The Secret Screening at Fantastic Fest is always one of the most hotly anticipated events of the festival. Past years have brought guests such as Sandra Bullock and the Wachowski siblings to the Alamo...
The opening night of Fantastic Fest is always a memorable event, and this year proved to be no exception. Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema CEO, kicked off the evening with pyrotechnics and an extended...
With its first two entries, “V/H/S” established itself as one of the most promising horror franchises around, featuring a variety of talented directors and an intriguing, carefully revealed...
To call “Lucy” science fiction is a bit of a stretch, since the film’s basic premise — a woman is given a special drug that allows her to access 100 percent of her brain, rather...
It hasn’t been a great summer for big movies, with plenty of mediocre-to-terrible fare clogging the multiplex. Though “Planet of the Apes” and “Edge of Tomorrow” provided...
With his 2004 feature debut, “Garden State,” Zach Braff established himself as an intriguing voice in indie cinema — sensitive, quirky and with a great ear for music. Ten years later,...
As with any prequel, audiences head into “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” already knowing how it ends. Obviously, the super-intelligent apes led by Caesar (Andy Serkis) prevail, so the film...
Writer/director John Carney’s latest film, “Once,” felt like a miracle — an intimate little film thats shaggy story and grainy visuals were held together by the sheer power of its...
As the Fourth of July approaches this weekend, it’s important to remember a few things: We live in Texas, and it is really, really hot outside. It’s also illegal to shoot off fireworks in Austin,...
All good science fiction really needs is a great hook, and “Snowpiercer’s” setting is just that: in a post-apocalyptic icescape, a train holding the last scraps of humanity circles the...
With buzz for the film steadily building out of its Sundance and SXSW screenings, “Hellion” is one of the most heavily hyped indie releases of the summer. Not only is it Aaron Paul’s...
Celebrated film actor and Longhorn Eli Wallach died Tuesday night at the age of 98. Wallach graduated from the University of Texas in 1936 with a degree in history, but he was acting even then: He reportedly...
There’s no question that Clint Eastwood is one of the great American filmmakers, if only for the unsparing self-reflection of “Unforgiven,” which single-handedly psychoanalyzed an entire...
The summer movie season is fun, but everyone gets tired of explosions and superstars sooner or later. When that happens, there are plenty of great retro screenings in Austin. Many are part of ongoing local...
I remember the exact moment I realized how great it was to work for The Daily Texan. I had been in college for roughly a month and had been assigned to cover Fantastic Fest. For its closing night party,...
Two years after “The Avengers” made over $600 million dollars, audiences are starting to feel the repercussions. As every studio in Hollywood scrambles to replicate Marvel’s success,...
At first glance, “Transcendence” seems like an obvious choice for Wally Pfister, making his directorial debut after a long stint as Christopher Nolan’s cinematographer. Much like Nolan’s...
Sequels always have a high bar to clear: living up to the promise of their predecessors as they make the continued story of their characters feel natural. While “Nymphomaniac” was designed...
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to acting hasn’t been particularly successful, and last year both of his attempts to recapture his former glory — “The Last Stand” and “Escape...
South By Southwest Film is the connective tissue of SXSW. While the Interactive portion takes up the first half of the nine-day festival, and Music renders Sixth Street a bastion of pot smoke and Doritos...
“The Raid” was both a stone-cold classic and an ode to narrative simplicity, executing its tried-and-true concept with bone-crunching efficiency. The sequel isn’t content to rehash the...
While the headliners are the most anticipated films at SXSW, many of the festival's best surprises are under the radar. Some have already played the Sundance Film Festival, and others are having their...
The raging guitar of a heavy metal song blasts as fire crackles in a burning pickup truck. A gaggle of teens smash the windows, gleefully basking in the warming glow of their destruction. As the truck’s...
There’s a long list of actors who have tried their hands at directing, but only a few truly achieve success. For every Ron Howard or Ben Affleck, there are 10 Danny DeVitos — the actor-turned-director...
