Best and Worst Movies About Texans/Texas (Houston, Dallas: buyer, club)

[radiolibre99]

Blood Simple, Dazed and Confused, Lone Star, Office Space, Giant, Rushmore, Rush and the Last Picture Show.

[clcrash29]

Bottle Rocket was filmed in Dallas and a great movie..

Dallas buyers club although filmed in louisana, was great and matthew was great in his reprise on ron woodruf.

Aint them bodies saints was greatness as well, directed by david lowery (native texan)

Don't forget oliver stone's movies in texas, he is a huge fan and has filmed a bunch of movies here.. JFK, Born on the fourth of July, Talk Radio, Any given sunday (texas stadium)

[radiolibre99]

Forgot about Bottle Rocket and Dallas Buyers Club

[L210]

I like Bernie and hate No Country for Old Men. Leonardo DiCaprio's accents always bother me, but I can't tell if his accent in Aviator is accurate or not because there are also time period differences in accents in addition to regional differences. Also, those in Hollywood would pick up a certain accent back then. When I watch videos of Howard Hughes speaking, he doesn't sound very Texan, at least not a modern Texan.

[hound 109]

So what does everyone think of "The Son", the Mini Series that just finished it's season on AMC ?

I liked it, but didn't love it. Fascinating story (& I believe a book) with two story lines. A 15-19 year old boy captured by the Comanches in 1845 or 1846 & then a second story line 65 -70 years later showing this same character as a crusty ex-Texas Ranger & Patriarch of a cattle ranch that is transitioning to drilling for Oil (in South Texas) in the years prior to WW1. Random Comments:

- Filmed just west of Dripping Springs (& i think they use the old town DS as the tiny town near the ranch). Pretty scenery.

- Pierce Brosnan does a pretty good job as the old ranger, but doesn't look a day over 68, so in some ways the story line doesn't make sense (since he should be in his 80s). But I just pretend that 15 years disappears...so in my head, it works.

- I like both of the Brosnan's sons, the granddaughter, the Hispanic patriarch and his pretty daughter, & also the sheriff and the racist instigator in town (who i think owns the bar). Great Actors all.

- Mrs. Hound lasted 15 minutes. Once the Comanches attacked the home on the prairie (dragging the mom & kids outside and doing unspeakable things.....she was outa there. Watched the other 9 3/4 episodes by myself.

- There will be a second season. It will be interesting as the young boy story line continues. (He becomes a Ranger. The Civil War. Reconstruction. Has a family. Indian hostilities. Becomes a Patriarch.) I'm thinking the grand daughter (and gay son?) story line will be interesting as well if they run this through WW1, the roaring 20s, the Depression & possibly WW2?


Another reason I like this show (& bring it up here on CD) is that there are SO MANY newcomers who assume that Texas is "a part of the South", when in fact only the far eastern part (to me) would be considered Southern. No other state in "The South" fought for it's own independence and was it's own country for 9 years. Or had to deal with Indians for 30-40 years (who wanted to capture children for slaves and and scalp most everyone else). No other state had a force like the Rangers. Or had anywhere near as much of an Oil Industry (yes, I know LA has one) or a Cattle Industry.

There were a tiny number of black slaves in Texas (& most of them were in the Eastern part of the state & for less than 2 decades).....But we have a 200 year history with Hispanics (much of it awful and brutal and much of it fabulous and celebrated) that defines us much more than a 15 year period as a "slavery state" - in the eastern 1/4 of the state - ever did.

Texas has southern influences, midwestern influences, southwestern influences, and a significant 200 year hispanic influence.....along with an Independent streak (maybe because we were an independent country....or maybe because we were on our own on the frontier.....or maybe because of both). Some of us feel because of ALL of these influences (& because of our size) we are our own Region. (& not a sub set of any other). This mini series does a good job of showing why.

If you want to catch this show, I believe it's "On Demand" on AMC. (I watched all 10 episodes in the past week). Anybody else see it ?

[Arkay66]

Originally Posted by hooky hornstein

But I notice you’re all very positive. Aside from one askance view of Urban Cowboy, you’re all listing movies you like. Have any of you ever seen a movie about Texans or Texas that just made you groan?

There are so very many bad ones that it's so much easier to list the good ones.

For example:

Secondhand Lions was filmed in Lockhart. Although the stars are a Cockney and a Virginian, they came close enough to a Texas drawl that I was fine with it. It's a lovely little movie.

The Alamo, John Wayne's baby, was filmed in Breckenridge. That terrain, however, is not the terrain around where the real Alamo is located. But at least it was filmed in Texas. It's not a terrible movie, but definitely not a great movie.

