Cover Story
After Years in Jail for a Crime He Was Never Convicted of, Cyrus Gray Is Free … for Now
Living in the free world, but the case just won’t go away
Is Another Woman Convicted of Murder In Travis County Actually Innocent?
Prosecutors reevaluate a case similar to that of Rosa Jimenez
Austin FC Sets 2025 MLS Regular Season Schedule
34-match lineup launches Feb. 22 at home against Kansas City
The Bloody Lady
The Bloody Lady 1981, NR, 72 min. Directed by Viktor Kubal. Slovakian animated film tells the grim story of Hungarian serial killer Elizabeth Báthory – you know, the one who supposedly liked to bathe in the blood of virgins.
The Taste of Mango
The Taste of Mango 2024, NR, 75 min. Directed by Chloe Abrahams. Personal doc zeroes in on three generations of women: director Chloe Abrahams (in her feature debut), her mother Rozana, and grandmother Jean.
Bona
Bona 1980, NR, 88 min. Directed by Lino Brocka, Starring Nora Aunor, Marissa Delgado, Philip Salvador. A teenager (screen legend Nora Aunor, still early in her career) is infatuated with a bit actor, much older, in this award-winning Filipino drama.
How Thomas Haden Church Became a Deliberate Texan
The star pays homage to men out of time in Accidental Texan
Daughters
Daughters 2024, PG-13, 102 min. Directed by Natalie Rae, Angela Patton. Documentary profiles four young girls preparing for a special daddy/daughter dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C. jail.
Weekend Wine: A Very Nice Gift
Vintage port is pricey but worth it for wine lovers on your holiday list
Theater of Thought
Werner Herzog doc asks big ideas about the human mind
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sega franchise returns for a thematically dark and joyless ride
Mufasa: The Lion King
Live-action Lion King story continues with a sequel and prequel in one
Homestead
A family retreats to a prepper compound after a nuclear attack
Uncle Lucius, Norman BA$E, and More Holiday-Adjacent Live Shows
Crucial concerts for the week to keep you out and about
Day Trips: Texas Transportation Museum, San Antonio
Old Steam Engine No. 6 had a role in Texas history
The Off Beat: Resound’s Winter Formal Levels Up to a Holiday Hootenanny
Expanded winter mini-fest touches down at Radio / East
Qmmunity: Homo for the Holidays
We’re trying our best out here, even during the holidays
City Votes to Designate 12th Street Building a Landmark
While a different Eastside venue keeps looking for cash
Free Will Astrology
Your weekly horoscope, December 20-26
Another Big Year for Austin’s Transit Overhaul
Project Connect will hit milestones and legal battles in 2025
Theatre Review: Penfold Theatre’s It’s a Wonderful Life
If It’s a Wonderful Life has no emotional effect on you, I’d highly recommend seeing a therapist. You might be a sociopath. Because it doesn’t matter if you’re hardened and jaded by life. The story of a world made better because one man exists is still a pure shot of hope straight to the heart.…
Mike Siegel Prevails Over Gary Bledsoe in Low-Turnout Runoff
73% fewer votes cast in the runoff than the general election
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Frankfurter Würstchen are white, pork sausages originally given to the people in Bavaria when there were imperial coronations. Brown v. Board of Education, which declared racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional, started as Briggs v. Elliott. Businesses in Passau, Germany, were painted different colors to help identify their purposes in a time when…
Fernando de Urioste Wins At-Large Austin ISD Seat
AISD gets union-preferred trustee
The Luv Doc: A Solid C-Minus
Mostly unfettered by the haze of inebriation
City Council Says Goodbye to Three Members in Last Meeting of the Year
Council wraps up 2024 and prepares for 2025
Restaurant Review: Austin’s Very Own Saltt
Gulf Coast cuisine served with a smile
Council Says Hello to New Austin Energy Plan
Carbon-free by 2035, but using fossil fuels for now
Headlines / Quote of the Week
Know Your Rights: This week, much national news centered on deportation plans. Immigrant support groups like La Unión del Pueblo Entero, or LUPE, are conducting “Know Your Rights” campaigns, The Texas Tribune reports, warning undocumented citizens that they should make plans now in case they or their neighbors are deported. “Who’s going to pick up…
Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian Should Start the Arch Manning Era Now
He’s the roster’s best chance to win at QB against Clemson
Little Women, Big Games, and More Recommended Weekend Events
Get in the spirit with these arts and cultural happenings
Chanukah and Xmas Events for the Family or to Help You Escape Family
Either way, you’re having a good time
