Adair Aiming for Indiewire Award
Linklater’s editor’s film eligible for prize
SXSW Film Drops First Round of Titles
Pee-wee Herman rubs shoulders with Slenderman and Preacher
Sandra Bland Trooper Indicted, Fired
Rep. Garnet Coleman reflects on the case
DVDanger: A Most Dangerous Year
Top 10 home releases you may have missed
Thai-Kun Announces Pop-Up Series
Daily Austin food news
Day Trips & Beyond: Andy Griffith Museum, Mount Airy, N.C.
Museum in actor’s hometown highlights native son’s accomplishments
Soul Searching with Jim Lauderdale
Nashville song whisperer needs a deadline
MLA Subconference: Politics for Scholars
Two-day event takes place at Cheer Up Charlies
Dozens of Groups File Briefs Against Texas Abortion Law
Diverse array of organizations submit 45 briefs to SCOTUS opposing HB 2
Remixing Against the Storm
Perennial Austin Band of the Year contenders keeps it RE:AL
News Roundup: Guns, Gays, and Gaffes
Austin: It’s like a whole other country (from Texas)
Open Carry Proponents Run Victory Lap
Activists celebrate new rules with glocks, turkey subs
Top 10 Festival Films You Haven’t Seen Yet
Fox fairies, ultra-violence, and amnesia dominated 2015
The Most Read Film Reviews of 2015
How to enrage God’s flock in 322 words or less
Day Trips & Beyond: January Events Roundup
Happenings, news, and more
Point Break
Remake of 1991’s action bromance
Critics’ Picks for the Week: Jan. 1-7, 2016
Critics’ Picks for the Week: Jan. 1-7, 2016 No new films open this weekend in Austin, so use the time to catch up with these suggestions. Marjorie Baumgarten Carol The Big Short The Hateful Eight (70mm roadshow) Steve Davis Youth The Big Short Creed Kimberley Jones The Big Short Sisters Youth Josh Kupecki The Big…
Nenu Sailaja
Telugu romance
One for the Books
Our favorite reads of 2015
Top 10 Lege Stories
1) Meet the New Boss, Worse Than the Old Boss Dan Patrick replaced David Dewhurst as lieutenant governor. First order of business: raise the thermostat in the chamber, which Dewhurst famously kept at icy levels. Item two: hurl the upper chamber further to the far right. 2) Schools Unfinanced Again Just because Judge John Dietz…
The Hightower Report: Daddy’s Philosophy
Hightower remembers his dad’s thoughts on charity
A Recommendation for Public Safety
For anyone in town still unclear on the extent to which the Real Estate Council of Austin is the enemy of the people of Austin, RECA Director of Communications Ryan Poulos clarified to the Austin American-Statesman last Wednesday, Dec. 23: “I recommend Uber and Lyft simply shut off their service at midnight on New Year’s.…
Top 10 Video Games
Whether you wanted intimate tales or cars being blown back from explosions, 2015 had you covered
“Shakespeare in Print and Performance” at the Ransom Center
This exhibition celebrates the Bard with rare artifacts from the Ransom Center’s holdings
Ambiguous Oracle
Company’s new Austin Campus displaces longtime residents
One for the Books
Circling the Sun tops a list of novels featuring uncommon women
Top 10 Criminal Justice Stories
1) What Happened to Samantha Dean? A pregnant employee of the Kyle PD shows up dead behind a Dumpster near a Bastrop County building. Four-year APD veteran VonTrey Clark becomes a person of interest in the killing. He’s indicted on charges of capital murder in October, as is an associate, Kevin Leo Watson. Clark pleaded…
Top 10 Beer Things to Look Forward to in 2016
1) The New Live Oak Brewhouse & Taproom Since closing brewing operations at their Fifth Street location in the fall, Live Oak has left their fans at a cliffhanger. But when season 2 premieres sometime in the spring/summer (we’re speculating), it will be a smash-hit success with a brand-new brewhouse, taproom, and drinkin’ yard over…
Page Three: Open Season
There’s no way to process 2015 without worrying how much worse it’s going to get once Texas’ open carry law goes into effect
Goodnight Irene
Timeless music time-travels – backward, forward
Top 10 (+1) Theatre Riches of 2015
Wild theatrical energy and masterful performances were the hallmarks of outstanding theatre in 2015
“Robert Jackson Harrington and Hector Hernandez: Impossible to Tell” at grayDUCK Gallery
Plastic hues and triumphant assemblages convey the belligerent optimism of American-style consumerism
One for the Books
A Brief History of Seven Killings leads a list of works exploring crime and politics abroad and at home
Top 10 Labor Stories
1) No Immigration Reform in Sight 2015 saw the continuation of the battle to block the reforms President Barack Obama announced late in 2014, which would have allowed millions of undocumented immigrants to begin the process of applying for citizenship. Without that opportunity, thousands of Austinites are in the position of not being able to…
Top 10 Bee’s Knees
