When CRAWFORD screened at SXSW, we were incredibly impressed with the level of intimacy Modigliani had with the townspeople, relationships with whom he had built and nurtured well in advance of the flood of media scrutiny. By doing so, he gave Editor and Austinite Matt Naylor, of super awesome 501 Post, a rich palette of original and archival footage that he could pare down, crystallizing each individual's experience over the course of the last two presidential terms, which would altogether tell the story of the boom and bust of W era Crawford. Luckily, we had the chance recently to talk with Naylor over the wonderful world of email about political stagecraft, tolerance of beliefs and the benefits of being a film editor. ...

For some reason, we as a culture have spawned an entire generation of college aged people who have all of the opportunity in the world, but absolutely no direction or decision making skills. The four characters in Box Elder fall into familiar archetypal roles: the ladies man, the idiotic ape, the sweet hearted romantic and the wise sage (well, as wise and sage-like as an early-to-mid-20s dude can be), but none of them are particularly noteworthy or spectacular. Think of them as Animal House meets Clerks, with even slightly less ambition. At some point they realize that they cannot continue just coasting through life, but not before many sammiches and beers are consumed and many hilarious moments brought on by everyday situations have occurred. If you are a dude, or an appreciator of dudeism, then this film is for you....

Since 2001, the Rock 'n' Roll camp for girls based in Portland has instructed young women on the finer points of learning to play instruments and rocking out, while also helping to give their students a positive self-image and can-do attitude. ...

Tired of staying in your house to watch the Oscars, all seventy hours of them? Want to heckle in the company of others? Couture make you really hungry?...

So, we know that there is some other film awards show going on this weekend that involves statues and crimson carpets and such, but how many nominees can claim Austin as their hometown? None that we can think of, which is what makes the Film Independent's Spirit Awards a bazillion times more interesting to us than the stodgy old Oscars!...

Local production company Action Figure might not be a household name yet, but we bet you know their work. The group, based in (where else) East Austin, has produced shows like "Rollergirls" for A&E, and the Lone Star Grammy nominated show "Downtown" for KLRU/PBS. They're also not too shabby when it comes to dabbling in the music video market: their work for Okkervil River's "Our Life Is Not a Movie (Or Maybe)" made the e-rounds late last year, and this year, a company video they produced found its way into the hearts of local DJ duo Ocelot Mthrfckrs. ...

Photo by Annie Gunn on flickr {{{Sunset}}} and Gulf of MexicoTuesday, December 11Beerland (711-1/2 Red River)[info] Bill Baird is starting from the ground up. After his previous band Sound Team imploded under the weight of diminished returns for their major label debut, Monster Movie, Baird has assembled a new band, and is recording anew at his Big Orange studio in East Austin. While the name of Baird’s projects are subject to change, from just Bill......

Movie poster from Golden Compass official website** Ed note: our sincere apologies for not posting this on Friday, when you'd most likely be looking for new movies to watch. But cheer up! These are all still playing! The Golden Compass: At last, the adaptation of the wonderful, sublime, transcendent Philip Pullman books hits the screen. Nicole Kidman is the icy antiheroine, Daniel Craig is the father figure, and a child actress named Dakota (but not......

Judge Jeanne Meurer may be running for Travis County District Attorney. Pimp C was found dead yesterday afternoon. He was 33. How To Green Your Christmas Tree: Tips for having a more eco-friendly holiday. Colors! Gmail adds colored labels. Guerrilla artist Banksy in Bethlehem, proving if "it's safe for sissy artists, I think it's safe for everyone." Here’s What We Need: Some Way to Associate Our Low Fares with Worn Out Vaginas Using a......

You’ve probably seen Carlos Alazraqui as Deputy James Oswaldo Garcia on Reno 911!—but you’ve probably heard him, too. Alazraqui is a prolific voice-over actor, having performed as Néstor in Happy Feet, the Taco Bell Chihuahua, Rocko in Rocko’s Modern Life, Winslow T. Oddfellow in CatDog, and Goofy Goober in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. But in addition to acting, Carlos is also an accomplished stand-up comic. We spoke with Carlos before his run of shows......

