weekend event planner

These are the 15 best things to do in Houston this weekend

This weekend is loaded with concerts, that we don’t have room for them in the main column. Briefly, in addition to the ones we included, all of the following artists are also performing: Snow Tha Product, PJ Morton, Wallows, Eden Munoz, and Deep Purple. Whew.

In addition to concerts, we also have movie screenings, new stage productions, butterfly walks, and a rescheduled 713 Day party with Paul Wall. To quote Dave Chappelle as Rick James, enjoy yourself!

Read on for this weekend’s best bets.

Thursday, August 15

HITS Theatre presents A New Brain
A New Brain is an energetic, sardonic, often comical musical about a composer during a medical emergency. Gordon collapses and awakes in the hospital. Reluctantly, he had been composing a song for a children’s television show that features a frog. The specter of this large green character and the unfinished work haunts him throughout this ordeal. What was thought to be a tumor turns out to be something more operable, and Gordon recovers, grateful for a chance to compose the songs he yearns to produce. 7:pm (2 & 7 pm Sunday).

Friends of River Oaks Theatre presents Hundreds of Beavers
The Friends of River Oaks Theatre brings you the Houston premiere of Hundreds of Beavers for one night only, with two showtimes. In this 19th century supernatural winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become the greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers. Shot over two years for $150k in the Wisconsin wilderness, the cult fave is a true original of lo-fi surrealism, with influences ranging from Chuck Jones and Tex Avery cartoons to Guy Maddin and The Legend of Zelda. 7 & 9:15 pm.

Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown presents American Pie
Rooftop Cinema invites you to the party of the year with an American Pie theme. Get ready to relive the iconic moments of this classic ‘90s film on the big screen in an unforgettable setting. Join Jim, Kevin, Oz, and Finch as they navigate their senior year with one goal in mind: to “score” before prom night. Put on your best ‘90s gear, gather your crew, and come enjoy this film, followed by an epic party. Enjoy a night filled with trivia, a band camp contest, iconic party games like flip cup, themed drinks (in red Solo cups of course), prizes, and music. 7:45 pm.

Friday, August 16

Barry Manilow in concert
[Update: Barry Manilow has contracted Covid. The concert has been rescheduled for Wednesday, August 28.] Y’all can hate on Barry Manilow all you want for being cheesy, but dude was churning out those pop hits back in the day. We’re talking “Copacabana,” “I Write the Songs,” “Mandy,” and “Could It Be Magic.” We even dug the song he did for that Goldie Hawn-Chevy Chase movie. He has released 31 studio albums in his career, including his latest, Night Songs II, in 2020. If you’re a proud fan of his work, Bette Midler’s favorite piano man will be performing at Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land this weekend. 7 pm.

Improv Houston presents Dusty Slay
Dusty Slay's observational comedy and eternally optimistic outlook is peppered with ironies: growing up poor, a love for both hard-core country and classic rock, a career history peppered with jobs like waiting tables and selling pesticides, and what counts as fashion-forward thinking in his world. The trucker hat, long hair and mustache, flannel shirt and oversized glasses aren’t affectations to cultivate a stage persona as the B-side of a 1970-something Bob Seger single — it’s just Slay. 7:30 & 9:45 pm Friday (7 & 9:30 pm Saturday; 7:30 pm Sunday).

Dirt Dogs Unleashed presents Frenzy
[Update: This production has been canceled due to logistical constraints stemming from Hurricane Beryl.] Dirt Dogs Unleashed presents Frenzy, a new play by John Hawthorne Smith, directed by Trevor B. Cone. Rebecca has everything prepared for the multimillion-dollar acquisition of her sister’s tech firm. But when a mysterious crowd begins to gather outside the building and a cellphone video quickly goes viral, the deal and Rebecca’s very life are suddenly in jeopardy. In an age where everything is available online, can one person protect herself from an internet mob? Through Saturday, August 24. 8 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Kings of Leon in concert
Once dubbed the Southern Strokes for their countrified version of the NYC band’s garage rock sound, Kings of Leon have grown into heavier rock act that took off with the 2008 hit album, Only by the Night and its the ubiquitous single, “Sex on Fire.” After a hiatus, the Followills are back with this year’s regarded Can We Please Have Fun.Phantogram, the excellent genre mixologist duo will open. 8 pm

The Roots in concert
While Juvenile will be here representing for the ‘99 and the 2000, we’re more psyched that The Roots will be back in Houston as part of their Hip-Hop Is The LOML Tour. We still remember when they did that clogged-as-hell show at Club Waxx 25 years ago. When the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon house band performs at 713 Music Hall this weekend, things will hopefully be roomier. They'll be joined by Digable Planets. 8 pm.

