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    weekend event planner

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

    Craig Lindsey
    Nov 24, 2021 | 3:40 pm
    Uptown Lighting fireworks
    Head to Uptown on Thanksgiving Day for the Uptown Lighting.
    Photo courtesy of Uptown Houston

    Thanksgiving weekend is here, Houston. Whether that means time with family and friends or time alone, look for plenty of events to burn off that pumpkin pie and dressing.

    Have a safe, happy, Thanksgiving. Here are your best bets for the weekend.

    Griff's Thanksgiving Feast
    If you don't have family and/or friends to hang with this Thanksgiving, Griff's has got you covered. The pub will have turkey and ham and all the fixings, including Layne's World Famous Broccoli Cheese Casserole.

    The best part of all — other than being with your Griff's family — is that it's all free. It's starts on time and ends when the food is gone. So come celebrate with the folk at Griff's and have a great holiday. 12:30 pm.

    33rd Annual Uptown Holiday Lighting
    Here's another holiday light show that's happening. It will begin with the illumination of Uptown’s 300 custom, 20-foot holiday trees along Post Oak Boulevard, from the West Loop to Richmond Avenue.

    The family event will feature festive holiday shopping and treats, unique street entertainment, and the sights and sounds of the holiday season, along with a special appearance from Santa.

    Following the ceremonial lighting of Uptown’s holiday trees, the evening will culminate with a fireworks display, followed by a light show. 4 pm.

    The Riot Comedy Show presents Live LAUGH Love Thanksgiving Special
    It appears this monthly tradition will have a Thanksgiving theme this time around.

    The evening will feature stand-up comedy from some of Houston's funniest comedians share their takes on holiday dating and relationships.

    Relationship questions will be answered by comics during the comics' panel. If you're looking to break away from the family for a hot minute, these comics are here to get some of that tension outta you. 8 pm.

    Friday, November 26

    TFTI - Houston Selfie Museum
    This interactive selfie experience will catch the eye of Houston holiday shoppers with a limited-time experience opening at The Galleria. The novel, fun-filled activation will offer over 15 themed, picturesque studios designed specifically with Instagram feeds in mind.

    The exhibit features a range of out-of-the-box rooms such as the seasonal Upside-Down X-Mas Tree Room, Pillow Fight Room, Infinity Mirror Room, DJ Confetti Room, Space Room and more. Through Wednesday, January 1. 10 am (11 am Sunday).

    Downtown District presents Thing-A-Ma-Jingle
    The Houston Downtown Management District (Downtown District) is shutting down Main Street on Friday for the return of this night of festive fun. The giant block party will feature a night market, carol-oke, photo ops with hipster Santa, lighting projections, and more.

    Event goers will enjoy food and drink specials and live music at area bars and restaurants. This event is recommended for ages 21 years old and above. 5 pm.

    The Grand Ol' Christmas Show
    Will Hearn’s Grand Ol’ Christmas Show is a raucous, rollicking, one-of-a-kind musical comedy featuring Americana standout Blue Water Highway. The retro radio show brings sketch comedy antics and Christmas classics to a traditional Christmas Eve broadcast, led by Nick Brown’s Radio Orchestra and Gospel Singers.

    Made for music and comedy lovers, this tribute to American Christmas traditions cleverly and progressively blurs the lines between heartfelt nostalgia and contemporary pop-culture satire. 7:30 pm.

    Saturday, November 27

    Trill Burgers Pop-Up
    Bun B's Trill Burgers will be hosting a pop-up at Sticky's Chicken this weekend. The pop-up will include Trill Burgers' new vegan smash burger — a 100 percent, plant-based Beleaf burger made with Impossible meat — plus the “OG Classic” burger and Grilled Onion Smashburger.

    Burgers will be available to first-come, first-served at the restaurant until supplies last. Vegan burgers are expected to sell out quickly. 2 pm.

    Waterparks in concert
    Off the back of their highly anticipated album Greatest Hits, pop-punk trio Waterparks is bringing their infectious energy on the road and they are ready to rock out in Houston, where it all started.

    This band excitedly blends genre lines — jiving between fits of rock, alternative, and electronic with pop ambition and hip-hop’s bold and blatant disregard for the rules. They have garnered a massive cult following and amassed over 195 million streams and over 175,000 US album sales to date. 6 pm.

    No Limit Reunion Tour
    No Limit Records was an American record label founded by Master P. The label included artists such as Snoop Dogg, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, Mia X, C-Murder, Romeo Miller, and more.

    The label is often credited as forebearers furthering the rise of southern hip-hop and laying the blueprint for independent ownership in rap music. And, now, they're back on tour, featuring Master P, Mystikal, Slikk The Shocker, Mia X, Fiend, Mercedes, and Mr Serv-On. 7:30 pm.

    Sunday, November 28

    Hanukkah Film Festival
    The Hanukkah Film Festival will celebrate the Hanukkah season with eight nights of exclusive, award-winning new films.

    The Austin Jewish Film Festival is joining with film festivals, synagogues, and Jewish organizations across the U.S. and Canada in partnership with Menemsha Films in this new, virtual holiday celebration.

    Opening night will feature the world premiere of the animated Hanukkah short The Broken Candle. Through Sunday, December 5. 9 am.

    Parkway Market Days at Regent Square
    In partnership with The Art Cellar of Houston, the popular, outdoor local artisan market series is set to stock you with gifts for the holidays.

    Grab a bite from one of the onsite food trucks and a cocktail from Jo’s Mini Mobil Bar, as you listen to the sounds of Keith Vivens Due and peruse curated vendors selling specialty jewelry and accessories, artwork, candles, culinary treats and more.

    It's free to attend, and the first 25 attendees will have the opportunity to decorate a kite to fly at adjacent Buffalo Bayou Park. 2 pm.

    Youth Soul Love presents Sounds of the City
    This show is presented by the Art of Soul and Wear Models and hosted by Houston hip-hop artist/fashion influencer Youth Soul Love.

    Expect a dynamic cultural experience reanimates the urban music scenes of the cities that birthed today's music culture and highlights music influence on the fashion and art created in the respective periods of time.

    Fashion designer Nicholas Phat Nguyen's Mysterious line will be honored, while Love, Julian Caesar, and other artists will perform. 6 pm.

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    Movie Review

    Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

    Alex Bentley
    Dec 12, 2025 | 2:30 pm
    Emma Mackey in 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.

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