1) Apis In its first year of operation, the restaurant and apiary overlooking the Pedernales River won our hearts with impeccable honeycomb decor and local, seasonal ingredients fashioned in classically creative dishes and cocktails. 2) Two Hives Honey Specializing in all-natural, raw, and unfiltered honey products harvested from neighborhood micro-apiaries around town, this 2015 Austin…
Austin Top 10s
Ninety lines of listicles about Austin music 2015
Top 10 Education Stories
1) Goodbye NCLB, Hello ESSA The U.S. Department of Education will take more of a backseat in education policy, with the signing by Pres. Barack Obama in December of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The bill, which hands more powers back to the states, is the final death knell for the expiring and unloved No…
Top 10 Quotes of the Week
1) See “Quote of the Year.” 2) “It is important to remember that there are over 860,000 people living in Austin. Sometimes it can be difficult to keep this in mind when you’re facing 200 loud voices in the Council Chamber.” – Outgoing Mayor Lee Leffingwell’s advice to incoming Mayor Steve Adler (Jan. 9) 3)…
One for the Books
Paradise Sky and The Best I Recall head a list of stellar Lone Star books
Top 10 Environmental Stories
1) Halloween Flood, Reprise Onion Creek residents hadn’t all recovered from the 2013 flood when another horror show arrived at All Hallows’ – and the city’s earnest but slow response on buyouts evoked more neighborhood outcry. 2) Memorial Day Flood, Reprise Austin wasn’t hit quite as hard in the spring (recalling the 1981 deluge), but…
Day Trips: Top 10s
Top travel-related events of 2015
Top 10 Dance/Classical Music Treasures of 2015
Leaving deep impressions from 2015’s dance and classical music works were the unexpected elements, like screen doors, trees, and car horns
National Top 10s
Best non-local albums of 2015 – by genre
Chron to the Max
2015 serves up a tasty film crop
Soccer Watch: Top 10s
1) Aztex go pro. After a wildly successful three seasons in the amateur Premier Development League – a championship, a league-best record, and 13 players, several of them local, picked up by MLS teams – the Austin Aztex made the long-awaited jump to pro status this year. 2) Aztex go dark. After a difficult season…
One for the Books
The Theater of War leads a list that reminds us how ancient lessons about war continue to ring true today
Headlines
APD’s DWI “No Refusal” initiative continues tonight, New Year’s Eve, so don’t drink and drive (as if you needed another reason). Self-Regulation: The latest front in the ride-for-hire controversy is a petition drive initiated by a coalition calling itself “Ridesharing Works for Austin” – and including TNCs Uber and Lyft – that seek to place…
Top 10 Restaurants That Just Don’t Get Enough Love
1) Fabi + Rosi Elegant decor: check. Exceptional continental cuisine: check. Reasonable prices: check. Why don’t you have reservations already? 2) Apothecary This midtown wine bar’s Tinder profile might read something like this: Snuggle with me in dark corners, dive into billowy truffle mac and cheese, buttermilk fried quail, and other guilty pleasures. 3) Cafe…
Top 10 Arts-Related Program Activities of 2015
The most memorable art of 2015 carved strange and brilliant new spaces out of familiar ones
Critics Poll
Best Roadshow Neph Basedow: L7, Fun Fun Fun Fest Greg Beets: Peaches, Fun Fun Fun Fest Jim Caligiuri: Stevie Wonder, Frank Erwin Center Thomas Fawcett: Kendrick Lamar, ACL Live at the Moody Theater Doug Freeman: Kendrick Lamar, ACL Live at the Moody Theater Abby Johnston: Pokey LaFarge, Parish Kahron Spearman: Miguel, Emo’s Tim Stegall: The…
Marjorie Baumgarten’s Top 10 Films of 2015
1) Mad Max: Fury Road This retro-futuristic phoenix rises from a franchise’s ashes and soars with fury, finesse, invention, and showmanship. 2) Carol No movie this year beguiled me more with its luscious ambrosia, luring me to sink, head over heels, into its frame. 3) Son of Saul In the most suspenseful and visceral movie…
Hornography: Top 10s
Top 10 moments in UT sports
Luv Doc: Secret Santa
Maybe your Secret Santa owns a thrift-store Timex and a whiskey-dented 2001 Ford Escort
Top 10 City Council Stories
1) District Politics The new 10-1 City Council got a year of governance under its belt – with a slow start but more effectiveness over time – and began to reflect a greater range of public priorities. 2) Selling Short The fate of short-term rental units – or at least the “Type 2,” non-owner-occupied variety…
Steve Davis’ Top 10 Films of 2015
1) Son of Saul This remarkable Hungarian film about a Jewish prisoner conscripted to burn the Auschwitz dead finds moral redemption in the unimaginable. 2) Spotlight The year’s most solid piece of storytelling about The Boston Globe’s finest hour is this generation’s All the President’s Men. 3) Mad Max: Fury Road This thrilling post-apocalyptic Western…
Uber, Lyft Form PAC, Push Petition
Newly formed Ridesharing Works for Austin PAC wants to make Council regs permanent
