On Wednesday, the City of Austin announced the creation of a new music industry census and assessment study. For the first time ever, the city is launching the online survey in hopes to create a better portrait of the local music community.
Austin's music industry is more than just an important part of cultural fabric, it's a critical economic driver.
"As our city continues to experience such incredible growth, we need to strategically plan for the future of our renowned music and entertainment industry," explained Mayor Lee Leffingwell in a press release. The survey was launched in part to get an in-depth look at the workers and artists that compose Austin's most vibrant — and enigmatic — communities.
Austin's Music & Entertainment Division says it will use the information to develop strategy and planning for industry growth. With the proper participation, the results of this study will help establish a baseline and show city leaders where improvements need to be made.
With an annual impact of more than $1.6 billion dollars, Austin's music industry is more than just an important part of the cultural fabric, it's a critical economic driver. "The city has never undertaken a project like this, and it shows the city’s commitment to our music industry’s future growth," said Music & Entertainment Division Manager Don Pitts. "It’s important for our music community to stand up and be counted."
Every sector of the music industry is encouraged to participate. Whether you're a musician, venue employee, manager, agent, business owner or just a fan of the Austin music community, let your voice be heard. To take the survey, please go here.
Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World.
If it feels like it’s been a long time since the last Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, that’s because it has. Deadpool & Wolverine technically counts, but it was really its own thing that was mostly disconnected from the larger story the MCU is trying to tell. And two out of the three MCU movies in 2023 were underwhelming, so Marvel remains far from the highs of its Avengers days.
They’re trying to get things going again with Captain America: Brave New World, the first glimpse of Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) — formerly known as the Falcon — as the new Captain America. The film thrusts the audience right into the action, with Wilson on a mission to retrieve a MacGuffin stolen package for the U.S. government at the behest of President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford). The two men continue to have a symbiotic relationship for the majority of the movie, with each needing the other and hating the fact that they do.
The main story of the film improbably (unwisely?) brings together two of the MCU’s least well-received films, 2008’s The Incredible Hulk and 2021’s The Eternals. Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), apparently holding a longtime grudge since the events of The Incredible Hulk, plays a big part, as does the Celestial Island, which was last seen at the end of The Eternals and not mentioned in any property since that time.
Directed by Julius Onah and written by Onah and four other screenwriters, the best that can be said for this return of the MCU is that Mackie makes for a compelling presence. The combining of the Captain America elements with his Falcon persona makes for some pretty good action, with the character showing off some unique moves. On the downside, though, he’s mostly facing off against anonymous henchmen, so most of his fight scenes feel repetitive and uninspired.
The story itself is a mishmash of characters that only hardcore Marvel/MCU fans will know, with barely any attempt at reintroducing them to a broad audience. Sidekick Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and wronged super soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) return from the Disney+ show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, providing some levity and gravity, respectively. Having Sterns back in the mix is never explained properly, nor is how he is able to wield influence over a large number of people.
If there’s to be any lasting memory from this film, it’s the introduction of the (fictional) indestructible material adamantium into the MCU. Previously known from the X-Men universe as what was used to strengthen Wolverine’s skeleton and give him his claws, adamantium is now a prized discovery found in the Celestial Island that, like any valuable material, causes normally level-headed people to get into fights over it.
Mackie brings enough charm to his acting that he can ably act as the lead, something he hadn’t previously been asked to do in the MCU. Ford is fine; his years of experience make him a natural for playing another president, although the transformation his character undergoes is goofier than it needed to be. Nelson has to act from behind some truly hideous makeup and he feels one-note most of the time.
For the MCU to make it back to their previous standing atop the blockbuster landscape, they’re going to have to deliver much more interesting characters and stories than are present in Captain America: Brave New World. It might be time to consider stand-alone stories instead of ones that rely on information that many moviegoers have long since forgotten.
---
Captain America: Brave New World opens in theaters on February 14.
