Film & TV
June 2, 2022
‘Deep in the Heart’ Gives Texas the ‘Planet Earth’ Treatment
The visually stunning new nature documentary, narrated by Matthew McConaughey, is a delight.
Film & TV
Incisive criticism, features, and news related to Texans on the screen—and behind the camera
Film & TV
June 1, 2022
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Is the Supersonic Schmaltz the Movies Need Right Now
Tom Cruise returns, with Austin’s Glen Powell in tow, for a crowd-pleasing sequel that just may pull embattled theaters out of the danger zone.
Film & TV
May 19, 2022
Sissy Spacek Is Among the Stars in Amazon’s ‘Night Sky’
The 72-year-old Oscar winner and East Texas native takes her small-town ethos to the small screen—and across galaxies.
Film & TV
May 17, 2022
‘Conversations With Friends’ Is a Tender Portrayal of a Heedless Narcissist
The Hulu series, costarring Texan Sasha Lane, is a worthwhile adaptation of Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel.
Film & TV
May 12, 2022
‘The Simpsons” Rich Texan Is How the World Sees Us, for Better or Worse
The pistol-packing cartoon villain represents every ugly stereotype about our state, but there’s a strange power in embracing him.
Film & TV
May 12, 2022
There Are No Glass Ceilings Left for Cristela Alonzo
After a four-year hiatus from comedy, the Rio Grande Valley native has a new Netflix special and a new approach to her career.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Texas Country Reporter
May 11, 2022
Check Out Kilgore’s Treasure Trove of Vintage Cameras, Radios, and TVs
From the obscure to the historically significant, the Texas Broadcast Museum tells a uniquely twentieth-century story.
Music
May 9, 2022
Mickey Gilley and ‘Urban Cowboy’: A Texas Monthly Compendium
Our favorite Texas Monthly pieces featuring the country music star, who died on Saturday at 86, and the cultural phenomenon he helped inspire.
Film & TV
May 6, 2022
HBO Announces New Series Based on Texas Monthly Story
‘King Rex,’ based on Lawrence Wright’s 1980 article about millionaire turned drug kingpin Rex Cauble, will star Henry Winkler.
Film & TV
May 5, 2022
The Ethanaissance—or Is It Hawkeaissance?—Comes to TV
With small-screen projects such as ‘Moon Knight’ and ‘The Good Lord Bird,’ Ethan Hawke’s righteous believers get more room to breathe.
By
Dan Solomon
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Film & TV
April 27, 2022
Every Texan in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ranked
Texan actors have a strong presence in the MCU. But which performances would we watch in any multiverse, and which would we prefer blipped out of existence?
By
Dan Solomon
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Film & TV
April 26, 2022
Bill Paxton’s ‘Frailty’ Was Nervy, Blasphemous, and Just About Perfect
The storied actor and Fort Worth native always wanted to direct. His gripping debut, released twenty years ago, showed us why.
Film & TV
April 25, 2022
The World if Tommy Lee Jones, Instead of the Rock, Starred in ‘Fast Five’
Vin Diesel, in a long, feelings-heavy Instagram post, revealed how close the venerable Texas star came to playing Lucas Hobbs.
By
Dan Solomon
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Film & TV
April 22, 2022
TM Recommends: Watch Out for Lizzo’s ‘Big Grrrls’
Plus: A lyrical, blistering new memoir and a four-dollar answer to dinner.
Film & TV
April 18, 2022
Is Lizzo Funny? A Texas Monthly Investigation
The Houstonian pulled double duty on ‘Saturday Night Live’ as host and musical guest. How’d she do?
By
Dan Solomon
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Film & TV
April 13, 2022
Barney Will Get His Revenge
For every toddler who loved Barney, there was an adult who wanted to punch him. Now the purple dinosaur is back to torment a new generation.
