Film & TV
March 26, 2021
‘Boyhood’ Star Ellar Coltrane Is Leaving Texas—But Staying Far From Hollywood
The actor stars as a gun-toting Smiths fan in ‘Shoplifters of the World.’
Film & TV
Incisive criticism, features, and news related to Texans on the screen—and behind the camera
Film & TV
March 25, 2021
‘The Last Blockbuster’ Is a Fond Farewell to the Nearly Defunct Video Chain
Each blue VHS box was a transmission from another planet that promised there were others like me somewhere.
Film & TV
March 24, 2021
A New Genre of Film Is Already Here: COVID Movies
The first COVID films are poised to address a pandemic that isn't through with us yet. Here's why these early, imperfect takes on the past year are still worth watching.
Film & TV
March 23, 2021
Alan Tudyk Is Ready to Be Taken Seriously
After decades of playing goofy sidekicks, the El Paso–born, Plano-bred actor finally has a leading role.
Film & TV
March 19, 2021
Guy Clark’s Wife, Susanna, Tells Their Story in a Contemplative New Film
He was more famous, but she was a talented artist and songwriter too—and ‘Without Getting Killed or Caught’ finally puts her in the spotlight.
Film & TV
March 19, 2021
‘Language Lessons’ Nails the Art of Zoom-Era Filmmaking
In this feature-length series of video calls, Natalie Morales and Mark Duplass manage to create a relationship with lightness and heart.
Film & TV
March 19, 2021
Who Is Demi Lovato’s Honesty For?
For a decade, the pop star has made openness about mental health and addiction a core part of her brand. With ‘Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil,’ she’s finally embracing honesty on her own terms.
Film & TV
March 19, 2021
Liz Lambert’s Documentary on the San José Motel Offers a Glimpse at South Congress Before Gentrification
Before she revamped one of Austin’s seediest motels, kicking off the neighborhood’s transformation, Lambert spent three years running the place—and filming her interactions with customers.
Film & TV
March 18, 2021
On Texas Time: Filmmaker Channing Godfrey Peoples
The director and producer talks about how growing up on Fort Worth's Southside shaped her work, including her new film, ‘Doretha's Blues.’
Film & TV
March 16, 2021
Hayden Pedigo Ran for Amarillo City Council as a Joke. A New Film Captures Why He Was Worth Taking Seriously.
The then-24-year-old musician’s campaign started as satire and grew into a rare opportunity to change the conversation around local politics.
Film & TV
March 12, 2021
No, Really, Matthew McConaughey Might Run for Governor
Plus: Megan Thee Stallion spices up the Grammys, Selena Gomez considers giving up music, and Post Malone gets in on the NFT craze.
Film & TV
March 11, 2021
How SXSW Transformed a 280,000-Person Festival Into a Virtual Extravaganza
With no long lines, no traffic, and no parties, South by Southwest is going to look a lot this different this year. Here’s how organizers pulled it off.
Business
March 5, 2021
Alamo Drafthouse’s Founder Vows to Protect What Makes It Special
Yet, in an interview two days after the beloved cinema chain’s pandemic-induced bankruptcy filing, Tim League also says he can’t guarantee changes aren’t coming.
Film & TV
March 4, 2021
Holy Cow, We’re Getting More ‘Party Down’
The cult comedy series is being revived with a six-episode order, more than a decade later.
Film & TV
February 26, 2021
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ Is a Dazzling Thriller and a Meditation on Survival
With Dallas-born Jesse Plemons as a villainous FBI agent, the historical drama tells how informant William O’Neal’s betrayal led to the assassination of Black Panther Fred Hampton.
Film & TV
February 12, 2021
Oliver Stone’s New JFK Movie Already Faces Concerns Over Fact-checking
Plus, Pedro Pascal and Renée Zellweger land plum TV roles, Sandra Bullock pairs up with Brad Pitt, and GameStop movies continue to be a bullish investment.
Film & TV
February 5, 2021
GameStop Is About to Be Grapevine’s Movie Star
Plus: the Golden Globes show Texas some love, ‘Walker’ is a runaway hit, and another DJ Screw movie is on the decks.
