weekend event planner

14 best things to do in Houston this weekend: illusions, silent disco, and more

Your partner will loom large at the new Museum of Illusions.

Photo via Museum of Illusions

Plenty of fun events await this Labor Day weekend (check out our Labor Day events list here). A mind-bending museum is all an illusion, while a gripping art exhibit on the sad reality Black Americans used to face while traveling.

Things get loud — and quiet — with silent disco in River Oaks, bird watching soars at Houston Audubon, and a smooth, soulful singer comes to town on Sunday.

Enjoy; here are your best bets for Labor Day weekend.

`Thursday, August 31

Black Restaurant Week presents Nosh: Houston Culinary Showcase

Black Restaurant Week presents their sixth annual culinary showcase, featuring Houston's premier Black chefs, caterers, and bartenders. Guests can dive into the African diaspora and tantalize taste buds with flavors of African, African-American, and Caribbean cuisine. From spicy and savory, to sweet and subtle, there will be an array of options suited for every taste. 6 pm.

Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino presents Carlos Cruz-Diez: "A Legacy in Color" opening reception

Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino will present its seventh solo exhibition of the master artist, featuring three large-scale Physichromies, each from different periods, representing Carlos Cruz-Diez’s ever-expanding investigation of color. Cruz-Diez set out to challenge viewers’ traditional understanding of fine art. He searched for what he called “a new starting point” and to create work that had never been seen before. Through Thursday, October 12. 6 pm.

Houston Museum of African American Culture presents The First Rainbow Coalition

Chicago, 1969: Activists from the Black Panthers, Young Lords, and Young Patriots united African Americans, Latinos, and poor whites to confront police brutality and unfair housing practices. A timely story of collective action, this documentary tells this little-known chronicle of political struggle with insight and urgency, using archival footage and interviews with those who lived it. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Black Panther Party member Henry "Poison" Gaddis, director Ray Santisteban, and artist El Franco Lee. 6:30 pm.

Friday, September 1

Museum of Illusions Grand Opening

Museum of Illusions will celebrate its grand opening this weekend. This is a unique and exciting museum dedicated to providing visitors with a fun, interactive and educational experience that challenges perception and inspires creativity. The museum features 60 interactive exhibits that combine entertainment and education into an “edutainment” amalgamation, using optical illusions, visual tricks, and hands-on interactive displays to create a playful environment that engages visitors of all ages. 10 am.

The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service presents "The Negro Motorist Green Book"

The Green Book provided life-saving information on restaurants, gas stations, department stores and other businesses that welcomed African American travelers during an era of segregation and Jim Crow laws. The exhibition will offer an immersive look at the reality of safe travel for African Americans during the mid-century, including artifacts like business signs and postcards to historic footage, images, and firsthand accounts to convey the apprehension felt by Black travelers. Through Sunday, November 26. 10 am (Noon Sunday).

Stages presents POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive

One four-letter word is about to rock 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. When the President unwittingly spins a PR nightmare into a global crisis, the seven brilliant and beleaguered women he most relies upon risk life, liberty, and the pursuit of sanity to keep the commander-in-chief out of trouble. This uproarious, all-female farce took Broadway by storm in 2022. After all, behind every great man is a great woman — or seven of them. Through Sunday, October 8. 7:30 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Home Run Dugout presents Legends

Starting this weekend, Home Run Dugout is launching a concert series, with the inaugural concert featuring some of Houston's favorite home-grown talent. The venue's Biergarten Baseball Field will be transformed into a concert venue, giving concert-goers a unique “field of dreams” live music experience. The series kicks off with a concert featuring H-Town rap icons Lil' Keke, Slim Thug and Paul Wall. Proceeds from the show will go to benefit Spring Spirit Foundation. 9 pm.

Saturday, September 2

Conroe Sports Cards & Collectibles Show

The two-day Conroe Sports Cards & Collectibles Show will include cards, toys, memorabilia, art, comics, board games, video games, Funko pops and more. Guests can expect chances to win prizes through giveaways and raffles. There will be 200+ tables of collectibles set up and admission is free for all ages. Houston Astros legend Larry Dierker will also be making an autograph appearance on Saturday at 11 am. FCG card grading will be available onsite. 9 am (10 am Sunday).

Agora Haus presents Grapes & Grooves Festival

There will be a fusion of wine, music, and sophistication at the Grapes & Grooves Festival. General admission tickets let guests savor wine tastings and indulge in lite bites at the Haus Patio. VIP admission guests will gain exclusive access to Agora Haus and discover a selection of wines during a private tasting session, as well as a dinner reception at B&B Butchers, curated by chefs. VIP+ guests will also enjoy all the benefits of VIP admission, including exclusive wine tastings and lite bites. 11 am.

Redbud Arts Center presents Wayne Goodman: "Storyville" and Daniel Anguilu: "Memories from the Future" opening reception

71-year-old Wayne Goodman has masterfully harnessed his lifetime of experiences to produce “Storyville,” a body of work that reflects on past and present narratives. (Through Saturday, September 30.) Also, Redbud presents the opening of Daniel Anguilu’s show, “Memories from the Future.” Anguilu is an acclaimed artist renowned for his compelling journey to creating monumental murals that engage with social and political issues, while paying homage to the symbolism of his ancestors. (Through Saturday, October 28.) 6 pm.

River Oaks District presents Silent Disco in the Park

As the finale to its summer series of monthly activations, Houston’s River Oaks District presents its first-ever silent disco event. Open to the public and free of charge, this alfresco silent disco welcomes guests of all ages to grab a wireless headset and groove to a selection presented by two live DJ’s. Adding to the festivities, The Traveling Spirit Bar will also be serving complimentary disco-themed cocktails and mocktails, while Wonder Pops will showcase complimentary boozy and kid-friendly popsicles. 8 pm.

Sunday, September 3

Wine VIbes Micro Winery and Bistro End of Summer Celebration

Wine Vibes Micro Winery closes out the summer and frosé season with a family-friendly luau celebration. Slip into your best Hawaiian or vacation outfits (or come as you are), enjoy wine and frosé, a DJ, photo ops, and free popsicles for the kids. Each person who purchases a glass of frosé will be entered into a drawing to win a Wine Vibes t-shirt. As they celebrate with Hawaiian vibes, they will be raising money to support the victims of the Maui wildfires. A QR code will be available to directly donate to the impacted Hawaiian communities. 3 pm.

Houston Audubon presents Purple Martin Watch Parties

Houston Audubon will give visitors a chance to experience the spectacle of the migration of thousands of purple martins. There will be an info table for guests to chat with the Houston Audubon staff and volunteers about purple martins and their amazing migration. Guests must bring their own lawn chairs and water. Registration is highly encouraged. The event will take place in the Willowbrook Plaza parking lot near the At Home store. 7:45 pm.

Anthony Hamilton in concert with The Ton3s and TMF

R&B singer Anthony Hamilton will be in town this weekend, which means a lot of sistas will be heading up to Smart Financial Centre – probably with a flask of Hennessy on them – ready and willing to sing along with the North Carolina native and his smooth, soulful love songs. The man has released seven albums in his career, most recently 2021's Love is the New Black, which actually includes a song called “White Hennessy.” He'll be joined by The Ton3s and TMF. 7 pm.

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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