Cover Story
Having a Plan for When Shit Hits the Fan: A Journey in Prepping
What disaster preparedness experts have to say about best-laid plans for worst-case scenarios
Michael Showalter and the Reality of Rom-Coms in The Idea of You
The director talks about his career busting pigeonholes
May the Fourth Be With You
Richard Whittaker rounds up Star Wars events this Saturday
Kyle Henry Calls for a National Family Intervention in Time Passages
AFS Doc Days selection delves into the challenges of family archives
Stress Positions
Stress Positions 2024, NR, 95 min. Directed by Theda Hammel, Starring Elizabeth Dement, Qaher Harhash, John Early, Theda Hammel, Amy Zimmer, Faheem Ali, John Roberts. Pandemic-set dramedy stars John Early (Search Party) as a guy stuck in quarantine with his ex-husband’s model nephew (Harhash).
Alamo Drafthouse to Screen All 11 Star Wars Films at Village
Summer of Star Wars includes special trilogy screenings
Austin Opera Redefines the Limits of Opera for 2024-25 Season
Cold war thriller and devotional masterpiece on the calendar
COTA Announces Sting and Eminem as F1 Grand Prix Performers
Ticket buy-back program initially raised questions
Into the Wilds With Hundreds of Beavers
Is this the first Dogme 96 snowstick comedy?
The Rolling Stones Start Up Their Hackney Diamonds Tour in Houston
Between the magnetic poles of Jagger and Richards
Police Pepper Spray Protesters After Dispersing Impromptu Encampment for Palestine
UT, DPS double down on use of force, students push them “off our campus”
Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile, Lido Pimienta, and More Austin Psych Fest Reviews
Dispatches from three days at the Far Out Lounge
Brittany Howard, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, and More Austin Blues Festival Reviews
Standouts from the Antone’s organizers’ Waterloo Park return
Alejandro Cabrera’s Lone Star Wars State of Mind
New doc In the Lone Star Wars State on the Texas fandom
Within Our Gates
Within Our Gates 1920, NR, 79 min. Directed by Oscar Micheaux, Starring Evelyn Preer, Flo Clements, James D. Ruffin. The second film from pioneering Black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, this silent depicts a young schoolteacher who experiences terrible violence and persecution in a deeply segregated society.
Guián
Guián 2023, NR, 75 min. Directed by Nicole Chi Amén. Documentarian Nicole Chi Amén explores her family’s trajectory from China to Costa Rica.
Sugarcane
Sugarcane 2024, NR, 107 min. Directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie. Winner of the Directing Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, this documentary explores a community’s trauma after a mass unmarked gravesite is uncovered at the site of a Catholic church-run “Indian residential school” in British Columbia.
Devo
Devo 2024, NR, 90 min. Directed by Chris Smith. Documentary profile of the band behind the enduring “Whip It.”
David Sedaris and the Art of Ignoring
Austin-bound, the author adds a new descriptor: controversial.