Film & TV
February 2, 2021
In El Paso, Joining Border Patrol Offers a Rare Path to Financial Security. But for Some Immigrant Kids, It’s Complicated.
The new documentary ‘At the Ready’ follows the members of Horizon High School’s criminal justice club as they train for Border Patrol careers—and grapple with what that means.
Film & TV
January 29, 2021
Robert Rodriguez Readies a Reboot of ‘Spy Kids’
Plus, Demi Lovato returns to TV, Gary Clark Jr. joins Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie, and Matthew McConaughey will flatten himself for some Doritos.
Film & TV
January 27, 2021
How to Attend Sundance Film Festival Without Leaving Texas
The independent film festival brings its 2021 edition to three Texas cities . . . or your house.
Film & TV
January 26, 2021
Who Is the New ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ for, Anyway?
More earnest family drama than action adventure, the reboot may leave old-school fans scratching their heads. But you do get to watch Jared Padalecki go two-stepping.
Film & TV
January 22, 2021
Just How Many Texans Are in the Marvel Universe Now, Anyway?
Plus, Luke Wilson coaches Fort Worth’s most famous orphans, another JFK assassination drama heads to TV, and McConaughey goes to the dogs.
Film & TV
January 4, 2021
A Definitive Ranking of the Heroes in Robert Rodriguez’s Cinematic Universe
We rank the most memorable protagonists in the Texas director’s film catalog, from ‘El Mariachi’ to ‘Machete.’
Film & TV
December 23, 2020
Three Texans Put Their Souls Into Pixar’s Newest Film
Starring Jamie Foxx and Phylicia Rashad, and cowritten by Mike Jones, ‘Soul’ meditates on what it means to live a fulfilled life.
Film & TV
December 16, 2020
The Seven Ages of Barry Corbin
From ‘Urban Cowboy’ to ‘Northern Exposure’ to ‘No Country for Old Men,’ Texas’s finest character actor isn’t hanging up his spurs just yet.
Film & TV
November 20, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: A Nuanced Documentary on Lance Armstrong
Plus, a San Marcos studio that specializes in hand-printed goods, an Austin group supporting women of color, and Richard Linklater’s new animal rescue show.
Film & TV
November 17, 2020
The Funny, Bittersweet ‘Dazed and Confused’ Oral History Captures the Cult Classic’s Lasting Appeal
Melissa Maerz’s new book is a raucous reunion for the cast and crew of the film, whose depiction of the insecurities and thrills of teenage life have made it timeless.
Film & TV
November 13, 2020
Beyoncé Runs Your Peloton Class
Plus, Selena Gomez plays a mountaineer, Jennifer Love Hewitt joins the pantheon of talking dogs, and William Jackson Harper takes the lead in a rom-com.
Film & TV
November 13, 2020
Is Blue Ivy Carter a Texan?
Everybody knows that she was born in New York City, and thus isn’t a Texan. What this post presupposes is ... maybe she is?
Film & TV
November 12, 2020
In His Gripping Narrative Debut ‘Mogul Mowgli,’ a Houston-Bred Documentary Filmmaker Draws on Lineage and Legacy
Bassam Tariq's first feature film, which he cowrote with the British-Pakistani rapper and actor Riz Ahmed, makes its Texas debut this week.
Film & TV
November 11, 2020
The Oldest and Biggest Video Store in the World Recently Closed. Can a Library Buy Its 130,000 DVDs and VHS Tapes?
The owner of the now-shuttered Austin mainstay I Luv Video hopes to ensure the collection remains publicly accessible.
Film & TV
November 6, 2020
Every Year, Hundreds of Migrants Die or Go Missing in Brooks County. A New Documentary Tells Two Families’ Stories.
The film follows Texans who are waiting, hoping, and fighting for news of their missing sons.
Film & TV
November 6, 2020
Did Melissa Lucio, the First Hispanic Woman on Death Row in Texas, Kill Her Daughter? An Uneven New Documentary Raises More Questions Than Answers.
‘The State of Texas vs. Melissa’ creates empathy for Lucio, but the film lacks a clear and balanced exposition of the deeply troubling facts of the case.
