Pick Five (Plus)

Your weekly guide to Houston: The beer boat, Green fest, creepy art & a socialmedia holiday

Aboard the Elissa, one of the oldest sailings ships in the world, guests canexplore the similarities between the art of ship building and the art of beerbrewing.
Charles LeDray, "Untitled" (suit with small suit cut from it), 2000; fabric,thread, plastic, metal, wood, paint; Collection of Robin Wright and Ian Reeves.
Photo by Tom Powel/Courtesy of Sperone Westwater/© Charles LeDray
"Doing Time in Houston 1966 – 2011" at Architecture Center Houston features thephotography of Paul Hester.
Black Sheep Agency's Social Media Shin-Dig brings creatives together forcamaraderie and brotherhood, and perhaps taking over the social media world.
It's been 25 years since the making of Shoah, a 10-hour film documentingHolocaust interviews. You can watch it at MFAH all in one sitting, or splitamong a couple of days.

Waving goodbye to half-year gone by, it's logical to nostalgically reminisce on how quickly tomorrow comes. Are you savoring every moment? Living life to its fullest?

Let us continue to be your guide for taking advantage of the city's most thought-provoking events, fun socials and artsy happenings.

This past week, Houston CultureMappers hopped and skipped to Austin to partake in the first (of many) fetes celebrating the upcoming and eminent launch of CultureMap Austin. The staff is ready with an office filled to the brim with creative writers and witty personalities primed to report on the Live Music Capital of the World, all while keeping it real, and slightly weird — as Austin should be.

Max's Wine Dive's Max's Underground was the place for such a bacchanal, where new and found friends commingled, learning about and plotting new collaborations. Dripping Springs Vodka cocktails and ROXOR gin libations added to the lively and effervescent ambiance. Houstonian sight 'ems included Lonnie Schiller, Tod Eason, Shelby Hodge, Jamie Glover and Jonathan Horowitz.

Lessons learned? For Austin's theater insights, be on the lookout for listings editor Mike Graupmann's reporting. CM Austin managing editor Caitlin Ryan brings you the best on the city's lifestyle while editor-in-chief Kevin Benz discusses topics from politics to popular how-tos. And for your daily dose of Twitter sass, follow @CultureMapATX and keep up with social media maven Arden Ward.

Back in Houston, it was time to partake in Independence Day celebrations. For me, the Fourth is an adopted holiday as I hold three citizenships — American being my most recent as of 10 years ago. The holiday is meaningful — and so are the margaritas — serving as a reminder of the opportunities I have found in Houston, swirled with a healthy dose of Southern hospitality.

A toast to Fritto pie.

This week, we'll experience the past, the future and lots of green. Ready?

Screening of Shoah at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The narrative of the Holocaust was alive and well growing up. Part of my family had escaped; My great uncle from Poland still had his number tattoo on the inner side of his left upper forearm. Though he never discussed his experience with me, there was an unspoken understanding of his struggles and travels form Poland to Siberia, arriving in Lima, Peru years later, where I was born.

What seemed like current events to me is now distant history to many, some even forgetting the aftermath or even denying its existence. The film Shoah was a massive undertaking 25 years ago, now re-released in commemoration of its anniversary.

It's nearly 10 hours long. It contains no historical footage, but features interviews with survivors, onlookers and perpetrators. If you didn't make the whole day marathon at MFAH on Thursday, which runs until 9:30 p.m. and includes a 30-minutes post screening discussion with Holocaust experts Robert Jan van Pelt and Michael Berenbaum, you can catch it in two parts on Saturday and Sunday.

Black Sheep's [El] XX-rated Social Media Shin-Dig at El Xuca Xicana

Onwards to something a little peppier. In observance of Social Media Day, the flock at the creative Black Sheep Agency host yet another of its signature shin-digs. What's to love? Five-dollar mojitos, happy hour pricing on south-of-the-border beers, margaritas and nibbles.

Though tweeting is permissible, this is an opportunity to get out of HootSuite and make connections IRL (in real life). Expect highly creative people, movers and shakers, connectors and collaborators. Thursday at 7 p.m.

Healthy Eating Whole Foods Montrose Store Tour

Did you know? The new Montrose Whole Foods Market location has a full-time healthy eating specialist. Want to meet her? Gwen Marzano is hosting a couple of tours Saturday — at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. — for anyone curious to learn how to make better food choices. She'll be discussing her philosophy on the four basic pillars of a good diet, perfect for anyone looking to get started or to fine tune a current eating regime.

Space is limited, so it's best to reserve your spot by emailing her directly at gwen.marzano@wholefoods.com.

History on Tap aboard the Elissa hosted by the Galveston Historical Foundation at Texas Seaport Museum

The art of ship building meets the art of local brewing at the Elissa, a 1877 Tall Ship anchored at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston. Hosted by the Galveston Historical Foundation and Saint Arnold Brewing Company, board one of the oldest ships still sailing to learn about the connection between beer and boats.

Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 409-765-1877. Space is limited. Saturday at 7 p.m.

Green Arts Fest at Talento Bilingüe de Houston

Do you know how easy it is to be green in Houston? Honestly, I don't.

So I recommend this eco-friendly festival for everyone to be better educated on ways to be nicer to our natural surroundings. In collaboration with Greeni Recycling, Houston Green Scene and Planeta Verde Now, Talento Bilingüe de Houston hosts dozens of green artisans for a full day of conscious visual and performing arts. And it's free.

Green Arts Fest is also the culminating event for the Flor Y Canto green theater camp. It's $5 for children, $10 for adults or for $30 VIP seating for The Last Paving Stone, a kid-friendly play focusing on a narrative around environmental concerns. Saturday beginning at 1 p.m

And other CultureMappers will be seen at these happenings:

Photo editor and design junkie Barbara Kuntz's pick: Opening of Paul Hester: Doing Time in Houston 1966 – 2011 at Architecture Center Houston

Barbara says: "Photographer Paul Hester captures architecture in the most magnificent ways, with angles, lighting and composition that make the subjects 'come to life.' The exhibition Doing Time in Houston featuring his works opens Thursday at the Architecture Center Houston .... and I'm there."

Arts contributor and Dancehunter Nancy Wozny's pick: Charles LeDray's workworkworkworkwork at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Nancy says: "Sometimes Houston's steamy summers invite us to leave the world as we know it. I've got just the place. Head on over to the MFAH to see Charles LeDray's enchanting, and OK, a bit creepy, exhibit workworkworkworkwork.

"The man put some serious work into this. It's equally bizarre and full of wonder. The details merit several visits." On display through Sept. 11.

Assistant editor and arts savant Steven Thomson's pick: Artist's Eye Lecture: Vachu Chilakamarri on Franz Kline

Steven says: "While this weekend's ArtHouston gallery gallop will keep contemporary art lovers eyes filled, an intimate lecture at the Menil provides a quiet respite and insight on an oft-underappreciated icon of Abstract Expressionism. The event also offers a chance to meet local artist Vachu Chilakamarri.

While you're on the campus, step into the Cy Twombly Gallery to pay homage to the late American artist." Sunday at 3 p.m.

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Movie Review

Spine-chilling new horror movie Undertone puts podcaster in jeopardy

Photo courtsy of A24

Nina Kiri in Undertone.

While the horror genre is still capable of producing some innovative filmmaking, most of the output tends to fall back on jump scares and other tropes to deliver their terror. So when a film like the new Undertone tries something different, it should be applauded for the effort, even if it’s not as successful in its execution.

Evy (Nina Kiri) is a podcaster who co-hosts a show called Undertone, which focuses on paranormal videos and sounds they find on the internet. Her co-host, Justin (Adam DiMarco), lives in London, so — for kind of contrived reasons — in order to make the time difference between them work, Evy records at around 3 am her time. Evy — who lives at home with her bedridden, dying mother — is the skeptic of the two, consistently debunking clips that Justin presents to her.

Her doubts are tested when Justin brings in a series of 10 audio clips that purport to be about a boyfriend recording his girlfriend as she talks in her sleep. The audio begins in a lighthearted manner and quickly turns creepy and then sinister as unexplained things start happening. Evy senses that what she’s hearing is bleeding into her own world, especially when inexplicable actions take place in her mother’s bedroom.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Ian Tuason, the film is effective early on when it introduces the story concept. Making great use of sound design, Tuason essentially puts the audience inside Evy’s head, where every little sound is heightened. Setting the podcast sessions in the middle of the night ups the anxiety level for both her and the audience.

However, as the film goes along it gets a little tedious watching Evy listen to the audio, even as Tuason attempts to keep the film dynamic by moving the camera around her. The premise of the story — progressively going through 10 clips — and Tuason’s framing of shots that focus as much on the background as they do on Evy seem to promise more interesting results than actually transpire.

What ultimately holds the film down more than anything is its lack of different viewpoints. The only other person who’s actually seen is Evy’s mother, who is unable to speak. Evy speaks to Justin, another friend, and a doctor over the course of the story, and while each broadens our understanding of Evy somewhat, none of them make her a truly three-dimensional person. Getting a little more information about her history might have helped the story work better.

Kiri does her level best to vary her acting in the various podcast scenes, and even when they start to get repetitive, she remains compelling and watchable. It’s difficult to judge the other actors based on audio alone, but knowing that DiMarco also starred in season 2 of The White Lotus helps to visualize him and his acting style.

Undertone does well in creating a spine-chilling mood, but it needed something beyond that to become a truly great horror movie. Tuason shows some promise as a filmmaker, especially in the way he uses the camera to create tension, but a more complete story will serve him better the next time around.

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Undertone is now playing in theaters,

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