Want an excuse to toss down yet another of the Alamo's Asian Chicken Salads this weekend? Sample one of these new celluloid delights from Tinseltown. (Hey, Alamo: Bring back the shrimp substitution option! Seriously!) 1408: John Cusack stars as a skeptical debunker of all things haunty who spends the night in a legendary hotel room and finally gets his Western rationality scared right outta him. Made from a Stephen King short story, like all......

SXSW Film Festival recently released their lineup of feature films to be screened this year. Check out the full roster after the jump. LONE STAR STATES Forfeit Directed by Andrew Shea, written by John Rafter Lee. Featuring: Billy Burke, Sherry Stringfield, Gregory Itzin, Wayne Knight. An ex-con tries to manage his way back into society, reunite with his high school sweetheart, and commit one more crime. (World Premiere) Inside the Circle Directed by Marcy......

M O N D A Y [12] [music] UT Ethnomusicology Dept Ensembles at Momo's (8pm) [music] David Newbould at Flipnotics (8pm) [music] Singer-Songwriter Night at Longbranch Inn [music] Elizabeth McQueen at Theadgill's (8pm) [music] Listening party for Ludacris' new album, Disturbing Tha Peace at Nasty's (8pm) [music/shopping] Armadillo Christmas Bazaar with the Eggmen at Austin Music Hall (Check website for dates/hours) [party] Friends of the Spade Christmas Party at Velvet Spade (11pm) [film/food] "Narnia"......

Cinephiles rejoice! The Austin Film Festival kicks off this Thursday, featuring a bevy of shorts, documentaries, advance screenings and parties! Of course, the festival is not just about watching movies; it’s also a fantastic opportunity for you wannabe filmmakers to hear from a slew of panelists about the craft of filmmaking and the industry in general. Among the distinguished panelists at the screenwriters’ conference are Judd Apatow (40-Year-Old Virgin, Freaks and Geeks, The Larry......

It’s funny when quite possibly one of the best movies released on a given day stars characters that are made entirely of clay. But if you’re not “into” that sort of thing, don’t worry. At least a couple of today’s new releases might be worth your hard-earned cash. *Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Director Nick Park’s first feature film was the cute and clever Chicken Run, but we love him more......

The summer movie season is over, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any good flicks to look forward to. In fact, we’ve found that they often save the best ones for last. You know, just in time for Mr. Oscar (well, in some cases. Sorry, Jessica Alba). We’re pretty excited about a couple of the films being released today, which we’re sure will be apparent in our completely biased summaries of them.......

Although we know you like to boogey and we know you like to booze, sometimes a nice night at the movies and a big tub of buttered popcorn is the perfect recipe for a relaxing weekend evening, especially considering many of us will be conserving our energy for next weekend’s madness. With that said, The Baxter (written and directed by its star, Austinist favorite Michael Showalter) tops the list of some mostly-pass-up-able new releases......

Having sex for the first time probably did not go down in your ‘magical experience handled with surprising aplomb’ hall of fame. There are the awkward all-thumbs moments when trying to unsnap bras; the nervousness of wondering exactly what the hell you might be doing and if you are, in fact, doing it to the thrilling effect you have seen achieved in thousands of movies and millions of music videos. But, self-consciousness be damned,......

Although we know you like to boogey and we know you like to booze, but sometimes you need a change of pace. With that said, there are five movies being released in Austin theatres this weekend and a host of first-runs worth checking out if you have not already taken our advice. *40-Year-Old Virgin Contrary to semi-popular belief, this is not a film about us. So save your jokes. The Daily Show and Second......