Captive State

Aliens vs. Chicago. Chicago loses.

"...co-writer Erica Beeney have crafted a somewhat directionless first act, introducing a half-dozen dour characters and hinting endlessly at..."

March 22, 2019 Movie Review by Matthew Monagle

Allied

WWII espionage thriller can't hold a candle to Casablanca

"...Bombs away! The World War II espionage romance Allied is a big movie: big actors, big..."

Nov. 23, 2016 Movie Review by Steve Davis

Letters at 3AM: A Pattern of Subversion

President Obama regularly oversteps his bounds of office

"...statements claiming the authority to bypass dozens of provisions enacted into law since he took office. ... In 2006,..."

April 6, 2012 Column by Michael Ventura

Cars 2

This Pixar sequel pops on the screen, but the story line is stuck in neutral.

"...confusingly on some docks and oil rigs as new characters Finn McMissile (McCaine), a debonair spy in the mold..."

June 24, 2011 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Inception

Nolan's first film since The Dark Knight is a heist picture with an inventive twist.

"...crew that traffics in a unique kind of corporate espionage in which they design a dreamscape, then trap, say,..."

July 16, 2010 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

13 Going on 30

Magic wishing dust allows Jennifer Garner to completely skip over her teens and twenties.

"...that she’s gotten where she is today through corporate espionage, ruthless backstabbing, and hucklebuckling her co-workers’ husbands. Why, she’s..."

April 23, 2004 Movie Review by Marrit Ingman

Official Secrets

True story of a whistleblower who saw the lies behind the Iraq War

"...whistleblower is either a patriot or a traitor. The act of divulging classified governmental information for a purpose other..."

Sept. 6, 2019 Movie Review by Steve Davis

Point Austin: Firefighters in Action

Snowden and allies on the tech side of human rights and personal privacy

"...one piece of the polyform event known as SXSW Interactive might be called "The Surveillance Thread." The relevant names..."

March 14, 2014 News Column by Michael King

Postscripts

Shuttle Carnage Looms

"...Austin does have an intractable congestion problem. But building SH130 will no more relieve..."

Aug. 22, 1997 Column

Page Two: Grand Illusions

The only problem with wide-ranging, all-encompassing conspiracy theories is that they're wrong

"...shows how brainwashed we all are – that these actions are all part of the master plan for New..."

July 6, 2007 Column by Louis Black

SCOTUS Blocked Shackles in Court. What About Jail Cell Hearings in Austin?

Bail hearings in confinement are common in Travis County

"...Court proceedings with defendants in locked cells are the..."

April 22, 2024 News Post by Maggie Q. Thompson

SXSW Online: Recommended Programming

Must-catch panels, films, music showcases, and more at this year's all-virtual Fest

"...12:30pm:  Impacts of Activism — Featured Session Featuring Jemele Hill, Don..."

March 12, 2021 Features Feature

Off the Record

Electric Lounge's second act on the Eastside, catching up with Scratch Acid and Austin's other Voice contestants

"...is fully moving this way." That trajectory is a reaction to the city's Downtown planning and the Waller Creek..."

Sept. 9, 2011 Music Column by Austin Powell

Postmarks

Can't Handle Scamming

"...way to truly begin to understand Buddhism is to practice it, otherwise too many misperceptions arise and so I..."

Aug. 15, 1997 Column

The Equalizer 2

Denzel Washington action sequel is a total misfire

"...hit The Equalizer. Give Denzel Washington his own late-career action vehicle, surround him with an intriguing mix of character..."

July 20, 2018 Movie Review by Matthew Monagle

Paranoia

This techno-thriller starring Liam Hemsworth, Harrison Ford, and Gary Oldman arrives inert.

"...not even his six-pack abs and blue-eyed earnestness can distract from the absence of a serviceable story, or one..."

Aug. 23, 2013 Movie Review by Steve Davis

Matthew Vaughn and the Mystery of the Real Author of Argylle

Director discusses "surreal" TikTok conspiracies

"...Vaughn’s new hijinks espionage romp, Argylle (in theatres now), stars Bryce Dallas Howard..."

Feb. 2, 2024 Screens Post by Richard Whittaker

The Hightower Lowdown

Gifts for pets and corporate spies, and Michael Milken lobbies for a presidential pardon.

"...Except, Michael is not really little at all. In fact, he's big. Very big. So big that in the..."

Dec. 29, 2000 News Column by Jim Hightower

Blix In Austin:

The UN weapons inspector blasts Bush at the LBJ School

"...peace, or a breach of the peace, or an act of aggression, and to authorize armed action. It also..."

May 7, 2004 News Feature by Lee Nichols

Page Two

What would have happened if we had not invaded Afghanistan and Iraq?

"...unknown (in this exercise). What would have been the impact? Even without the context of 9/11, such an event..."

Jan. 23, 2004 Column by Louis Black

Is Knowledge Power?

A profile of precarious global intelligence firm Stratfor

"...in Manila contained bad news for the fortunes of actor-turned politician Joseph Estrada. "Whether removed by force or by..."

Sept. 14, 2001 News Feature by Michael Erard

SXSW TV Recap: Rabbit Hole

Kiefer Sutherland's new show is a paranoid flashback

"...Television Festival, go deep into his world of financial espionage. He doesn’t own a phone, a computer, and his..."

March 20, 2023 Screens Post by Sarah Jane

Friends to the End (of the World)

Ric Roman Waugh and Gerard Butler reunite in Greenland

"...When a director finds an actor on their same wavelength, it’s a relationship to be..."

Dec. 16, 2020 Screens Post by Richard Whittaker

Saturday Fun Fun Fun Fest Interviews

Welsh punk act regroups

"...a beloved frontlady (Alanna McArdle) is where Welsh punk act Joanna Gruesome found itself this past summer. Born from..."

Nov. 6, 2015 Music Feature by Libby Webster

The Suicide

The title may sound heavy, but this is a black comedy, given an artful and playful new staging by Paper Chairs

"...a bleak wasteland of gray, as appropriate to the characters' changing states of mind...."

May 23, 2014 Arts Review by Stacy Alexander Smith

The Facts Were Immaterial

The 'counterintelligence' operations of Hoover's FBI included harassment, vilification, violence – and fake 'underground' newspapers in Bloomington, D.C., and Austin

"...to expose them for what they are," reads the redacted Jan. 17, 1969, memo from the FBI San Antonio..."

June 7, 2013 News Feature by Dale Brumfield

Cybersecurity: Making the Code Unbreakable

Cyber wars bigger than Star Wars

"...staff advised him against talking to the Chronicle.) "The fact is it is happening, but with no trucks and..."

Feb. 13, 2009 News Feature by Lee Nichols

TV Eye

Fox premieres an extraordinary new series that redefines prime-time network fare.

"...performance that turned me on to the vampire-as-hottie concept. (Actually, Frank Langella in the 1979 version of Dracula first..."

Nov. 16, 2001 Screens Column by Belinda Acosta

Exhibitionism

"...in this latest installment of Flame Failure, an industrial espionage thriller in 12 episodes, the words aren't enough to..."

Aug. 29, 1997 Arts Review

Exhibitionism

Seven Keys to Baldpate: Great Ensemble is the Key

"...The Acting Studio Running Time: 2 hrs 10 min..."

July 25, 1997 Arts Review