Pick Five (Plus)

Your weekly guide to Houston: Art under the bridge, Heart Walk, Tiger Lilliespunk & park poetry

Art that begins a conversation is what the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for theArts is all about. red, black and GREEN: a blues opens dialogueabout environmental justice, social ecology and responsibility.
Magid Salmi opens a solo exhibition at Spacetaker. His photography juxtaposesperishable items with everyday household objects.
Heart diseases affects everyone from newborns to centenarians. Why not helpraise awareness by partaking in this Saturday's Heart Walk?
How will the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art celebrate its 30thanniversary? Hint: Not quietly.
The Tiger Lilles return to Houston via the Society for the Performing Arts.
Photo by Regis Hertrich

An ofrenda is an offering in memory of a loved one. They can take many forms and at Lawndale Art Center, this year's Musical Ofrenda was a collaborative memorial between the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Inprint and Musiqa during which each organization gifted its artsy goods.

Each of the five Musiqa composers crafted a short miniature piece to embody subjects related to Dia de los Muertos. They were sung by soprano Karol Bennett, who interpreted each gem with honesty and heartfelt sentiment. Just as effective were works by Inprint writers, which included the literary nonprofit's executive director Rich Levy and renaissance woman Meghan Hendley.

At the Houston Grand Opera, Fidelio is a politically charged production that aligned with Beethoven's thoughts at the beginning of the 19th century. Premiered at the same time as his Symphony No. 3 "Eroica" — Beethoven initially dedicated it to Napoleon but scratched the inscription when the leader declared himself Emperor of France — politics and justice were very much in the zeitgeist of the composer.

Karita Mattila — the reason the work was programmed — is an emphatically passionate Leonore. Simon O'Neill is archetypally distressed. His plight from oppression to freedom is deeply emotional and his release, at the hands of his wife Leonore touches on feminist ideals.

Fidelio will be performed three more times — this Saturday, plus Nov. 10 and 13. It's worth your time.

Other highlights from last week? Black Sheep hosted another Social Media shindig, Arthritis Foundation held its yearly "Bone Bash," the Progressive Forum brought in Michael Pollan and the 39th Annual Jewish Book & Arts Fair began its two-week festival filled with readings, film screenings, concerts and literary events.

Moving on to this week. You'll see CultureMappers out and about at these Houston happenings:

2011 Buffalo Bayou Ball "Confluence: An Artful Evening" at Historic Sabine Street Bridge and Promenade

The lovely picturesque promenade just below the Historic Sabine Street Bridge — with its panoramic views of Buffalo Bayou along rolling berms and trees — is the backdrop for Buffalo Bayou Partnership's fundraiser honoring the artsy in-crowd that has morphed the urban waterway into a cultural hotspot. Those contributing to the beautification efforts include Hervé Descottes, Mark Dion, Paul Kittelson, Stephen Korns, Jaume Plensa, John Runnels, The Art Guys, Aurora Picture Show and the University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts.

Co-chairs Cullen Geiselman and Judy Nyquist promise a colorful evening with libations along the promenade, dinner and boat rides. Thursday beginning at 7 p.m.

Spacetaker Artist Resource Center Opening of Alternate Reality by Magid Salmi

Spacetaker is my place of choice to discover art and artists challenging the boundaries of established and visionary art forms. As a resource center for creatives needing support services, the nonprofit has the beat on what's hidden from public view but has artistic merit.

Magid Salmi's photography juxtaposes common household items with perishable items, juxtaposing atypical comic commentary on the banality of the everyday. There's a connection in each of his works, sometimes obvious, sometimes personal and sometimes obtuse. He will be on hand Friday night at 6 p.m. to mix and mingle with art curious guests.

The exhibition is on view through Dec. 2, but there's always lots to be learned from the artists themselves.

red, black and GREEN: a blues presented by the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at the University of Houston

The folks behind the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at the University of Houston love nothing more than facilitating collaborations that begin conversations and deliver a strong message. And red, black and GREEN: a blues aims to do just that with topics of environmental justice, social ecology and responsibility.

The multimedia presentation melds dance, text and visuals at the hands of Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center artist in residence, Marc Bamuthi Joseph; choreographer Stacey Printz; director Michael John Garcés; drummer/beatboxer Tommy Shepherd; documentary filmmaker Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi; and video designer David Szlasa.

There's lots of buzz about this performance, so logically, we are curious to check it out on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.

2011 Houston Heart Walk

Now that the weather is cool, the breeze is gentle and the mosquitos are somewhat retired, why not put your shoes to good use and enjoy a leisurely five-mile walk? The folks at the American Heart Association are counting on you, and 25,000 other Houstonians, to help raise awareness about a disease that affects and claims the lives of newborns to centenarians, one that kills 2,300 people each day.

