Full disclosure: we wanted to like Juno, long before it was released. We knew we would like it from the very first stirrings of online teaser previews. The cast alone was enough to make us giddy.... [continue]

In case you’ve been holed up in your apartment/home/condo with no electricity for the past few days, we’re sad to tell you that Southern California is currently being devoured by raging wildfires, and there are no signs of the fires stopping. CNN is updating like, every 2.3 minutes, and it’s one of the most devastating things we’ve ever seen. Times like these, it feels like there’s not much you can do but sit and refresh...... [continue]

Ah, the verbal blunder. The slip o’ the tongue. The stutter, the stumble, the embarrassing gaffe at the company Christmas party. You’ve been using language practically all your life, so why does your tongue continue to betray you so? The truth is, for just about every person on the planet, verbal blunders are unavoidable. We like to test ourselves with tongue twisters (why does Sally keep selling those seashells by the seashore? It can’t...... [continue]

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you hit “reply” to those Nigerian e-mail scams to strike up a conversation with the sender? Have you ever thought about responding to a classified ad, just to harass the ad placer in an outlandish way? Does the idea of pushing people’s buttons via the anonymity of e-mail appeal to you? Do you just like laughing at stuff that’s funny? If so, David Earthman might be...... [continue]

So, maybe you’re kind of a sports fan. Or maybe the word “fanatic” just doesn't quite capture how much you love sports. Maybe you don’t like missing really awesome games that you could be watching instead of, say, cleaning the lint trap in your dryer. But how do you know when you’re missing such a game? You can’t be scanning sports listings all day, scouring the internet for information about your favorite teams or...... [continue]

Valentine’s Day may be over, but that doesn’t mean the love has to end. If you’re looking for a special way to celebrate with a partner/friend/whoever – and benefit Amnesty International while you’re at it – may we suggest attending the next Burlesque for Peace event this Saturday, February 17th? This year’s theme is “Black Tie Burlesque,” and prizes will be awarded for the best James Bond, Bond girl, and Bond villain costumes. The...... [continue]

There's been plenty of buzz about a couple of today's new releases (anyone noticed the abundance of commercials for diamonds lately? It ain't just the holiday season), but you might be able to pick out a few gems from the list. Depending on what you consider a "gem," of course. Us, well, we're just happy when someone else buys our movie ticket and a drink (or several) afterwards so we can go home and...... [continue]

We're moving quickly into the holiday season, but this week there are no holiday-themed movies. Rejoice! Because there will be. Dear God, there will be. *Stranger Than Fiction We love seeing talented "funny guys" attempt less-over-the-top acting, especially when they do it well (see: Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Freddie Prinze, Jr. - oh wait, he's neither funny nor talented). We commend you, Mr. Ferrell. Please be our friend? *Babel Multicultural interconnection, global complexity, blah...... [continue]

I thank yous for your comings here to Austinist! Very happy you stay! You read more to learning of glorious moviefilms for offerings! *Borat There's something for everyone in this film. Unless you're actually a homophobic, misogynist anti-Semite, in which case you might be someone in this film. Driving Lessons Yes, it's true: Ron Weasley Rupert Grint is stepping out of his comfort zone and doing some "acting." Listen, Rupie, call us when you're... [continue]

Hey, did you all hear that Haley Joel Osment pleaded no contest to drunk driving and drug possession charges? Can you imagine being in an AA meeting with that kid who saw dead people? Man, he is totally that guy now. Sad. Anyway, on to this week's new movie releases, which feature actors whose careers may or may not eventually take a turn for the worst! *Flags of Our Fathers Clint Eastwood's son makes...... [continue]

Photos from the IV Thieves CD release party last night at Habana. Their album drops today from New West Records - buy it! It will rock your face off. More after the jump. Thanks to Jennifer for the photos! If you have any pics you'd like to share, put 'em up on flickr and tag them "austinist."... [continue]

If you can ignore Sarah Michelle Gellar’s strained cries for the prolongation of her career, you might see some good movies this weekend. The Grudge 2 Those creepy Japanese ghosts are back. And they’re still holding that grudge. And apparently, we’ve got a trilogy on our hands now. Great. Man of the Year If you’re one of those people who are into the whole “Stewart/Colbert ‘08” uh, concept, seeing this movie might make you... [continue]

Ah, the sweet smell of college freshmen. School's back in session, summer is almost over (in theory), and it's a few weeks before the holiday movie rush begins (Exhibit A: this week's slim pickin's). *Trust the Man We’ve got one word for the entire cast of this movie: yum. The Wicker Man God bless Nic Cage. He tries, ya know? What a trooper. The Quiet This film is receiving fairly poor reviews, which is...... [continue]

SNAKES ON A MUTHAF*CKIN’ PLAAAAAAANE! Because it just hasn’t been said enough. *Snakes on a Plane We debated about whether or not we should recommend this one, and we only do so out of sheer, morbid curiosity (plus, we really like jumping on bandwagons. A lot!). There aren’t words to express how ridiculous/awesome this movie must be. It’s like a whole new genre of film. We’re witnessing history here, folks. History determined by an...... [continue]

We all know which movie you're going to see this weekend, so let's just cut the chit-chat and get down to it. *Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Hotly anticipated, highly hilarious, and rife with corporate logos, this flick is about as "All-American" as you can get without draping yourself in Old Glory, stuffing your face with apple pie, and using insider trade information to pad your personal bank account while denying health...... [continue]

And in the spirit of slackerdom, today we’re just recommending every new release that doesn’t star a Wilson brother. *Clerks 2 Austinist review As is the case with most sequels, we’re not really sure why this one is necessary. But Joel Siegel walked out of a screening, so that’s just as good of a reason to see it as any. *Lady in the Water Judging by the past, there’s a really good chance this...... [continue]

Okay, we must take a quick moment here to talk about Pirates of the Caribbean Part Deux, which we should have talked about sooner but didn’t because, well, quite frankly, we kinda forgot we’d seen it until two hours ago, when yet another preview came on TV and we said to ourselves, “Hey, didn’t that scene come after that other scene and hey, how do we know that? Oh right, we saw that movie...... [continue]

More summer blockbusters are coming your way, friends. Don't forget your eyepatch! *Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest It seems like forever ago that Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl took the world by storm. Depp was nominated for a friggin’ OSCAR, for Jeebus’ sake. We’re almost positive that won’t happen again, but we’re not ashamed to admit we’ll pay full admission price for this fluffy bit of high...... [continue]

To sum up today's releases: a few big stars, fewer hopes. *Nacho Libre This one comes from the makers of the cult favorite Napoleon Dynamite and stars the more-famous half of Tenacious D, Jack Black. Yeah, it’s probably a little crude and not as funny as the previews, but we’ll go see it anyway. Because being Mexican is hi-larious. Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties Bill Murray agreed to be the voice of a... [continue]

A few tasty offerings today, including: Edward Norton in a cowboy hat! Vince Vaughn and Jen Aniston - omg, will they get back together in the end?? And hey, guess what - planet Earth is totally f*cked! *An Inconvenient Truth Last week we were a little confused about this film's release date, but we've confirmed that it does in fact open today. Not a moment too soon - the oceans are rising! Former presidential... [continue]