Apocalypto Previw at Fantastic Fest
A version of this ran in the French magazine L’Ecran Fantastique under the byline Anna Hanks Sicard No matter what you think of Mel Gibson’s religion and politics— especially following The Passion of the...
ANNAINAUSTIN...and Company! Blog
As the Stones say, you can make it if you try
It’s a cliché of the interconnectedness of the world that when a butterfly flaps its wings in Wales, it affects the weather in Waco. Yet sometimes global forces really do have very local consequences....
FANTASTIC FEST and Texas Chain Massacre: The Beginning
Swag from the premiere of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING I think that a version of this was published–in French– in L’Ecran Fantastique in 2006, as I remember getting paid for it. For the...
Films offer a glimpse of our global neighbors
Travel is often considered broadening, giving one panache, polish and a proper perspective on world events. Alas, the scandalous price of oil, the expense of mountain-climbing Sherpa guides and yaks, combined with the reality...
ACL Fest is just too much of a good thing
This is the tale of two bands. One’s country. The other, rock ‘n’ roll. Both are from Austin and both played ACL Fest on Saturday. The sultry heat made Zilker Park feel like a...
As victims bite the dust, ‘Snakes’ fans bond
When my mother was 6, she was bitten by a rattlesnake. The Boy Scout next door tied a tourniquet around her ankle and whisked her to a Houston emergency room. Sixty-odd years later, she...
Pirates break all the rules… and we cheer
This summer, I’ve seen the pirate flag, the jolly roger, more often than I’ve seen the Stars and Stripes. The distinctive black flag usually includes a white skull with swords, or bones, crossed underneath....
Celebrate the beauty of just being yourself
Like numerous other women across the globe, I spent July preparing for the “Miss Universe” pageant. As the contestants were practicing keeping a straight face while wearing one of those overspangled, Vegas-inspired “national costumes,”...
Saluting our freedom to celebrate summer
The Fourth of July is our most patriotic holiday. It’s a time of nationwide flag flying, backyard barbecuing and fireworks. June’s pallid Flag Day hardly makes a dent in comparison. On this 230th anniversary...
The Geico gecko’s gone working class– why?
If America is a classless society, why has the Geico gecko on the telly suddenly developed a working-class British accent? Although geckos are the only lizards with a voice, this accent seems odd to...
