Michael Tully’s Ping Pong Summer is a tidal wave of ’80s nostalgia that follows a shy, hip-hop and table tennis loving kid named Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte) on a family vacation in Ocean City, Maryland. Rad meets a quirky sidekick named Teddy (Myles Massey) and tries to overthrow Lyle (Joseph McCaughtry), the jerk king of the local fun center, to win the heart of his crush, Stacy (Emmi Shockley). The film looks, sounds, and feels just like those cheesy B-movies from the early Nickelodeon days, a delight to any child of the era.

In our video interview we chat with Tully about how autobiographical the film is, coming up with the idea for the film way back in 1992, casting non-actors in the child roles, creating an artifact from the ’80s, and more. Ping Pong Summer is available tomorrow, June 6th, in theaters and on demand.

The 57th annual San Francisco International film festival has been taking over Japantown in the Sundance Kabuki Cinema and New People Cinema, and the lineup of films so far hasn’t disappointed, with domestic and international gems from all genres. We’re only a few days into the festival, and there have already been plenty of highlights that you should keep your eye on in the near future (most of these selections have secured domestic distribution), plus one major disappointment.

Let’s start off with the bad news. Part of the festival’s Late Show program, Ti West’s found footage horror flick The Sacrament gathers the usual suspects West pals around with on indie film sets (Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, Kate Lyn Sheil, AJ Bowen) and throws them into a secluded encampment called Eden Parish, constructed and inhabited by people who have a creepily cultish way about them. The film is presented via two cameras our protagonists (Vice journalists) bring to the jungled community to film a profile piece.

Though brimming with talent as is per usual for the merry bunch of indie darlings, their gifts are wasted, as the film can’t avoid the pitfalls of the found footage format, breaking the docu-style illusion when it begins to look too much like a narrative feature in its overblown third act. West, ever the inventive filmmaker, does some interesting things with the limitations the camera, building a decent amount of suspense as the journalists sneak around the open grounds of Eden Parish, but The Sacrament is a disappointment coming off the heels of modern horror powerhouses The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers.

It’s clean sailing from here. Hellion (above), a gritty family drama by Kat Candler set in dusty Southeast Texas, flaunts an excellent cast of screen vets and new blood alike, all of whom deliver the goods in a big way. The film stars Aaron Paul as a widower trying desperately to get his act together as his oldest son (impressive newcomer Josh Wiggins), the titular hellion who’s obsessed with metal, motocross, and vandalizing their tiny town with his punk friends, begins to drag his younger brother (Deke Garner) into his world of dangerous hijinks. The town catches wind of the family’s chaotic home situation, calling child services and threatening to tear them apart forever.

The film is subtle and tasteful, and also has a killer metal soundtrack that jibes well with the dirt-road, tin can setting. Wiggins, who Candler discovered in a Youtube video, is as talented a child actor as I’ve seen in quite some time, especially for a first-timer. His potential is scary. Paul fits into the fatherly role quite well considering he’s coming off of the most definitive role of his career as a hellion himself in Breaking Bad. Juliette Lewis is surprisingly cast in a subdued role as the aunt of the troubled boys, and it’s a bit of a delight to see her excel in such an un-cartoonish role.

A funny and surprisingly dark odyssey movie, David Zellner’s Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter has an incredibly unique premise that never loses its novelty or charm. Rinko Kikuchi plays Kumiko, a Japanese office worker who finds a VHS copy of Fargo and sets out on a journey to the American city in search of the briefcase full of cash Steve Buscemi buries in the snow in the Coen’s classic, which Kumiko for some reason believes to be a documentary of some sort. Rinko is charming as Kumiko, the certifiable sociopathic, unstoppable treasure hunter, and the film, while comedic, also explores mental instability in a meditative, eerie fashion.

On a much, much lighter note, Ping Pong Summer (above) by Michael Tully  is an entertaining time warp for anyone raised in the taste-deficient 80s-90s era of Nickelodeon, B-boys, ICEEs, and arcades. Set in 1985, the film follows young Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte) who, while on a family vacation at a beachside resort town, meets his best friend, the girl of his dreams, the biggest bully in the neighborhood, and a former ping pong legend (Susan Sarandon). Wave after wave of ’90s nostalgia washed over me throughout the film, and I found myself mouthing “wow” constantly at how authentically cheesy the props, costumes, and sets are. Perfect watching conditions: afternoon on a school day, eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch, wearing neon shorts and L.A. Gears.

Tomorrow night, the 57th annual San Francisco International Film Festival (April 24-May 8) kicks off its program of 168 films representing 56 countries. Seeing every film in that span of time is a veritable impossibility (though San Francisco is full of sun-depraved cine-maniacs ready to jump at the challenge), so we’re going to take a look at some of the highlights in the festival’s catalog for anyone planning on hopping over to the Bay Area and joining in on the fun.

