Cover Story
‘Something Went Wrong’
Six months after he was killed by an Austin cop, Jessie Owens’ family still wants some basic answers
I’ve Come to Tell You I’m Going: Serge Gainsbourg and the French Pop Experience
I’ve Come to Tell You I’m Going: Serge Gainsbourg and the French Pop Experience 2003, NR, 120 min. Directed by , Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . A writer and performer of popular music of international renown, Frenchman Serge Gainsbourg may have been even more famous for his ill-renown. His unconventional looks and…
El Topo
El Topo 1970, NR, 125 min. Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Alejandro Jodorowsky, Brontis Jodorowsky, Mara Lorenzio. One of the first midnight cult movies, Jodorowsky’s El Topo created a mystical allure that in turn inspired fervent admirers. Filmmaker Jodorowsky plays the title character, and, fittingly, his son plays his…
Playing Around With the Evil Empire
The Rude Mechanicals go Russian with a play — well, a performance piece — umm — a performance collage — well, ‘300 Plays About Vladimir Putin.’
Food-o-File
An Austin restaurant legend is gone but hardly forgotten.
From BarFly to ‘King of the Ants’
An interview with George Wendt
Good News!
Pro Arts Collective Pro Arts Collective celebrates the season with a gospel sound in the Austin premiere of Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity.
In Print
As Chaplin historian David Robinson is happy to report in the introduction to Charlie Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema, “the raison d’etre of this book is not so much the text as the photographs.”
Articulations
Austin Shakespeare perseveres, Ballet Austin gets a grant for a Shrew, Zach hunts for a fundraiser, Mexic-Arte’s Museum Store hits USA Today’s Top 10, and the Funniest Person in Austin goes global.
Confounding Circumstances
Six months after the fact, the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Jessie Lee Owens by APD Officer Scott Glasgow remain confusing. The Oct. 22 indictment of Glasgow for criminally negligent homicide, along with prior information shared by APD with Owens’ family and with the community, suggests a scenario like this:1) Owens, driving a Dodge Neon…
Short Cuts
Harry Knowles’ Butt-Numb-A-Thon outdoes itself. Like, totally. Read on to regret not having attended.
Exhibitionism
As long as the Flaming Idiots are juggling and making fun onstage at the Zachary Scott Theatre Center, you won’t care about anything but the pure pleasure they let you experience.
Under the Holiday Bush
A holiday gift guide for the political junkie.
TV Eye
Belinda Acosta is not amused by the two rich chicks on Fox’s farm.
Exhibitionism
In the arresting mélange that is Women & Their Work’s annual “Juror’s Choice” exhibit, Cream, Frost, Mint stands out as a calm, bright presence.
Here Come the Judges
The federal court takes up the Texas congressional re-redistricting case.
DVD Watch
Dragons have a PR problem, and this movie doesn’t help.
Rasputin, War, Radiation, and Divorce
The holidays have never been happier.
Exhibitionism
The many paths we walk can shape the people we become in life. Ballet East united old and new troupe dancers and choreographers to present multiple works in Paths.
Last Call for Lowe’s? Council Ready to Split
It’s still 4-3 and holding as the controversial big-box deal goes up for final approval
The Toronto International Film Festival
A first-timer’s diary
Someone’s in the Kitchen With Santa
Recommended cookbooks for holiday gift giving
Page Two
Readers seeking “objectivity” won’t find it here; the Chronicle is dedicated to advocacy and opinion, and always has been.
Supremes to Banks’ Prosecutors: ‘Tell the Truth’
The death row case of Delma Banks reaches the Supreme Court.
Second Helpings: The Other America
“Second Helpings” offers tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week’s entries were updated by Erin Mosow. For quick, reliable info about Austin eateries, check here. Chumikal’s 3223 E. Seventh, 385-8898 Monday-Saturday, 6am-9pm In addition to great, cheap hamburger baskets, Chumikal’s sampler platter allows you to try…
Letters at 3AM
Memories of the first stirring of Self and Soul.
Naked City
News briefs from Austin, the region, and elsewhere.
Stuck on You
The Farrelly brothers deliver the ultimate buddy movie.
Box Sets
Johnny CashUnearthed (American/Lost Highway) Unearthed looks like a rush job, following Johnny Cash’s death Sept. 12, but the country music immortal and producer Rick Rubin had been working on this supreme 5-CD set as a way to celebrate 10 fruitful years of working together. Over the course of four albums, the duo won Grammys, produced…
After a Fashion
Oh, Stephen! Always a bridesmaid, never a bride! Fret not, honey, your day will come!