In any film genre, familiarity is something of a given. In action flicks, the bad guy dies in explosive fashion. Romantic comedies always end with a passionate confession, usually in public and always...
Action films are a lot like pizza: cheesy, nutrition-free, covered in red sauce and delicious nonetheless. The greats, such as “Die Hard” and “Terminator 2,” are gourmet pies, made...
2013 was a year brimming with fantastic films that both entertained and resonated with audiences — so much so that the films of this year couldn’t be limited to a traditional top 10 list; a...
From Beyonce’s Super Bowl extravaganza in January to last week’s debut of the “Bound 2” video, The Daily Texan Life & Arts staff fondly recounts some of the best pop culture...
As soon as “The Hunger Games” books attained massive popularity, it was inevitable that they would be adapted into an equally popular film series, and the first film certainly made a big impression...
When “Eastbound & Down” aired its first episode in 2009, it seemed to be nothing more than a welcome vehicle for Danny McBride’s corrosive brand of humor. “Eastbound & Down”...
There’s no better procrastination tool than Netflix. But with only 24 hours in a day, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the multitude of titles available to stream on the service. There are plenty...
Marvel films are driven by big moments. They are the scenes that sell in the trailers, like every Avenger preparing to save New York from an alien invasion, or a thousand Iron Man suits showing up to defend...
“12 Years a Slave” is not the sweeping historical epic the trailers are selling, and it certainly isn’t the world-changing, Oscar-destined cinematic revolution the early reviewers declared...
For movie buffs, the month of October means one thing: 31 days of horror movies. With tons of horror flicks to choose from, The Daily Texan is going to be providing a daily horror recommendation. Whether...
Two of the most faithful book-to-film adaptations in recent memory are “The Road” and “No Country for Old Men,” both based on works by Cormac McCarthy, whose writing style is so...
Two of the most faithful book-to-film adaptations in recent memory are “The Road” and “No Country for Old Men,” both based on works by Cormac McCarthy, whose writing style is so...
For movie buffs, the month of October means one thing: 31 days of horror movies. With tons of horror flicks to choose from, The Daily Texan is going to be providing a daily horror recommendation. Whether...
In fall 2010, as many of the events that comprise “The Fifth Estate” were occurring, Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher were receiving high praise for “The Social Network,” their adaptation...
For movie buffs, the month of October means one thing: 31 days of horror movies. With tons of horror flicks to choose from, The Daily Texan is going to provide a daily horror recommendation. Whether you...
Few remakes can actually boast that they improve on their predecessors, especially remakes that come out just a few years after the film they’re based on. “We Are What We Are,” inspired...
“Machete Kills” may be the only film in history to open with a trailer for its sequel, the potentially upcoming “Machete Kills Again … In Space.” What seems like a one-off...
From his very first film, UT alumnus Robert Rodriguez has had an eye for franchises. “El Mariachi,” his 1992 debut, spawned two sequels, and 2001’s “Spy Kids” allowed the...
Seven years after Alfonso Cuaron released “Children of Men” — arguably the best film of the last decade — comes his long-awaited follow-up, “Gravity.” The film doesn’t...
For movie buffs, the month of October means one thing: 31 days of horror movies. With tons of horror flicks to choose from, The Daily Texan is going to be providing a daily horror recommendation. Whether...
“Don Jon” is a surprisingly frank directorial debut for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who wrote, directed, and stars in the sex comedy, released this weekend. Gordon-Levitt plays Jon, a “Jersey...
A normal weekend at the Alamo Drafthouse might include a movie quote-along, but Fantastic Fest brought horror, sci-fi and fantasy films from all over the world to North Austin. The Daily Texan saw 17 films...
Every September, Fantastic Fest brings some of the most offbeat, violent and generally oddball films of the year to the screens of the Alamo Drafthouse. The genre-centric film festival is displaced this...
At this year’s South By Southwest film festival, “Short Term 12” premiered to massive acclaim, going on to win the festival’s Audience and Grand Jury awards. The film is a quietly...