Film & TV
November 4, 2020
Olympic Protester Tommie Smith Reclaims His Legacy in a New Documentary
The Texan athlete, who famously raised his fist on the medal stand at the 1968 Olympics, is the subject of a new film premiering this week on Starz.
Film & TV
November 2, 2020
Sweeping Landscapes and Other Soothing Texas Videos to Assuage Your Election Day Anxiety
Ahead of tomorrow’s nail-biter, we present a grab bag featuring a Big Bend documentary, Beyoncé clips, the Houston Zoo’s baby animal playlist, and more.
Film & TV
October 30, 2020
Houston Director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. on His Psychological Horror Debut, ‘Black Box’
The filmmaker discusses the winding path, from Texas to Singapore to Japan and back, that led to Amazon commissioning his first feature.
Film & TV
October 30, 2020
How to Scare Yourself Like a Texan
A selection of Texas-bred horror films, books, and TV episodes to indulge in during the spooky times.
Film & TV
October 30, 2020
Thomas Haden Church Will Star as the Texanist
Plus, how ‘Dallas’ brought down the Soviet Union, Netflix’s ‘Selena’ gets a real trailer, and Luke Wilson plays a fire-belching robot duck.
Film & TV
October 28, 2020
‘Bad Hair’ Is a Contemporary Black Fable and Devilishly Fun Satire
Houston native Justin Simien's bloody second film has a social message, but it's at its best when it embraces absurdity and camp.
Film & TV
October 23, 2020
Won’t You Say You Love a Dark ‘Barney’ Movie?
Plus, ‘Seinfeld’ stars yadda yadda yadda for Texas Democrats, ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ races to TV, and the Matthew McConaughey blitz has begun.
Film & TV
October 23, 2020
Up Close With One of Texas’s Most Prized Playwrights in a New Documentary
The late Horton Foote, known for his screen adaptation of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ is the subject of a movie premiering at this year’s Austin Film Festival.
Film & TV
October 23, 2020
From the Editor: Going Hollywood
Texas Monthly is making big moves into film and television.
Film & TV
October 16, 2020
Selena Gomez Could Be Your Next Scream Queen
Plus, Demi Lovato releases an anti-Trump song, Sandra Bullock gets back into rom-coms, and the Legendary Stardust Cowboy gets the documentary treatment.
Film & TV
October 12, 2020
As ‘Dazed and Confused’ Gets Older, the Spirit of the Film Stays the Same
During a live reading on Sunday night, many of the original actors brought the same chemistry that has made the film such a joy to rewatch for 27 years.
Film & TV
October 9, 2020
Hollywood, Texas: ‘Dazed and Confused’ Cast to Reunite Online, Online, Online
Plus, Kacey Musgraves meets Scooby Doo, Borat meets Sid Miller, and Austin meets ‘Walker, Texas Ranger.’
Film & TV
October 7, 2020
‘News of the World,’ Tom Hanks’s First Western, Is the Perfect Role for ‘America’s Dad’
The film adaptation of Utopia author Paulette Jiles’s acclaimed novel finds Hanks shepherding a young girl across 1870s Texas.
Film & TV
October 2, 2020
A Tenderhearted New Documentary Follows a 17-Year-Old’s Bid for Houston City Council
‘Ready or Not’ is an affectionate portrait of Marcel McClinton, a teen activist and mass shooting survivor who challenged incumbent councilman Michael Kubosh.
Film & TV
October 2, 2020
Texas’s Own Conan the Barbarian Gets a Netflix Series
Plus: Jamie Foxx recharges his Spider-Man villain, Megan Thee Stallion heads to ‘SNL,’ and Woody Harrelson saves the world with dirt.
Film & TV
September 23, 2020
How Danny Trejo Built a Decades-Long Film Career After Prison
After years of playing ex-cons and bodyguards, the prolific actor became an iconic leading man in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete series.
Film & TV
September 18, 2020
Hollywood, Texas: Jonathan Majors Joins the Marvel Universe
Plus, Austin’s Andrew Dismukes joins ‘SNL,’ both Padaleckis help reboot ‘Walker, Texas Ranger,’ and Matthew McConaughey gets exceptionally lit.