see this movie if you want to get away from your fam for a bit. 3:30 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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