Beam Me Up

Get your pop culture fix this Memorial Day weekend at Houston’s Comicpalooza

The galaxies of costumes are coming out to play, the stars are aligning, and the fandoms are colliding.

A magical weekend of anime, comics, gaming, literature, cosplay, and more is on the roster during Comicpalooza, which is descending on Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center over Memorial Day weekend, May 26-28.

This destination event — and Texas’ largest pop-culture convention — is literally no joke, with endless programming, stellar special attractions, an exhibit floor of cool vendors and must-have merch, geeky entertainment, and more.

Naturally, there will also be a star-studded cast of guests in the mix, including this high-octane lineup from your favorite series.

Rising Marvel-ous stars
Black Panther 2 breakout star Tenoch Huerta — who portrayed Namor, the king of Talokan, in the film — will be joined by fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe actor Alaqua Cox, who plays Maya Lopez (aka Echo) in Disney+'s Hawkeye. Cox will soon be bringing her deaf Native American amputee hero with photographic reflexes to the spinoff series Echo.

See Captain Kirk twice
Two Star Trek captains are landing in Space City, when the legend himself, William Shatner, comes to Comicpalooza and is joined by Paul Wesley — much to the delight of every single Trekkie in the house.

Have a vampy reunion
If you’re not a Trekkie, you might still know Paul Wesley from The Vampire Diaries. He’ll be pulling double-duty for fans of the vampy show when he reunites with co-star Ian Somerhalder over the action-packed weekend.

Step into the Arrowverse
Speaking of TVD, superfans will recognize werewolf Stephen Amell — even if he’s better known now as the Green Arrow from the hit show Arrow — and he’ll be bringing all his vigilante charm to Comicpalooza. Castmates Colton Haynes, Rick Gonzalez, Juliana Harkavy, and Josh Segarra will also be there.

Meet The Boys
It’s one of buzziest shows around right now, so you better believe cast members from Amazon Prime’s original series The Boys will be in town. See your faves, including leader of the Supes Antony Starr along with Hughie himself, Jack Quaid.

This list of renowned names is also joined by award-winning actor Lou Diamond Phillips; voice actor Christopher Judge; anime voice over talents Paul Castro Jr., Luci Christian, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Amber Lee Connors and Jason Douglas; comic book guests Steven McNiven; and literature guests Terry Brooks, Stephen Graham Jones, and Mary Robinette Kowal.

Catch all these celebs on Saturday and Sunday at guest panels along with photo and autograph opportunities.

But the fun really starts on Friday, when you can shop merch and rare collectibles before heading to the Friday Night Bash dance party. That evening, you can also catch the pros from Texas All-Star Wrestling, who will have everyone on the edge of their seats.

Photo courtesy of Comicpalooza

Rep your favorite characters during the weekend.

On Saturday, aspiring and pro cosplayers take the stage in the annual Cosplay Contest. Artists will also be highlighting their work during the Live Art Auction. Throughout the weekend, Itasha Showdown: A Car Runway Experience is a must-see, too, with the coolest cars and motorcycles on the block.

For the most epic experience, VIP passes are the way to go. Check out all the ticket options and full schedule at comicpalooza.com.

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Movie Review

Star-filled pickleball comedy The Dink aces on Apple TV+

Photo courtesy of Apple TV+

Mary Steenburgen and Jake Johnson in The Dink.

While the sport of pickleball was invented way back in the 1960s, it has exploded in popularity in the 2020s. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out a way to make a movie about the craze, and a comedy like the new Apple TV film The Dink provides the best way to honor and make fun of the divisive sport at the same time.

Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson), aka The Hammer, is a former tennis phenom who’s now working as an instructor at a club owned by his dad, Chuck (Ed Harris). While the two don’t always see eye-to-eye, they have a mutual hatred for pickleball, which they have begrudgingly allowed on the property by giving it the worst court.

Dusty is hoping to stop all future pickleball expansion by winning a one-on-one grudge match, but when he injures his wrist, he’s given a prescription of pickleball as a form of rehab. Older women like Candace (Mary Steenburgen) are the only people he can find to play with, and despite his disdain for the sport, he soon falls prey to its low-key charms.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum (Will & Harper) and written by Sean Clements, the film is probably the best advertisement pickleball will ever have. Dusty’s introduction to the sport serves as a lighthearted tutorial for the uninitiated while still getting in some nice digs at its expense. The other players — Candace, Gail (Cleo King), and Judy (Lynn Marie Stewart) — are equally welcoming and critical of Dusty, who initially has trouble adjusting to the game’s different rules.

The film’s approach to the story is silly but never stupid. Dusty is a blowhard, but he’s also able to admit when he’s wrong, especially when Candace introduces him to multiple things he had never considered before. A long-standing feud between Dusty and Andy Roddick provides more than just a goofy cameo for the real-life tennis star. The film also pushes right to the edge of being over-the-top before pulling back, allowing it to keep a semblance of reality to it.

Clements’ story follows a tried-and-true formula, making the film very predictable but enjoyably so. Where it earns its comedy credentials is in its finer details, like Dusty’s love for his 1999 Buick LeSabre with under 200,000 miles on it, his trunk full of old VHS tapes, or his interactions with his assistant PJ (Aaron Chen), who manages to be the comic relief in an already funny film.

Johnson, probably best known for starring in the sitcom New Girl in the 2010s, has the right amount of smarm and niceness to pull off the role, letting viewers laugh at and root for him at the same time. The film is full of comedy all-stars in small roles like Oswalt, Chris Parnell, and Ben Stiller, but Harris steals everyone’s thunder. The line readings by the four-time Oscar nominee give an extra punch to his character’s jokes, especially one that hints at the sordid history of the tennis club.

It’s a shame that The Dink is only playing on a streaming service as there’s a dearth of good comedies like this in movie theaters. With a solid joke-telling approach, a respect for its subject matter, and a cast who all play off each other well, this is a film that deserves to be seen by more than just those with an Apple TV subscription.

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The Dink is now streaming on Apple TV.

movies sports pickleball film