Below is the list of members of the Austin Film Critics Association as of November 2024.

Leadership

Jon Partridge, President
Originally hailing from the British Isles, Jon came over to the great state of Texas back in 2007 after graduating from the University of Sheffield. In addition to providing him employment (at the University of Texas), Austin has served as the perfect place to further deepen his love of film. A regular at SXSW and Fantastic Fest, and member of the Online Film Critics Society, he has been writing for the Austin-based site Cinapse since its launch in early 2013. In short, his passions are cinema, science, craft beer and writing about himself in the third person.

Richard Whittaker, Vice-President
A staff writer with the Austin Chronicle, Richard Whittaker authors the weekly DVDanger column, and is a regular co-host on Digital Noise for Oneofus.net. Prior to this, Richard ran the Curmudgeon website, and was an editor and film reviewer for the Ad Hoc family of publications in Oxford, Cambridge, and Leeds. Richard is a graduate of the Universities of York, Stirling, and UT Austin, and has previously served as an award juror for Fantastic Fest.

Members

Aurora Amidon
Aurora is an East Coaster turned Texan. She is a regular contributor at Paste Magazine, Film School Rejects, Consequence, Screen Slate, and Looper. Her work can also be found in The Wrap, UCLA’s Slavic and East/European Journal, and The Final Girl. She has covered the SXSW film festival twice now.

Sean Boelman
A journalist with nearly a decade of experience in entertainment as a film critic and interviewer. He holds a BA in Film from the University of Central Florida and is currently pursuing his master’s in Digital Media Communications at Texas State University. He is currently the managing editor of FandomWire, and his opinion has been featured by websites such as BBC, The Wrap, Newsweek, Letterboxd News, and Business Insider.

Andrew Campbell is a weekly contributor to the daily movie podcast One Movie Punch.

Frank Calvillo
A South Texas native, Frank holds a BA in English/Communications from UT-Pan American as well as an MA in Film & Visual Media from The University of London during which time he interned at Sight & Sound Magazine. Frank started blogging about film shortly after arriving in Austin back in 2013 when he began writing for Slackerwood. Since 2015 he has been writing for Cinapse and has recently become a contributor for Oneofus.net.

Sean Chandler
Sean Chandler lives near Austin, Texas, and started his movie-related YouTube channel in July of 2016 as a creative outlet while unemployed. In two and a half years, he grew what started as a hobby into a full-time career without a background in any relevant fields or existing audience, while juggling recovery, a full time job, and family life. He now has a YouTube Silver Play Button (currently 280,000+ subscribers), is a Rotten Tomatoes certified movie critic, and has shared his thoughts on YouTube growth and film at Concordia University of Austin, Nashville Film Institute, comic conventions across the entire United States, Global Leadership Summit Austin, and on the Think Media Podcast (2,000,000 subscribers).

Chris Cox
Chris began being a critic on a local cable access TV show called The Reel Deal mixing comedy and critique. After developing a solid chemistry, eventually a group coalesced out of that eight years of local television and into the website Spill.com, mixing their brand of humor with animation and ‘everyday guy’ reviews. Eventually, that came to an end and he wasted no time starting a new website of his own, Oneofus.net where he reviews both theatrical films and home releases of movies and tv shows with his cast of thousands.

Cole Dabney
Cole Dabney is the founder of the Austin Film Critics Association. He started a film review website, Cole and Bobby…at the Movies!!, with his former sidekick Bobby McCurdy while attending Austin’s Bowie High School, and later became the chief film critic and movies editor at INsite Magazine and Study Breaks Magazine, as well as the film critic for Austin’s Fox affiliate, KTBC (Fox 7 News).

Rebecca Elliot
Rebecca Elliott has been writing about movies in Austin, TX for over two decades, most recently with cinemascholars.com. In addition to film criticism, Elliott has also written, produced, and/or directed several short and feature films, including an official selection at the SXSW Film and TV Festival. When she’s not hiding in a dark theater, Elliott stays busy following her husband’s band and indoctrinating their son into her movie world.

Jacob Ethington
As a critic, my goal is to be as open-minded as possible, for better or worse. That is the basis of my weekly column on theCHIVE, “It Can’t Be That Bad,” where I review movies that have received a divisive response from audiences and critics alike. While I have seen an unfortunate number of movies that live up to their reputations, many have been wonderful in their own right. It is a constant reminder to give films a shot, even the ones you’d think would never work for you. I have primarily worked in reviewing “infamous” movies through a retrospective lens, but I look forward to filing more contemporary reviews as a member of The Austin Film Critics Association.