James Wan and Leigh Whannell have made some memorable, terrifying films together, from their debut with 2004’s “Saw” to the first “Insidious” back in 2011. As good as they...
“Riddick” is one of Hollywood’s most unlikely franchises, spawning from the character’s origin in the 2000 movie “Pitch Black,” where Vin Diesel’s notorious murderer...
The usual fare that plays at Fantastic Fest is hilariously brutal, pushing audience members to the limits of what they can reasonably handle, which makes it all the more interesting that the relatively...
In September, TV shows compensate for the slim pickings in theaters, with every network launching roughly a dozen new programs and some of the most essential dramas airing on cable. We have assembled a...
The fall movie season is one of the most reliably inconsistent as audiences have to contend with the wasteland of September before ramping up into the awards-season onslaught of November and December....
Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley easily rank among the most promising young actors working today. Woodley earned an Oscar nomination for her work in “The Descendants,” while Teller has used...
The best coming-of-age films have a distinctly personal stamp, and “The Spectacular Now” shines for the authenticity director James Ponsoldt employs. The unlikely love story between charismatic,...
The long-delayed “You’re Next” is a perfect capper to a summer filled with chilling horror flicks. The home invasion thriller has more than a few tricks up its sleeve. This smart, twisty...
Of all the films one would expect to launch a franchise, “V/H/S” is both one of the most unlikely and the most surprisingly sequel-friendly. “V/H/S/2” ups the ante in every way,...
In his last few films – 2009’s merciless “Valhalla Rising” and 2011’s excellent “Drive” — Nicolas Winding Refn has demonstrated a strong interest in...
Judging from his previous films, Guillermo del Toro’s creative engine seems to run on boundless enthusiasm for the fantastical. “Pacific Rim,” the new film from the Spanish director,...
The first “Despicable Me” flick was a pleasant enough diversion, but the only thing that necessitated a sequel was the towering box office gross. “Despicable Me 2” is more of the...
Lots of films are enhanced and emotionally boosted by a musical score, but few have the ability to do the same using silence. “A Hijacking,” the impressive second feature from Danish director...
The culture of celebrity worship has been parodied, lampooned, and satirized in endless films, but, despite its real-life inspiration, Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring" is discouragingly...
Of all the films coming out this summer, “World War Z” has the most potential to be a disaster. After all, its production has been a loudly publicized series of reshoots, conflicts and...
With their previous works, “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express,” Seth Rogen and writing partner Evan Goldberg perfected the formula of the bromantic comedy. The pair’s directorial...
Documentaries often focus on social issues in dire need of change or stunning depictions of nature, but it takes true fortitude for a filmmaker to make a documentary about themself. Sarah Polley's...
Many great horror films deftly sneak a message about the human condition in amongst the blood and guts, like intellectual vegetables to compliment the red meat of jump scares and arterial spray. Unfortunately,...
The law of diminishing returns is the bane of Hollywood executives’ existence and often pushes them to stuff sequels to the point of bursting simply because audiences expect the spectacle to get...
Writer-actress Brit Marling first came to South By Southwest two years ago with low-key sci-fi films “Another Earth” and “Sound of My Voice.” “The East,” her newest...
The fact that “Mud” came together as well as it did is something of a miracle. Director Jeff Nichols put the project into high gear just as his choice for the titular role, Matthew McConaughey,...
To a degree, cinema has become standardized to a set of audience expectations, with many movies defined as superficial variations on something you’ve seen before, which means that films with the...
It’s half past four on a smoky Saturday afternoon. You could get off your couch, but why muster all that energy when you’ve got Cheetos, enough cash to tip the pizza guy and a Netflix account?...
Joseph Kosinski’s debut feature, “Tron: Legacy,” was a visual marvel with a script that failed to connect on any sort of logical or emotional level, rendering the film an empty exercise...
“Trance,” the new film from “127 Hours” director Danny Boyle, exudes pure, unflappable confidence in every single frame. The neo-noir bristles with the purpose of a practiced storyteller...
