Shane Black's directorial debut is a suckerpunch-and-a-half, a trippy tribute to L.A. noir and a genre-busting blitzkrieg attack on Hollywood pretensions that’s just as full of them as the pulp it lampoons.

NBT: Never Been Thawed

Mockumentary about the members of a Frozen Food Enthusiasts Club is funny when it stays on topic but becomes scattered when it strays.

Pride & Prejudice

This fresh adaptation of Jane Austen’s masterpiece starring Keira Knightley presents a witty and lovesick skirmish of the sexes that exceeds all expectations.

Shaadi No. 1

In a country famous for its exhaustively over-the-top filmmaking, India’s Shaadi No. 1 is an extreme case: a maddeningly manic comedy-romance painted in vibrant shades of neon pink and Day-Glo violet.

Where the Truth Lies

Master filmmaker Atom Egoyan goes for the mainstream with this new murder mystery, but sadly his aim is way, way off.

Zathura

With his follow-up to Elf, actor-turned-director Jon Favreau sticks with family-friendly filmmaking, this time delivering a bang-up version of Chris Van Allsburg’s bestselling children’s book Zathura.

arts & culture

Waterfalls and Sea Changes

The former and current artistic directors of Austin Script Works discuss new plays, local theatre, and the writer's voice

BY DAN DIETZ

Theatre: Classic Comeback

Throughout November, Austinites have the chance to see four plays that have stood the test of time: 'Hamlet,' 'Macbeth,' 'The Way of the World,' and 'The Playboy of the Western World'

BY BARRY PINEO

Arthouse Texas Prize: Big Winner Eileen Maxson!

A glittering crowd gathered in the Driskill Hotel on Friday, Nov. 4, to watch Eileen Maxson of Houston take home the first Arthouse Texas Prize

BY RACHEL KOPER

Boyd Vance: Sweet Remembrance

On Oct. 27, the City Council sweetened some of the bitterness of Boyd Vance's passing this year by naming the new theatre at the Carver Museum and Cultural Center after him

BY ROBERT FAIRES

Culture Flash

Calling all Eastside artists, here come the Russians, visual artists talk residency programs, and Steven Dietz comes to UT

BY ROBERT FAIRES

Arts Reviews

The Marriage of Miss Hollywood and King Neptune

Robert Schenkkan's 'The Marriage of Miss Hollywood and King Neptune' eases us back into that long-ago world of screwball comedy and serves up some new fun

Up in the Old Hotel

The delights of Refraction Arts Project's 'Up in the Old Hotel' are many, but the creators seem to assume that you already know a lot about 'New Yorker' writer Joseph Mitchell

Movin' Out

In this national tour of 'Movin' Out,' Twyla Tharp's choreographic power gleamed like the chrome of a streamline fin on a convertible

columns

Page Two

Free speech in defense of liberty is no vice

BY LOUIS BLACK

Postmarks

Our readers talk back.

Letters at 3AM

Right now, and for at least the next three years of this administration, the United States of America is not being governed. Hurricane Katrina demonstrated, and Iraq every day confirms, that the powers-that-be are dysfunctional. We are on our own.

BY MICHAEL VENTURA

After a Fashion

Who is Stephen's fave new singer? Who is The. Best. Salesperson. EVAH? What happened when Stephen set foot back in Oilcan's? You'll have to read to see!