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
Incisive criticism, features, and news related to Texans on the screen—and behind the camera
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Books
January 21, 2022
Texas Monthly Recommends: A True-Crime Tale of Two Murders
‘Blood and Money’ has it all: new oil money, an equestrian heiress, a handsome plastic surgeon, River Oaks mansions, and gossip-worthy trials.
Film & TV
January 19, 2022
‘Cheer’ Season Two Is Almost Unrecognizable
The popular Netflix cheerleading docuseries, set in Corsicana and Athens, takes a nosedive from feel-good to deeply disturbing.
Film & TV
January 19, 2022
Edi Patterson Is the Holy Terror of ‘The Righteous Gemstones’
The Texas City native and star of the hit HBO comedy series talks Judy Gemstone, ham slices, and why there’s nothing worse than someone trying to be funny.
Film & TV
January 18, 2022
‘How I Met Your Father’ Is a Casualty of the Nostalgia Machine
The gender-swapped sequel will be an easy watch for sitcom fans, but the callbacks and in-jokes tip into the saccharine.
Film & TV
January 13, 2022
Goodbye to ‘Search Party,’ the Show That Satirized a Generation
Comedies must choose whether to punch up or punch down; watching ‘Search Party’ has always made me feel like I’m punching myself.
Film & TV
January 6, 2022
The New ‘Queer Eye’ Season Is a Healing Work of Pandemic Art
Can the Fab Five help a society ravaged by grief recover? The answer is yas.
Film & TV
January 5, 2022
‘Yellowstone’ Is the Country’s Biggest TV Sensation. Why Are Critics Shrugging?
The Yellowstone prequel series ‘1883’ was a smash hit—and just the beginning for Taylor Sheridan’s western empire. Only viewers seem to care.
Film & TV
December 21, 2021
Ten Notable Performances From Texan Actors in 2021
From newcomers to reliable veterans to a pop star remaking her TV career, these were the actors worth watching this year.
Film & TV
December 17, 2021
Texas Monthly Recommends: A Contemplative, Beautifully Shot Western
‘The Power of the Dog,’ featuring Dallas-born Jesse Plemons, is well worth your time.
Film & TV
December 17, 2021
HBO and HBO Max to Get First Dibs on Texas Monthly Stories
The premier entertainment brands are entering a three-year deal with the National Magazine of Texas that gives them a “first look” at articles and podcasts they’re interested in adapting as TV series.
Music
December 17, 2021
The Texan Who Saved the Beatles
In Peter Jackson’s documentary ‘The Beatles: Get Back,’ Houston-born pianist Billy Preston makes a strong case for himself as the fifth Beatle.
Film & TV
December 17, 2021
‘The Tender Bar’ Pours Out a Warm, Flat Coming-of-age Drama
Texas actor Tye Sheridan stars alongside Ben Affleck in the sentimental yet skippable story of an aspiring writer, directed by George Clooney.
Film & TV
December 14, 2021
‘The Novice’ Puts a Nightmare Spin on the Traditional Sports Movie
The unnerving feature debut from Red Oak native Lauren Hadaway plumbs the gloomy depths beneath a college rower’s quest for greatness.
Film & TV
December 13, 2021
There’s Nothing New About ‘Twentysomethings: Austin,’ and That’s Precisely Its Appeal
The cringey Netflix show strikes the classic reality-TV balance of being both hard to watch and impossible to turn off.
Film & TV
December 9, 2021
Texas Could Sure Use a Man Like Hank Hill, I Tell You What
Twenty-five years later, Mike Judge’s ‘King of the Hill’ still captures something essential about Texans and Texas life. But are there any Hank Hills left?
Film & TV
December 8, 2021
‘The Chosen’ Is Christian TV That Even Heretics Can Get Behind
The streaming phenomenon, produced just outside of Dallas, is winning converts with its ‘Friday Night Lights’ spin on faith.
Film & TV
December 8, 2021
Skip ‘The Freak Brothers,’ and Read the Original Comics by Its Texan Creator Instead
The new show has a strong premise that’s derailed by cheap laughs. But cartoonist Gilbert Shelton’s counterculture strips are still great.
Film & TV
December 3, 2021
Filmed During Lockdown, ‘Red Stone’ Is a Return to Normal, Mediocre Thrillers
Fort Worth writer-director Derek Presley overcame unprecedented odds to make his otherwise unremarkable thriller about a tormented hit man.
Film & TV
December 1, 2021
Sean Baker’s Provocative ‘Red Rocket’ Gets Down and Dirty in Texas City
The latest from the director of ‘The Florida Project’ sees a scheming former porn star wash up along Texas’s Gulf Coast.