Film & TV Archives

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.

By

Gabriel Luna lit on fire as Marvel's ghost rider.

Film & TV|

May 1, 2019

Marvel’s ‘Ghost Rider’ TV Series Will Bring Superheroics to the Texas Border

Austin native Gabriel Luna will reprise his role as the title character of the just-announced Hulu original.

By

Film & TV|

April 24, 2019

The Ethan Hawkaissance Continues in ‘Stockholm’

The Texas native delivers another attention-worthy performance.

By

Film & TV|

April 12, 2019

‘Action’ Producer Bradley Jackson on the Odds of Texas Legalizing Sports Gambling

The documentary filmmaker spent six months investigating the world of gambling from all sides.

By

Film & TV|

April 8, 2019

Beyoncé’s Netflix Documentary Looks Amazing

Queen Bey’s unforgettable 2018 Coachella set gets a feature-length documentary.

By

Gabrielle Ruiz attends the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on March 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.

Film & TV|

April 4, 2019

Gabrielle Ruiz of ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ on Breaking Out of the Rio Grande Valley and Into Hollywood

The Edinburg native talks about her hometown, her role models growing up, and how she mentors aspiring actors in the RGV.

By

The National Podcast of Texas|

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.

By Andy Langer

Leslie crossing South Congress in Austin, Texas.

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.

By

Texas Film Hall of Famer and director John Lee Hancock

The National Podcast of Texas|

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.

By Texas Monthly

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.

By

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.

By Texas Monthly

Roby Attal and Lauren Hatfield in a scene from Robert Rodriguez’s Red 11.

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.

By

A scene from director Brent Hodge’s documentary Who Let the Dogs Out.

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.

By

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.

By

Filmmaker Rick Alverson and actor Tye Sheridan at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2015 in Park City, Utah.

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.

By

Woody Harrelson and Kevin Costner play Maney Gault and Frank Hamer in Netflix’s “The Highwaymen.”

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.

By

Lupita Nyong'o attends the 'Us' premiere at the Paramount Theater on March 8, 2019.

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

By

Riley Stearns, director of 'The Art of Self-Defense'

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.

By

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.

By Jason Cohen

Harold and Gunter got more than they bargained for in

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.

By

In 2013, 'Short Term 12' won the Grand Jury Award at SXSW. Here, Lakeith Stanfield, Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever, Destin Cretton, Brie Larson, and John Gallagher Jr. pose with the award.

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.

By

Director Robert Rodriguez, Keean Johnson, and Rosa Salazar on the set of Twentieth Century Fox’s 'Alita: Battle Angel.'

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.

By

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.

By

Sheriff Joe Haladin, played by Austin songwriter Jeff Weber, in My Stretch of Texas Ground.

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.”

By

Gary Clark Jr. performs onstage at the 60th annual Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018, in New York.

Music|

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.

By Texas Monthly

Matthew McConaughey at the premiere of 'White Boy Rick' in London on November 27, 2018.

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.

By

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?

By

The National Podcast of Texas|

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.

By Andy Langer

Style & Design|

February 15, 2019

Texas Monthly Recommends: Brandon Maxwell of ‘Project Runway’ Delights in Texas Glamor With a Fabulous Spring/Summer Line Video

Plus, garage rock from Texas City, Tejano rock n’ roll from San Antonio, and surviving a fictional rapture in small-town Texas.

By Texas Monthly

Director Robert Rodriguez attends the 'Alita: Battle Angel' world premiere on January 31, 2019 in London, England.

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?

By

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.

By

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.

By Charley Locke

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.

By Julia Jones

William Jackson Harper playing Chidi Anagonye on 'The Good Place'

Film & TV|

January 24, 2019

‘The Good Place’ Actor William Jackson Harper on Playing Chidi, the Dallas Civil Rights Movement, and Ted Danson

And no, he has has no idea what will happen in season four, either.

By

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.

By Charley Locke

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.

By Charley Locke

Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Saniyya Sidney in The Passage premiering Monday, Jan. 14. As an imminent flu epidemic threatens the U.S., Federal Agent Brad Wolgast (Gosselaar) is tasked with bringing in the experiment’s latest chosen test subject, a ten-year-old girl, Amy Bellafonte (Sidney).

Film & TV|

January 11, 2019

‘The Passage’: Love at First Bite

Best-selling author and Rice University professor Justin Cronin, who wrote 'The Passage' trilogy, on taking his work from the page to the screen.

By Dan Oko

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.

By Charley Locke