Best and Worst Movies About Texans/Texas (Houston, Austin: shop, trailer)

[NoClueWho]

Can't believe No Country For Old Men is getting so much hate in this thread. Most Texans I know who have seen it LOVE it, me included!!!!!

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Mentallect

Can't believe No Country For Old Men is getting so much hate in this thread. Most Texans I know who have seen it LOVE it, me included!!!!!

I'll throw my hate in the pile too. And I personally don't know ANYONE in my circle of Texas friends who likes that movie.

But to each his own. Art is very subjective. After all, I love the movie Natural Born Killers but when I tell people that, most of them say, "Ugh. I hated that movie."

[DanielWayne]

Originally Posted by Mentallect

Can't believe No Country For Old Men is getting so much hate in this thread. Most Texans I know who have seen it LOVE it, me included!!!!!

I liked it a lot, although it did creep me out in so many ways. But that is the point - it was meant to creep you out (especially Anton Chigurh). And for that, they nailed it.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by Mentallect

Can't believe No Country For Old Men is getting so much hate in this thread. Most Texans I know who have seen it LOVE it, me included!!!!!

I'm a native Texan from El Paso and I certainly fell fall short of "loving it." And Cormac McCarthy is one of my all-time favorite authors, but I felt the novel of the same name was one of his weaker efforts.

It's no secret that movies are not always shot "on locations" in the story lines. And No Country for Old Men is no exception. Here is a list of actual filming locations.

Marfa, Texas, USA

Las Vegas, New Mexico, USA

Piedras Negras, Coahuíla, Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA

Desert Sands Motel - 5000 Central Avenue SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
(motel gunfight)

El Camino Motel & Restaurant - 1152 North Grand Avenue, Las Vegas, New Mexico, USA

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
(gun range, interior and exterior)

Garson Studios, College of Santa Fe - 1600 Saint Michaels Drive, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Desert Sands Motor Hotel - 5000 Central Ave SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

[hooky hornstein]

Originally Posted by joqua

I'm a native Texan from El Paso and I certainly fell fall short of "loving it." And Cormac McCarthy is one of my all-time favorite authors, but I felt the novel of the same name was one of his weaker efforts.

It's no secret that movies are not always shot "on locations" in the story lines. And No Country for Old Men is no exception. Here is a list of actual filming locations.
...

Mornin', joqua. I see from your location you're in the Sacramento Mountains of NM. Nice.

You know, I always figured I'd spend the rest of my life in the Austin area, but over the last few summers, the fam and I have traveled to Ruidoso and Cloud Croft and it sure is hard to come home to the Texas heat. Now days I'm thinking I that as soon as the kids move out, the missus and I might sell the place in Austin and buy two smaller places - one at the coast (say some place relatively inexpensive like Ingleside) and one in NM (in someplace like High Rolls).

Think NM could stand a couple more Texans six months of the year?

[hooky hornstein]

Originally Posted by Mentallect

Can't believe No Country For Old Men is getting so much hate in this thread. Most Texans I know who have seen it LOVE it, me included!!!!!

Apparently I need to see that one to see which side of the fence I'd fall into.

Didn't that come out about the same time There Will Be Blood came out? I think There Will Be Blood was filmed in Texas though I believe it was set in California. I remember they sat and looked at the ocean.

Grim but interesting. Always figured No Country For Old Men would be about the same - grim but interesting.

[hooky hornstein]

Hmm... the plot summary on imdb for No Country For Old Men sounds a lot like A Simple Plan. What's the old saying? There are only seven plots in literature. Or something like that?

[hooky hornstein]

Originally Posted by OscarLevant

How come no one has mentioned the awesomeness that is Machete or Machete Kills ?

They are just flat out fun.. hoping they do the third installment sooner than later.

I love those movies.

[DetailSymbolizes]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

Again Richard Linklater! Brilliant director.

Yes, he captured in Slacker that late 80s/early 90s UT west campus life perfectly. I consider that movie a documentary. Oh nostalgia....

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by Mentallect

Can't believe No Country For Old Men is getting so much hate in this thread. Most Texans I know who have seen it LOVE it, me included!!!!!

I don't hate it, I like it a lot. It's on my list of movies (set in Texas) that one definitely should see. It's just not as good a movie as Fargo, Miller's Crossing, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, & 4 other Coen Brothers movies. It's also not as good as 3 Burials (which was similar and came out 2 years earlier).

But it's on my list of 11 movies set in Texas that people should really see (what a segue)....even if they're not one of the 12 Best Texas Movies of all time (mentioned above). These 11 second tier (but must see) movies include (in no particular order):

- Giant - Over the top, lots of historical whoppers, awful acting by the 3 lead male characters, but a must see.
- Blood Simple - cool, film noir type movie. Set in Austin.
- Glory Road - Film about Texas Western University (now UTEP) and the first all black NCAA Basketball National Champs. Typical, fun, historical, inspiring, sports flick. (kind of like Hoosiers, Miracle on Ice etc.) Hoosiers is a better movie though.
- JFK - Oliver Stone makes a hell of a movie, but too many whoppers in this one. (Along with Giant, this one makes BOTH my "10 worst" and also my "must-see" lists.)
- Buddy Holly Story - Nobody has mentioned it, so I will. Almost made my top 12 list. A very good (not great) movie about one of the greatest rock & roll artists of all time. Busey was pretty good and the early scenes when he's in HS are pretty cool (kind of goes downhill in New York though.)
- Smokey & the Bandit - Huh? Am I nuts? Look, it's really very simple. The character Buford T Justice is a TEXAS Sheriff (in this movie) & every scene (with Jackie Gleason as Sheriff Justice) is comedy gold. Even if you don't watch this fairly lame Burt & Sally movie, go ahead & youtube all of Gleason's scenes. They are spit out your Dr. Pepper funny. & if you don't, I'm gonna have to go home & slap your mama.
- Office Space - funny, funny stuff (even if it does have a low budget feel).
- HUD - Kind of like Giant, (but not as fun, even if it is a better movie). Kind of like Last Picture Show, but the characters don't feel as believable (or likable) as the Last Picture Show. But it's a good film with very good acting by Neal, Newman and Douglas.
- Big Hand for the Little Lady - OK, here's your sleeper movie. I've seen it in the past year and it hasn't aged at all. This is a FUN movie, with great acting from Joanne Woodward, Jason Robards, Kevin McCarthy (what a neat actor he was), Burgess Meredith, Charles Pickford & even Henry Fonda. A very clever story (won't say anything more than that) & I love the several old character actors that we've seen in many Westerns (Paul Ford as the Banker, Paul Qualen, Ned Glass, James Griffith & others). I should have had this one on my top 12 list. Woodward is Fabulous.
- The Getaway - (the original) - It's a cool, violent movie (another Peckinpah movie) and McQueen was a stud. (It also has Slim Pickens (who's hilarious), Ben Johnson & Bo Hopkins & others). Give it a watch.
- No Country for Old Men - It's got Tommy Lee and a cool villain. Good, violent flick.