As Fantastic Fest kicks off tonight, Austinist will be bringing you previews of films playing at the festival. We begin today with Wendigo director Larry Fessenden's latest, The Last Winter. An interesting yet practical genre mash-up, the film is an eco-horror piece concerning the fate of an oil crew who are damaging the environment in rural Alaska. There's no serial killer here: the antagonist(?) is actually the planet, which begins to fight back when......

On Thursday, a scholar named Randolph Lewis, of the University of Oklahoma, comes to the Harry Ransom Center to speak. Resolved: The recent explosion of documentary film has not helped the genre at all, instead causing it to conform to televisual norms, and pushing its filmmakers to use less "literary imagination" in their creative processes. We guess that means that in order to get on board with this argument, you kind of have to believe......

The Brave One Jodie Foster's pool-table (or was it pinball machine?) scene in The Accused was burned into our early middle-school brains, so will that make it harder or easier to watch her get brutalized again in this new movie? At least her character is totally different - this time she's an upscale New Yorker who gets beaten by unknown assailants in Central Park (and the movie is directed by Neil Jordan, of The......

ACL Previews Interview: Patterson Hood Del McCoury Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band Jon Dee Graham, Kevin Devine, and Ike Reilly Assassination Beau Soleil & Will Hoges Rail Road Earth It's Official: Bob Dylan & His Band Set to Play Stubb's Aftershow So You Wanna See An ACL Taping Trent Summar, Steve Earle, & DeVotchKa Interview: Crowded House It's Official: Bob Dylan & His Band Set to Play Stubb's Aftershow Weekly Features The Accidental Gentrifist:......

ACL Previews Interview: Ghostland Observatory Previews: The Broken West, Big Sam’s Funky Nation & Rose Hill Drive Previews: Billy Joe Shaver and Fionn Regan Previews: Brandon Rhyder and Ocote Soul Sounds Interview: The Broken West Previews: Sylvia St. James, Jeffrey Steele, and Amy Cook Interview: Bloc Party ACL Fest Updates: Google Mashup, Contests, Eco-Chic Previews: Augustana, Amos Lee Interview: Peter, Bjorn, and John ACL Band Clash, Round 3: Wilco Vs My Morning Jacket Travis......

Go Texas Film! After a lengthy submission and selection process, the Austin Film Society has announced the recipients of the 2007 Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund. After receiving a whopping 218 applications (the most they've ever received), the AFS has awarded 21 Texas filmmakers $150,000 in cash and film stock (nearly double the amount of money awarded last year, and by far the most they've ever given away). The biggest individual grant went to June Lee,......

(Via AICN) Just a few short weeks after Janis Burklund of the Dallas Film Commission commented that everyone could "chill on [a Dallas movie] a little longer", Variety is reporting that the project is once again moving forward--only this time, it's being rewritten as a comedy, with Betty Thomas attached to direct (you probably know her best as the director of Doctor Dolittle, Private Parts and The Brady Bunch Movie... so, um, yeah). Maybe we're......

ACL Previews Austinist Launches Dedicated ACL Page! Preview: Manchester Orchestra and Patterson Hood Preview: Ian Ball and the Little Ones Interview: Paolo Nutini ACL Band Clash, Round 2: The Killers Vs. Björk Weekly Features Tales Of Mere Existence Hots On #9: Sound Off New Release Tuesday: Frisell's Floratone The Argyle Academy New Movie Releases: The Invasion, Superbad, Death at a Funeral, and More Truesday: Friesday The Laurie Show News, Features, and More Travis County......

ACL Previews Interview: Midlake Interview: The National Preview: The Wonderful Harmonizers, Loretta Williams Gurnell Preview: JJ Grey & Mofro and Charlie Musselwhite Preview: Young Love and the Dynamites Featuring Charles Walker ACL Band Clash, Round 1: Spoon Vs. Queens Of The Stone Age Snapshots Lollapalooza 2007 Snapshots: Summer Extrav-O-Ganza 2 Weekly Features The Argyle Academy New Release Tuesday: Art in Manila, Flight of the Conchords & Marissa Nadler Feature Review: Okkervil River's The Stage Names......