Top Nine Big-Bang Dance Concerts of 2015
Each of the top dance performances of 2015 created a universe of its own
Kimberley Jones’ Top 10 Films of 2015
1) Mad Max: Fury Road The alpha male riding shotgun to a woman in a plot shaped hilariously like a U-turn … an ecstatic experience, silly and thrilling and audacious. 2) Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem Imagine No Exit set entirely in a rabbinical court. Hell isn’t other people – it’s the husband who…
Top 10 Savory Bites
1) Biscuits at Fixe Soft, doughy pillows are encased in crisp, buttery exteriors. Great on their own, they are even better with whipped honey and butter. 2) Cauliflower Velouté at Levitation France Chefs from Angers, France, popped up a restaurant on the grounds of the French Legation during South by Southwest in March, and this…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Psychic Michelle Whitedove predicts that in 2016, Kim Jong-un will make a move to take over South Korea, but China will shut him down. Glenda Jackson, great-niece of evangelist Maria Woodworth-Etter, predicts President Obama will suspend the 2016 presidential election so he can stay in the White House to deal with a rise in natural…
Top 10 Local Stories
1) Drought Ends, Floods Begin The wettest year in Austin history was marked by devastating spring and fall floods, the former throughout Central Texas, the latter a reprise of the 2013 Halloween Onion Creek disaster. “Resiliency” became the new watchword of weather response. (See “Top 10 Environmental Stories,” Jan. 1.) 2) Official Immunity In October,…
Josh Kupecki’s Top 10 Films of 2015
1) The Tribe A distillation of pure cinema (no dialogue, no subtitles), this story of a young man entering a corrupt school for the deaf still haunts me. 2) Son of Saul Capturing the madness of everyday life in the concentration camps with unflinching intimacy, this is the very definition of tour-de-force cinema. 3) Sicario…
Top 10 Things We’ll Miss
1) Restaurant Congress Chef David Bull’s glistening showpiece gave us an all-too-rare occasion to ditch the flip-flops. Dining doesn’t seem as fine without it around. 2) Anna Toon Tackling everything from urban farms to craft brewing, Anna was always a voice we could rely on. We’ll miss her dearly, but we look forward to seeing…
Top 10 Theatre Performances of 2015
The Austin stage actors who gave the most impressive performances in 2015 just made it look so damned easy
Marc Savlov’s Top 10 Films of 2015
1) Mad Max: Fury Road Fantastic, turbo-charged imagery and steely, humanistic characters make for the one true epic of 2015. 100% unforgettable. Go Team Furiosa! 2) Victoria Filmed in a single, 138-minute shot and mostly improvised, this is hyperkinetic, Berlin-based chaos at its best. 3) Son of Saul A Holocaust movie like no other. Director…
Top 10 Eateries Bringing Asia to Austin
1) Xian Sushi & Noodle The centuries-old Chinese art of hand-pulled noodles is exhibited in fine form at this Mueller outlet, where a choose-your-own-noodle adventure (your pick of six sizes and shapes) makes for endless entrée options. Xian’s shoyu ramen (I opt for the “spaghetti” noodle) gives Austin’s celebrity ramen-yas (see No. 9) a run…
Gay Place Top 10s: IIIII-dentity!
Ring it in gaily!
Top 10 Reproductive Rights Stories
1) HB 2 at SCOTUS’ Door After issuing a stopgap to the disastrous final provision of anti-abortion law House Bill 2 in late June, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to take up Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole for review in November. In a case that is expected to set the course for abortion rights nationwide,…
Quote of the Year
“We can’t do this with people in cars by themselves.” – Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, arguing that the CAMPO 2040 Regional Transportation Plan cannot succeed without more attention to mass transit and multimodal alternatives (May 15)
Top 10 Sandwiches*
1) Shrimp Bánh Mì at Ng BMT Maybe that line at Ramen Tatsu-Ya is just a little too long, or your budget is a little too tight. Pop in to Hong Kong Supermarket, head to the back of the store, and order a legit bánh mì from the smiling lady in the Ng BMT stand.…
Top 10 Contemporary Galleries in Austin in 2015
For newcomers to Austin’s visual arts scene, here are 10 galleries that upped their game in 2015
The Year in Food
Austin food kept growing in 2015
Top 10 Cocktail Bars
1) The Townsend Justin Elliott excels again as the director of hospitality and bar program at this elevated bar and performance venue. The handsome hideout delivers reimagined vintage tipple that pairs seamlessly with charcuterie boards and thoughtful small plates. 2) Roosevelt Room Sectioned by eras, their extensive menu tickles a cocktail nerd like me. It…
Mad Max: Fury Road Tops Austin Film Critics Association Awards
Full list of winners, plus who made the best Austin film?
