Film &amp; TV

January 8, 2019

The Texas Film Showcase Presents: ‘All Around’

Mac Coleman always knew he wanted to be a professional bronc rider. This documentary film by TJ Martinez profiles the Texan as he pursues his dream—after losing his eyesight.

By Charley Locke

January 8, 2019

Marfa Is Now Such a Stereotype They Can Mock It on ‘The Simpsons’

Bart, Homer, Lisa, Marge, and Grampa Simpson made the trip on Sunday night.

January 7, 2019

Carol Burnett is the Perfect Namesake for a Lifetime Achievement Award

The funniest Texan alive was the first recipient of the Golden Globe's lifetime achievement award in television—and its namesake going forward.

December 30, 2018

What Texas Actor Had the Best Year in 2018?

A power ranking of Texas's Hollywood exports.

December 18, 2018

‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette’: The First Trailer for Richard Linklater’s New Film Is Here

The adaptation of the 2012 bestseller looks like quirky fun.

Ron Blanton playing Charles Moore in Man on Fire.

December 17, 2018

Why Did Grand Saline’s Charles Moore Set Himself on Fire? A New Documentary Examines His Case

The documentary, premiering on PBS December 17, looks to the elderly minister's hometown of Grand Saline to uncover why he set himself alight.

By Michael Hall

November 30, 2018

How Two Austinites Keep Their 87,000 Followers Informed About the Best Events in Town

Step into the city's social scene with Chris Cates and Jose Gutierrez, the influencers behind 'When Where What Austin.'

By Willow Higgins

Danielle Macdonald speaks onstage at a luncheon for the Netflix Film Dumplin’ on October 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

November 14, 2018

Netflix’s ‘Dumplin” Looks Like a Good Ol’ North Texas Story of Beauty Pageants, Rebellion, and Drag Queens

Dolly Parton, teen self-confidence, and a young adult novel—what’s not to like?

Frank Anthony (“Tony Lip”) Vallelonga (played by Viggo Mortensen) and Donald Shirley (played by Mahershala Ali) in Green Book.

November 13, 2018

‘Green Book’ Is a Poor Attempt to Make Racism Funny

The film isn't just a buddy comedy about a road trip—and it simply misses the mark.

Hugh Jackman stars in 'The Front Runner.'

November 2, 2018

Austin Film Festival Closes Out With a Political Bummer in ‘The Front Runner’

Director Jason Reitman brought his Gary Hart biopic to the Paramount Theater just in advance of election day.

Tony Revolori and Jason Mantzoukas in ‘The Long Dumb Road.’

November 1, 2018

‘The Long Dumb Road’ is the Kind of Road Movie You Don’t See Anymore

Director Hannah Fidell offers a contemporary coming-of-age road movie in her third feature.

Comedian Bill Hicks at the Laff Stop in Austin.

October 30, 2018

Bill Hicks Is Finally Getting the Biopic Treatment

Last week, reports indicated that Richard Linklater would be writing, directing, and producing a biography of the late Texas comedian.

Arts & Entertainment|

October 23, 2018

On ‘Parts Unknown,’ Anthony Bourdain Asks If West Texans Are the Platonic Ideal of Texans

Spoiler: The answer is yes.

By Christian Wallace

Wes Anderson on October 19, 2015 in Rome, Italy.

October 12, 2018

Yes, the Academics Who Devoted an Entire Journal Issue to Wes Anderson Just Might Know What They’re Talking About

It’s time to get intra-intra-diegetic.

By Charley Locke

Sasha Jenson, Matthew McConaughey, Jason London, Wiley Wiggins in character in Dazed and Confused.

September 24, 2018

Sorry, Y’all, ‘Dazed and Confused’ Is Not Based on Austin High School

Heading into the twenty-fifth anniversary of the film, we heard that straight from Richard Linklater himself.

By Abby Johnston

September 19, 2018

Great-Grandma Avenged Her Mini Horse by Shooting the Gator She Thinks Ate It. This Story Deserves the Hollywood Treatment.

And here's how we'll make it. Get the agents for Sissy Spacek, Debra Winger, and Margo Martindale on the horn!

Actor Michael B. Jordan attends the 2018 MTV Movie And TV Awards on June 16, 2018 in Santa Monica, California.

September 15, 2018

Will Michael B. Jordan Play the Next Superman?

The oddsmakers seem to think so.

A still from the documentary 'Run Like the Devil.'

September 14, 2018

Documentary ‘Run Like the Devil’ Casts a New Light on the Cruz-O’Rourke Race

Austin filmmaker Steve Mims shows why (in some decidedly non-political ways) Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke aren't so different after all.

By Robert Moore

A photo of Richie Merritt and Matthew McConaughey, who star in Columbia Pictures' and Studio 8's White Boy Rick.

September 12, 2018

Ten Movies With Texas Ties You Should Watch This Fall

It may be September, but the summer heat is far from over. Find some respite at the movies, from 'White Boy Rick' to 'A Star Is Born.'

Close-up of Blaze Foley wearing a cowboy hat and playing his guitar.