You can register as an individual, start a team or just join our CultureMap squad. Saturday at 9 a.m.

30th Anniversary Orange Show Gala at Heritage Center at Crowne Plaza

How does the nonprofit responsible for keeping the Orange Show Monument, organizing the Art Car Parade and maintaining the Beer Can House celebrate 30 years as an advocate of folk arts? We aren't sure but we can't wait to find out this Saturday at the Heritage Center at Crowne Plaza, as everything that comes out of the Orange Show Center for Visionary Arts has a touch of quirky and is a good ol' time.

No one turns 30 without a bang. So expect flashy costumes, eccentric street performers, an elaborate silent auction and music by Dr. John & The Lower 911. And you, the party animal, get to attend as the star that you are.

Arts smarty pants and beer-loving lovable gal, Dancehunter Nancy Wozny's pick: The Tiger Lillies presented by Society for the Performing Arts

Nancy says: "Nothing chases the post Halloween blues away like a heavy dose post punk from The Tiger Lillies. I first learned about The Tiger Lilles when they came to accompany the amazing Holy Body Tattoo at Society for the Performing Arts (SPA). I thought they were about the strangest most wonderful presence, a hybrid mix of opera, gypsy song and left Bank Paris.

"Then they came back for more sublime weirdness in Shockheaded Peter. Well the smart folks at SPA are bringing them back again while they are on the Gutter and the Stars Tour on Friday. The lead singer and founder, Martyn Jacques, has the most incredible falsetto voice ever, too."

Photo editor and design junkie Barbara Kuntz's pick: Poetry in the Park at Discovery Green

Barbara says: "Poetry + Park = I'll be there. Yes, with this fabulous fall weather open us, I'm taking a blanket to relax at the beautiful outdoor setting of Discovery Green and listening to poetry readings presented in part by the Houston Public Library.

"Who knows? I may be inspired, once again, to try my hand at verse. 2 p.m. Saturday."

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Movie Review

Meta-comedy remake Anaconda coils itself into an unfunny mess

Photo by Matt Grace

Jack Black and Paul Rudd in Anaconda.

In Hollywood’s never-ending quest to take advantage of existing intellectual property, seemingly no older movie is off limits, even if the original was not well-regarded. That’s certainly the case with 1997’s Anaconda, which is best known for being a lesser entry on the filmography of Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez, as well as some horrendous accent work by Jon Voight.

The idea behind the new meta-sequel Anaconda is arguably a good one. Four friends — Doug (Jack Black), Griff (Paul Rudd), Claire (Thandiwe Newton), and Kenny (Steve Zahn) — who made homemade movies when they were teenagers decide to remake Anaconda on a shoestring budget. Egged on by Griff, an actor who can’t catch a break, the four of them pull together enough money to fly down to Brazil, hire a boat, and film a script written by Doug.

Naturally, almost nothing goes as planned in the Amazon, including losing their trained snake and running headlong into a criminal enterprise. Soon enough, everything else takes second place to the presence of a giant anaconda that is stalking them and anyone else who crosses its path.

Written and directed by Tom Gormican, with help from co-writer Kevin Etten, the film is designed to be an outrageous comedy peppered with laugh-out-loud moments that cover up the fact that there’s really no story. That would be all well and good … if anything the film had to offer was truly funny. Only a few scenes elicit any honest laughter, and so instead the audience is fed half-baked jokes, a story with no focus, and actors who ham it up to get any kind of reaction.

The biggest problem is that the meta-ness of the film goes too far. None of the core four characters possess any interesting traits, and their blandness is transferred over to the actors playing them. And so even as they face some harrowing situations or ones that could be funny, it’s difficult to care about anything they do since the filmmakers never make the basic effort of making the audience care about them.

It’s weird to say in a movie called Anaconda, but it becomes much too focused on the snake in the second half of the film. If the goal is to be a straight-up comedy, then everything up to and including the snake attacks should be serving that objective. But most of the time the attacks are either random or moments when the characters are already scared, and so any humor that could be mined all but disappears.

Black and Rudd are comedy all-stars who can typically be counted on to elevate even subpar material. That’s not the case here, as each only scores on a few occasions, with Black’s physicality being the funniest thing in the movie. Newton is not a good fit with this type of movie, and she isn’t done any favors by some seriously bad wigs. Zahn used to be the go-to guy for funny sidekicks, but he brings little to the table in this role.

Any attempt at rebooting/remaking an old piece of IP should make a concerted effort to differentiate itself from the original, and in that way, the new Anaconda succeeds. Unfortunately, that’s its only success, as the filmmakers can never find the right balance to turn it into the bawdy comedy they seemed to want.

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Anaconda is now playing in theaters.

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