Sundance Film Festival 2014

Touch of Texas at Sundance: Fewer Lone Star films but a big one from Houston's favorite director

Last year was an exciting year for Texas-made films at the Sundance Film Festival. More than a dozen were made by Texans —many shot in Austin or directed by Austin-based filmmakers — or had a Lone Star theme, including a German-made drama set in and called Houston and a well-received documentary on Houston Rockets star Jeremy Lin.

Though this year's Sundance lineup has a lighter Texas load, there are still a number of films with Austin ties to keep an eye on.

Boyhood

Announced as part of the Sundance lineup at the last minute, this Richard Linklater film, shot over a 12-year period, stars Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater (the director's daughter) and Ellar Salmon. Shot in and around Austin every year since 2002, this innovative film, which was and still remains somewhat shrouded in secrecy, follows the story of a divorced family and the "emotional and transcendent journey of childhood to adulthood."

Linklater, who was born in Houston and attended high schools in Bellaire and Hunstville, received the Houston Cinema Arts Festival’s Levantine Cinema Arts Award last fall for his contributions to cinema. At the festival his classic indie film, Dazed and Confused, was shown to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Hellion

The feature version of Austin director Kat Candler's 2012 Sundance short of the same name, this highly-anticipated drama stars Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad fame, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins, Deke Garner and beloved Austin-based actor and producer Jonny Mars, who starred in the original short.

Hellion follows the story of two wayward young brothers, Jacob (Wiggins) and Wes (Garner), and their relationship with their distant and grieving father (Paul). Child Protective Services sends Jacob to stay with his aunt (Lewis) and his brother and father must come up with a plan to bring him home. This gritty feature is already being hailed for its powerful performances and haunting Texas landscape. The climax was shot on the Lynchburg Ferry.

Ping Pong Summer

Written and directed by Michael Tully, a recent Austin transplant and husband of Austin Film Society director Holly Herrick, this film, set in 1985, follows the story of Rad Miracle, a "shy, 13-year-old white kid obsessed with two things: Ping-Pong and hip-hop." This coming-of-age story features a diverse cast including Susan Sarandon, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris and Robert Longstreet.

No No: A Dockumentary

This documentary about pitcher and LSD-lover Dock Ellis features an array of Austin talent including first-time director Jeffrey Radice, filmmaker and Austin Film Society board member Mike Blizzard and filmmaker Sam Douglas. Promising to be an entertaining and heartwarming doc, No No tells the story of the man known for pitching a no-hitter while high on acid.

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

Directed by Austin filmmakers (and Sundance alumni) David and Nathan Zellner, this character study follows the story of Kumiko, an oddball whose incessant watching of one American film on VHS causes her to head from Japan to Minnesota in search of non-existent buried treasure.

Rat Pack Rat

This short by Austin transplant Todd Rohal tells the powerful story of a Sammy Davis Jr. impersonator who "hired to visit a loyal Rat Pack fan, finds himself performing the last rites at the boy's bedside." Rat Pack Rat also features the producing talents of Austin filmmaker Clay Liford and former Alamo Drafthouse persona Zach Carlson.

Richard Linklater's Boyhood was shot over a 12-year period.

Photo by Matt Lankes IFC Films

Richard Linklater's Boyhood was shot over a 12-year period.

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teamwork makes the dream work

Arizona-based interactive venue opens in Houston with 24 challenges

Two players in the Cat Burglar room at Bam Kazam.

Photo courtesy of Bam Kazam

Physical and mental tasks are part of the fun at Bam Kazam.

Houston's live action arcade boom continues with the opening of Bam Kazam, a massive new challenge room facility located in the former Railway Heights Market space in Lazybrook/Timbergrove (8200 Washington). Opening this Saturday, September 12, it is the company's third location since starting in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2021 and the first one in Texas.

Catering to adults, the idea of Bam Kazam is to roleplay big budget cinematic adventures like solving puzzles in ancient tombs or being part of a heist. The facility contains 24 different levels across 25,000 square foot of space. Players are given up to two hours to complete rooms, with most rooms requiring between 1-5 minutes. Teamwork is key to succeeding.

“If you’ve ever watched an action movie and thought, ‘I could do that,’ well come find out,” Bam Kazam founder Victor Blake said in a statement. “Bring the friend who thinks they’re the brains and the one who thinks they’re the athlete. You’re going to need each other.”

Rooms in the Houston location include Rat Trap, where players navigate through a giant mousetrap to avoid an equally giant cat; a Cat Burglar scenario that involves rope walks to steal a priceless painting; and a ruined city full of logic puzzles inspired by the Indiana Jones franchise.

Tickets for Bam Kazam are $39 per player with a three-player minimum per team. Every possible room is available with a ticket, and players have unlimited tries per room to solve them. Tickets are half-off ($19.50) during opening weekend when purchased through the website.

Houston has been enjoying a boom in live-action themed gaming since the end of COVID. Sandbox VR opened earlier this year, following Activate debuting in the city in 2023 and the Department of Wonder in 2022.

Photo courtesy of Bam Kazam

Physical and mental tasks are part of the fun at Bam Kazam.

games exercise bam kazam