Books|

August 24, 2018

The Blaze Foley Biopic, Through the Eyes of His Greatest Muse

Nearly thirty years after he died in relative obscurity, songwriter Blaze Foley is on the verge of newfound fame thanks to an Ethan Hawke–directed biopic. In a series of dispatches from her time on set, Sybil Rosen, widely known as Foley's muse, ponders the widening divide between the man and

By Sybil Rosen

Style & Design|

August 23, 2018

‘Queer Eye’ Designer Bobby Berk on Creating Space

Houston-born 'Queer Eye' designer Bobby Berk is changing hearts and minds one neutral color palette at a time.

By Charley Locke

Haley Lu Richardson and Regina Hall in Support the Girls.

August 23, 2018

Andrew Bujalski on the Breastaurant Industry and ‘Support the Girls’

We talked to Austin-based director Andrew Bujalski about his latest film, 'Support the Girls,' starring Regina Hall.

By Katy Vine

August 15, 2018

The Best Part of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Isn’t the Love Story

The adaptation of the novel by Kevin Kwan, who was born in Singapore and raised in Houston, is well worth watching.

9:16

August 15, 2018

Texas Monthly Trove: The Story of Bernie Tiede

Skip Hollandsworth revisits his epic story about a beloved funeral director, a wealthy widow, and their deeply troubled relationship.

By Texas Monthly

August 13, 2018

This Map Offers a Road Trip to Texas’s Most Famous Film Locations

The Texas Film Commission wants you to hit the road this summer.

Politics & Policy|

August 9, 2018

What Could Ted Cruz’s Campaign Have Meant When It Called Beto O’Rourke a ‘Triple Meat Whataburger Liberal’?

Thank you, Ted Cruz campaign, for introducing the Whataburger-themed insult to Texas politics.

August 9, 2018

The Real ‘BlacKkKlansman’ Is a Texan

The film from Spike Lee and Jordan Peele is based on the experiences of El Pasoan Ron Stallworth.

By Robert Moore

August 3, 2018

The Beauty and the Ugliness of “Random Acts of Flyness”

Dallas native Terence Nance’s new HBO series is a dream with a dark edge.

The National Podcast of Texas|

July 27, 2018

Augustine Frizzell Is ‘Never Goin’ Back’

In her twenties, Dallas filmmaker Augustine Frizzell was a single mom and struggling actor. Now 39, she’s poised to conquer Hollywood.

By Eric Benson

Brian Brushwood National Podcast of Texas

July 20, 2018

Brian Brushwood on the Difference Between Magic and a Good Old-Fashioned Con

On this week’s National Podcast of Texas, Andy Langer speaks with the magician and entertainer behind Scam School and The Modern Rogue.

By Andy Langer

July 5, 2018

Are We Witnessing the Renaissance of Ethan Hawke?

At age 47, Ethan Hawke is finding himself with the career everyone anticipated he might have had fifteen years ago.

June 22, 2018

The Zellner Brothers Are Ready for the Big Time With ‘Damsel’

David and Nathan Zellner have made it as indie filmmakers in their own under-the-radar way. Now they’re going mainstream (sort of), with the Robert Pattinson–starring western ‘Damsel.’

By Eric Benson

June 12, 2018

All the Texas-Related Movies You Should Watch This Summer

From a breastaurant to a thriller featuring puppets, here are eight movies from Texans to watch this summer.

By Dan Solomon, Eric Benson and Doyin Oyeniyi

Justin Simien, creator of 'Dear White People'

May 31, 2018

Justin Simien on How the Trump Presidency Has Changed ‘Dear White People’

After the second season of his Netflix series, the Houston-born writer and filmmaker talks about the "ideological gold rush" of 2018 and whether he would watch ’Dear Black People.’

May 21, 2018

For the Future of the Texas Film Industry, Look to Animation

With an expanding pool of talent and steady work, animation is a promising path forward for the Texas film industry.

May 4, 2018

Watch a Clip From ‘The Iron Orchard’ Before Its Premiere

The film debuts at the Dallas International Film Festival this weekend.

By Christian Wallace

Student-athlete Erik Espinoza Villa plays soccer for El Paso’s Bowie High School in the documentary Home + Away from director Matt Ogens.

April 20, 2018

‘Home + Away’ Shows How Sports Help Students Overcome the Realities of the Border

The film captures the lives of three student-athletes in El Paso and the dual nature of the U.S.–Mexico border.

By Robert Moore

Books|

April 18, 2018

A New Book Takes a Look at the Legacy of ‘Giant’

How Hollywood came to 1950s Texas with a message of change and emerged with an enigmatic legend.

By Michael Agresta

Ellen DeGeneres teamed up with the Lowe’s Home Improvement Heroes program to donate money to Rockport-Fulton High School.

The Culture|

April 16, 2018

Ellen DeGeneres Gives $1 Million to Rockport-Fulton High School

Eight months after Harvey, Ellen DeGeneres gave the students of Rockport-Fulton High School a generous gift.

By Lauren Smith Ford

April 6, 2018

How Screenplays Describe Characters From Texas

Earlier this week, Vulture posted excerpts from fifty screenplays that showed how female characters were described in the scripts of the films that made them famous. It was a fun, enlightening exercise in which we learned how the male-dominated field of screenwriting tends to view women (a lot