As I admitted a few weeks ago, I actually was looking forward to Big Ass Spider! at SXSW this year. And guess what? It was every bit as funny/crazy as I hoped it would be. The best part about it: Director Mike Mendez and co-scripter Gregory Gieras don't try to be too obviously wink-wink, nudge-nudge clever as they pay affectionate homage to B- and Z-movie conventions. Indeed, I suspect that if...

There have been several outstanding documentaries about Hurricane Katrina's devastating assault on New Orleans -- most notably, Spike Lee's epic When the Levees Broke -- and quite a few notable feature films and TV dramas about post-Katrina life in the Crescent City. But as far as I can tell, Eric Heisserer's ingeniously suspenseful Hours -- one of the very best films I saw this year at SXSW --...

And just think: Last month, some people were accusing Jennifer Lawrence of unseemly hubris. Looks like she got the last laugh Sunday night, eh? (Insert joke about pride going before a fall here .)