Film & TV
September 30, 2021
‘Venom 2’: Let There Be Confusion
Woody Harrelson’s talents are buried under the film’s unwieldy plot.
Film & TV
Incisive criticism, features, and news related to Texans on the screen—and behind the camera
Film & TV
September 28, 2021
NBC’s ‘La Brea’ Is Silly, but It Gives Natalie Zea an Overdue Spotlight
The Monahans-bred actor elevates this loopy, Lost-like sci-fi drama about a mom fighting her way out of a mysterious primeval world.
Film & TV
September 24, 2021
Dale Brisby’s Netflix Show Teaches Viewers How to Be Cowboys for the Instagram Age
The rancher and self-proclaimed rodeo legend has an ego the size of Texas, and he uses it for the good of the “cowboy cause.”
Film & TV
September 20, 2021
David Lowery Has a New Film About the Pandemic Already
The Dallas-based director's short is inscrutable, arty, and part of the excellent anthology ‘The Year of the Everlasting Storm.’
Music
September 16, 2021
‘The Nowhere Inn’ Delves Into St. Vincent but Leaves Plenty of Vacancies
Dallas’s mercurial pop phenom writes and stars in this loosely autobiographical satire that raises questions it doesn’t deign to answer.
Film & TV
September 14, 2021
‘Necessary Roughness’ Made Texas Football Into a Joke. But It Also Moved the Chains.
Kick off the football season with this underappreciated, Denton-filmed comedy, which captured some truths about Texas football that later, more-serious movies would expand on.
Film & TV
September 1, 2021
Was ‘Star Trek’ Creator Gene Roddenberry Really a Texan?
Roddenberry may have eschewed identifying with the state, but the stories he told carry a Texan DNA.
Film & TV
September 1, 2021
Your Comprehensive Fall 2021 Texas Film Guide
Cowboys, ghostbusters, and aliens, oh my! The autumn months are abloom with Texas actors, filmmakers, and locales on the big (and small) screen.
Film & TV
August 23, 2021
‘Only Murders in the Building’ Sends Up Our True-Crime Obsession
Helmed by Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, the show parodies and subverts the tropes of the true-crime genre.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
August 21, 2021
Dennis Quaid Is the True King of the Sports Movie
Forget Kevin Costner. The Houston native best captures the complex glory of American sports.
Film & TV
August 11, 2021
A User’s Guide to Austin’s New B-List Celebrities
Is that a Hollywood newcomer or just someone who works out a lot? How to tell the difference.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Texas History
August 6, 2021
In Memoriam: On MTV’s Fortieth Anniversary, Don’t Forget to Thank Michael Nesmith
The Texas native helped make the music video into an art form, and was instrumental in creating the network that defined a generation.
Film & TV
August 6, 2021
How Alvin Ailey Built a World Where Black Dancers Felt Free
A new documentary about the dance visionary from Rogers shows how he nurtured fellow artists—even while pushing them (and himself) relentlessly.
By Paula Mejía![Paula Mejía's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
August 5, 2021
‘Playing God’ Captures a Houston Rarely Seen on Screen
The debut feature from Scott Brignac, starring Alan Tudyk and Michael McKean, argues for Houston's place among film’s default “big cities."
Film & TV
August 4, 2021
A New Documentary Pens a Poignant Love Letter to Numbers, a Storied Houston Haunt
‘Friday I’m in Love’ delves into the fascinating history of the former dinner theater, gay disco, and frequent dance party locale.
By Paula Mejía![Paula Mejía's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
August 3, 2021
David Gordon Green Is Rebooting ‘The Exorcist.’ But Has He Really Lost His Soul to Hollywood?
The Richardson-raised filmmaker has traded arthouse dramas for horror remakes, but that’s always been part of the plan.
Film & TV
July 30, 2021
Dev Patel’s Sexy New Christmas Movie Is a Gorgeously Knotty Myth About Going to Meet Death
Dallas-based director David Lowery’s ‘The Green Knight’ goes medieval on a hoary romance of King Arthur and Camelot.
Film & TV
July 29, 2021
Austin’s Lukas Haas Brings Menace to the Otherwise-Dismal ‘Midnight in the Switchgrass’
Megan Fox and Bruce Willis star in the thriller, which is very loosely based on an infamous Texas serial killer.
Where To Stay Now
July 23, 2021
Time-Travel to 1920s El Paso at the Gardner Hotel
Plus: guitarist Cameron Knowler’s new album, Connie Britton in ‘The White Lotus,’ and a good ol’ country drive.
Film & TV
July 22, 2021
Raúl Castillo Is Ready for His Big Break
The McAllen-bred actor and writer, 43, was a fan favorite on HBO’s ‘Looking.’ Now he’s poised to become an action star.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
July 20, 2021
Thirty Years After ‘Slacker,’ the Film Is an Austin Time Capsule—And a Hopeful Tribute to Its Spirit
Richard Linklater’s film belongs in the canon of great Texas cinema.
Film & TV
July 15, 2021
‘Dr. Death’ Condemns Christopher Duntsch, but the Real Culprit Is Texas’s Broken Health-Care System
I helped break the story on the convicted surgeon, but Peacock’s dramatized series made me reconsider how I wrote about the case.
Film & TV
July 14, 2021
Everything We Know So Far About Wes Anderson’s ‘The French Dispatch’
At Cannes, the Houston native’s latest inspired a nine-minute standing ovation and equally fawning reviews.