Naked City
Wal-Mart and South River City Citizens deal to preserve Blunn Creek.
Die Mommie Die!
Charles Busch’s campy send-up of Fifties melodrama falls flat.
Music DVDs
Dixie ChicksTop of the World Tour: Dixie Chicks Live (Sony) Clear Channel’s public enemies No. 1, 2, and 3 take their cause to the people. From tantalizing two-stepper “Hello Mr. Heartache” to mall-country tour de force “There’s Your Trouble” and Home chestnuts “Travelin’ Soldier” and “Truth No. 2,” the Chicks have never sounded better, mixing…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Einstein, beer, and those prickly French
Naked City
Federal judge Sam Sparks rules in favor of Lacresha Murray lawsuit against Travis Co. DA’s office.
Something’s Gotta Give
Sure, the co-stars delight, but the script has more flab than its middle-aged lovers.
Metallurgy
Slayer Soundtrack to the Apocalypse (American) Formed in L.A. 20 years ago with the goal of being “the fastest, heaviest band on the planet” (achieved according to Kerrang! in 1996), Slayer fuses sinister lyrics with dual battle-axe guitars and teeth-jarring rhythms. The 4-disc Soundtrack to the Apocalypse is nothing less than the heaviest metal history,…
Day Trips
Choose your own Christmas tree at one of the many tree farms here in Texas.
Naked City
The Texas Campaign for the Environment uncovers an illegal computer dump in Northeast Austin.
Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion
Martin Sheen narrates this documentary on the plight of Tibet under the occupation of the People’s Liberation Army.
Jazz Sides
Roy EldridgeThe Complete Verve Roy Eldridge Sessions (Mosaic) Roy Eldridge was one of the most influential jazz trumpeters of the Thirties, playing with a tremendous drive that featured the upper register frequently. By the time he landed at Verve in 1951, however, his work was in decline. Overall, this 7-CD set is good, but it…
The Common Law
What is the easiest way for me to have my credit card company take care of a problem?
Naked City
Steve Wolens and Teel Bivins join the queue exiting the Legislature.
In My Skin
Disturbing French drama about a woman who cuts her own skin as a prelude to gnawing on her flesh.
TCB
[French accent] Listen very carefully… I shall say this only once…
Soccer Watch
So, is this the best team ever? North Carolina has won 17 NCAA titles in the 22 years that women’s soccer has been an NCAA sport, but this year’s edition is right up there with the all-time greats. They’ve got offense (a record 33 goals in the tournament), they’ve got defense (no goals in six…
Naked City
The FBI continues to use the RAVE Act as a bludgeon against drug-reform activists.
King of the Ants
Nifty new thriller from Stuart Gordon, the director of Re-Animator.
Gear Up and Get Away
The escapist magic of the holidays’ hottest games
To Your Health
My father has just been diagnosed with COPD. Do you have any suggestions on nutritional help for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
Naked City
Texas A&M decides to avoid affirmative action in admissions, raising ire from minority lawmakers.
Politics String
Even the politically conscious can participate in the rampant consumerism of the season.
About AIDS
Congress’ recent Medicare overhaul is a behemoth coming around the corner, about to crush the unwary. In particular, it eliminates “wrap-around” drug coverage for 6 million people who are currently eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare, including 50,000 people with AIDS. Medicaid serves Americans with low or no income; Medicare serves the elderly and the…
Naked City
Despite warnings of dire economic consequences, the City Council last week stood united on a big-box ordinance, voting 7-0 to keep mega-retail developments out of the Barton Springs zone of the Edwards Aquifer. The action was opposed by business and development interests — namely the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Real Estate Council of…
The Whole Universe Rocks
The Harry Ransom Center’s exhibition “Make It New” explores how modernism changed everything.
A Baker’s Half-Dozen
As a baker by trade, I am regularly amazed at the number of books produced on the subject of baking, pastry, and desserts year after year. I keep thinking every recipe variation must have been discovered, every possible technique explained, but then other bakers consistently manage to surprise me with something new. This year’s crop…
Austin @ Large: The Results Are In …
The Envision Central Texas planning survey confirms a popular vision that the power brokers just don’t want to see.
Luv Doc Recommends: Holiday Hullabaloo
If you haven’t had one already, your office holiday party is probably just around the corner. Try to reign in your excitement. Whether you’re down with the holidays or not, this annual outpouring of corporate cheer is worth every penny. If you’re lucky, you’ll have the big kind with lots of heavy food, hard liquor,…
