Film & TV
September 27, 2019
Texas Is Inextricable From Film Festival Darling ‘The Vast of Night’
Andrew Patterson’s small-town science fiction standout was filmed in Whitney, Texas.
Film & TV
Incisive criticism, features, and news related to Texans on the screen—and behind the camera
Film & TV
September 26, 2019
All of the Movies With Texas Ties to Watch This Fall
Do you love Woody Harrelson? You’re in luck.
Film & TV
September 26, 2019
Is ‘Judy’ as Good as Everybody Says It Is?
Katy native Renée Zellweger is getting rave reviews for her portrayal of Judy Garland, but biopics are tricky to nail.
Film & TV
September 20, 2019
How a Former Karaoke Video Outpost in Plano Became a Hollywood Mainstay
Well Go USA has become one of the leading distributors of Asian action films in the U.S.
Film & TV
September 9, 2019
A Brief History of Matthew McConaughey Dying Onscreen
The forthcoming ’Between Two Ferns’ is just the latest movie to kill the beloved Texan actor.
Film & TV
September 3, 2019
Janice Engel: “For Molly Ivins, Politics Was About Who’s Getting Screwed And Who’s Doing The Screwing”
On this week’s National Podcast of Texas, a conversation about ’Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins’ with filmmaker Engel and former Texas agriculture commissioner Jim Hightower.
Film & TV
August 30, 2019
What Will the World Be Like in 2039, When Richard Linklater Finishes His Stephen Sondheim Musical?
The ambitious Texas filmmaker announced a two-decade shooting timeline for ‘Merrily We Roll Along.’…
Film & TV
August 29, 2019
Why We Need Molly Ivins’s Wisdom Now More Than Ever
The director of a new documentary on the inimitable Texas political columnist says there’s much to be learned from her legacy.
Film & TV
August 14, 2019
Richard Linklater on Bringing ‘Bernadette’ to Life
The quintessential Austin filmmaker discusses taking an unadaptable book from page to screen.
Film & TV
July 24, 2019
A Restored Cult Film Starring Bill Paxton Gets a Fort Worth Premiere This Week
The obscure indie ’Taking Tiger Mountain’ offers a glimpse at the late Hollywood star as a teenager.
Film & TV
July 23, 2019
These Celebs Got a Boost from Richard Linklater
Ahead of ‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette,’ here are a few stars whose careers got some help from the Austin filmmaker.
Film & TV
July 15, 2019
Willie Nelson & Friends: Live From Luck, Texas
On this week’s National Podcast of Texas, the music legend details his lifelong love for westerns and his family’s golden rules.
Music
July 9, 2019
The “Red Headed Stranger” Rides Again: Here’s What We Learned
We watched the recently restored 1986 film with Willie Nelson and fans in Luck, where it all happened.
Art
June 28, 2019
Texas Monthly Recommends: Eugene Lee Yang Comes Out in New Music Video
Plus, an immersive art experience, a song nostalgic for hometowns, and a Southern Gothic rom-com.
Film & TV
June 16, 2019
Remembering Bill Wittliff: ‘Lonesome Dove’ Screenwriter, Giant of Texas Culture
Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones discuss their friend, a Texas legend who leaves behind a brilliant body of work and definitive repository of Southwestern culture.
Film & TV
May 28, 2019
New HBO Documentary Offers an Intimate Look at Beto O’Rourke’s Senate Run
A Q&A between filmmaker David Modigliani and Texas Monthly's Eric Benson, who followed O'Rourke for the 2018 'Underdog' podcast.
Music
May 17, 2019
Texas Monthly Recommends: Khalid and John Mayer Make a Summer Hit
Plus, Mary H.K. Choi’s novel about young adulthood in Austin, a classic Cyd Charisse film, and Liza Koshy’s YouTube series.
Film & TV
May 3, 2019
Peter Mayhew, ‘Star Wars’ Actor and Naturalized Texan, Dies at Age 74
The gentle giant who played Chewbacca finished a lifetime of service to others at his longtime Boyd home.
Film & TV
April 24, 2019
The Ethan Hawkaissance Continues in ‘Stockholm’
The Texas native delivers another attention-worthy performance.
Music
April 8, 2019
Beyoncé’s Netflix Documentary Looks Amazing
Queen Bey’s unforgettable 2018 Coachella set gets a feature-length documentary.
Film & TV
March 25, 2019
Brooklyn Decker: “I Work Hard to Prove That I Deserve to Be at the Table”
On the latest National Podcast of Texas, the 'Grace and Frankie' star talks about navigating Silicon Valley, #MeToo’s impact on the modeling business, and the life she’s built on the back of 'Sports Illustrated' swimsuit stardom.
Film & TV
March 22, 2019
‘Becoming Leslie’ Pays Homage to Austin’s Beloved—and Complicated—Leslie Cochran
The film, which premiered at SXSW, shares a nuanced perspective of the man behind the leopard-print thong.
Film & TV
March 19, 2019
John Lee Hancock: “Bonnie and Clyde Were the Kardashians With Guns”
On the latest National Podcast of Texas, the Texas Film Hall Of Famer and director of Netflix’s new ”The Highwaymen” talks about ”The Blind Side,” ”The Alamo,” and the future of Texas filmmaking.
Film & TV
March 18, 2019
‘The Curse of La Llorona’ Summons a Centuries-Old Ghost—With Mixed Results
The Latin American folk tale has frightened generations, but its big-screen adaptation relies too heavily on repetitive scares.
Music
March 15, 2019
Texas Monthly Recommends: Traveling the Border via the Film ‘The River and the Wall’
Plus, Tom Morello’s SXSW magic, a cancer researcher celebrated, and hand-painted jean jackets.