Film & TV
July 13, 2021
Nava Mau Shines (and Subverts Transgender Stereotypes) on HBO’s ‘Genera+ion’
“When stories about trans people are created by trans people, it opens up a world of possibilities,” says the San Antonio–raised actress.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
July 3, 2021
‘The Harder They Fall’ Is About to Bring New Excitement to the Old-school Western
Starring North Texas's Jonathan Majors and featuring folk hero Bass Reeves, the film promises to let Black cowboys have fun for once.
Film & TV
July 2, 2021
Texas Executed Carlos DeLuna for Murder in 1989. A New Documentary Says He Was Innocent.
The Phantom stylishly portrays what most everybody knows: the 27-year-old Texan didn’t kill Wanda Lopez.
By Michael Hall![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
July 2, 2021
It’s Too Soon for ‘The Forever Purge’
The horror franchise attempts to skewer Trumpism, but the result makes for uncomfortable viewing.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
June 28, 2021
Is the World Finally Ready to See Selena Gomez as an Actor?
As the Grand Prairie native readies Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ her acting career seems primed for rebirth.
Film & TV
June 25, 2021
A Scintillating but Uneven New Documentary Probes the Life of Trini Lopez, a Legend in Plain Sight
The Dallas native was a live-wire entertainer who never shied away from his Mexican American roots.
By Paula Mejía![Paula Mejía's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
June 24, 2021
The Year Woody Harrelson Finally Became a Movie Star
Early in his career, Woody Harrelson couldn’t shake his reputation as the country rube from ‘Cheers.’ Here’s how that changed, starting 25 years ago.
Books
June 22, 2021
Texas Monthly Recommends: An Engrossing East Texas Novel
Stacey Swann's ‘Olympus, Texas’ is the read of the summer. Plus: a so-bad-it's-good reality show and Megan Thee Stallion on ‘Legendary.’
Film & TV
June 22, 2021
Hollywood Honors Texas’s Biggest Movie Star: The Chevy Suburban
The SUV will get a star in Arlington commemorating its thousands of movie and TV appearances.
Film & TV
June 16, 2021
Unsung Music Legend Tom Wilson Is Finally Getting His Own Movie
The Waco-born producer, instrumental to the careers of Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, and Frank Zappa, is the subject of an upcoming biopic.
Film & TV
June 16, 2021
Renée Elise Goldsberry Talks ‘Girls5eva,’ ‘Hamilton,’ and Her Renaissance-Woman Career
The Houston-raised actress has conquered Broadway and television. Now she’s about to smash music—and Marvel’s ‘She-Hulk’ series.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
June 14, 2021
Donny Cates’s ‘God Country’ Movie Will Bring Superheroes to Texas
The Austin-based artist is adapting his West Texas–set tale for the screen.
Film & TV
June 11, 2021
Chris Harrison Was Part of the Bachelor Franchise’s Problem
The Dallas native’s departure as host is the end of an era. And a welcome start to a new one.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
June 11, 2021
‘12 Mighty Orphans’ Is the Cornball Texas Football Movie We Need Right Now
The film, based on a true Fort Worth story and starring Dallas native Luke Wilson, is a welcome post-pandemic balm.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
June 10, 2021
Bachelor Franchise Host Chris Harrison Was Great Until He Wasn’t
The Dallas native’s departure as host of the ABC reality series is a shake-up that viewers didn’t know they needed.
Film & TV
June 10, 2021
Jensen Ackles Is Finally Realizing His Superhero Dreams as Soldier Boy
The Richardson-bred actor and former ‘Supernatural’ star has two major roles this year, after a lifetime of near-misses.
Film & TV
June 9, 2021
Jeff Nichols Is the Perfect Director for the Next ‘A Quiet Place’
The Texas filmmaker has built his career on escalating tension and dread.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
June 7, 2021
Everything We Know About Robert Rodriguez’s Austin Film With Ben Affleck
Prepare for paparazzi photos of Ben wistfully vaping near Lady Bird Lake.
Film & TV
June 4, 2021
Texas Monthly Recommends: A Farm-to-Table Fredericksburg Restaurant
Plus, a really good lemon cookie and an upbeat musical on Netflix.
Film & TV
June 3, 2021
All Hail Jesse Plemons
The actor from Mart, Texas, is becoming a full-fledged leading man in Hollywood.
Film & TV
May 29, 2021
Since U Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson Has Taken Over Daytime TV
The Burleson native will inherit Ellen DeGeneres’s time slot, and the future of daytime talk.
Film & TV
May 26, 2021
‘High on the Hog’ Rewrites Food History On-screen
The new Netflix documentary series reclaims African American culinary and cultural contributions to the U.S. with the utmost care.
Film & TV
May 26, 2021
Port Neches’s Andrew Dismukes Had a Great First Year on ‘SNL’
The hero of every small-town Texan class clown has blazed a new path to 30 Rockefeller.
Film & TV
May 18, 2021
‘The Get Together’ Throws a Party Even Shakey Graves Can’t Save
Texas filmmaker Will Bakke’s latest movie offers only a glimpse of the joys and pains of young adulthood.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Film & TV
May 18, 2021
Eva Longoria’s Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Movie May Be Based on a Frito-Lie
Plano probably had more to do with the invention of the snack than Richard Montañez's inspirational tale did.
Film & TV
May 7, 2021
Historic 6666 Ranch Almost Twice the Size of Chicago Gets the Perfect Steward
Imagine all the westerns filmmaker Taylor Sheridan could shoot on 266,000 acres of property.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Music
May 7, 2021
50 Cent Is Texas’s Newest Celebrity Transplant
Plus, Megan Thee Stallion talks to pets, Shea Serrano turns his childhood into a sitcom, and Eva Longoria brings Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to the big screen.