Saturday, August 17

Buffalo Bayou Partnership presents Butterfly Walks
Buffalo Bayou Partnership will present a series of nature walks exploring butterflies, this year’s summer species. Visitors can learn about local butterfly species, life cycle, and habitat on this discovery tour of Buffalo Bayou with Nancy Greig, former director of the Cockrell Butterfly Center. An avid natural historian “jack of all trades,” she has a particular interest in native plants and insects. Guests can meet at Jackson Hill Bridge (on the Allen Parkway side), just east of Flora Restaurant. Walking tours are 90 minutes and cover approximately three miles. 9 am.

Cactus Music presents Fontaines D.C. Romance Listening Party
Irish indie rock sensation Fontaines D.C. returns with their new album Romance, out on Friday, August 23. Recorded shortly after their tour supporting Arctic Monkeys, it seizes on the momentum of 2022's Skinty Fia, which firmly established them as one of today's most exciting rock bands. Roll up to Cactus this weekend to be among the first to hear their highly anticipated album. As always, Saint Arnold Brewing will provide refreshments. 1 pm.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Aurora Picture Show Summer Filmmaking Camp World Premiere
Walk the red carpet for Aurora’s annual Summer Filmmaking Camp World Premieres event, where young filmmakers’ visions come to life on the screen. This screening showcases a wide range of creative short films made by Houston kids and teens (ages 7–15) through Aurora’s summer youth education program. Admission is free and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. 1 pm.

Santana and Counting Crows in concert
Here is an interesting combination that’ll be coming to town, ready to hit audiences with tasty rock grooves. Iconic, Grammy-winning guitarist Carlos Santana and ‘90s rock band Counting Crows will co-headline the Oneness Tour. Santana will perform songs from his 50-year career, including a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Supernatural. Counting Crows will perform their hits, including music off their most recent project, Butter Miracle, Suite One. 7 pm.

Sunday, August 18

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium presents 24th Anniversary Celebration
Flying Saucer Draught Emporium celebrates 24 years in downtown Houston with an epic blowout. Guests are invited to wear their favorite ‘80s attire and take the stage for a karaoke showdown. Marking the milestone for the craft beer pioneer, Flying Saucer will tap several exclusive brews from Prairie, Other Half, Jester King, New Belgium, and more, in addition to cocktail specials. Noon.

Home Run Dugout presents 713 Day with Paul Wall and Lil Keke
Due to Hurricane Beryl's impact on Houston, Home Run Dugout rescheduled its 713 Day concert with the zaddylicious Paul Wall and Lil Keke for this weekend. But it won’t be just a concert featuring Wall, Keke and other Houston artists; a car meet will also go down on the premises. Personally, we’re hoping that Wall will be there serving unlimited glasses of Paul Masson Ice, a new beverage that he co-created with Paul Masson Brandy. We suspect that, after a couple sips, we’ll be talking like Orson Welles. 3 pm.

Ferragosto Pizza and Movie Night: Strangeness (La stranezza)
The Italian Cultural & Community Center of Houston invites the public to its annual Ferragosto Pizza and Movie Night at the historic Milford House. This year, ICCC Houston will screen Strangeness (La stranezza), starring Italian actor Toni Servillo (The Great Beauty) as Nobel-prize winning playwright Luigi Pirandello. Set in 1920s Sicily, this irreverent dramedy reimagines the inspiration behind Pirandello's absurdist masterpiece Six Characters in Search of an Author. Following the movie, pizza from Piola Midtown and drinks will be served. 5:30 pm.

Photo by Roberto Finizio

The Counting Crows will join Carlos Santana in concert.

event-planner concerts performing-arts

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.

movies film