Post-Fiesta Fiesta

Follow up Fiesta with this new week-long festival of free family fun

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Enjoy the Bexar County Fireworks on May 4.

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Consider this the post-Fiesta fiesta. On April 24, the City of San Antonio's Tricentennial Commission released the official schedule for the upcoming Commemorative Week, and it's jam-packed with festive events, family-friendly activities, and community-led celebrations.

Running May 1-5, the week commemorates two extraordinary events in the shaping of San Antonio's — not to mention Texas' — robust history. During Commemorative Week, the city marks the anniversary of the founding of the Mission San Antonio de Valero (aka the Alamo) on May 1, 1718. Four days later, a celebration honoring the creation of the Presidio San Antonio de Bexár on May 5, 1718, kicks off at Fort Sam Houston.

"As we reflect on our history, we will celebrate triumphs, learn from the past, and come together to showcase San Antonio on a world stage. Commemorative Week is an opportunity for all to enjoy and build the foundation for San Antonio’s next 300 years,” said Mayor Ron Nirenberg in a release.

Each day of Commemorative Weekhas a different theme and is led by a different group within the community. The week begins on May 1 with a "Day of Reflection" led by San Antonio's various faith-based organizations. The day will culminate with a free event on the main plaza of the Alamo. Open to the public, this family-friendly event will feature musical and dance performances followed by the lighting of a commemorative flame in honor of San Antonio's native populations.

"History & Education Day" takes place on May 2 and features the unveiling of the new VIA Mobile Learning Lab at the Witte Museum. While local elementary school students will partake in classroom activities, other youngsters can take part in free STEM classes at all 29 branches of the San Antonio Public Library. Meanwhile, local college students will plant 300 trees in honor of the Tricentennial.

A precursor to what is sure to be a wild weekend, May 3 is "Founders' Day," featuring city-wide activities, family-friendly events, and festive affairs for all to enjoy. Though countless celebrations are scheduled around the city, there are six official events being touted by the Tricentennial Commission, which can be found here.

Highlights include remarks from Dr. Ruth Simmons, the first African-American woman to serve as president of an Ivy League university; performances by local Mariachi, Ballet Folklorico, and Conjunto groups; a special Native American art exhibition and celebration; and a fascinating oral history project in which all San Antonians are invited to participate.

And it couldn't be an Alamo City celebration without art, right? May 4 is "Arts for All Day," which begins with a public art dedication at Hemisfair and ends with the Bexar County Fireworks along the Mission Reach. In between, enjoy free admission to SA museums and galleries, a social bike ride tour through art hot spots, and dance performances from the city's best troupes.

The weekend, running May 5-6, is the grand finale. "Legacy Day" runs on Saturday and will officially unveil the first phase of the highly anticipated San Pedro Creek Project to the public. On May 6, San Antonio honors its robust military community with "Military Appreciation Day." For the first time since 9/11, Fort Sam Houston will open to the public for a "free festival for the whole family." Enjoy historic tours, military displays, musical performances, and a special Air Force flyover, among other highlights.

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Movie Review

Pamela Anderson takes the stage in dramatic The Last Showgirl

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl.

A variety of actors have had the good fortune of having career resurgences thanks to someone giving them a chance after they passed their prime, including John Travolta after Pulp Fiction, Keanu Reeves after John Wick, and Brendan Fraser after The Whale. Pamela Anderson is the latest actor hoping to be reclaimed thanks to her starring role in The Last Showgirl.

In the meta-story, the 57-year-old Anderson plays Shelly, an aging showgirl at a third tier Las Vegas casino. The show itself, called Le Razzle Dazzle, is on its last legs, and Shelly finds herself at a crossroads, with no other skills or financial means on which to fall back.

While younger showgirls like Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) and Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) are willing to move on to more sexually-suggestive shows, Shelly is only comfortable with the tried-and-true showgirl way. Three other people in her life — estranged daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd), best friend Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), and stage manager Eddie (Dave Bautista) — seem to help and hurt her in equal measure.

The effectiveness of the film, directed by Gia Coppola and written by Kate Gersten, depends heavily on whether the viewer is willing to accept Anderson, who’s still best-known for her role on Baywatch, as a serious actor. If Coppola and Gersten are trying to show a different side of Anderson, they fail; having her play a character with little-to-no makeup and a dramatic arc does not make up for her poor acting skills and a high voice that borders on shrill.

And because the story is so dependent on Anderson — she appears in literally every scene — it never has a chance of becoming interesting or involving. Her character has personal issues that are objectively sad, but any weight that might have resulted from those storylines are lost along the way. She’s not helped by an over-the-top performance by Curtis, who seems to be milking her Oscar from Everything Everywhere All at Oncefor all it’s worth.

Coppola seems to be going for an old-school feel for the film to match the storyline. The film has a weird, unfocused look to it at times, giving the audience visuals that are definitely not high-definition. Whether she’s actually using an old film stock or manipulating the image to make it look like an old film, the effect is the same, with imperfections appearing on the screen often.

Anderson — who earned a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Female Actor for her role — and Curtis seem to take up most of the oxygen of the film, leaving little to remember from anyone else. Shipka had a breakout movie year thanks to appearances in Twisters and Longlegs, but her role here gives her little to do. The same goes for Bautista, although at least he gets to put on a grey wig and act in a way that doesn’t emphasize his bulky physique.

While actors should never be shunted aside simply because they’ve aged out of an accepted age range, you also have to have the ability to prove you still belong. Anderson can’t get out of her own way in The Last Showgirl, and consequently the film itself never has any dramatic depth, either.

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The Last Showgirl opens in theaters on January 10.

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