Included among this fall's syllabus of Sayles releases, like Casa de los Babys and other new DVD issues of Sayles' earliest films, this first flick gives great opportunity to survey the professional development of the maverick lone star director known for playing Hollywood against itself.

Film Reviews

Casa de los Babys

The new film from John Sayles presents a great group of characters and then strands them without a plot.

Intolerable Cruelty

The Coen brothers tackle a comedy of manners and come out winners.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Quentin Tarantino goes into overdrive with this story about the bride who was left for dead on her wedding day and seeks revenge against them that done her wrong.

Mambo Italiano

Broad gay and Italian stereotypes mambo through this farce.

Out of Time

Denzel does a Southern-fried potboiler.

arts & culture

Shakespeare-ouette

Ballet Austin's Stephen Mills has a deft touch at getting the Bard to the barre.

BY ROBERT FAIRES

Strings Attached

The Miró Quartet launches its residency as UT's faculty string quartet.

BY JERRY YOUNG

Articulations

Nine current and former Austin playwrights storm the finals for the 2003 Hedieman Award, while playwright Lisa D'Amour storms New York.

BY ROBERT FAIRES

Arts Reviews

Beauty and the Beast

Second Youth Family Theatre's Beauty and the Beast is no less magical than other versions of the tale, but its real enchantment comes from the way it show us its fairy tale characters discovering each other's hearts.

Travesties

Tom Stoppard's Travesties mixes early 20th-century history, European politics, and Oscar Wilde into a typically brilliant work, and the cast of Austin Playhouse's production rises to the intellectual challenges of the script and appears to be having a fine time playing with it.

Bach: B Minor Mass

The Conspirare choir can do anything, from communicating a work's sonorous beauty to delivering well-placed, carefully planned emotional punches, and they did both in their recent performance of the Bach B Minor Mass.

columns

Page Two

If you want to cut government spending, legalize pot, plus more pearls on government spending (or lack thereof) and the Austin Film and Green festivals.

BY LOUIS BLACK

Postmarks

Our readers talk back.

After a Fashion

Blow by blow details of Stephen's night out, including an up-to-the-minute sunglasses-acquired count. Do not miss it!

BY STEPHEN MACMILLAN MOSER

Mr. Smarty Pants Knows

BY MR. SMARTY PANTS

Day Trips

BY GERALD E. MCLEOD

To Your Health

I eat a lot of canned fish, and sometimes canned beans and tomato products. Is there still lead in canned food? How can I know when a can is likely to have lead?