Heath Ledger

River Phoenix's Dark Blood: Not the Epitaph He Deserves.

Rap Round Table: Who Is the Greatest Movie Villain of All Time?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week's Panel: E.S.G., Marcus Manchild, Renzo, Kyle Hubbard, Purple Bastard, Preemo, Mic Skills, Mac, more. Not Invited: Michael Myers, becau ... More >>

Scruncha Roo Picks The Worst Rap Album/Song Names

The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Not ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Here's Some Gay Sex To Prepare You For Tonight's Glee (NSFW)

Those aren't pillows...​A Very Special Episode of the oft-vilified television variety show Glee airs tonight. Titled "The First Time," it promises to be quite the, uh, humdinger: Television watchdog groups have not been kind to Glee in the past, often taking aim at the show and its stars. So ... More >>

How To Avoid A Sophomore Slump, Starring Twenty Eleven

The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ... More >>

Capsule Stage Reviews: Big Range Dance Festival, Death of a Salesman, It's Only Life, The Taming of the Shrew,

Pop Rocks: Pocket Full Of Kryptonite

Lindsay Lohan's in my next movie? Just leave the bottle.​I'd done a decent job putting the fact they're rebooting the Superman franchise *again* next year out of my mind, that is until a flurry of recent Man of Steel-related news items popped up in the last week or so. "Wait," you're saying, ... More >>

Top 10 Musician Movie Cameos

Rocks Off has no idea why Mick Jagger might prefer Performance to Ned Kelly.​Over recent years, Rocks Off has been repeatedly surprised by the quality performances of musicians in films. Naturally, there are some duds in the mix; even Mick Jagger himself, who starred in 1970's Ned Kelly, disow ... More >>

Local Musicians Choose Their Favorite Super Powers

Lee Alexander, pictured with his band of invisible skulking perverts​It wasn't that long ago that a few brave filmmakers realized that it was in fact possible to make a superhero movie that didn't suck IQ points from an audience and might even, surprise surprise, be somewhat faithful to their ... More >>

Rock, Hard Place

James Franco puts his mind to it in 127 Hours.

Riddle Me This: Who Will Be The Next Batman Villain?

And now we'll never know...​Forget all that talk about natural disasters and midterm elections, yesterday we finally got some really important news: The Dark Knight Rises. That's the title director Christopher Nolan is running with for his third go-round with the Batman franchise he successf ... More >>

The Ballad Of Randy Quaid

Hopefully he learned a few tricks in Midnight Express.​Americans, as a people, are fascinated by stories of outlaws. English bandit Robin Hood has been dead for 500 years (give or take) and they're still making crappy movies about him. And the Old West remains a fertile ground for tales of rom ... More >>

Bill White: Five Campaign Posters He Should Consider

Last week we presented Five Campaign Posters Rick Perry Should Consider.In the interests of fairness, we do the same now for Bill White.It's a slightly tougher job with White, of course. Rick Perry is out there shootin' coyotes, secedin' from America, buildin' walls like crazy, and so on. Basically ... More >>

Why So Serious? Let 'Em See Your... Joker Face!

​You know what's scarier than the Lady Gaga sex doll? The thought of Lady Gaga being somehow linked to Heath Ledger's Joker. So while the world impatiently for news regarding the third installment in Christopher Nolan's reboot of the Batman films, there's a couple of kids out there who decided ... More >>

A Day At Discovery Green With The Tea Partiers

Photo by Marc Brubaker​The noise leading into the November election is only getting louder, as the dissent on the right side of the nation grows deafening. Yesterday on Discovery Green, a group of at least 1,000 Houston Tea Party supporters and some from other spaces in Texas converged to hold a T ... More >>

Hidden Things

Mercer is an upscale neighborhood nightclub, if you can find it.

Get All Dressed Up

There's plenty of places to go this Halloween.

Get All Dressed Up

There's plenty of places to go this Halloween. Check out our updated listings.

Get All Dressed Up

There's plenty of places to go this Halloween.

Get All Dressed Up

There's plenty of places to go this Halloween.

Get All Dressed Up

There's plenty of places to go this Halloween.

Halloween Countdown Part 1: The Seven Most Cliched Costumes

Halloween is coming, and that means many, many costuming mistakes will be made by normally sane adults. To help stop this scourge, each Thursday we will be offering tips and analysis of what to avoid, or possibly what to do. It seems that every year Halloween becomes less and less about scaring othe ... More >>

This Town Needs an Enema: Rocks Off Movie Night at the Mink with Batman

Note: The date on the above poster should say September 1.​This week's film selection for Rocks Off Movie Nite at the Mink - that's right, we're now officially co-sponsoring this thing - is Tim Burton's 1989 reboot of Batman, starring the third-coolest man to step into the cowl and cape - "Mr. Mom ... More >>

The Sister Cities Of Houston: A Critical Appraisal, Part Two

With the recent addition of Karachi, Pakistan, Houston now is a sister to 18 other cities around the world. Hair Balls is on the case - we studied all of them so you wouldn't have to. See the first half here.Sister: Luanda, AngolaHow we are sisterly: Houston's only African sister is yet another sea ... More >>

Best Films of 2008

Looking back at Che, The Dark Knight, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, Wall-E and many others, and looking ahead to 2009

Houston Film Critics Announce Their Awards; Best Picture Goes To A Movie You Can't See In Houston Yet

The Houston Film Critics Society, of which yours truly is a member (along with the those two guys that used to work for the Chronicle, among others), just released their 2008 award winners. I'm already drafting a strong letter of protest haranguing my fellow HFCS members for failing to acknowledge ... More >>

Hope for the Houston Texans?

Gary Kubiak and team search for their first winning season

Heart of Darkness: The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger peers into the void as Christopher Nolan's Batman returns

Seven Deadly Sins: Celebrity Edition

Last Night: Foo Fighters at Toyota Center

So Long, Heath Ledger

Like a Complete Unknown

I'm Not There and the changing face of Bob Dylan on film

One of Us Must Know

The elusive Bob Dylan is masterfully considered in I'm Not There

I'm Not There

The elusive Bob Dylan, masterfully considered, in I'm Not There

DVDs

Tomorrow's Misery Today

Heath in Heat

Ledger plays it straight as Casanova's lustful lead

Wars, Penguins and Gays: Oh, My!

The year in review

Homo on the Range

Ledger and Gyllenhaal are cowboys in love in Ang Lee's wrenching Brokeback Mountain

Black Forest

Terry Gilliam returns, with no one but himself to blame

Skate Bored

The Z-Boys roll into Dogtown again, and truth is cooler than fiction

Excess Hollywood

In the season of sequels and Happy Meal toys, '05 may be a pleasant surprise.

His Guy Friday

A gay movie buff takes tips from Cary Grant

Sexual Healing

A racist Billy Bob gets funky in Monster's Ball

Back to School

Judd Apatow's Freaks and Geeks grow up, more or less, and move to a dorm

Saturday Knight Fever

Anachronistic music and grand pageantry combine for a rollicking good Tale

The Product

Heath Ledger's in no rush to be a star. Why's everyone else in a hurry?

Watering Down the Drinks

Hey, wasn't Coyote Ugly supposed to serve up sex and alcohol?

What So Proudly We Hail

Sure, The Patriot is mawkish nationalism disguised as summer entertainment, but we'll wave the flag anyway

Drawing Bard

Ten Things is the latest film to follow Shakespeare