Opening up the festival tomorrow night at the Castro Theater is Hossein Amini’s The Two Faces of January, a Greece-set suspense thriller starring Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen, an American couple on holiday who find themselves inextricably linked to a shifty tour guide (Oscar Isaac) after a fatal accident in a hotel room forces them to frantically find a way out of the country. Evoking Hitchcock’s touristic action-romance romps, the film should send the festival on its way nicely.

Speaking of being on holiday, Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip to Italy (pictured above) looks to walk on the lighter side of vacationing. A sequel to 2011’s The Trip, the film stars English funnymen Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing inflated versions of themselves as they, like in the first film, take a culinary tour of expensive restaurants, making each other chuckle along the way with improvised chatter and–of course–spot-on Michael Caine impressions.

On the darker side of traveling lies Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, about a sociopath Japanese office assistant who flies to Fargo, North Dakota in search of a buried treasure she glimpsed in the famous Coen Brothers movie. For some reason, she believes a suitcase full of money buried in the snow by Steve Buscemi in a fictional movie exists in real life…and that totally piques my interest for some reason…

The film that’s got me frothing in anticipation more than any other is Night Moves (pictured above), by ridiculously talented writer/director Kelly Reichardt (Meek’s Cutoff, Wendy and Lucy). It’s a safe bet that, like her previous films, we’ll be treated to a smorgasbord of deliciously cinematic imagery to support a wholly unique script (set, as in all her previous efforts, in Oregon). The political thriller stars Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning as environmentalist lovebirds who, with marine veteran Peter Sarsgaard, hatch a plan to blow up a dam. This one looks to be a less contemplative and more narrative-driven movie than we’re used to seeing from Reichardt, which excites me to no end.

The fest’s centerpiece presentation is the Bay Area-set teenage drama Palo Alto, directed by Gia Coppola and starring Emma Roberts, James Franco, and Jack Kilmer. Based on a book of short stories written by Franco about his experience growing up in the titular Bay Area community, the film aims to be a more authentic take on teenage life than your typical high school drama, casting appropriately-aged actors in all roles and eschewing tropes like stereotypical clique dynamics.

Richard Linklater is set to receive the Founder’s Directing Award at SFIFF, and he’s bringing Boyhood, his much buzzed-about coming-of-age movie, along with him. We’ve all heard by now that the film is pretty good and that it took  an unprecedented 12 years to make, which is reason enough to check out the film at the festival, but sweetening the deal is that a career highlight reel of the indie pioneer will also be shown, and Linklater will participate in an on-stage interview. Doesn’t get much cooler than that!

There are two films with the word “Summer” in the title playing at the festival, but seriously, they couldn’t be any more different. Stanley Nelson (Freedom Riders) chronicles the rise of the Civil Rights movement in his powerful documentary Freedom Summer, focusing on the significant, eruptive events in Mississippi in the summer of 1964. Director Michael Tully’s nostalgia comedy Ping Pong Summer (pictured above), set in a 1985 Maryland beach town, follows 13-year-old Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte) as a simple family vacation turns into one of the most memorable summers of his life.

Closing out the festival is actor-turned-director Chris Messina’s Alex of Venice, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the titular workaholic attorney, whose negligence of her family drives her husband (Messina) to walk out of their lives. As Alex’s strictly organized life begins to spiral out of control, she scrambles to restore some semblance of order, in the process discovering what’s truly important to her. The film also stars Don Johnson as Winstead’s father in a standout role.

For more information and ticketing info, visit sffs.org

Bust out your boombox and neon colored clothing. A new trailer for the 80s inspired film Ping Pong Summer has arrived. Set in the summer of 1985, an awkward teenage boy goes on a family vacation to the beach town of Ocean City, Maryland. He instantly falls in love with a local girl and the game of ping pong. Standing in his way of both is a preppy bully who challenges him to a ping pong showdown. Ping Pong Summer is a great 80s comedy throwback and was one of my favorite films from SXSW. It’s totally rad for anyone who grew up in the 80s!

Watch Ping Pong Summer trailer

I was pleasantly surprised in the amount of quality films that I saw at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival, although I admit that I was fairly selective in the titles I wanted to see. My favorites range from time-traveling comedies to 80s throwbacks to absurd cult deprogramming. There were only a couple letdowns in the little more than a dozen films I saw, but even those had at least some redeeming qualities to them. A quick list of the more buzzed about films at the festival that I didn’t get a chance to see (thus didn’t make my list); Boyhood, Wild Canaries, Buzzard, and 10,000KM (Long Distance).