Nathan Flynn
Nathan Flynn has been lending his voice to film criticism since 2019, bringing a mix of irreverent humor and wholehearted passion to OneOfUs.net and Cinapse.co. Whether championing a scrappy indie or skewering a blockbuster misfire, he chases the joy, surprise, and weirdness that make movies worth talking about.

Ziah Grace
Ziah is the Editor-in-chief of Hyperreal Film Club, and has written for various outlets including Looper, Comics Alliance, SVG, and more. Over the course of his career, he’s also worked as a fiction editor, a market researcher, an actor, an olive oil salesman, and more. He can usually be found cycling around Austin to catch a movie somewhere.

Julian Green
Julian Green grew up with a fervent love for film, but it turned into an obsession in 2015 when he saw the movie CREED. He couldn’t shut up about it! Friends *strongly* suggested he channel his passion into reviewing movies on a professional basis, and in 2019 he did just that.You can catch Julian Green’s unique perspective on films and pop culture on his growing youtube channel www.youtube.com/user/CobraStarGreen. Julian also reviews new release movies weekly on Double Toasted with Korey Coleman and Martin Thomas.

John Gholson
John Gholson writes for Fandango’s Movies.com and co-hosts Giant Size on ESN.fm. His previous work includes regular reviews, news, and more for Cinematical, Moviefone, Sci-Fi Squad, Horror Squad, Horror’s Not Dead, and Hollywood Elsewhere. As an illustrator, his work can be seen on Fandango, Pulp & Popcorn, and GQ. Sometimes he acts in things.

Matthew Jackson
Matthew Jackson is a native Texan freelance writer and critic who began reviewing films at The Huntsville Item in 2008. In 2011 he transitioned into full-time entertainment journalism as a contributor at Syfy Wire, where he still writes about film, television, and comics regularly. His reviews continue to appear at the Item, and he can also be read at Looper, Mental Floss, BookPage, Uproxx, and more. He’s lived in Austin since 2017, and when he’s not writing he’s counting the days until Christmas.

Danny Jones
Danny Jones, also known as Jones Vibes, is a movie and television critic, content creator, and singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. Since launching his YouTube channel ‘Jones Vibes’ in 2021, Danny has cultivated a thriving community of cinema and TV enthusiasts, where fellow creatives gather to discuss their favorite films and shows. Prior to his film criticism career, Danny pursued a successful music career in Los Angeles for over a decade, with appearances on American Idol (2010) and The Voice (2012). He actively covers film festivals in the Austin area and is a familiar face at major events like San Diego Comic-Con.

Kimberley Jones
A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley Jones is the Editor of The Austin Chronicle, an award-winning print alternative weekly, and hosts a weekly news and culture program, The Austin Chronicle Show, on KOOP 91.7 FM. Her work has been recognized by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia and the Austin Alliance for Women in Media. She is a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists.

Jacob Knight is a Senior Contributor at Birth.Movies.Death and a feature writer for /Film. His work can also be found in the newly revived Fangoria Magazine.

Alix Mammina
A film critic based in Austin by way of the Pacific Northwest. As editor-in-chief of the Hyperreal Film Journal, she focuses on highlighting emerging filmmakers and fostering new voices in film criticism. Her own writing includes coverage of local and international film festivals and centers on horror, documentary, and queer cinema.

Alejandra Martinez
Alejandra Martinez was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, but has made Austin her second home since graduating from UT with two bachelor’s degrees in 2016 and an MSIS in 2019. She is a freelance film critic and writer whose work has been published in We Got This Covered, The Texas Observer, Pomegranate Magazine, and Hyperreal Film Club. When she’s not writing, she’s usually thinking about Possession (1981), the Magic Mike Cinematic Universe, or the films of David Lynch.

Roberto Tyler Ortiz
Neil Miller is the publisher of Film School Rejects, a site he founded in early 2006, which is dedicated to airing strong, straightforward opinions to readers around the world. A child of Cleveland, Ohio, Neil was transplanted to Austin in early 2009, drawn to Central Texas by the food, the film culture, and the Alamo Drafthouse. He regularly attends and covers film festivals and events around the world, including the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Austin’s Fantastic Fest, The Los Angeles Film Festival and the San Diego Comic-Con, as well as film junkets and on-set visits. The number of times he has actually been rejected from film school is currently unknown, but estimates have placed the number somewhere in the high 30s.

