When one thinks of B-movie icon Roger Corman's disciples, big names spring to mind: Coppola and Scorsese come first, followed by genre directors like Jack Hill. One name that's not so immediate is Monte Hellman, but for cinéastes, it's nearly as important. Hellman's films are often concerned with obsession, ambiguity, and genre in a manner that manages to be simultaneously intriguing, fairly abstract and avant-garde. more ›

Viva la Vida is supposedly a 'new direction' album for Coldplay, and for those that argue they are diluted Radiohead or The New U2, this is the Kid Achtung attempt at a revitalization. They hired Brian Eno to produce, and by all accounts have actively tried to stretch out a bit both musically and lyrically, entering (dare we say it) their experimental phase. Well, at least that's the premise. more ›

The weather's been turning your face into Crisco. Gas prices are exorbitant. Truly, there is no better time than the present to sit inside a cool, darkened theater and watch James Taylor (famous '70s male chanteuse!) and Dennis Wilson (the less-famous Beach Boy!) chase Warren Oates (not the dude from Hall & Oates!) across dusty stretches of highway at 140 mph in life-sized Hot Wheels. In Monte Hellman's Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), Taylor and Wilson portray... more ›

THURSDAY [18] Beware of possible cancellations today and tomorrow -- call ahead! film • Spike & Mike's Sick & Twisted Festival 2007 at Alamo Downtown (7pm, 9:30pm) film • Terror Thursdays: Revenge from Planet Ape at Alamo Downtown music • Carrots, Darling New Neighbors, The Sleepwalkers at Emo's music • Spaceinvader Orchestra, Supercontinent, Kosmodrome at Emo's Lounge music • Shuttle Debris, Matson Belle, Ear of Anon at Stubb's music • "Smash" video release, Chingo... more ›