Before everyone was equipped with camera phones--readily snapping Hipstamatic and Instagrams to share with the world, Ricky Powell made his mark in street photography back in 1985 with an old fashioned Instamatic camera. During the early days of NYC hip hop, Powell was following around the pioneers of the genre, turning out candid shots behind the scenes at elite clubs and on urban streets. more ›

• After reading this, you’ll always write PLEASE on your Alamo Drafthouse order slip!
• Hey, you got your knitting in my podcast: an Etsy guide to SXSWi
• Can Shipley doughnuts cure a hangover? Maybe…

It’s time to get back to basics and find out just how awesome the Real American Hero™ can be. At the Alamo Ritz tonight you can catch the stop motion masterpiece Viva the ‘Nam, featuring those old school dolls—not to mention toys from Planet of the Apes, Platoon action figures (yes, that happened), and other legendary films—as they parody every war movie ever made from the great (Apocalypse Now) to the...well, still awesome but maybe-not-so-great (Commando). more ›

We would all like for our lives to be harmonious—that each individual part would arrange itself in such a way that it is pleasing and complimentary to everything else—but the wish and the reality are most often found to be incongruous. Harmony (Justin Rice, lead singer of Bishop Allen and star of another indie flick, Mutual Appreciation), the eponymous character in Robert Byington's new film Harmony and Me, is a study in that schism, finding his life pitched into discord when he is summarily dismissed by his girlfriend, Jessica (the knockout Kristen Tucker). more ›

Almost completely unadaptable for the silver screen, David Foster Wallace's work has been something that most screenwriters wouldn't dare touch, what with the monolithic footnotes and the complicated structure of his prose. This precedent, however, was not enough to deter a young John Krasinski (who you may know as Jim from The Office or from this spring's Away We Go), who began adapting the 336 page collection of unbridaled male-mind ruminations when he was in his early 20s. Over seven years later, Krasinski's passion project Brief Interviews with Hideous Men will be hitting the theaters this weekend, with several already-sold-out live appearances by Krasinski tonight and tomorrow at Austin's own Alamo Drafthouse Ritz. SInce not everyone will be able to attend those particular screenings (but there are still plenty screenings of the film without the writer/director/actor for you to check out), we decided to chat with Krasinski about his motivations behind this project, the value of truth and honesty, and what it feels like to step inside the mind of one of America's finest literary treasures. more ›

However hard it was for you to make it to your high school each morning, the teen moms at Catherine Ferguson Academy in Detroit likely have it harder. In Grown in Detroit, the principal says that it takes some girls 2 hours and multiple bus routes to get to school (especially since the auto lobby held back any progress on Detroit's mass transit system). Catherine Ferguson Academy is unique in that it is only one of a few schools in the nation geared exclusively towards pregnant teens/teen moms. Another factor that makes this school unique: they have their own urban, organic farm. more ›

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire premiered to glowing reception at the Sundance Film Festival. Yet despite love from critics and fans alike, there were still doubts the film would make wide release until both Oprah and Tyler Perry put their names (and money) behind it. The film tells the story of an illiterate teenage girl impregnated (twice) by her father, living with her abusive mother (Mo'Nique), and desirous of a way out. Working to help her towards this goal is Mariah Carey (yes, you read that right) as a social worker, as well as a teacher (Paula Patton) at an alternative high school. Starring as Precious, a refreshingly atypical Hollywood heroine, is new actress Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe. more ›

There's something in the water affecting documentary filmmakers lately, because this week marks the third time this month a high-profile doc has been freely released to the public. Maybe it's the election, or maybe it's the recession, but it's starting to look like a sea-change in distribution patterns. Tonight KLRU screens The Choice 2008, a new film co-written and co-produced by Peabody-winning filmmaker and UT professor Paul Stekler, who'll be there tonight. more ›

Whenever someone says they’ve never seen Lawrence of Arabia, someone has to go, “What?!?! That’s so wrong!” It’s like, some sort of rule. And if someone says they’ve never seen it on the big screen, everyone has to suck in their breath really hard like they just saw two cars almost collide: “Oh, man, you gotta see it on the big screen. You haven’t seen it if you haven’t seen it on the big screen!” (We suspect that many of the people that say that haven’t seen it on the big screen either. It’s just the rules.) Well, guess what. You’ll never have to hear that again as of this weekend. more ›

However, Marina Zenovich's documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, which plays at the Alamo this weekend and next week, looks at the 1978 "incident" through somewhat sympathetic eyes, questioning the motivations of the judge and the press in hyping up the story. more ›

So, it is the middle of the week and you are just now leaving your bland, cubed-in day job, and you're thinking, "Man, I wish I had something rockin' to do tonight, you know, like a disco/spandex/musical/biblical allegory party to go to....." Well, dear reader, you may not believe it, but you are in luck, because tonight at 11:59pm, The Apple is going to change the course of human life. Sure, we have a tendency towards hyperbole, but this time we are serious. Made by the same geniuses who brought us Over the Top—yeah, the Sly Stone trucker arm wrestling extravaganza—The Apple is the 80s musical version of Adam and Eve, only with more glitter. And hair products. And terrible singing. more ›

With the sucker punch to the gut that was The Dark Knight, Step Brothers provides some hearty laughs that aren’t even given away in the trailer (go figure!). While not nearly as sidesplitting as Apatow’s other productions and perhaps too little of heart and humanity, Step Brothers has some memorable parts that include man bits, boats and hos, and a singing voice likened to a mixture of Fergie and Jesus. It reminds us that Ferrell is still really funny without his 70s getups or sports movies, and, really, we could watch a whole movie of Reilly’s facial expressions and doughy eyes. As long as Adam Scott doesn’t show up… more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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? more ›

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! more ›

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. more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

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:... more ›

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... more ›

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. more ›

(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... more ›

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... more ›