Big Rivers is here

Houston's newest water park makes a splash with opening date reveal

Dive into the Wild Isle at Big Rivers Waterpark.

Photo courtesy of Big Rivers Waterpark

Even though it's not open yet, the Big Rivers Waterpark & Adventures at Grand Texaspromises to be the boldest and bravest of water park experiences. The wildly anticipated park will open on Saturday, May 25.

Hidden within northeast Houston’s tall evergreen pines and located within the Grand Texas 632-acre entertainment, dining, and shopping destination, Big Rivers is the city’s only 80-acre spot for water and adventure.

This place has more than 50 water and dry adventures. Expect water park attractions including Houston’s biggest lazy river, named the Rio GRAND River, that winds and curves more than a half mile. There's also Gator Splash, Texas’ largest interactive play structure, which is home to more than 300 water play elements, slides, and sprayers — and a Texas-sized, large bucket that dumps gallons of water onto playscape families below.

Fans can splash into the Boca Chica Bay Wave Pool, which produces the "tallest waves in Houston" and has a gradual slope from shallow to deep; the Comal Crush, a speedy raft ride with surprise drops and twisting turns; the seven-stories high, Pecos Plunge body slide; and Polliwog Puddle, a splash pad for the little ones, which has a special flooring and features light-pressure sprinkler water activities.

Families can also ride on Wild Isle, the state's largest inflatable obstacle (and the nation’s second largest inflatable obstacle). This floating obstacle complex on the park’s spring-fed lake contains 54 inflatable challenges.

For those who don't want to get wet, there are three different levels of zip lines for young children and adults that span throughout the park, giving families the ability to fly through the trees and over attractions. The six-story Eagle Challenge is home to 50 different zip and climbing activities and is ready to test any patron seeking a challenge.

Other activities include nature trails to view the park’s natural beauty and wildlife; a 70-foot climbing and free-fall tower named Vulture’s Dive; a petting zoo featuring more than 30 animals; a Mystic Forest maze to race friends and family; pony rides at the Pony Express; an interactive gator habitat; catch-and-release fishing at Big Al’s Fishing Hole; and Big Rock Mining, where guests can discover hidden treasures through a sluice box and more.

Big Rivers also offers up food and entertainment. Big Red's BBQ full-service restaurant features traditional, Texas barbecue favorites with indoor and outdoor seating, while The Dragonfly Biergarten has local craft beer and shaded seating. And, coming soon, an amphitheater will be able to hold up to 4,000 guests and will be home to many concerts and events year-round.

"My greatest experiences in life have been spending time and doing fun things with my family," said Big Rivers CEO/co-founder Monty Galland in a press release. "I wanted to create a local and unique destination for families that is unlike any other experience in Houston. The natural and serene beauty combined with the spacious grounds and number of activities that you can’t find elsewhere will be a big draw for families. Big Rivers Waterpark & Adventures is an opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and to have fun making memories together in a beautiful setting.”

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Big Rivers will be open from Saturday, May 25, to Sunday, September 15, from 10 am to 7 pm. Hours will vary with changes in daylight times. For more information, visit the official site.

parks

Movie Review

The Last Showgirl showcases Pamela Anderson’s dramatic evolution

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl.

A variety of actors have had the good fortune of having career resurgences thanks to someone giving them a chance after they passed their prime, including John Travolta after Pulp Fiction, Keanu Reeves after John Wick, and Brendan Fraser after The Whale. Pamela Anderson is the latest actor hoping to be reclaimed thanks to her starring role in The Last Showgirl.

In the meta-story, the 57-year-old Anderson plays Shelly, an aging showgirl at a third tier Las Vegas casino. The show itself, called Le Razzle Dazzle, is on its last legs, and Shelly finds herself at a crossroads, with no other skills or financial means on which to fall back.

While younger showgirls like Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) and Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) are willing to move on to more sexually-suggestive shows, Shelly is only comfortable with the tried-and-true showgirl way. Three other people in her life — estranged daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd), best friend Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), and stage manager Eddie (Dave Bautista) — seem to help and hurt her in equal measure.

The effectiveness of the film, directed by Gia Coppola and written by Kate Gersten, depends heavily on whether the viewer is willing to accept Anderson, who’s still best known for her role on Baywatch, as a serious actor. If Coppola and Gersten are trying to show a different side of Anderson, they fail; having her play a character with little-to-no makeup and a dramatic arc does not make up for her poor acting skills and a high voice that borders on shrill.

And because the story is so dependent on Anderson — she appears in literally every scene — it never has a chance of becoming interesting or involving. Her character has personal issues that are objectively sad, but any weight that might have resulted from those storylines are lost along the way. She’s not helped by an over-the-top performance by Curtis, who seems to be milking her Oscar from Everything Everywhere All at Oncefor all it’s worth.

Coppola seems to be going for an old-school feel for the film to match the storyline. The film has a weird, unfocused look to it at times, giving the audience visuals that are definitely not high-definition. Whether she’s actually using an old film stock or manipulating the image to make it look like an old film, the effect is the same, with imperfections appearing on the screen often.

Anderson — who earned a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Female Actor for her role — and Curtis seem to take up most of the oxygen of the film, leaving little to remember from anyone else. Shipka had a breakout movie year thanks to appearances in Twisters and Longlegs, but her role here gives her little to do. The same goes for Bautista, although at least he gets to put on a grey wig and act in a way that doesn’t emphasize his bulky physique.

While actors should never be shunted aside simply because they’ve aged out of an accepted age range, you also have to have the ability to prove you still belong. Anderson can’t get out of her own way in The Last Showgirl, and consequently the film itself never has any dramatic depth, either.

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The Last Showgirl opens in theaters on January 10.

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