Austin FC Knocks Off LA Galaxy For Fourth Win in Five Matches
Hot streak continues as El Tree topples Western Conference leaders
Try WAGYUMAFIA’s Famous Japanese Wagyu Sando at Parlor & Yard This Weekend
Chef Hamada praises Austin’s “perfect house party feeling”
UT-Austin Faculty Say They’ve Lost Confidence in University President After Protest Arrests
Faculty, staff, and elected officials decry DPS deployment
David Dastmalchian Welcomes Satan to the Set of Late Night With the Devil
From Svengoolie to Carson, the hosts that made the horror
We Grown Now
Two boys come of age in the Cabrini-Green housing project
Dancing Village: The Curse Begins
Indonesian horror-thriller prequel to KKN di Desa Penari
Humane
When the government asks citizens to self-euthanize, a bourgeois family weighs what to do
Challengers
Luca Guadagnino’s silly romance may turn you off sex and tennis both
The Beast
Sci-fi romantic drama about two lovers (Léa Seydoux and George MacKay) with multiple past lives, all tortured
Boy Kills World
Bill Skarsgård stars as an orphaned, deaf, and mute “boy” seeking revenge in the post-apocalypse
Unsung Hero
Faith-based film is based on Joel Smallbone’s family’s real-life ascent as Christian recording artists
Day Trips: Curio Mrvosa Books and More, Taylor
Indie bookstore widens the world of words in WilCo
Qmmunity: Left on Read
Find great queer literature at local LGBTQ booksellers during Independent Bookstore Day
Blushing Pushes Past Shoegaze Constraints on Sugarcoat
With Smashing Pumpkins axe support, third LP has nothing to prove
Theatre Review: The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body
Lisa B. Thompson creates a community space with “choreopoem”
Hovvdy Stays True to Texas on New Self-Titled Album
ATX-launched duo talks songwriting and special unplugged release shows
Headlines / Quote of the Week
Big Money in Lake Travis ISD: School board races in Austin’s suburbs have been more contentious since the COVID-19 pandemic, with anti-mask, anti-vax, and pro-book banning candidates raising large sums of money to challenge traditional candidates. Now the Statesman is reporting how that scenario is playing out in Lake Travis ISD, where candidates and PACs…
The Luv Doc: Something Relatable
When you need a wet vac, you usually need one lickety-split
Will D.A. Garza Be Removed From Office Over Handling of Drug Cases, Nonexistent Abortion Crimes?
Petitioner hopes so, legal experts say it’s unlikely
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Some sharks lay their eggs in a leathery-type case called a mermaid’s purse. Some consider the song “Noah” performed by the Jubalaires in 1946 to be the first rap song because of its rhythmic and spoken delivery of the lyrics. In a recent issue of Nature, researchers published their analysis of human behavior on multiple…
Budget Cuts Are Coming to Austin ISD
And probably a tax increase too
The Off Beat: Bobby Rush Brings the Funk
90-year-old chats before Blues Fest set with the Blind Boys of Alabama
Austin Police Oversight Lawsuit on Hold in Appeals Court
A decision in the suit could prohibit secret police file
The Off Beat: Chicano Batman’s Hi-Fi Good Vibes
Carlos Arévalo talks optimistic new album before Austin Psych Fest
Austin Elders: Meet Doris “Sue” Bilich, Creative and Comedy Queen
Nearly seven decades of Austin memories
Crosstalk: Music Returns to Cosmic Coffee, the Golden Horn Replaces Burger Tex, and More Culture News
And we say goodbye to a former Chronicle art director
A Beloved Birthday, Dragon Boats, and More Recommended Events for the Week
Get out before the heat descends
Restaurant Review: Poeta
All-day Italian cafe brings the romance
Storytelling, a Book Trail, Markets, and More Arts Events
Get reading, go shopping, or just enjoy a gala this week
Review: Charley Crockett, $10 Cowboy
A more ruminative, less hooky use of the Texan’s bulletproof baritone
Hiromi Uehara, Caroline Rose, and Fests Galore in Our Crucial Concerts
Choose your fest: Psych, Death, or Blues
Review: Alma Jette, I Found a Reason
Mary Bryce’s piano ballads explore anxiety-drenched love
Review: Pedal Steel Noah, Texas Madness
Insta-famous teenager pushes beyond countrified novelty on debut EP
Review: Scott Ballew, Rio Bravo
Austin musician/filmmaker’s poetic phrases demand double takes
Free Will Astrology
Your weekly horoscope, April 26 – May 2
The Verde Report: Behind the Numbers of Austin FC’s Latest Hot Streak
The Verde and Black are still surprising us
Advocates Sue Texas Over Prisoners Being “Cooked To Death”
Filmmaker Rick Linklater joins the call for action
Cody Johnson to Martina McBride, Two Step Inn Wrangles Country Music’s Range
Georgetown fest evades storms in its second year
Endorsements for the May 4 Travis Central Appraisal District Election
It’s the first time we’re voting for these positions
Voting Info for the Travis Central Appraisal District Election
Early Voting: April 22 – 30; Election Day: Saturday, May 4
