Pick Five (Plus)

Your weekly guide to Houston: Big Apple movies, DIY curating, Superfluous dance& Marty McFly

iMEE Artists, Britt Juleen, Lindsey McGill, Andrea Dawn Shelley and JessicaCollado in Spencer Gavin Hering's and Andrea Dawn Shelley's Superfluous.
Photo by Simon Gentry
Blank City screens at MFAH and explores the almost bankrupt East Side Village inNew York from the late 1970s to mid-1980s.
Want to be an influential philanthropist? The Gift of Gift of Party allowsguests to vote on a future gift/acquisition to benefit the Museum of Fine Arts,Houston.
Remember Back to the Future? Miller Outdoor Theatre screens the completetrilogy.
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
Leila Levinson, daughter of an army doctor and concentration camp liberator,discusses her book Gated Grief at the Holocaust Museum Houston.
You can finally see Ben Tate run for the Texans Saturday night.
CultureMap's experimental music savant improvises to Silent Film at DivergenceMusic and Arts at Spring Street Studios. For this session, he enlists the helpof local bassist/composer Thomas Helton.

Is philanthropy in the air?

One of my favorite annual fundraisers — Sing for Hope — kicked off its festivities last week at Dentiq Dentistry, transforming a swanky and upscale medical office into a haute-hot social gathering spot. Between the soulful sounds of Kristine Mills and the robust vocals of baritone Timothy Jones, the sophisticated affair pulled a wide audience looking to make the Bering Omega Community Services musical fundraiser a success.

At the first late-night Thursday social at Americas River Oaks, art, fashion and culture leisurely juxtaposed. Cohesion Thursday Nights launched a series of after-hour get togethers aimed at showcasing local art, local music and a delightful exclusive late-night menu. It featured the works of Hanh Tran and Taft McWhorter, and live music by Arthur Yoria kept the ambiance chic and trendy.

Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston put forth its aniMeals on Wheels Pet Food Drive — because when seniors go hungry, so do their beloved companions. For two days, supporters stopped at the nonprofit's facilities on Montrose to lend a helping paw with pet food donations.

Bayou Buddies gathered at Whole Foods Market Montrose. Land Rover's debutante, the Range Roger Evoque, was presented to car aficionados at its sneak peek event. Spacetaker helped artists by providing a workshop demystifying WordPress blogging. And two film festivals — the 11th Annual Slant: Bold Asian American Images Festival and Architecture Center Houston Film Festival — came and went like a prom dress.

Where should you be this week?

Houston Zoo Flock's "Fast and Ferocious" at Momentum Audi

The only thing I love more than hanging around wild animals is mixing and mingling with people who also love furry creatures and partake in activities to support those caring for them. Flock is the zoo's troop of young professionals — the nonprofit's future leaders — who are getting a head start on how to be the best animal conservation advocates.

Hosted by the Flock's steering committee, this social affair with a cause grants an opportunity for the wild and curious to learn more about how to get involved with the zoo while having libations, light bites and enjoying great company. Thursday at 6 p.m.

Blank City and New York's No Wave Screening Series: Permanent Vacation at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Inspired by Céline Danhier’s documentary Blank City in which she explores New York's zeitgast from the late 1970s to mid-1980s, the film department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has curated a series of films that focus on the Big Apple during the same time period. Blank City screens at MFAH Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. The movies journey through an almost broke New York when the Lower East Side was ruled by cheap rent, drugs and artsy personalities.

While at MFAH, why not indulge in a double feature?

Permanent Vacation is one of the Jim Jarmusch films that enjoyed much success around European film festivals, yet remained mainly ignored by American audiences until the release of the director's Stranger Than Paradise in 1984. Permanent Vacation follows a troubled and sleep-deprived hipster as he deciphers his own life while meeting a middle-aged jazz musician, a street artist, an Eskimo-obsessed popcorn girl and a strange Latin woman.

Sounds bizarre and fabulous. Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m.

Gift of Gift of 2011 Exhibition & Vote Party at Spacetaker Artist Resource Center

Feeling influential and artsy? This exhibition and vote party allows guests an opportunity to give their two cents on a future acquisition/gift for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. You'll walk into an exhibition of 18 art pieces selected from 114 submissions from around the globe — this year from Russia, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Your mission is to vote on which one should find a permanent home at the museum. The photograph with the most votes wins.

The funds for the purchase come from pooled monies accrued from ticket sales, priced at $30 in advance or $40 cash at the door. Saturday at 7 p.m.

Gated Grief with Leila Levinson at Holocaust Museum Houston

In her book Gated Grief, Leila Levinson focuses on the unspoken trauma of World War II veterans — she is the daughter of army doctor and concentration camp liberator Reuben Levinson. She lives in Austin and is coming to Holocaust Museum Houston to discuss her book, her father's experiences and topics that plague veterans who served during the time of the Holocaust.

Why is this important? History has a tendency to repeat itself — I know, a cliché, but a true one nonetheless — and as the years make the Holocaust more distant, it's important to learn from it and not let it become a detached textbook talking point. Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

Music For Silent Films with Chris Becker and Thomas Helton at Divergence Music and Arts at Spring Street Studios

CultureMap contributor/experimental music savant Chris Becker couples with local bassist Thomas Helton for an impromptu evening of music making inspired by a silent film. Becker has an enormous collection of sampled sounds and music and he'll improvise, layer and compose a soundtrack on the spot.

