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. AndBrandon 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

Daniel Craig shines in Queer, an unapologetic tale of love and loss

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

---

Queer is now playing in theaters.

movies film