Last week we featured an interview with Win Win stars and generally recognizable people Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan, so this time around we figured we'd come at the film from a different angle: a roundtable talk with respected director Tom McCarthy, known previously for his bang-up jobs on The Station Agent and The Visitor, and fresh-faced Hollywood newbie Alex Shaffer, who in the film plays the role of dramatic crux and high school wrestling dynamo. At the film's center is Giamatti, who plays a good-at-heart family man who does something a little shady, and no matter how you cut it, Win Win is a rousing fusion of family/financial drama, comedy, sports, and suburban subtlety—pretty much, it's a nice add to the roster of anyone looking to see a good flick. It opened in Austin last Thursday, and you can catch it at places like the South Lamar Alamo. more ›

People like Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan don't need much introduction: they are good at what they do, and we know it. What brings the two Oscar-nominated actors together (Giamatti for Sideways, Ryan for Gone Baby Gone), both for this roundtable interview and on the big screen, is Win Win, a rousing fusion of family/financial drama, comedy, sports, and suburban subtlety from thought-provoking writer and director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor). In the film Giamatti plays a good-at-heart family man who does something a little shady, while Ryan, also known for her role as Holly Flax on The Office, plays his wife. Needless to say, they both deliver spot-on performances, and the film's a good one. It opens in Austin today, where you can catch it at places like the South Lamar Alamo—stay tuned next week for our interview with director McCarthy and acting rookie Alex Shaffer, who plays the unexpected side effect of Giamatti's ethical slip-up. more ›

Barney's Version (Regal Arbor, Cinemark Tinseltown 17) This Canadian indie had barely been released in the U.S. when Paul Giamatti was awarded with a Golden Globe for Best Actor/Comedy earlier this year. Based on the novel by Mordecai Richler, the film spans three decades in the life of Barney Panofsky. In reaction to a "tell-all" novel published about his life, Barney tells his side of the story. more ›

Still from Lions for LambsWe were under the impression that "No Country for Old Men" was opening this weekend, and we just found out it's only coming to "big" cities today—Austinites have to wait till next weekend. Miffed, we're only slightly placated by the other offerings at hand, though Philip Seymour Hoffman is hard to turn down... Lions for Lambs: Meryl Streep is a reporter, Tom Cruise is typecast as a neocon congressman, Robert Redford... more ›

Round Up! Round Up! Hey! Hey! Hey! Sorry, we got really excited there for a second, but there are just sooooo many great movies out right now that it makes our little heads want to explode. Do you like satirical gun fights? Gotcha covered. Re-vamped S’ghetti Westerns? Check. Tales of hate-mongering Neo-Nazi Brits? You know it! For lovers of brutal, bloody, balls-out storytelling, unto you we dedicate this week in film. 3:10 to Yuma We... more ›

So apparently this new movie not only makes Paul Giamatti into a bad guy, but also features a gunplay scene filmed entirely while the principal battlers are falling from airplanes, as well as several semi-dangerous-looking gunfights with a human infant in the middle of the proceedings. Clive Owen is the good guy—once again, as in "Children of Men", protecting a baby that's not his own (come on guys, doesn't Clive Owen deserve his own freaking... more ›

An old world stage illuminated only by lantern light. Armed guards standing post throughout. The audience, a sea of faces with mouths agape, except for one. The skeptic tilts his head away from the stage in a sidelong glance as the magician evokes his deception. The Illusionist is a gothic romance-mystery set in the surreal world of 19th century Vienna. Based on the short story, Eisenheim, The Illusionist by Pulitzer-Prize winning author, Steven Millhauser,... more ›

Ahhh, it’s that time of year again – can you smell the celebrity sweat in the air? Oscar time, baby! The 78th annual Academy Awards will air March 5 on ABC. Plan your party now: gather your friends together, don your Oscar de la Renta (that was kind of a pun, see?), break out the Dom Perignon Andre and the brie, place your bets and watch the magic unfold. The absolute best part about... more ›