High 5 is a new entertainment complex slated to open in Lakeway in January 2016.
High 5/Facebook
Just in time for the new year, Lakeway's new one-stop shop for family entertainment has announced an opening date. High 5 will combine the best of bowling, gaming, and dining into a top destination on January 11, 2016.
The complex is tucked away in the blossoming Oaks at Lakeway development on Ranch Road 620, just a half-hour drive from Central Austin. The 47,000-square-foot venue has more than enough space for its two-story laser tag arena, 28 bowling lanes, five private event rooms, and hordes of arcade games.
Geared toward families, High 5 also offers an adults-only escape in the form of Up Top. Twelve bowling lanes can be found in this swanky upstairs lounge, along with a full-service bar. As far as food goes, the restaurant portion of High 5 promises "American classics with a gourmet twist."
High 5 is owned by husband-and-wife duo Scott and Jennifer Emley. "This is a dream come true for me and Scott. It represents the culmination of a vision as entrepreneurs, and for the region," Jennifer Emley said in a press release announcing the groundbreaking. "We’re excited to bring our unique take on the family entertainment center to our community," added Scott Emley.
In addition to High 5, the Oaks at Lakeway will serve as a town center with a variety of restaurants and retail storefronts anchored by a massive H-E-B.
Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers.
Director Steven Soderbergh is one of those filmmakers who — aside from the Ocean’s series — never seems to make the same kind of movie twice. He is somehow able to adapt his abilities to all sorts of different stories, making each of them as compelling as any other. His latest masterclass is in the London-set film, The Christophers.
Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who restores art for a living, is approached by brother and sister Sallie and Barnaby Sklar (Jessica Gunning and James Corden) with a scheme. They want her to become the new assistant for their aging father, Julian (Ian McKellen), a famous artist known for a series called “The Christophers,” in order to gain access to unfinished paintings from the series and complete them herself.
Lori accepts the deal despite having some uneasy feelings about Julian, with whom she had a bad interaction years ago. Julian is just as wary, both because he knows of his children’s interest in the unfinished works, and because he would prefer to be left in peace. Although the trepidation on both sides continues for the bulk of the story, a grudging respect arises between two artists who know skill when they see it.
Directed by Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon, who last collaborated on No Sudden Move, the film is astonishing in its ability to be compelling with such a small story. Much of the film is spent inside Julian’s multi-story home as Julian and Lori have low-level confrontations about a variety of things, including the meaning of his art, her abilities, the fate of the remaining “Christophers,” and more. Each conversation brings out more detail about their worldviews and their thoughts about their lot in life.
Much of the success of the film lies in the performances of McKellen and Coel. The 86-year-old McKellen has not lost his ability to astonish with the spoken word, and the monologues he delivers are engrossing even when they’re about mundane things. Coel, best known for the 2020 HBO show I May Destroy You, is a great foil for McKellen, never backing down from his challenges and giving her own unique takes on her lines.
While the film can be enjoyable for non-art lovers, those who appreciate the vagaries of the art world will have a lot to chew on. Soderbergh and Solomon debate a lot of aspects of art, including whether it’s possible to separate the art from the person making it, why some art is valued more than others, the ethics of forgery, and more. Because the film is about a fictional artist, it gives the filmmakers a bit more freedom in their criticisms.
Aside from McKellen and Coel, Gunning (Baby Reindeer) and Corden are the only other two people who get significant screen time in the film. Both of them are, let’s say, acquired tastes, and each gives an elevated performance that matches the energy of their respective characters. Tilly Botsford makes a nice impression in a small role as Julian’s masseuse.
Soderbergh’s last three films — Presence, Black Bag, and now The Christophers — have nothing in common other than the expert filmmaker helming all of them. When you can make a ghost story, a spy film, and a small film about artists equally interesting, you know you’re doing something right.