No two performances are alike, as this duo responds to the images and audience reaction. Jazz bassist and composer Helton is no stranger to off-the-cuff performances, adding a richer, acoustic layer to Becker's electronica. Watching them in action is to experience creativity live at work. Sunday at 7 p.m.

My colleagues picks:

Photo editor and design junkie Barbara Kuntz's pick: Movies at Miller: Back to the Future Trilogy

Barbara says: "For me, it's Back to the Future at Miller Outdoor Theatre with a three-day screening of the entire trilogy featuring two of my favorite actors, Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. What a great setting to watch these science-fiction comedy classics." Tuesday through Thursday.

Arts contributor and Dancehunter Nancy Wozny's pick: infinite movement ever evolving's Superfluous at Barnevelder

Nancy says: "iMee artistic directors Spencer Gavin Hering and Andrea Dawn Shelley may be married but they are about to give birth to their first collaborative work inspired by music of the 1950s called Superfluous as part of Houston Dance Festival this weekend at Barnevelder. The program also includes Grim Eye by Maurice Causey, a rising internationally acclaimed choreographer.

"Expect some fantastic dancing with guest artists from several high profile companies including Houston Ballet." Thursday through Sunday.

Managing editor Chris Baldwin's pick: New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans preseason game at Reliant Stadium

Chris says: "I really wanted to recommend the Houston Astros' three-game set with the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants at Minute Maid Park as the No. 1 pick. But as usual, things didn't quite work out for the Astros. Neither Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain will pitch for the playoff-desperate Giants in Houston, taking away a lot of the luster from the series. If you're a huge baseball fan, Minute Maid is still the place to be. These games are near must-wins for the Giants.

"Everyone else should be where everyone else will be —packing Reliant Stadium for the Texans' preseason game against the New Orleans Saints. It's still exhibition football, and exhibition football can be painful, but tailback Ben Tate plans to play, backup quarterback Matt Leinart needs to star and who knows what new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will call after that blitz-happy preseason opener Monday night.

"As usual, the Texans bring the best sports drama in town." Saturday at 7 p.m.

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Movie Review

Cookie Queens goes behind the scenes of Girl Scout Cookie season

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Girl Scouts in Cookie Queens.

Few people are strong enough to resist the lure of Girl Scout cookie season every year, with the cookies’ limited availability and unique flavors a strong incentive to indulge. But only the girls and their families who have sold the cookies know the joys and stresses of trying to get people to buy them, a process that is detailed in the new documentary, Cookie Queens.

The film by documentarian Alysa Nahmias uses the stories of four different girls to represent the nationwide ritual for the Girl Scouts. They include 12-year-old Olive in Charlotte, North Carolina, a longtime top seller; 8-year-old Shannon Elizabeth in El Paso, Texas, who wants to earn the reward of going to camp; 5-year-old Ara in San Diego, California, whose goal is modest compared to most other girls; and 9-year-old Nikki in Chino, California, who has to compete with her older sisters in the cookie-selling bonanza.

The girls represent a cross-section of both ages and backgrounds, with some girls coming from wealthy families and some girls dealing with more limited means. And how much money your family has makes a big difference, as not only does someone richer have more freedom with their time and supplies, but all scouts are required to reimburse the organization for every box they take in, regardless of whether they’re able to sell it or not.

That caveat makes the journeys of the four featured girls feel wildly different. It’s clear from the start that Olive and Nikki’s families don’t give a second thought to the personal economics of selling cookies, with each girl taking in thousands of boxes at the beginning of the six-week selling season. With both Olive and Nikki rightfully confident that they’ll have no problem offloading their supply, their stories turn to how selling is personally affecting them, with each trying to reconcile the fun of doing it with the pressure they feel from their family members.

Shannon Elizabeth’s story is more harrowing, as her parents feel a strong desire to help her accomplish her lofty goal, but worry that the cost might literally be too high for the family as a whole. More than once, the parents are shown fretting that they won’t have the money to pay back what they owe should they fall significantly short in their sales. Their selling approach, which includes walking through an empty swap meet and standing outside a chain restaurant at night, only adds to their stress.

The most fun story to watch is that of Ara, whose innocence is matched by her confidence. Her parents teach her how much money they’ll owe with her small goal of 55 boxes, but right away she takes on more responsibility than expected. She’s shown making sales pitches and tallying the total number of boxes she’s sold with little-to-no help from either her mom or dad. With her high voice, glasses, and a monitor on her arm to manage her diabetes, she becomes the cute and sympathetic part of the film.

There are times that the film starts to feel more than a little manipulative, however. While many of the moments documented come off as organic, some of them seem like Nahmias is actively guiding the participants in order to get a better story. This is especially evident with Shannon Elizabeth and her family, whose early struggles turn into a miraculous feel-good story by the end, a turnaround that seems implausible at best. Everything with them might have been aboveboard, but Nahmias and her team edit the family’s journey in a way that pushes a bit too hard for emotion.

Cookie Queens, which was produced by a company owned by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, helps to give insight into the business of selling Girl Scout cookies for those who’ve only been on the purchasing end of the transaction. The dedication of each girl toward selling their allotted supply proves fun and interesting, even if the filmmaker tries to gild the lily on occasion.

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Cookie Queens is now playing in theaters,

movies girl scout cookie film