The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The first film in Jackson's Tolkien trilogy stays true to the spirit and logistics of the novels, but is also a breathtaking and beautiful work of art on its own.

"...Hugo Weaving and Sean Bean. Frankly, this is one of those times when a reviewer knows going in that..."

Dec. 21, 2001 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The saga ends (and ends) back in the Shire where it began.

"...somewhat sadly, but it’s doubtless a relief to king of the Kiwis Peter Jackson that his epic, sprawling, and..."

Dec. 19, 2003 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Alamo Drafthouse Reunites Lord of the Rings Cast

Austin cinema chain shares exclusive Q&As with global theatres

"...If The Lord of the Rings taught us anything, it's that..."

March 4, 2021 Screens Post by Richard Whittaker

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

At once a fanboy's wet dream and an engaging, emotionally supercharged epic adventure

"...Lee, Brad Dourif, Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom. If further proof was needed that New Zealand director Peter Jackson..."

Dec. 20, 2002 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

Improviser Shannon Stott Brings Some Lord of the Rings to Out of Bounds

The Gandalf of improv is all over the comedy festival

"...The Lord of the Rings metaphor was the twist I..."

Aug. 23, 2019 Arts Feature by Robert Faires

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The concluding chapter of Peter Jackson's Tolkien tales brings us full circle.

"...tight, two-film take on J.R.R. Tolkien’s 320-page prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy became, in Peter Jackson’s..."

Dec. 19, 2014 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

The Origins of Austin Punk in the Aftermath of the 13th Floor Elevators

Roky Erickson hurtles toward Doug Sahm in Chapter 1, Part 1 of the Austin Punk Chronicles

"...Levitation's three-day bacchanal honoring sounds and philosophies wrought at the Vulcan Gas Company, Congress Avenue's patchouli-soaked den of all..."

Aug. 2, 2019 Music Feature by Tim Stegall

Like, Maybe Get Your Ass Out of the House This Weekend?

Because this is the live *everything* capital of the world, after all

"...I turned 50 yesterday. So while you're busy STAYING OFF MY GODDAM LAWN, maybe check into a few of..."

June 22, 2012 Chronolog Post by Wayne Alan Brenner

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Superior in nearly all ways to its predecessor, this second film in the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a welcome surprise.

"...in nearly all ways to its predecessor, this second of Peter Jackson’s epic adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s not-nearly-as-massive prequel..."

Dec. 13, 2013 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

The Golden Compass

The special effects are mostly spectacular in this story of a 12-year-old orphan whose fate is connected to a holy, multiverse war yet to come.

"...Christopher Lee and Simon McBurney. Ain’t that just like the Christians to get their knickers in a knot over..."

Dec. 7, 2007 Movie Review by Kimberley Jones

The Last Mimzy

Solid performances elevate this mild but hardly magical children's sci-fi story.

"...Williamson. This children’s sci-fi movie should be palatable to the young and old alike, yet it’s ultimately more a..."

March 23, 2007 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

The Spiderwick Chronicles

This children's fantasy holds a lot of emotional promise but get waylaid by an overabundance of CGI effects.

"...David Strathairn, Seth Rogen, Martin Short and Sarah Bolger. The advent of computer-generated imaging is a mixed blessing for..."

Feb. 22, 2008 Movie Review by Steve Davis

The Time Machine

"...production's original director calls it quits 18 days before the end of shooting and has to be replaced. That..."

March 8, 2002 Movie Review by Marc Savlov

SXSW Film Review: The World Before Your Feet

The art of walking … and doing little else

"...MacGuffin was Alfred Hitchcock's term for the goal that doesn't matter except to keep the plot..."

March 13, 2018 SXSW Post by Joe O'Connell

SXSW Film Review: The Spine of Night

Rotoscoped fantasy layers myth, legend, and gore

"...Rotoscoping - the art of drawing animation directly from live action reference..."

March 19, 2021 Screens Post by Richard Whittaker

A Chilling Time at the Drafthouse

The BBC's classic ghost stories haunt the screen

"...For every light on the Christmas tree, there is a shadow. That's the dark..."

Dec. 23, 2013 Screens Post by Richard Whittaker

The Q&A Hole: What Got You Hooked On the Weird Stuff?

Waiting for the manlike creature with the glowing eyes

"...Compare the joy of reading to a sort of addiction and..."

July 13, 2017 Arts Post by Wayne Alan Brenner

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

There's little about this return trip to Middle-earth that feels "unexpected" or fresh.

"...All aboard: The Middle-earth Express has once more pulled into the station...."

Dec. 14, 2012 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Once-fresh aquatic superhero series smells like day-old fish

"...Oh, how the mighty have fallen. It’s no secret that superhero movies..."

Dec. 29, 2023 Movie Review by Jenny Nulf

The Lovely Bones

Peter Jackson forgets to imbue his living characters with emotional weight, and instead focuses on this story's visually stylized netherworld between life and death.

"...Rose McIver, Reece Ritchie and Carolyn Dando. After helming The Lord of the Rings film triology, Jackson will forever..."

Jan. 15, 2010 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

The Spine of Night

Epic Rotoscoped animation updates Ralph Bakshi’s dark fantasies

"...Rotoscoping – the art of drawing animation directly from live-action reference footage..."

Oct. 29, 2021 Movie Review by Richard Whittaker

West of Memphis

Eighteen years of wrongful imprisonment and four documentaries still don't put to rest the trials of the West Memphis Three.

"...Baldwin, and Jessie Lloyd Misskelley Jr. – and charged them with capital murder based on the theory that Echols,..."

March 15, 2013 Movie Review by Leah Churner

The 'N' Word

Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?

"...Captain Phleabag, the Dread Pirate Stagedive, and a cutthroat guitarist by the..."

May 21, 2004 Music Feature by Margaret Moser

Drafthouse Helping After the Fire

'Elf' fundraiser and unrepeatable silent auction Sunday night

"...There's no good time to lose your home to fire,..."

Dec. 23, 2012 Screens Post by Richard Whittaker

A Day at the Ren Faire

Inside the ninth annual Sherwood Forest Faire

"...The 9th Annual Sherwood Forest Renaissance Faire is the perfect..."

April 5, 2018 Events Post by Savannah Opre

The Latest From Z Zeitgeist

'Pathogen' and 'Zombie Girl: The Movie'

"...But Emily Hagins' Pathogen, which premiered this spring at the Alamo Drafthouse, has spawned Zombie Girl: The Movie, a..."

June 30, 2006 Screens Feature by Marrit Ingman

The Year in Film

It was a very good year … just not a great one.

"...Looking at these individual and combined lists of the Top 10 films..."

Jan. 4, 2002 Screens Feature by Marjorie Baumgarten

The Radiant Road

Author Katherine Catmull elegantly summons a fairy-tale timelessness for this YA story of teen anxieties, fairies, and creativity

"...Sometimes when we talk about The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, we act..."

Jan. 22, 2016 Arts Review by Rosalind Faires

July Is Crime Month: Raymond Chandler’s 'The Long Goodbye'

Sleuthing for a childhood relic

"...Sometime during the Seventies, a decade that took me from 5 to..."

July 11, 2014 Books Post by Raoul Hernandez

Darkness With a Twist of Dime-Store Novel

White Whale Games brings the pulp-fiction aesthetic into the Aughties

"...A nefarious, unknowable force travels the universe, washing away the history of the worlds it..."

Dec. 9, 2011 Screens Feature by Ashley Moreno

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