Remember that part in Jurassic Park when Ian What's-His-Fuck says something along the lines of, "They were so busy thinking about whether they could. No one stopped to think whether or not they should"? Murder Ballad Murder Mystery is like Jurassic Park sans dinosaurs and coherent narrative (right down to the theme of dead things being resurrected). Oh, it's visually stunning, resourceful, raucous, and joyous theatre-making, but there are clearly ill-conceived aspects to the whole affair. While fresh, the piece is unripe and therefore minimally nutritious.

The gang goes as the Royal Tenenbaums for Halloween

What’s the Deal: Not to knock musical threesomes or anything, but when one makes themselves sound like there’s a lot more going on than just a guy on guitar, a guy on bass and another on drums they stick out from the pack. Russian Circles have been called post-metal and post-rock, but really they’re a thick, evolving, expanding instrumental group making the most out of their equipment, drawing forth everything from metallic chugs and thrashes to flickering chimes and climactic cymbal crashes. Fun Fun Fun Fest this year will welcome the Chicago group as they tour in support of their third album, Geneva.

The No. 2-ranked Texas volleyball team will go for a record 27th consecutive win Friday in a Top 5 matchup against No. 8 Nebraska at Gregory Gymnasium.

Photos courtesy Pooneh Ghana.

We've talked a few times about the Austin Batcave, a non-profit organization that aims to further the writing skills (both creative and non-fiction) of children and teenagers.

What would you do if you had Saddam Hussein laid up in the shed behind your house? What would you ask him, and how would you imagine he'd answer? We can think of a handful of good questions right off the bat, so it's unfortunate that the characters in Baghdad Texas can't think of anything to ask one of the world's most famous dictators in the middle of the Iraq War.

It’s not that Warpaint doesn’t want you to read the proverbial writing on the wall; this beguiling psychedelic outfit has smudged the message simply because they like it better that way, and you probably do, too. Offering you a hit of backlit, smoky lullabies sung in dreamy female harmonies, it’s no wonder this Los Angeles band has gained both Hollywood devotees (Heath Ledger was among them), and a reputation for stealing live shows from their headliners.

Photos courtesy Steve Hopson.

• Mayor Leffingwell announces his downtown plan. (PS - No mention of condos!)
• Five arrested in alleged gang rape at homecoming dance in California.
• Get ready for ski season!

If you're like a good deal of us you may not have any kind of clue what you'll be doing for Halloween this year. Or, maybe it is just us. Regardless, over the the next few days we'd like to provide you with a hefty dose of options for you to partake around town that combines the wonderful world of film with a thematic relation to our country's greatest holiday that we don't get off from work.

• Dallas Police Dept. tackles teen prostitution by looking for teen runaways. The result: "guilty pleas from over 90 percent of the pimps arrested."
• Yikes! Paul Saucido, host of ME TV’s show “Sonido Boombox” has been arrested on charges of sexual assault.
• Yikes! San Antonio teacher charged with sexual assault, after he allegedly created a “secret society” and used the Bible to convince underage girls to have sex with him.