The Hellfighters was filmed in a lot of places, but featured Houston's skyline in 1968. Also filmed in Conroe and Baytown. Red Adair even had a cameo in this movie based on his life and career.

Michael, where John Travolta plays the archangel, has a dance hall scene filmed at Gruene Hall. The rest of the movie is in the Midwest, but that scene was cool and I like Gruene Hall, so here it is.

Rio Lobo is supposed to be taking place in Texas, but it was filmed in Arizona and Mexico, so I could never really figure out just where in Texas it was supposed to be. Still, I really like the movie, mainly because the supporting characters are so good. And it has the best opening sequence I've ever seen, filming a guitar player's hand from inside the guitar.

[txtea]

The Alamo, with John Wayne, was filmed outside of Brackettville....not Breckenridge.
Actually, the terrain there is pretty close to the way it looked in San Antonio in the 1830's.
The 2004 version filmed outside of Dripping Springs was much more historically accurate than John Wayne's version.

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by hound 109

So what does everyone think of "The Son", the Mini Series that just finished it's season on AMC ?

I liked it, but didn't love it. Fascinating story (& I believe a book) with two story lines. A 15-19 year old boy captured by the Comanches in 1845 or 1846 & then a second story line 65 -70 years later showing this same character as a crusty ex-Texas Ranger & Patriarch of a cattle ranch that is transitioning to drilling for Oil (in South Texas) in the years prior to WW1. Random Comments:

- Filmed just west of Dripping Springs (& i think they use the old town DS as the tiny town near the ranch). Pretty scenery.

- Pierce Brosnan does a pretty good job as the old ranger, but doesn't look a day over 68, so in some ways the story line doesn't make sense (since he should be in his 80s). But I just pretend that 15 years disappears...so in my head, it works.

- I like both of the Brosnan's sons, the granddaughter, the Hispanic patriarch and his pretty daughter, & also the sheriff and the racist instigator in town (who i think owns the bar). Great Actors all.

- Mrs. Hound lasted 15 minutes. Once the Comanches attacked the home on the prairie (dragging the mom & kids outside and doing unspeakable things.....she was outa there. Watched the other 9 3/4 episodes by myself.

- There will be a second season. It will be interesting as the young boy story line continues. (He becomes a Ranger. The Civil War. Reconstruction. Has a family. Indian hostilities. Becomes a Patriarch.) I'm thinking the grand daughter (and gay son?) story line will be interesting as well if they run this through WW1, the roaring 20s, the Depression & possibly WW2?


Another reason I like this show (& bring it up here on CD) is that there are SO MANY newcomers who assume that Texas is "a part of the South", when in fact only the far eastern part (to me) would be considered Southern. No other state in "The South" fought for it's own independence and was it's own country for 9 years. Or had to deal with Indians for 30-40 years (who wanted to capture children for slaves and and scalp most everyone else). No other state had a force like the Rangers. Or had anywhere near as much of an Oil Industry (yes, I know LA has one) or a Cattle Industry.

There were a tiny number of black slaves in Texas (& most of them were in the Eastern part of the state & for less than 2 decades).....But we have a 200 year history with Hispanics (much of it awful and brutal and much of it fabulous and celebrated) that defines us much more than a 15 year period as a "slavery state" - in the eastern 1/4 of the state - ever did.

Texas has southern influences, midwestern influences, southwestern influences, and a significant 200 year hispanic influence.....along with an Independent streak (maybe because we were an independent country....or maybe because we were on our own on the frontier.....or maybe because of both). Some of us feel because of ALL of these influences (& because of our size) we are our own Region. (& not a sub set of any other). This mini series does a good job of showing why.

If you want to catch this show, I believe it's "On Demand" on AMC. (I watched all 10 episodes in the past week). Anybody else see it ?

I watched it enthusiastically. I have been reading the Lonesome Dove series by McMurtry and the ads for "The Son" caught my eye since the story dovetailed with LD. I actually started a thread on it some months back here on CD.

Overall, I thought it was solid. Most of the acting was good, despite some problems with accents in both English and Spanish. I look forward to season two.

@ rest of thread:
Couldn't disagree more strongly regarding "No Country for Old Men". What a fantastic movie that is! I agree with Last Picture, Giant, Bottle Rockets, Rushmore, Dallas Buyers, Bernie, Boyhood, and a few others mentioned as great films either made in TX or set in TX.

[C24L]

I think Friday Night Lights is a good movie. Holes was disappointing because it wasnt filmed in Texas.

[txtea]

Surprised no one mentioned " A Perfect World" with Kevin Costner, Laura Dern and Clint Eastwood.
Filmed in and around Martindale, Tx. and released in 1993.
Eastwood directed the movie and played a Texas Ranger in pursuit of escaped felon Costner.
Good movie.