Film & TV
April 11, 2022
The Most Authentically Texan Movie You’ve Never Heard Of
Eagle Pennell’s ‘The Whole Shootin’ Match’ sets the standard for showing Texans who they are instead of who they’re supposed to be.
Film & TV
April 5, 2022
Glen Powell Is (Finally!) Ready For Takeoff
After a two-year pandemic delay, the Austin native will appear in ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ But that’s only one of his recent projects to launch.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Film & TV
April 4, 2022
Texans, We Can and Must Unite to Win ‘American Song Contest’
We can’t let California win, y’all. Here’s everything you need to know about how to vote for Texas in the pop song competition.
Film & TV
March 31, 2022
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Reality Show Ends Its Run on CMT
‘Making the Team’ was the cable channel’s longest-running reality program. After sixteen seasons, why did it decide to pull the plug?
Film & TV
March 30, 2022
In Defense of ‘Battleship,’ the ‘Friday Night Lights’ Reunion With Aliens
This is a film in which Academy Award nominee Jesse Plemons flirts with billionaire Rihanna, and for that it should be cherished.
Film & TV
March 27, 2022
Oscar Night in Texas: A Jesse Plemons Live Blog
Join us as we watch over the Dillon High School graduate, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Film & TV
March 25, 2022
“This Is The Hardest Film I’ve Ever Made”: ‘Selena’ Turns 25
Ahead of its April rerelease, members of the 1997 biopic's cast and crew recall a set overcome with emotion as loved ones grappled with Selena's tragic death.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Music
March 22, 2022
SXSW 2022 Felt Like SXSW, and That’s Impressive
The festival was smaller and less overwhelming than in times past, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing—or a sign of things to come.
By
Dan Solomon
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Film & TV
March 22, 2022
Four New Movies Texans Won’t Want to Miss
The Lone Star State was well represented at this year’s SXSW, and these films feature settings, accents, and subject matter to remind you of home.
By
Dan Solomon
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Cat Cardenas
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Film & TV
March 21, 2022
Three Must-Watch Texas Documentaries
SXSW showcased a bevy of films by or about Texans this year. Two sports legends and a disabled Texan were the subjects of three that stood out from the pack.
Film & TV
March 21, 2022
‘What We Leave Behind’ Was the Surprise Masterpiece of SXSW
El Paso filmmaker Iliana Sosa’s feature documentary debut follows her Mexican grandfather, reflecting on life, legacy, and connection.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Film & TV
March 19, 2022
A Christian Parent of a Trans Child Battles the Texas Government in a New Doc
‘Mama Bears’ ties together the stories of three conservative families with LGBTQ children, but as the only trans child in the film, Kai Shappley stands out.
Film & TV
March 16, 2022
Can ‘O.C.’ Star Ben McKenzie Get Me to Care About Crypto? An Experiment.
One Texas Monthly reporter wages a battle between her blissful ignorance and her love of early-aughts teen soaps.
Texas Country Reporter
March 15, 2022
John Wayne Wasn’t a Texan. But His Legacy Lives On in Fort Worth.
In a video interview, Ethan Wayne, the film star’s son, explains how an exhibit at the Fort Worth Stockyards began with a storage unit full of his dad’s untold stories.
Film & TV
March 15, 2022
‘X’ Is a Fun, Funny—And Feminist—Slasher
Writer-director Ti West’s return to horror is set in a creepy house in rural Texas. But that’s where the similarities with classic slashers ends.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Politics & Policy
March 15, 2022
Wendy Davis Lost Her Fight Against Abortion Restrictions. A New Documentary Pretends She Won.
‘Shouting Down Midnight’ is a hagiography of the state senator that tries to impose a triumph narrative for Texas Democrats where none exists.
Film & TV
March 14, 2022
Richard Linkater’s ‘Apollo 10½’ Continues a Winning Streak From America’s Most Successful Experimental Filmmaker
The light-on-plot, heavy-on-nostalgia animated feature is Linklater at his Linklaterest.
