This week in Austin screenings 9/5-9/11.

Community ScreeningsJames McDonaldSeptember 5, 2025Comment

Obayashi Times Two: A Poignant Retrospective

Nobuhiko Obayashi, best known for his cult debut House (1977), built his reputation on the first version of chaos: a pop-art, kaleidoscopic heavy, absurdist horror-comedy that feels like cinema’s version of shedding.

ReviewsManny MaderaSeptember 4, 2025Comment

Forget the Past: Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning 3-D

A strange and unlikely entry in the pseudo-genre of Action Sequels Better Than The Originals, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning is a marvel of brutal action choreography visualized with an inky layer of paranoia thriller style.

Reviews, Alamo Weird WednesdayMatthew SeidelSeptember 3, 2025John HyamsComment

The Creature’s Image: American Spirituality in The Island of Lost Souls (1932)

The Island of Lost Souls was and remains the most accomplished in a long list of adaptations of H.G. Wells’ 1896 novella The Island of Dr. Moreau.

This Week in Screenings 8/29 - 9/4

This week in Austin screenings 8/29-9/4.

Community ScreeningsJames McDonaldAugust 29, 2025Comment

2025 Toronto International Film Festival Preview: Hedda, Blue Moon, Roofman and more

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival will premiere over 300 movies from debut directors and established auteurs like Guillermo del Toro, Chloé Zhao, Park Chan-wook and Claire Denis.

TIFF, Film FestsHFC EditorialAugust 29, 2025TIFF, toronto international film festival, previewComment

Cabaret Film Notes

“In here, life is beautiful, the girls are beautiful, even the orchestra is beautiful!” Joel Grey’s emcee beckons from the cool darkness of the Kit Kat Club’s stage.

Film NotesAlejandra MartinezAugust 28, 2025cabaret, liza minnelli, bob fosse, Joel Grey, ParamountComment

Caught Stealing Review

Aronofsky has met and exceeded the hype, crafting a crime thriller with real emotional heft.

ReviewsAlix MamminaAugust 27, 2025Austin Butler, Zoe Kravitz, Darren AronofoskyComment

Weird Wednesdays: Eve of Destruction (1991)

Eve of Destruction feels like a literal blast from a video store past. Part 90s action flick, part cautionary tale of the near future, it’s also a lean melodrama with just enough complexity to withstand its 90-minute run time.

It's Been the End of the World: 28 Years Later

In 28 Years Later, the year is 2031. It’s the end of the world.

ReviewsMegan MayumiAugust 25, 202528 years later, danny boyle, alex garlandComment

This Week in Screenings 8/22-8/28

This week in Austin screenings 8/22-8/28.

Community ScreeningsJames McDonaldAugust 22, 2025 Comment

Weapons Review: Empty Signals

Zach Cregger’s Weapons places a neat spin on a typical horror story, mixing up the standard ingredients of children in danger, a small town torn apart, and interconnecting storylines.

ReviewsAlix MamminaAugust 21, 2025Weapons, Zach Cregger, Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Horror, Missing children, Aunt GladysComment

Together Review: Body Horror's Romantic New Arm

Together takes the audience through a relationship journey full of attachment issues and bone-chilling body horror.

ReviewsLauren RosaAugust 20, 2025Dave Franco, Alison BrieComment

Rising Son: Akira Kurosawa's Stray Dog

Thematically, the restoration of Kurosawa’s filmography is analogous to the reconstruction of his home country Japan, post-World War II. This rectification sentiment is a significant theme in Kurosawa’s noir Stray Dog (1949).

ReviewsPaul FeinsteinAugust 19, 2025Akira Kurosawa, Stray Dog, Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Ryuzo Kikushima, 4k RestorationComment

Weird Wednesdays: Snakes (1974)

In 1974, the world was crying out… for snakes. One brave sound mixer by the name(s) of Art Names would answer that call with his sole directorial project: Snakes (aka Fangs.)

This Week in Screenings 8/15-8/21

This week in Austin screenings 8/15-8/21.

Community ScreeningsJames McDonaldAugust 15, 2025Comment

Welcome to the Dollhouse…Have none of us left?

Welcome to the Dollhouse is a coming-of-age dark comedy film from 1995 that ideally, you would not find relatable.

ReviewsChelsea WinterAugust 14, 2025Welcome to the Dollhouse, Heather Matarazzo, Todd Solondz, comedy, coming of ageComment

Bright Light, Dark Shadow: High and Low

High and Low asks: what is the cost of a man’s soul?

ReviewsPaul FeinsteinAugust 13, 2025Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro MifuneComment

The Timely Relevance of Now and Then (1995)

Thirty years after its premiere, Now and Then maintains relevance in an entertainment landscape that often still fails to provide authentic stories for and about young women.

This Week in Screenings 8/8-8/15

This week in Austin screenings 8/8-8/15.

Community ScreeningsJames McDonaldAugust 8, 2025Comment

Hyperreal Film Journal