Three years after the devastating “Blue Valentine” garnered an Oscar nomination for Michelle Williams’ performance, director Derek Cianfrance returns with the overly ambitious “The...
Remakes are tricky to get right, not just because they’re setting themselves up for comparison to another, usually better, film, but because they have to figure out how to put their own twist on...
When a film opens with a shot of a group of firefighters watching one of their own poop in the middle of a street while a car burns to a crisp in the background, you know that it’s going to operate...
As our government continues to fight a War on Drugs, HBO has quietly figured out the science of the televised equivalent of crack cocaine, and it’s called it “Game of Thrones.” Anyone...
Korean director Chan-wook Park has built an overseas following by delivering violent, sensual revenge films with impressive style. Park doesn’t step too far outside of his comfort zone in his English-language...
Horror anthologies are notoriously spotty, and “The ABCs of Death,” a brainchild of Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League and producer Ant Timpson, proves that it’s impossible to round up 26...
Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers” doesn’t seem to have much on its mind as the credits unfurl over a barrage of beer bongs, bare breasts and bad behavior, and on the surface, “Spring...
This year’s South By Southwest boasted such an impressive line-up that Texan film critic Alex Williams saw 30 movies during the nine days of the festival and still managed to miss plenty of notable...
Coming-of-age tales usually involve soaring emotional turns and poignant life lessons, but Emily Hagins’ “Grow Up, Tony Phillips” is a charming story about realistic, low-key...
“Evil Dead” (91 minutes) – Friday, March 8, 9:45 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave.
South By Southwest’s opening night has always been genre-heavy, and this year they’re...
HOLY GHOST PEOPLE
There’s not a lot in “Holy Ghost People” that you haven’t seen before, and the story of Charlotte (Emma Greenwell) and the profoundly broken war vet (Brendan...
Alex Williams, in a feat of movie-going stamina, saw six movies on Saturday at the South By Southwest Film Festival. Here are his six short recaps:
A Teacher
The story of a teacher (Lindsay...
These are the reviews from the first day of Daily Texan film coverage at South By Southwest.
Evil Dead
The programmers at SXSW were nice enough to program my most anticipated film of the festival...
Disney’s motivation to return to the world of “Oz” for another film was likely driven not by any creative urge, but by the boatloads of money that Tim Burton’s reimagining of “Alice...
Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the writing and directing team behind “21 & Over,” have staked their claim in Hollywood making a very specific type of film — the booze-fueled buddy flick....
Action films are rarely about more than big explosions and slow-motion shoot-outs. So it’s surprising when they even attempt to have a social conscience, something made all the more unexpected by...
With the Oscars coming up this weekend, the only thing more important than seeing all the nominated films is proving to your friends that you know more than they do. Oscar pools are usually half-informed...
It’s 11:30 a.m. on Sixth Street the day after Fat Tuesday. The street is quiet and empty, and what possible reason could I have to be here? The answer is found in the Alamo Ritz, the Drafthouse’s...
You don’t need to go out on Valentine’s Day. Everywhere has a three-hour wait, and you probably want to stay at home on your couch with a movie no matter what your Facebook relationship status...
In the last 18 months, Steven Soderbergh has cranked out films with stunning efficiency, bouncing around genres with “Contagion,” “Haywire,” “Magic Mike,” and finally,...
“Identity Thief” is exactly what you expect when you sit down to watch a road movie from the director of the mediocre “Horrible Bosses” starring Jason Bateman — yet another...
Zombies are perhaps the best of the great monsters of horror cinema. There is just something about a shambling mass of brain-starved monsters that lends itself to great entertainment value in all form...
Every time FX debuts a new series, it is worth taking notice. It’s rare for one of these series to be anything but male-driven and action-packed, but “The Americans” is a departure for...
It’s no secret that the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences skew toward the elderly, which makes it something of a surprise that they nominated “Amour,”...
When a horror film comes out in January, its quality is often a lot scarier than its content. With moviegoers distracted by the flood of Oscar nominees, January releases often come and go with little said...
