FRIDAY –
Save it for later tonight…that’s when THE ENGLISH BEAT will be at the Belly Up Tavern in SOLANA BEACH; or you could save it for Saturday, as they’ll be there then, too.
The ALL AMERICAN REJECTS will be at The Sound in DEL MAR.
At Jacobs Music Center DOWNTOWN, there won’t be music, but comedy, with RONNY CHIENG, who is always funny on The Daily Show, and HASAN MINHAJ.
To start your weekend off with the holiday vibe, THE NUTCRACKER performed by the Golden State Ballet, will be at the San Diego Civic Theatre DOWNTOWN. That show will be happening all weekend long.
SATURDAY –
You can start the morning with Cars and Coffee in a number of cities around town, and a lot of Farmer’s Markets. And of course, Santa is making appearances everywhere.
If you like your music electronic, the South African duo GOLDFISH, who are now living in San Diego, will be doing a show at the Music Box DOWNTOWN.
SUNDAY –
A prog-rock super group called STICK MEN is coming to SAN MARCOS. The band consists of Tony Levin (the bassist from King Crimson, as well as John Lennon and Peter Gabriel), drummer Pat Mastelotto (from King Crimson and Mr. Mister), and guitarist Markus Reuter. They’ll be at the Bornemann Theatre.
STREAMING –
APPLE TV is going to be the channel that broadcasts all the Formula 1 races in 2026, so it makes sense that they’re the ones showing F1 – THE MOVIE, with Brad Pitt. He and Javier Bardem have chemistry, and they have to deal with a young, cocky, hot-shot racer played by Damson Idris. 3 ½ stars out of 5.
AT THE MOVIES –
ELLA McCAY
This is one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Writer/director James L. Brooks gave us the best sitcom ever made – Taxi. Oh, and Mary Tyler Moore and The Simpsons aren’t chopped liver. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of “As Good as it Gets”, I thought “Spanglish” was cute, and loved “Broadcast News” and “Terms of Endearment.” But Brooks is 85 and probably should’ve hung it up. He brought Albert Brooks, from Broadcast News. He had horrible narration from Julie Kavner, who he worked with on Mary Tyler Moore and The Simpsons (she’s Marge). For some reason, he also took a scene from “Terms of Endearment” – When the couple moves to a different state, and the husband still cheats. In this, the Jeff Daniels character was played by Woody Harrelson, because every other movie has Woody Harrelson. It’s a strong cast, also with Jamie Lee Curtis, Ayo Edebiri, Rebecca Hall, and Kumail Nanjiani. I won’t bore you with the whole story. It involves politics, and a lot of characters – none of which act remotely like any real person. The dialogue is idiotic. The scenarios aren’t interesting. It’s simply one of the worst movies you can see this year; although I should note, many people at the screening I attended enjoyed it. My wife and I hated it (and it’s getting around 25% on Rotten Tomatoes). 0 stars.