Neil Miller
I’ve loved movies for as long as I can remember, and that love has only deepened over the years. Watching and writing about films brings me genuine joy in a way that’s almost indescribable. [Loud and Clear Reviews.]

Elizabeth Stoddard is a native Texan who has lived in Austin most of her life. A past contributor to Slackerwood and Austinist, she currently reviews for Cinapse. She regularly attends local film festivals and has served as a grant reviewer for Austin Film Society. She loves classic film, discovering Texas ties in older movies, and championing work by women filmmakers.

Brian Salisbury has been involved in the Austin film criticism community for almost a decade. After writing moving to Austin specifically to be nearer to the Alamo Drafthouse, Brian wrote for outlets that included Film School Rejects, Movies.com, Fandango, and Hollywood.com. Brian is the co-founder and former managing editor of OneOfUs.net and currently cohosts the weekly cult film podcast Junkfood Cinema. Brian is very big in Cheboygan.

Mark Saldana is about to be a 10-year veteran of the Austin film critic community, having served as film critic at True View Reviews since 2009.

Kate Sánchez is a Chicana pop culture critic who was born and raised in San Antonio, but found a home in Austin since completing her BA and MA at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community, a pop culture website of writers and podcasters devoted to creating a diverse and inclusive space for marginalized voices in media criticism and fandom alike. Kate’s goal as a writer is to use her identity as a way to investigate film and highlight works of the genre often ignored in larger conversations. When she isn’t writing about film, she brings critique to the gaming, anime, and comic book spaces.

Robert Sims
A professional film critic since 1988, the London-born Robert Sims has contributed to the Austin American-Statesman, Hollywood.com, Miami New Times, The Palm Beach Daily News, Shock Till You Drop, Total Film Magazine, and What’s On in London. Robert currently hosts Lights Camera Austin, which airs 2–3 PM CST Thursdays on Austin’s own KOOP Radio 91.7 FM. The show features reviews, interviews with leading local and national filmmakers, festival organizers and industry leaders, and an events roundup. The Austin Chronicle named Lights Camera Austin the “Best Sound of Cinema” in its 2018 “Best of Austin” issue.

Julian Singleton is a film critic with a borderline irresponsible love of storytelling in all its forms. He currently writes for Cinapse and serves as creator of the YouTube video essay series “Back of the Shelf.” In 2024, he recorded the audio commentary for Arrow Video’s debut Western release of Noroi: The Curse (2005). When not indulging in awards-season speculation or curating Letterboxd lists, he enjoys chipping away at his ever-growing watchlist and discovering new favorites from around the globe.

Eddie Strait
Eddie is currently a freelancer for The Daily Dot and primarily covers streaming releases. He is a lifelong Austinite and a graduate Crockett High School and the University of Texas at Austin. Despite accusations of being a film snob, he has a weakness for dance movies and disaster flicks. He watches movies whenever his kids finally fall asleep.

Wright Sulek
Wright Sulek hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. He started film criticism back in high school, writing for the school newspaper. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. While working at the University of Texas TV Station, he had the opportunity to host on-air film reviews in the early 2000s. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk about the grimiest, trashiest, and perhaps lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Recently he and Eric have started programming a new film series, One Man’s Trash, at the Eastside Cinema where they focus on cult films. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox.

Martin Thomas
Martin Thomas began his career as a film critic in 1997 on the Austin airwaves with the weekly TV show ‘The Reel Deal’. After a brief stint as a co-host on the WB’s weekly show ‘Behind the Screens’, Martin (along with the rest of the Reel Deal crew) took to the internet in 2004 where he continued to review movies as the cartoon character “Leon” for Spill.com. After Spill.com ended its run in 2013 Korey Coleman and Martin Thomas went on to form a new movie/entertainment website, DoubleToasted.com–which ironically bears a striking resemblance to The Reel Deal.

Rocco T. Thompson
An Austin-based film journalist, critic, former online managing editor for Rue Morgue, and shorts programmer at Fantastic Fest. He conducted 30+ hours of on-camera interviews as a producer for In Search of Darkness: Part III, penned the cover story for Rue Morgue’s landmark July/Aug 2019 “Queer Fear” special issue, and recently made his Fangoria cover debut with coverage of Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger. His work can be found at Rue Morgue, Daily Dead, Fangoria, and Slant Magazine. He has an affinity for Claire Denis, Russ Meyer, queer cinema, millennial horror, and the James Bond franchise.