By
Dan Solomon
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Film & TV
March 14, 2022
‘The Lost City’ Is an A-List Blockbuster From a Bygone Era
The joyful Sandra Bullock flick, chockablock with Hollywood’s finest, will lend itself to repeat viewings for many years to come.
Film & TV
March 4, 2022
TM Recommends: A Transportive TikTok Travel Agent
Plan your next road trip, work out, and binge-watch with our staff’s help.
Texas Country Reporter
February 25, 2022
The Texas Furniture Brand That Starred in Hollywood Westerns for Decades
W.R. Dallas has been crafting western furniture since 1929. The company’s iconic pieces have appeared everywhere from Hollywood films to hotel chains.
Film & TV
February 18, 2022
The New ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’: They Came, They Sawed, They Didn’t Cut It
The sequel to Tobe Hooper’s slasher sucks all the fun out of psychotic cannibal killers—but it does have a message for Californians headed to Texas.
Film & TV
February 17, 2022
The Human Cost of Horse Racing
In ‘Jockey,’ Dallas director Clint Bentley draws dark lessons from a life lived on the track.
Film & TV
February 16, 2022
A Reconsideration of ‘SubUrbia,’ One of Richard Linklater’s Least-Loved Films
Richard Linklater’s ‘SubUrbia’ is ‘The Last Picture Show’ of the nineties.
Film & TV
February 11, 2022
The Dallas Mortuary Accused of Producing the Worst Funerals Ever
Seventeen families are suing the Golden Gate Funeral Home for allegedly desecrating their loved ones' bodies.
Film & TV
February 10, 2022
‘Marry Me’ Is a Fun, Ridiculous Revival of the Big Budget Rom-Com
Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson, perhaps surprisingly, have enough chemistry to carry the film's outrageous premise.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Film & TV
February 9, 2022
Houston’s River Oaks Theatre Escapes Demolition—And Will Probably Get a Better Cocktail Menu
A grassroots campaign—and a multibillion-dollar corporate real estate acquisition—kept the bulldozers away.
By
Mimi Swartz
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Film & TV
February 8, 2022
Jesse Plemons Is the First ‘Friday Night Lights’ Alum to Earn an Oscar Nomination
The Texas native’s slow but steady rise to stardom just hit a new benchmark.
By
Dan Solomon
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Film & TV
February 2, 2022
‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ Turns the Texas Ice Storm Into Cold Exploitation
The Austin-set firefighter show devotes four episodes to the 2021 freeze while ignoring all of the real-life drama.
Film & TV
January 31, 2022
‘Mija’ Captures the Beauty and Pressure of Life as a First-generation Daughter
More visual poem than documentary, the film tracks a music manager and singer who follow their dreams while providing for their undocumented parents.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Film & TV
January 28, 2022
Robert Rodriguez Put His Mark on ‘The Book of Boba Fett.’ It Caused a Disturbance in the Force.
The Austin filmmaker’s episodes of ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ embody an existential crisis over the future of Star Wars.
Film & TV
January 27, 2022
The Funniest Scene in ‘Licorice Pizza’ Almost Didn’t Happen
Harriet Sansom Harris, who plays an unhinged talent agent, had to be convinced to emerge from her pandemic quarantine in the woods.
Film & TV
January 25, 2022
Are Chip and Joanna Gaines Too Big to Flop?
Magnolia Network, helmed by Waco’s First Family, has already weathered its first scandal. Viewers will keep tuning in.
Film & TV
January 25, 2022
The Chart-Topping Songs of Disney’s ‘Encanto’ Give Latino Families a Voice
The characters might be fictional, but to the Latinos who see their own families reflected in them, it’s a relief to see them say what we wish we could.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Sports
January 22, 2022
Director Eva Longoria Bastón Opens Sundance With ‘La Guerra Civil’
For the Corpus Christi native, the story of the 1996 championship bout between Oscar De La Hoya and Julio César Chávez was also her story.