7 Favorite Films From SXSW 2014

#7 – Frank

What makes Frank such an entertaining watch is its whimsical approach to the outlandish storytelling. I had a couple minor issues with the film, but as a whole Frank is a sidesplitting comedy about finding one’s inner creativity.
Frank review

#6 – Ping Pong Summer

Apparently it was the year for 80s throwbacks at SXSW. While The Guest (also on this list) is a throwback to the action/thriller genre from that era, Ping Pong Summer is a nostalgic family vacation story that is filled with just about every cheesy cliché from the decade. It’s totally rad!
Ping Pong Summer review

#5 – The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

You don’t have to be a tech geek to understand the brilliance of computer programming guru Aaron Swartz or the impact of his work that prematurely ended when extraneous federal charges pressured him into committing suicide. This documentary reminds us that limiting the access to information is crippling on all levels.
The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz review

#4 – Open Windows

Serving as an exploitation of technology and a satire on our obsession with Hollywood stars, Nacho Vigalondo’s Open Windows is a high concept thrill ride with numerous twists and turns along the way. Comparisons to a 21st century Rear Window aren’t unjust.
Open Windows review

#3 – The Infinite Man

The Infinite Man is an impressive directorial debut from Hugh Sullivan who bravely tackles the complex subject of time-travel with relative comfort. Intending to fix an anniversary weekend gone awry, the main character creates a machine to travel back in time to save his relationship.
The Infinite Man review

#2 – The Guest

The only midnight film I caught at the festival happened to be one of my favorites. The Guest is a 80s inspired atmospheric thriller that wonderfully combines Terminator like action with a pulsating soundtrack and thrills of Halloween. This is the perfect film to watch with a rowdy midnight crowd.
The Guest review

#1 – Faults

One of the most unique films I saw at the festival this year was an off the wall comedy called Faults, a film about an eccentric cult deprogrammer who is hired by a couple to help snap their daughter out of a cult spell. Faults is completely absurd and challenging in all the right ways.
Faults review

Rubber Soul

Rubber Soul reenacts two in-depth interviews of John Lennon that were conducted ten years apart from each other. No words of Lennon’s were altered during this reconstruction, though the film does jump between the two interviews, sometimes revealing contradictory statements made from the former Beatle. In one interview, Lennon states how he and Paul McCartney rarely ever wrote songs together, but in the other he recants by saying that two did in fact do writing together.

Most of the film consists of Lennon going on long rants about The Beatles. A few of the antidotes are noteworthy, however, the majority of these interviews end up being more of a meaningless ramble. Die-hard Lennon fans will obviously get the most out of Rubber Soul, but strictly Beatles fans may not gain much more insight than what is already widely known. At one point Lennon acknowledges that all artists are egotistical, the film reveals that he might be the biggest of both.

RATING: 5.8

Ping Pong Summer

It would be very inquisitive to see what the reactions are to Ping Pong Summer from people who are unfamiliar with the pop culture of 1980’s–since the film is filled to the brim with 80s slang, grainy and desaturated picture, cheesy crossfades, perms, bright neon colored clothing, and unnecessarily gigantic boomboxes. Those who know that a suicide drink is a mix of all the available flavors will have a totally rad time with the film, and those who never used a cassette tape will likely be very confused.

Ping Pong Summer is a family vacation movie where an awkward teenager travels with his middle-class family to a beach town where he instantly falls in love with a cute girl while making enemies with a rich preppy bully. The central conflict in the film centers on the game of ping pong, when a challenge is made between the sworn enemies to see who rightfully gets the territory of the table and winning the heart of the girl. Ping Pong Summer uses just about every cinematic 80s cliché in the book, purposely making the plotline and outcomes very familiar. It is an approach that ultimately works, even if it does lay it on a bit thick.

RATING: 7.4

Open Windows

By now people familiar with the work of director Nacho Vigalondo’s should expect an edgy high-concept story is in store, and that’s exactly what Open Windows delivers, and then some. The film hits the ground running from the start when an obsessed fanboy (Elijah Wood) wins a contest to have dinner with his fixation, actress Jill Goddard (Sasha Grey). While eagerly waiting in his hotel room to meet the actress, news that the contest has suddenly been cancelled is brought to his attention by a mysterious man (Neil Maskell). But the man has something for him far better than a dinner date, camera surveillance of her from every angle and complete access to her phone.

Undeniably impressive is the fact that almost the entire film is shown on a computer screen that simulates a webcam feed between all of the characters. While Vigalondo does take some liberties with how technology operates, the overall concept of how easy it is to be tracked and watched online is very real. If anything Open Windows is an exploitation of technology, specifically internet surveillance. This is an incredibly fast paced thriller that contains so many plot twists that a second or third viewing will not only be required, but also preferred. Some are saying Open Windows is a 21st century Rear Window, a comparison that I would agree is rather reasonable.

RATING: 8