There’s a sense of completion while viewing The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. After all, the film finishes the trilogy that includes The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. As a series the Swedish made trilogy comes together logically. It would be just as much of a pleasure to watch all three films at the same time, that is if you don’t mind watching a six-hour film. Consider Carlos, which runs 319 minutes, or the three films that compose the Red Riding Trilogy, or the two films that form Mesrine. Also recall that ... Read More »

In 2025 the Rice Media Center ran a retrospective of French director Olivier Assayas’ films from the 1980s and 1990s. While Assayas didn’t appear in person he did send a list of songs to play before each film; a kind of remote mix tape of mostly new wave style pop. It’s not surprising that his newest film Carlos has a wall-to-wall new wave soundtrack. To give an example of where Assayas’ music influences lie check this out. In the flyer handed out during the Assayas retro the following films had a pre-show program that consisted of: DISORDER (1986) 1.  Ceremony ... Read More »

Rudyard’s has always been referred to as Montrose’ living room. This has always been true in the familiarity of faces, the family style seating, and the warmth of the staff. Nonetheless, the downstairs bathrooms have always been that of a live music venue, not of a living room.  Despite my boy Mez having taken a dump there in 2025 ( see FPH issue circa January 07), the old bathrooms are just not suited for a comfortable 1pm pinching of the loaf. So with the recent advent of the additional space at Rudyard’s they have added a new bathroom. Oblivious to ... Read More »

For The Sake of the Song will unwind Tuesday night at the River Oaks Theater. The movie explores the relation of the live music venue Anderson Fair to its neighborhood. For The Sake of the Song, directed by local filmmaker Bruce Bryant and produced by Bryant and Jim Barham, documents the many artists who’ve played there in addition to the workers and volunteers who’ve kept the club going for years. A couple of things that really surprised me on seeing the film at its premiere last spring was how Anderson Fair was the original block party location in The Montrose, ... Read More »

Many questions became to creep from below such as zombies themselves escaping their tombs in cemeteries. Who is doing this fest? Why Tom Bass Park? Didn’t they just find a dead body where the fest is going to be? So I’ve decided to contact the guys that are running this amazing event and have the questions answered by them directly. So here is what Collean has to say about the fest that she and her friends have been working hard on. How did you guys select the artists? The artist list originally started with looking at who was going to be ... Read More »

For the sixth year, Houston’s Art Car Museum will be showcasing an assortment of local art through January the 14th. A first-come-first-serve open call for local art, Good Gulf will include a variety of Houston artwork rendered in multiple mediums including videos, sculptures, and paintings. Work from 125 artists will be on display. A formal opening will be held on October 23rd from 7-10 p.m. Read More »

Stone jolts its audience because this character driven film changes horses in mid-stream. After a weird prologue set years previously the film proper opens in a prison where Jack (Robert De Niro) works as a counselor. About to retire Jack meets Stone (Edward Norton) a con up for parole and inadvertently Stone’s wife, Lucetta (Milla Jovovich). Stone’s opening sequence establishes that as a young man Jack threatens to throw their child out the window if his wife, Madylyn (Frances Conroy) leaves him. Even in this auspicious beginning director John Curran has fun with ambient sound, a trait that pops up ... Read More »

You want to see Paranormal Activity 2 in a movie theater if you see it at all. The PA2 scare factor only really works in a theater surrounded by people screaming. And they will scream at things going bump in the night. The concept basically apes the first Paranormal Activity. We witness strange goings on in a middle class house through video and close-circuit cameras. Many times the camera is static and nothing is going on and then all the doors and cabinets in a room fly open, and everyone around you screams. It’s a type of interactive cinema. The ... Read More »

It’s not enough to just watch films; you have to watch DVDs of television shows until your eyeballs have glassed over into a creamy ping-pong ball color. But why watch anything made in the last 30 years when you can also view, in many cases, the prototype or even archetype original from the 50s, 60s, and possibly 70s? For every boob tube maven who wants to praise Dexter or Seinfeld, I’m ready to raise them with The Wild Wild West and match their counter raise with Hawaii Five-0. But it’s known as the idiot box for a reason, so here’s ... Read More »

Domy Books‘ “Monster Show” art exhibition is back for its fifth incarnation and will boast work from over one hundred different artists both local and national. According to Domy, there will also be work from a few international artists like the monster-laden prints of French outfit Shoboshobo, the stylized cartoon images of UK artist Gemma Correll, and large installation pieces by the well-traveled American artist Donna Huanca. A 7-9 p.m. reception on the 30th will open the show and the works will remain on display until the 9th of December. Click here for a sample of the work that was ... Read More »