As we wait for the flood of Oscar bait (which starts to really kick up next week), we get one more week that has its fair share of niche releases. The Drafthouse has some more popular 2011 Fantastic Fest titles to screen at the Alamo South Lamar, while the Violet Crown brings us an acclaimed French film fresh off a held over month-long run at New York's Film Forum. more ›

We're a few weeks away from the onslaught of Oscar bait that will soon be drowning area screens, so this is a good week to catch up on movies you may have missed or check out two intriguing foreign films that will likely just have one week runs. more ›

While we're not yet in full-fledged awards season mode, it's right around the corner. Festival favorites are steadily hitting area screens and there's a nice variety of films being released in the next few weeks. This week, the return of Almodovar will gain the attention of many local film buffs. more ›

We know that many of you will be spending the weekend at Auditorium Shores for the annual Fun Fun Fun fest, but if you aren't going to be rocking out in a park for the next few days there is plenty to see on area screens. more ›

The weeks ahead will bring new movies from Almodovar, Von Trier, Eastwood and Herzog, indicating the arrival of awards season movies to the area. If you're not in a post-Austin Film Festival coma after the last eight days, we've got a few good reasons to visit your favorite area theater this weekend! more ›

There are not a lot of smaller films opening this weekend, but we can easily grant our highest recommendation to Weekend. Also, if reading about Margaret last week piqued your interest, you better make plans to see it by Thursday night. It's already down to two screenings a day at the Regal Arbor and is unlikely to make it to a third weekend in town. more ›

A few of the movies opening this week are more notable for how long they've been unreleased. Throw in a few microscopic releases and what may be the most disgusting film of all time and you have more than enough choices to get you through the next couple of days, especially if you're lucky enough for Columbus Day to actually bring you a day off on Monday. more ›

We're still recovering from Fantastic Fest, but Austin screens are filled with some truly original indie films playing this weekend that you should take a chance on. There's a little something for everybody, so check out these descriptions and take your pick! more ›

With 75,000 people expected to fill Zilker Park this weekend for the 10th Annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, there's a lot of interesting counterprogramming going on at local theaters. Drive is actually one of the widest releases of the weekend, but don't let the screen count fool you. This is not your average action film, rather it's a noir-inspired tale filled with lots of double crossing and bad decisions. We imagine most mainstream audiences will be left puzzled, but for adventurous film lovers, it's easily your best choice for a trip to the theater more ›

There are plenty of films opening in town this weekend, but nothing much to get excited about. The highest profile film on area screens is Steven Soderbergh's Contagion. With an all-star cast and the backing of Warner Bros., this is the kind of film that consistently alternates within Soderbergh's filmograhphy. He does a studio picture and follows it up with an indie picture. Rinse. Wash. Repeat. more ›

Point Blank (Regal Arbor, Violet Crown Cinema) This relentless thriller from French director Fred Cavaye wastes no time throwing you into the action. The movie begins with a chase scene and barely stops to let you catch your breath over the course of its 84-minute running time. more ›

It may be stretching the definition of "indie" to include our main pick this week, but Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark is our favorite film in release this weekend and it's a castaway from the now-defunct Miramax library being released by upstart company FilmDistrict. Ultimately, it's a high quality, low budget flick that just happens to be getting a wide release. more ›

As we struggle through another summer of record-breaking high temps here in Texas, our local theaters are doing their best to provide a safe haven from the heat. Some of our recent favorites like Attack The Block, Another Earth, Beginners and Tabloid are still playing in Austin and all of those films share something in common with both of this weekend's picks: all of them debuted during the SXSW Film Festival earlier this year. Consider this a friendly reminder to start saving your pennies for a SXSW pass in 2012. You could've seen all these great movies (and lots more) six months ago! more ›

We caught this terrific documentary from Errol Morris when it screened during SXSW earlier this year. It takes a Rashomon-style approach to unraveling the story of Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming winner who was accused of abducting a man she had been dating to bring him back to the United States from a missionary trip overseas. Long before the News Of The World scandal, this story exploded in the British tabloids and made Joyce a sensation. Tabloid is genuinely outrageous and unexpected. more ›

The directorial debut of Joe Cornish, this British sci-fi flick already stirred up audiences at South By Southwest earlier this year. In recent weeks, it's seen a series of free promotional screenings in town as well to gauge audience reaction beyond the initial cult fans. It seems as though things are going outrageously well in terms of word of mouth, but Sony's Screen Gems division is also testing the waters very slowly, opening the picture in a mere seven U.S. markets this weekend. more ›

Summer blockbusters are still taking up most of the area's screens, but a handful of micro-indies are hitting town this weekend. We would certainly encourage adventurous film lovers in Austin to give one of these smaller pictures a shot and support the booking of movies that don't have the advantages that promotional budgets can bring. more ›

The Trip (Violet Crown Cinema) The Trip was an award-winning television series that aired on BBC Two last year in England. The original six episodes of the program, directed by Michael Winterbottom (9 Songs, The Killer Inside Me), have been edited down into a feature film. more ›