Film & TV
March 15, 2019
A Former Lab Rat’s Review of Robert Rodriguez’s Drug-Study Horror Movie ‘Red 11’
One of the oldest ideas in the filmmaker’s notebook is based on his real life. And mine.
Film & TV
March 14, 2019
“Who Let the Dogs Out?” Apparently Austin’s Reagan High School Is to Thank (or Blame) for the Baha Men Hit
A SXSW premiere documentary explores the song’s strangely complex origin story and comes to a surprising conclusion.
Film & TV
March 13, 2019
Why Director Robert Rodriguez Chose to Make Another $7,000 Movie
Decades after his breakthough film, 'El Mariachi,' he challenged himself to return to his microbudget roots. Now he wants to teach you how to do the same.
Film & TV
March 12, 2019
Tye Sheridan and Rick Alverson on ‘The Mountain’, a Dark, Resonant Case Study in American Ambition
The actor (and Elkhart native) and the director discuss physicality, small-town masculinity, and how a lobotomy is a metaphor for going to the movies.
Film & TV
March 11, 2019
‘The Highwaymen’ Is a Take on Bonnie and Clyde That Feels Truly Texan
The film, directed by Longview native John Lee Hancock, focuses on the legend of Texas’s most famous bank robbers—and our collective fascination with them.
Film & TV
March 11, 2019
Is Lupita Nyong’o SXSW’s New Queen of Horror?
Few actors start their careers as Lupita Nyong’o did. Her very first feature film role, in Steve McQueen’s Twelve Years a Slave, earned her an Academy Award. From there, as one of the most sought-after young stars in Hollywood, she managed her decisions very carefully. She focused on voice acting—a recurring role…
Film & TV
March 10, 2019
‘The Art of Self-Defense’ Examines Toxic Masculinity—and Features Jesse Eisenberg Doing Karate
Director Riley Stearns, a Pflugerville native, talks about pairing silliness with a violent vision of what it means to be a man.
Film & TV
March 8, 2019
New Documentary Revives Molly Ivins’s Sharp Wit in the Age of Trump
’Raise Hell,’ which screens at SXSW, introduces the legendary Texas political commentator and humorist to the internet generation.
Film & TV
March 8, 2019
Texas High School Shorts Program Showcases a New Generation of Filmmakers at SXSW
These young filmmakers tackle diversity, gun violence, and stories of young love—all in less than five minutes.
Film & TV
March 7, 2019
SXSW Award Winner ‘Short Term 12’ Has Become This Generation’s ‘Dazed and Confused’
The micro-budget feature launched a number of A-list careers.
Film & TV
March 6, 2019
Inside the Futuristic Set of the Most Expensive Film Ever Shot in Texas
'Alita: Battle Angel'—and its $200 million budget—offer hope to the local film industry.
Film & TV
March 4, 2019
There Are at Least 864 Ways to Spell ‘McConaughey.’ Here’s a Map of How People Get There.
McConnahaugh? McConaughay? McConohay? All right, all right, all right.
Film & TV
February 26, 2019
‘My Stretch of Texas Ground’ Is the Very Bad Movie We Didn’t Know We Needed
“Two men, both alpha males, from vastly different cultures, are about to collide. . . HARD.”…
The Culture
February 22, 2019
Texas Monthly Recommends: Gary Clark Jr. Channels Prince on ‘Saturday Night Live’
Plus, the crime in Vidor that inspired an Oscar-winning film and the TV show bringing us back to middle school.
Film & TV
February 21, 2019
You Will Soon Have the Opportunity to Hear Matthew McConaughey Attempt a British Accent for a Whole Movie
The actor has teamed up with British director Guy Ritchie on a movie that should be amusing—intentionally or otherwise.
Film & TV
February 20, 2019
Will Rooster Teeth Be the Netflix of Animation?
The Austin-based production studio is known for creating cult classics. Will it finally go mainstream?…
Film & TV
February 18, 2019
Steve Treviño: “Our Culture Isn’t a Punchline”
On the latest National Podcast of Texas, the South Texas-raised stand-up comic talks about Mexican-American representation in Hollywood, the border situation, and writing jokes for Clint Eastwood.
Film & TV
February 12, 2019
Could ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Be Robert Rodriguez’s Return to the A-List?
The self-styled rebel of the 1990s indie film boom hasn’t had a hit in years. Can ’Alita’ turn his fortunes around?…
Film & TV
January 31, 2019
Catherine Hardwicke Puts a Female Action Hero on the Border in ‘Miss Bala’
A decade ago, she broke box office records with ’Twilight.’ Now the McAllen-raised director is breaking gender barriers in Hollywood.
Film & TV
January 29, 2019
The Texas Film Showcase Presents: ‘From Tonga’
Filmmaker Huay-Bing Law explores how Tongan immigrants revitalized the local high school football team in Euless.
Film & TV
January 24, 2019
What the Writer Notes for ‘Urban Cowboy’ Teach Us About The Making of the Film
Journalist Aaron Latham donated his daily journals he kept on the set of 'Urban Cowboy,' among other papers, to UT's Harry Ransom Center.
Film & TV
January 22, 2019
The Texas Film Showcase Presents: ‘Night at the Dance’
In this 2011 documentary, filmmaker Annie Silverstein chronicles the scene at Sefcik Dance Hall in Seaton, one of the last small-town Texas dance halls remaining.
Film & TV
January 18, 2019
AeroMexico Came to Texas to Troll People in a Viral Ad
An all-time great troll job.
Film & TV
January 15, 2019
The Texas Film Showcase Presents: ‘Auction’
In this documentary, filmmaker Joel Fendelman captures the auctioneer, attendees, and atmosphere at a small-town cattle auction in Gonzales.
Film & 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.