Grand slam for charity

Watt's up? J.J. dishes on Deshaun, teammates with baseball potential, and his home run dreams

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt takes to a different field on Saturday as the three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award-winner heads to Minute Maid Park to host his 5th annual competitive softball tournament, the J.J. Watt Charity Classic.

Proceeds from the event benefit the J.J. Watt Foundation, which provides after-school opportunities for children in the community to become involved in athletics, so that they may learn the basic character traits of accountability, teamwork, leadership, work ethic, and perseverance.

It’s a cause familiar to actor and former governor of the state of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is scheduled to be in the stands. Schwarzenegger’s own charity, After-School All-Stars, also provides after-school athletics for children.

Thirty-one of Watt’s Houston Texans teammates are stepping up to the plate in support of charity. Although subject to change, the lineup boasts Alfred Blue, Duane Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, and Braxton Miller on Team Offense. Jadeveon Clowney, Brian Cushing, Shane Lechler, Whitney Mercilus, and former wide receiver Andre Johnson, who retired in April and is back living in Houston, are among the players listed to play alongside Watt on Team Defense.

Olympic gold medalist swimmer Simone Manuel will throw out the first pitch at the game, which starts at 7 pm, with a home run derby at 6 pm.

Through his foundation, Watt has helped kids in 28 states, raising more than $2.7 million and donating items from jerseys and uniforms to entire baseball fields and gymnasiums.

Watt took time out of his schedule to speak with CultureMap about the upcoming J.J. Watt Charity Classic, and answered some of our most pressing sports questions.

CultureMap: You’ve been posting Snaps about how much you want to win the home run derby trophy (for the first time). How do you feel about your chances this year?

J.J. Watt: I’m very disappointed in my past performances and am looking to avenge my last four years of losses. I’m going in confident and with an optimistic attitude, and hope to come out on top.

CM: You started off playing this game at the Sugar Land Skeeters' minor league stadium and it got so big that you moved it to Minute Maid Park. What’s it like to play this game at a major league baseball stadium, and the home of the Houston Astros?

JW: It’s great and it helps raise money for a great cause. Our players and fans have a lot of fun with it.

CM: What does it mean to have so much support for this cause from your teammates and the city of Houston?

JW: It’s incredible. My teammates are awesome, making it a special event. And the fans are great to help us raise money for kids.

CM: Which one of your Houston Texans teammates would have the best shot at being a Major League Baseball player?

JW: Shane Lechler. And Brandon Weeden is impressive as well. He was actually drafted (as a pitcher by the New York Yankees).

CM: This will be the first time fans have seen you in any kind of action since your unfortunate injury last season. How are you feeling physically, and how excited are you to get back on the football field in 2017?

JW: I feel great. I can’t wait to get back out there — it’s been too long. I can’t wait to get back in front of the fans and with my teammates, and get back to doing what I love.

CM: What are your thoughts on quarterback Deshaun Watson being drafted by the Texans?

JW: I think it’s exciting. It’s nice that he doesn’t have to start right away and has time to learn and grow. I hope that he turns into a very successful player.

The 5th annual J.J. Watt Charity Classic is Saturday at Minute Maid Park. Tickets, priced from $5-$200 per person, are on sale here.

J.J. Watt hosts the 5th annual J.J. Watt Charity Classic on Saturday.

Houston, 5th annual JJ Watt Charity Classic, May 2017, J.J. Watt in baseball uniform

Courtesy photo

J.J. Watt hosts the 5th annual J.J. Watt Charity Classic on Saturday.

houston-texans sports fundraisers

Movie Review

Chris Pratt fights for his innocence in popcorn thriller Mercy

Photo courtesy Amazon Content Services

Chris Pratt in Mercy.

It seems like every other movie set in modern times being released these days includes either a reference to or a plot revolving around artificial intelligence. In the real world, the benefits of the technology compete with its downsides, but when it comes to movies A.I. is almost always seen as a threat, including in the new film Mercy.

The audience is thrown headlong into the slightly futuristic story involving LAPD Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), who finds himself strapped in a chair in a sparse room, being told that he is on trial for killing his wife. Turns out he’s in a court dubbed “Mercy,” which is overseen by an AI judge named Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson). By the rules of the court, Raven has 90 minutes to provide reasonable doubt of his guilt, or he will be executed on the spot.

Raven is in a multi-pronged quandary: Not only does he believe he’s innocent despite a trove of evidence pointing to his guilt, but he’s also the poster boy for the law enforcement side of the equation, having arrested the first man who went to Mercy. Anger and disbelief for Raven turn into acceptance, which then turns into him tapping into his detective skills, scrutinizing every shred of evidence the court provides him in a desperate attempt to save his own life.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Marco van Belle, the film is a relatively propulsive thriller despite having a so-so story and even worse acting. The film is told in real time (with a few fudges here and there), so the concept alone of a man trying to prove his innocence in a short amount of time provides good intrigue. Bekmambetov’s use of digital elements as Raven scrolls through files or calls potentially exculpatory witnesses like his partner, Jaq Diallo (Kali Reis), keeps the film visually interesting.

On the other hand, the swift viewing of videos and documents by Raven, not to mention the high degree of cooperation by Judge Maddox, opens up more than a few plot holes. The filmmakers try to explain away a few leaps in logic by having Raven falling off the sobriety wagon the night before, but they can only use that excuse for so long. They also have the AI judge experience technical glitches along the way, errors that seem to point toward a wider conspiracy until they’re completely forgotten.

More than anything, it’s difficult to get over the wooden acting of Pratt and the misuse of other usually reliable actors. Pratt has no real presence, especially when he’s confined to a chair, so any emotion he tries to conjure up comes off as contrived. Ferguson is done no favors by a role that shows only her upper body and has her alternating between robotic and oddly sympathetic. Reis earned an Emmy nomination for True Detective: Night Country, but has little to do here, a fate that also takes out Chris Sullivan as Raven’s AA sponsor.

If you’re okay with turning off your brain for a little while, Mercy can be an enjoyable watch. But if you find yourself scrutinizing why characters make the odd decisions they do, or the wishy-washy way the film approaches AI in general, then you’re likely to find the whole thing lacking.

---

Mercy is now playing in theaters.

movies film chris pratt rebecca ferguson movie review