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    Confessions of a Judge

    Deciding who gets grants from the Houston Arts Alliance is much harder than itfirst appears

    Joel Luks
    Mar 14, 2011 | 9:26 am
    • Joel Luks, left, and Rodolfo Morales take their roles as grant evaluatorsseriously.
      Photo by Ryland Holmes Peveto
    • Panelists debate the merits of applications for Houston Arts Alliance New WorkFellowships for music compositions.
      Photo by Ryland Holmes Peveto

    The room may have been intended for more subdued, diplomatic and intellectual conversation. The impeccable set-up, table name tags included, was meant for serious business. And though serious business was discussed, the discourse was animated and at times, boisterous.

    Everyone in the room cared.

    If there was ever any question of passion behind supporting creative pursuits in Houston, my recent involvement in the Houston Arts Alliance's (HAA) Individual Artist Grant New Work Fellowships for music compositions introduced me to an active and lively group of people. Amidst their friendly cacophony of criticisms was a personal interest in pushing the city's cultural offerings further while nurturing the development of those who create them.

    As a music critic and classical flutist, I was asked to be part of a panel of six experts assembled by grants coordinator Kristina Spitzer to review applications and make recommendations.

    The message echoed among everyone present was uniform: We want great original art that supports the local economy, enriching the cultural output while encouraging tourism in Houston.

    Monies that support HAA's grants come directly from the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT), so any project funded must have the potential to bring in visitors, referred to endearingly as "heads in beds" by Fleurette Fernando, HAA's director of grants.

    It was my first opportunity to partake in such a panel. As a group, we had the responsibility to influence fiscal decisions that impact what is presented in Houston and affect the livelihood of those with whom I interact regularly. Having written grants before, including some for HAA, the experience allowed me an insight into the other side of the process.

    Only seven applications were received for this grant category, a steep gap from 27 in the visual arts category and 78 total — a common disparity despite HAA efforts in communicating the availability of this product to the community. The smallest category was choreography, with only five applicants submitting requests.

    Emerging artists can receive $3,000 while established artists can collect $7,500. It's an all-or-nothing gift, and given what is allocated for music composition, an estimated three grants could be awarded.

    The panel reviewed the applications blindly, although the visibility and popularity of some hopefuls made their work easy to identify — one even included a feature article I wrote.

    But the group was successful in critiquing the applications, leaving preconceived notions aside. We discussed issues of artistic merit, originality, innovation, tourism and the artist's capability to carry out the described project on time and on budget.

    It's about assessing the project as it is described on paper. Artist credentials play a role, but only in their ability to implement what has been proposed.

    As grantsmanship is an art itself, common issues centered around interpretation, lack of details and the inability of the grant abstract to accurately describe the nuts and bolts of the project. Written communication is a skill often not addressed by many music conservatories and training programs, but rather acquired later via trial and error as a survival tactic.

    This problem is largely exacerbated by issues of isolation. Often comfortable in their own realm and circle, some applicants need help in clearly articulating their activities to those less familiar with their art, craft or specific genre.

    The panel was quite insistent and unforgiving in pointing out incongruencies with surgical accuracy. Some samples provided were not in alignment with the project's description. Some budgets included line entries for items not explained in the write-up. And while social media channels make for great marketing tools, simply listing these does not imply there is a strategy to run a successful campaign.

    But the concern du jour centered around failed opportunities to organically engage different communities that genuinely would have an interest in the proposed program.

    To help artists grow, HAA is considering releasing panel comments anonymously to all applicants, a practice previously reserved for recipients, with the goal to increase the quality of grant applications while helping grantees sharpen their skills to secure funding from other sources.

    That would be in good collaborative spirit.

    There were some fanciful instances of "legislating from the bench." Given the panel's personal stake in arts funding, the group was not shy about sharing how things ought to be — the could've, should've, would've that frustrates but provides good fraternal bonding conversation.

    Though the panel's recommendations are not yet official and final, I was surprised at the rankings once votes were tallied. If approved, Houston is in for a cultural treat. An announcement of the winners should come early next month.

    And for that, we need to thank HAA and HOT funds.

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    Movie Review

    New movie Friendship pairs Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in a bizarre bromance

    Alex Bentley
    May 16, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship
    Photo courtesy of A24
    Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship.

    Comedian Tim Robinson has gained a cult following thanks to series like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave, in which his brand of cringe comedy is on full display. The former Saturday Night Live writer/performer has had a few small movie roles over the years, but he’s now getting his first starring role in the off-kilter Friendship.

    Robinson plays Craig, a mild-mannered suburbanite with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). Craig has a boring life that involves little more than going to his middle manager job while wearing the same clothes day after day, anticipating the next Marvel movie, and helping Tami out with her at-home floral business.

    He gets a jolt of energy when Austin (Paul Rudd) moves into the neighborhood. The two men seem to hit it off, with Austin — a weatherman at a local TV channel — even taking Craig on a couple of impromptu adventures. But when Craig commits a couple of faux pas at a group gathering at Austin’s house, their bond starts to fracture.

    Even though the film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, it’s clear that Robinson had a big influence on the style of comedy it features. There are no big set pieces with a slew of jokes coming one after another. Instead, the film forces the audience to try to vibe with the very particular type of wavelength it’s giving off, one that could almost be called anti-comedy for the way the laughs come out of left field.

    The 100-minute film is full of random comedic moments, like Steven kissing Tami on the lips, Craig being obsessed with his plain brown clothes, a group sing-along, and more. More often than not, it’s the way Craig reacts to both normal and abnormal situations that gets the laughs. The character is needy and oblivious, two traits that combine to make many of his actions cringeworthy.

    Perhaps most importantly for this type of movie, many things in the story go unexplained or don’t make sense. Seemingly crucial elements are brought up only to fade away just as quickly, while other parts that appeared to be throwaway sections get callbacks later in the film. DeYoung and Robinson are determined to keep the audience on their toes the entire time, never knowing what to expect next.

    Robinson has the perfect face for a story like this, one that’s bland enough to blend into the background but memorable enough to sell the jokes. His demeanor is also excellent, never becoming too expressive, even when he gets angry. With long hair, a mustache, and a certain swagger, Rudd is a great complement to Robinson. Only in a film like this would an everyman like Rudd be considered the suave and cool one.

    There will be some that will see Friendship and come away wondering what the hell they just watched. But anyone who goes in knowing that they’re about to witness a comedy that challenges their sensibilities will likely have a great time.

    ---

    Friendship is now playing in select theaters.

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