As far as science fiction experiences go, the closest we have ever come to an extra terrestrial is when our cat got tapeworms (if your cat has ever had them, you know what we are talking about) or that time that we visited the meteor crater in Arizona (Hey! Look! It’s a big hole in the ground! That’ll be $15.00.) Truthfully, that’s the closest we need to come to any real life UFOishness as we... more ›

Like most filmmakers, Brian Helgeland got his start in movies working on low-budget genre pictures like 976-EVIL and Assassins. Before he became one of the most successful screenwriters in Hollywood, Helgeland made his directorial debut with the hard-hitting film noir Payback. Unfortunately, the film wasn't released until after Helgeland won an Oscar for L.A. Confidential, and then only in a butchered, studio-approved cut. Recently Helgeland got the chance to re-edit, and his director's cut, Payback-Straight... more ›

THURSDAY [19] fashion/party • "Sneek" peek party for "The Royal Family," a new clothing/accessories boutique located within Austin Mopeds. Drinks by Tito's Vodka, catering by Kenichi, music by DJ Tats. Afterparty to follow at The Peacock. Party starts at Austin Mopeds (500 San Marcos St. #104, 7-10pm, RSVP Required) art • "Reflections": New Work by Sylvia Angeli Artist's Reception at Gallery Soco (6-9 pm) art • Austin Responds: Weighing and Wanting: Four of Austin’s... more ›

MONDAY [16] film • Matador at Arbor (1:10pm & 6:50pm) ® film • Law of Desire at Arbor (4:10pm & 9:30pm) ® film • Strangers with Candy at Alamo Downtown (7pm) film • Notre Musique at Texas Union (7:30pm) ® film • The Goonies at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film • Slums of Beverly Hills at Café Mundi (8pm, Free) film • Dr. Strangelove at The Space (8pm, Free) ® film • Super Troopers... more ›

Fantastic Fest starts tomorrow at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar. VIP badges are already sold out, and there are only 80 regular festival badges left. If you love movies, the festival badge is a steal: $110 buys you 8 days of giant monsters, kung fu, chainsaw murders, school girls, angry insects and generally fantastic cinema. (Read our preview) To help prepare you for Fantastic Fest, we conducted a quick interview with Austin's own... more ›

After 18 bands in a weekend, Austinist is exhausted. Coachella 2006 was everything we thought it would be, only hotter, and with less alcohol (due to the scorching heat) and more drugs (since nobody could drink near the stages). We went in with no set agenda in terms of seeing particular bands - it seemed smarter to just hit whatever struck us right at the time. This strategy worked pretty well, and here's how... more ›