Director Jason Reitman and Screenwriter Diablo Cody have just been confirmed as panelists for this year's Austin Film Festival. Reitman and Cody are the team behind the brilliant new comedy Juno, which is screening as the festival's centerpiece film (and which we highly recommend seeing). Jason (son of legendary comedic director Ivan Reitman) is best known for his critically adored feature film debut Thank You For Smoking, but he has also directed several shorts, including......

SXSW Asia’s Japan Nite has become a staple of the music festival in Austin. In the past, festival-goers have been able to access acts like Petty Booka and Ellegarden, and this year is no different as a wide variety of Japanese talent invades our city. The 50 Kaitens (pronounced Go Jyu Kaitenzu) will put forth their brand of cheeky garage-punk rock, with maximum comic entertainment promised. Their self titled record boasts song-titles like “Thank......

What's the deal with the heat? Oh yes, we're in Texas during the month of July. If we have one more person ask us if it's "hot enough for us" we're going to snap. Although perhaps we can melt some of those polar ice caps to help cool this place down. We assume that everyone was out at the lake, because there was apparently no one experiencing and posting missed connections. Even with the......

Several weeks ago we told you about SXSWclick, the annual competition held by the SXSW-offshoot organization that seeks to showcase "short-form storytelling" on the web and on mobile devices. Entrants were invited to submit short films running under 10 minutes long in one of five different categories: "Old School Shorts" (narrative), "Really Real Shorts" (documentary), "Animate-It" (animation), "Sound Checks" (music video), and "What the F*#!?" (experimental/machinima). SXSWclick trimmed the hundreds of entries received down......

To sum up today's releases: a few big stars, fewer hopes. *Nacho Libre This one comes from the makers of the cult favorite Napoleon Dynamite and stars the more-famous half of Tenacious D, Jack Black. Yeah, it’s probably a little crude and not as funny as the previews, but we’ll go see it anyway. Because being Mexican is hi-larious. Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties Bill Murray agreed to be the voice of a......

A few tasty offerings today, including: Edward Norton in a cowboy hat! Vince Vaughn and Jen Aniston - omg, will they get back together in the end?? And hey, guess what - planet Earth is totally f*cked! *An Inconvenient Truth Last week we were a little confused about this film's release date, but we've confirmed that it does in fact open today. Not a moment too soon - the oceans are rising! Former presidential......

Celebrate, it's Memorial Day weekend! You most likely have plans to float down a river, or swim in a pool, or have your rich friends take you out in their boat, all while getting exceedingly plastered and forgetting about your soul-sucking day job.* Good thing, because film pickin’s today are slim and, well, strangely international. Most of you are probably wildly anticipating the release of X-Men Part Trois - one Austinist editor was so......

Hallelujah! The day the Catholic Church and all of its minions have dreaded for the past few months (or maybe years, who knows what kind of secret prophecies they’ve got locked up in the Vatican – riiiiight??) has finally arrived. No, silly, there hasn’t been a discovery of ancient scrolls written by Jesus himself proclaiming the benefits of condom usage. Birth control and personal responsibility are still just as sinful as ever. We’re talking......

*The Devil and Daniel Johnston A Portrait of the Artist as a Manic Depressive. Excellent documentary. Mission: Impossible III Earlier in the week we were challenged to make it through this without mentioning the word 'placenta.' Nope. An American Haunting Sissy Spacek is, like, totally goth, y'all. Ok, we'll bite. As long as you hold our hand. Celestine Prophecy You (and your mom, and your aunt and the woman next to you on the......

Toby Keith would watch at least one of these movies... *Akeelah and the Bee It’s hard to make fun of such an earnest, lesson-filled film that stars Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, and an adorable little girl. All we can really say is, she best win that motherf*cking bee. United 93 Nothing says “America” quite like capitalizing on the lingering sentiments created by recent national tragedies. *Stick It From the geniuses/idiots who created Bring it......

We're just gonna get down to it, y'all... Silent Hill Yeah. Because this movie is totally necessary. At Last We're mentioning this one because it's our duty, but here are some terms randomly selected from reviews of the film: self-indulgent, charmless, embarrassing, paper-thin. Make of that what you will. *Friends with Money "See, Brad?! Do you see now?! I don't need you and your stupid pretty face! I'm FINE! I've got a career, I've......

A few highlights from this week's new movie releases: Bruce Willis is back! And he shoots guns this time! David Spade plays a nerd, just to mix things up! If the South had won the Civil War, would Toby Keith be campaigning for governor (oh God, we just vomited)? Film noir is great for teens! And Antonio Banderas teaches the youth of America that ballroom dancing can get you plenty of play! Lucky Number......

A surprisingly hefty offering of new releases today! Trim the fat and take our recommendations to heart, won't you? Basic Instinct 2 It's not possible for us to care less about Sharon Stone's latest attempt to "get back in the game," as it were. You can already download the "sex" scenes from the internet, but honestly, why would you want to? It's like voluntarily searing your own retinas with white-hot needles. *Ice Age: The......

Want something worthwhile to do during SXSW? Miss the days when unsigned bands were what this festival was all about? Don't have a wristband or badge, or enough pocket cash to get into all the big shows? Can't get into those pesky 21+ bars? Not interested in waiting in line for three hours next to some yuppie jerk on his cell phone? ainjel emme cares, and offers you a refreshing alternative... AE at SXSW! friday......