Got reels? Dusty old boxes of family films? Long-untouched Super-8 or 16mm treasures? Home Movie Day wants you to bring your stash to the Carver Museum this Sunday. Not only can you see your (or your parents') films projected on the big screen at the swank Boyd Vance Theatre, but there will also be Home Movie Day elves on hand who will inspect and repair your films AND give pointers on proper storage and care......

Okkervil River The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar) Like a knight clad in frail, antiquated armor but with precise and impeccable form, Okkervil River have proven on their latest release they have what it takes to awe a crowd that has come to expect so much from them. The Stage Names makes good on all forecasts calling for Will Sheff’s shaky, vulnerable vocals and sturdy indie folk songs with a eye for infection. They deliver a little......

The new wave takes it old school with an evening that's part movie, part Austin, and all fun and games. Let's hope nobody gets hurt. Hip Mexican joint Nueva Onda will host a free show featuring Hunky Dory and an episode of Austin Stories this Thursday (that's tomorrow) at 8pm to keep your brain entertained as your mouth snarfs San Antonio tamales and sips Shiner beer. Propose a toast to slackerdom and misfithood as you......

In case you hadn’t noticed, the watery pummeling we have been subjected to of late mercifully subsided, and the giant death ball in the sky has returned to rid the earth of its perpetual moistness. Hooray! We can get back to the business of summer, which is of course, sweating while walking, sweating while driving and sweating while watching movies on big blow-up outdoor screens. Wednesday night, all of this can be yours thanks to......

I Know Who Killed Me: Oh LiLo, you are such a desperate mess. Shouldn’t the name of this movie be “I Know Who Killed My Career – Me!” There is a joke here somewhere about Lohan portraying a stripper, but we can’t quite put our finger on it…. No Reservations: Yes, Hollywood has absolutely no reservations about continuing to make trite, cliché rom-coms. This one is about two chefs and (GASP!) one of them......

When we first heard about literary movie night, we naturally assumed that the film would be Hellraiser. We mean, how many other book-turned-films have so thoroughly and entertainingly explored sadomasochism and moral confusion? Not many, we think. Anyway, it's not our event, and the folks at Bookpeople decided to go with something a little lighter, which is their prerogative, we guess. Rob Marshall's Memoirs of a Geisha--based on Arthur Golden's 1997 book of the same......

Say what you will about Tom Cruise’s career choices, religion, or personal relationships, the man has certainly made some fantastic action movies. Witness his sweaty brilliance firsthand tonight as 101X presents this week’s Summer Movie Series classic Top Gun. Cruise plays Maverick, a Naval Aviator whose record is less than pristine due to his high-flying high jinks and general loose cannon-itude. He makes it into the elite Fighter Weapons School by the skin of his......

Today sucks. Our house is quickly being annexed by Waller Creek, all of the tickets are sold out to the last night at the Alamo and our ‘Stros can’t buy a win. We could use a stiff drink* and a good laugh. Lucky for us, and you, the Onion AV Club and Rio Rita have prescribed a sweet salve to cure our burning wounds as they present Robert Altman’s satirical snarkfest OC & Stiggs. O.C.......

Mel Brooks strings together one liners the way that Pete Doherty strings together lines. And that's no joke. The famed writer and director from Brooklyn presents as a classic comedic triple threat: brash, brilliant and more than a little Jew-y. (Mel, it's good to be the king!) If you're a fan, you'll want to free up your Wednesday evenings for the next month or so, because Texas Hillel, located just off the UT campus, is......

Neal Kay’s Heavy Metal Soundhouse inspired the first set of air guitarists in London in the late 1970’s and the spectacle has truly evolved into a world wide phenomenon in the last decade. The first World Air Guitar Championships were held in Finland in 1996 (at the Oulu Music Video Festival) and 12 years later, the event is still going strong. Austin is no stranger to the scene, holding regular contests at the Alamo......

From big blockbusters to foreign films, there's something for everyone being released today. These overviews should help you choose which movies you'd like to shell out for this weekend. DOA: Dead or Alive We thought DOA meant dead on arrival, but fans of video games and girls in bikinis likely won't quibble with the title of this action movie featuring scantily clad heroines. Babes! Yeah! Eagle vs. Shark Nerds kiss while wearing animal costumes,......