Drew Tinnin
Drew Tinnin is a Rondo Award nominated interviewer and critic who has worked at SiriusXM’s Fangoria Radio and Fangoria magazine in NYC, as well as the London-based Dazed Digital. He is currently a regular contributor and staff writer for the Dread Central Network.

Ed Travis
Ed Travis co-founded Cinapse after more than a decade of online film criticism. Cutting his teeth at Hollywood Jesus for years, Ed moved to Austin, TX in 2010 to start a career in film. After running ActionFest’s blog in 2011, and writing as “Terry Malloy” at Ain’t It Cool News and other sites like CHUD and ScreenCrush, Ed’s desire to try his hand at running his own film site took hold. Founded in early 2013, Cinapse is all about film discovery and discussion. Ed lives with his wife Kristina and daughter Abby. He is the Community Cinema Director at Mobile Loaves & Fishes, an organization that feeds the hungry and houses the homeless of Austin.

Jay Tyler
Jay Tyler is an Austin-native, an educator and film critic who writes for Cinapse. His interests include new releases of all stripes, as well as various odd relics of American popular culture. His tastes range from dark, cynical social commentary to upbeat populist entertainment. He lives with his wife, two children, a good dog, and a very bad dog.

Eric Vespe
Eric Vespe is a film critic and contributing editor for Ain’t It Cool News, where he has been writing under the pseudonym “Quint” since 1997. Also the chief interviewer for the site, Eric regularly covers major events such as the Sundance Film Festival and Comic Con while making on-set visits for major projects around the world. Although he’s not originally from Austin, Texas, Eric is one of three AFCA members to graduate from the jewel of Southwest Austin, Bowie High School.

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Emeritus Members:

To be eligible to become Member Emeritus, a critic must have been a member in good standing of the AFCA for 20 years. They are then nominated for the position by another member, and that nomination is voted on by the whole body.

Marjorie Baumgarten: A founding member of the AFCA, Baumgarten’s legacy in the Austin film scene predates the association by decades. She entered film journalism by collating and mimeographing the program notes for UT’s groundbreaking CinemaTexas, a graduate-student-run film society (a position she has called the best job she ever had). In 1982, she joined the staff of the newly-founded Austin Chronicle, quickly becoming a mainstay of the film desk and finally becoming Film Editor in 1991. During her time as critic, editor, and then contributing writer her byline has remained a must-read, and her views on the art and industry of cinema have held weight since the time she called out Nicolas Cage as a future star back in 1983. Across the years, she has always been a pivotal part of building Austin’s film appreciation scene and its growing film industry, an impact matched by her role as a mentor to an immeasurable number of writers. All that time, she has retained her wit, her insight, and her reputation as one America’s most important critics, treating micro-indies and blockbusters equally.

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Former Leadership:

• 2024-2026: President – Jon Partridge. Vice-President – Richard Whittaker
• 2022-2024: President – Elizabeth Stoddard. Vice-President – Jon Partridge
• 2020-2022: President – Elizabeth Stoddard. Vice-President – Jon Partridge
• 2018-2020: President – Brian Salisbury. Vice-President – Elizabeth Stoddard
• 2016-2018: President – Neil Miller. Vice-President – Brian Salisbury
• 2014-2016: President – Jette Kernion. Vice-President – Robert Sims
• 2012-2014: President – Jette Kernion. Vice-President – Robert Sims
• 2005-2012: President – Cole Dabney. Vice-President – Bobby McCurdy

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Former Members:

Cole Abaius, Dave Campbell, C. Robert Cargill, Debbie Cerda, Laurie Coker, Korey Coleman, Rob Dean, Taylor Devorsky, Victor Diaz, Charles Ealy, Chris Garcia, John Gholson, William Goss, Joe Gross, Selome Hailu, Peter Hall, Britt Hayes, Justin Harrison, Jonathan Hogberg, Justin Jones, Jette Kernion, Jeremy Kirk, Josh Kupecki, , Linc Leifeste, Bobby McCurdy, Marisa Mirabal, Matthew Monagle, Jenny Nulf, Matthew Odam, Lindsey Romain, Michael Saulters, Trace Sauveur, Marc Savlov, Matt Shiverdecker, Don Simpson, Trace Thurman, Scott Wampler, Scott Weinberg, Alex Williams.

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• For updates and additions to the above, please email austinfilmcritics@gmail.com