Justin Jones

Local engineer-turned-journalist who loves movies meets hero(es)

Amy Schumer, one of Hollywood’s most controversial figures, has made the most problematic good movie in weeks.

From the upside-down opening shots of palm trees all the way to a mirrored view at the end, “Gemini” is nowhere near as smart as it thinks it is.

There are 375 movies in history with a budget of over $100 million , but the first of these films directed by a woman of color arrives this Friday with “A Wrinkle in Time” from Ava DuVernay.

“Game Night” feels like a film conceived by two extraordinarily high filmmakers between tokes: What if David Fincher’s “The Game” met the Steve Carell/Tina Fey vehicle “Date Night,” and it was about people who liked having a game night?

Helen Mirren finally brings the story of Sarah Winchester, one of America's most famous ghost stories, to life in “Winchester."

In 1971, the Pentagon Papers leaked to the American public, revealing years of government lies concerning Vietnam during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration.

Three of Hollywood’s most powerful individuals are collaborating on one superfilm. Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks star in Steven Spielberg’s “The Post,” a movie about The Washington Post during the public leaks of the Pentagon Papers in the early ‘70s.

Charles Dickens ditches nuanced storytelling for sentimental schlock and flowing locks in “The Man Who Invented Christmas,” the most unashamed exploitation of the Christmas season in recent memory.

Greta Gerwig, writer and star of indie dramedies such as “Frances Ha” and “Mistress America,” marks her debut as a director in “Lady Bird,” a delightful early-2000s tale about the highs and lows of growing up.

UT alumnus Ken Aponte faced a difficult choice — bring his child to ACL or end a 12-year tradition.

Months ago, Mario Sanchez, a resident of Puebla, Mexico, came across an ad on Instagram for Austin City Limits. When he realized opening day overlapped with one of his closest friends’ birthdays, Sanchez decided they were going.

Fantastic Fest 2017 was an abnormal affair. Controversies caused a headlining film to drop out and massively impacted the festival’s atmosphere.

This Norwegian film brings queer romance, freshman year awkwardness, and supernatural horror.

Filmmaker Lisa Brühlmann makes her mark with this dark high school film with a plot that brings to mind … Disney Channel Original Movie “The Thirteenth Year”?

Stan Lee. Jack Kirby. Bob Kane. The legendary creators of Spider-Man, Captain America and Batman have their names written in history. Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston, on the other hand, is shrouded in mystery — but “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” seeks to change that.

This foreign language Western is one of Fantastic Fest’s most vital, necessary films.

Though a generally well-executed homage to grimy 70’s B-films, “Brawl” offers mindless brutality for its own sake.

Director Yorgos Lanthimos takes inspiration from Greek mythology with a dark comedy that has a sinister twist.

Experience what it would feel like to be Clint Eastwood on drugs with this abstract French Western.

A new film explores the age-old question: What if “The Martian” was in 1985 and was Russian?

Check back here for coverage on the weird and wonky movies shown at Austin's Fantastic Fest. 

Social media platforms have gained fame — or infamy, depending on whom you ask — because of their extraordinary ability to connect the world.   

Artistic elegance is easy to find with campus and its surrounding areas hosting a wealth of museums and exhibition spaces, but some of UT’s greatest creative beauty can be found outside those confines, no museum admission required — you just need to know where to look.

The Daily Texan spoke with "A Ghost Story" director David Lowery to discuss his critically acclaimed meditation on grief, time and the meaning of life.

Most films ride on the success of their screenwriters and directors, but sometimes a cast gives a set of performances so wonderful it elevates the film, even with disappointing efforts behind the camera.

Michael Bay has made good movies in the past. “Bad Boys,” “The Rock” and even the first “Transformers” are fun, visually appealing and competently told. His newest addition to the Transformers series is none of those.

The first female-directed and female-led mainstream superhero film of the 2010s is dynamite.

Summer is a busy time for college students, and between summer classes and internships, there remains very little time for the important things in life, like watching movies.  

Between her personal love of both music and tattoos, radio-television-film junior Yessenia Herrera has a great appreciation for artistic expression.

This week, Life&Arts explored local farms in Austin.

In the face of numerous obstacles, the members of the Crofut family pursue their shared passion — the wildly popular Good Flow Honey Company.

The worst of the three terrible Smurfs films this decade, “Smurfs: The Lost Village” is a stale depiction of one-dimensional characters brought to life by celebrity voice actors.

For many students, college is a time of self-discovery, but for business freshman McKenzie Powell, the struggle has been more complicated than others.

Some films exist to show viewers a new perspective or some simply entertain, but others, like Disney’s live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast,” fail to present a compelling artistic argument for its own existence. 

Though SXSW Film has been home to many world premieres of Hollywood films, it still devotes time to showing independent films and giving new directors a shot.  

Under-the-radar cannibal horror film “Raw” finds terror in everyone’s worst nightmare — freshman year.

The range of stories set in Texas is as big as the state itself. From Westerns to slashers to dark comedies, the state gives films a specific flavor other locales cannot.

Tat-Tuesday is a weekly series that features students around campus and their tattoos.  

Whitewashing controversy has dogged the Chinese-American co-production “The Great Wall” since its announcement, but the most repulsive element of the movie is its laziness and fear of innovation. As acclaimed Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou’s first English-language film, it proves immensely disappointing — a drab, muddled mess with a few shining moments of beautiful action.

“John Wick: Chapter 2” is an espresso shot of a movie, an action epic which ramps up its predecessor’s brutal fight scenes without any excess fat.

Robert De Niro’s legendary career has earned him a place in the pantheon of great actors, but his current streak of mediocrity truly disappoints, with his new film “The Comedian” falling right in with the trend.

Many Southeast and East Asian nations celebrate Lunar New Year, and the films they watch fit into each country’s own distinct customs and traditions to honor the holiday.

Check out this week's Tat Tuesday, where students share stories of their tattoos. 

Three Life & Arts writers present their picks for the top movies of 2016. 

Though many films seek to inform, critique or transform their audience, others simply entertain. “Rules Don’t Apply,” Warren Beatty’s first film in 18 years, is the latter­­­ — a fun yet shallow piece of escapism.

In the past weeks, articles from news outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, Time and Huffington Post drew comparisons between the “Harry Potter” films and modern politics.

Moonlight,” starring former track star and UT alumnus Trevante Rhodes, will be released this Friday. The film tells the story of a man’s life as he comes to terms with his own sexuality. The Daily Texan spoke with Rhodes about his preparation for this role and his acting career.

At New York Comic-Con in early October, Marvel announced its publishing lineup included 23 female-led comic books — its most ever. 

“The Birth of a Nation” director, writer and star Nate Parker created one of the most-discussed films of the 21st century.

For those who aren’t trying to break their bank this festival season, here are 10 concerts around Austin that cost $10 or under.