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

Fun visuals can't save The Magic Faraway Tree's meager plot

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids — Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) — are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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