Dad's Genre Lists

Texas Tales

Roamed have I, but still... my soul, my lineage, is bonded to the Lone Star State.

Been called a Yankee. A traitor. "You ain't "one of us no more!"

But I don't mind. I know who I am, and that is a son of Texas, tried and true.

These tall tales from the silver screen remind me of home. Some are set in Texas, some just feel like Texas.

1. Lonesome Dove
2. The Searchers
3. No Country For Old Men
4. Sling Blade
5. Trip to Bountiful
6. Office Space
7. Places in the Heart
8. Friday Night Lights
9. A Bad Day at Black Rock
10. Old Yeller
11. Sicario
12. Hell or High Water
13. Lone Star
14. Tender Mercies
15. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
16. Dallas Buyer's Club
17. Hud
18. The Alamo
19. All the Pretty Horses
20. Bonnie and Clyde

Starring: Matt Damon, Henry Thomas, Lucas Black, Penélope Cruz, Ruben Blades, Robert Patrick, Bruce Dern, Sam Shepard

"I guess the country lasts forever, people ain't but for a little while." - John Grady Cole

Why watch this? A beautiful Western with a tragic, forbidden romance.

Dad's Review: One thing that I always heard growing up in Texas: under no circumstance do you want to end up in a Mexican jail. Set in 1949, this film follows two Texas cowboys, John and Lacey, who head to Mexico "because it's there". They eventually find work at a huge ranch and show their value working with horses. One of them falls for the ranch owner's beautiful daughter. Her father does not approve, so one night they are hauled away to a brutal Mexican prison. The cinematography stands out, showing the beauty of Mexico, as the two young cowboys struggle to survive the ordeal. 

Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon, Linda Cristal, Chill Wills, Ken Curtis, Joseph Calleia, Patrick Wayne, Jester Hairston, Richard Boone

"There's right and there's wrong. You got to do one or the other. You do the one and you're living. You do the other and you may be walking around, but you're dead as a beaver hat." - Davy Crockett

Why watch this? It don't get more Texas than this.

Dad's Review: In elementary school, we learned Texas history, and no single event carried more weight, or heroism, than the 1836 battle for the Alamo. The Duke finally created his own independent film company, Batjac, so he could make this film. He threw everything he had into this epic film, which was his directorial debut. This was a film he truly felt he had to make. It's massive, emotional and one of my favorites. Duke is perfect as Tenn. senator Davy Crockett.  

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Walter Brennan, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Dean Jagger, John Ericson

"I think somethin' kind of bad happened here, somethin' I can't quite seem to find the handle to." – John J. Macreedy

Why watch this? With a sparse desert backdrop, this is one tense film, a real nail-bitter.

Dad's Review: There is a way that Spencer Tracy handles himself - Quiet. Confident. Purposeful. He's a great "everyman". Here he visits a small town, and the residents are not very welcoming. When he starts asking questions, matters get worse. However, he has a reason for coming to Black Rock, and he has to see it through to the end. This film has tension you can cut with a knife. Special recognition to Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin as the two local thugs. The always dependable Walter Brennan delivers a great performance, too.

Starring: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh,

"Now, in Russia, they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else... that's the theory, anyway. But what I know about is Texas, an' down here... you're on your own." - Private Detective Visser

Why watch this? Love triangles usually end badly. In Texas, there's usually a body count.

Dad's Review: A bar owner hires a private dick to catch his bartender in relations with his mousy wife. When he gets the pictures, it's time to stage the lover's untimely deaths. This twisting take of plots and betrayals is one of the Coen brother's first films. It's memorable and oozes sexuality. This was also Frances McDormand's first memorable role. 

Starring: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Denver Pyle, Dub Taylor, Gene Wilder

"This here's Miss Bonnie Parker. I'm Clyde Barrow. We rob banks." - Clyde Barrow

Why watch this? To some poor folks, the Barrow gangsters were heroes. The Texas law saw it differently.

Dad's Review: This story chronicles real-life Texas-born bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who rampaged in the South during the Great Depression. This film introduced a more realistic type of film-making, breaking more gritty ground. It is both brilliant and violently sometimes hard-to-watch. The film's brutal ending is now considered one of cinema's most iconic moments.

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zahn, Denis O'Hare, Michael O'Neill, Dallas Roberts, Griffin Dunne

"Sometimes I feel like I'm fighting for a life I ain't got time to live." – Ron Woodruff

Why watch this? The performances by McConaughey and Leto both won Oscars.

Dad's Review: This is the film you simply cannot take your eyes off. It pulls you in and holds your attention until you see where it is going. A rough, homophobic cowboy, Ron, finds out he has AIDS and only 30 days to live. This starts a mad scramble as Ron searches for ways to stay alive. It takes him to Mexico, and a doctor that can treat him with unapproved medications. Ron comes back to America and sets up a "Club" to sell these treatments to other with the disease. You will cheer, scream with rage, and feel your heart break.

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, Lucas Black, Garrett Hedlund, Tim McGraw

"Gentlemen, the hopes and dreams of an entire town are riding on your shoulders. You may never matter again in your life as much as you do right now." –  Coach Gary Gaines

Why watch this film? It is an intense look at the rewards and brutal costs of high school football.

Dad's Review: The Glory Days. High school football was, and still is, one of America's great unique experiences. However, like anything where males are glorified, there is a price. Injuries. Toxic masculinity that creates bullies. Obsessed Coaches. As a former player, I've seen it all. Football also saved a fat little kid, taught him the value of hard work, and put him on the path to becoming a good and decent man and father. This realistically captures all that and more.

Starring: Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham, Marin Ireland, Dale Dickey, William Sterchi, Buck Taylor, Kristin K. Berg

"I am a Comanche. Do you know what it means? It means 'Enemy to everyone'." - Bear

Why watch this? This is a great Texas crime film.

Dad's Review: Texas, with its sparse, angry-poor landscapes, is such a great setting for the crimes that poverty breeds. Here we have two brothers, both tough as nails, one fresh out of jail. The other just wants to rob that last bank that will set him up enough to go straight. A seasoned sheriff is hot on their trail, and stuff gets nasty when they finally catch up to them.

Starring: John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond, Michael Pate, James Arness, Leo Gordon, Lassie

"You baked today. I can smell fresh bread on you. You smell all over like soap. You took a bath, and on top of that you smell all over like a woman. I could find you in the dark, Mrs. Lowe, and I’m only part Indian." - Hondo Lane

Why watch this? This was Wayne's favorite Western novel and film. Mine, too.

Dad's Review: John Wayne had a special place in his heart for this film. His estate kept it out of public distribution for many years after the Duke’s death in 1972. In 1990, I was working in California for EDS. It was announced that a local cable TV channel was going to air Hondo - in 3D! Special 3-D glasses were available at the station! That first viewing won me over. It is so easy to watch. Wayne's so very comfortable as the independent, quiet, honorable man-of-action. Here he helps a woman who has been deserted by her husband. 

Starring: Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal, Brandon deWilde, Whit Bissell, Crahan Denton, John Ashley, Val Avery

"That's the shame of it because you don't value anything. You don't respect nothing. You keep no check on your appetites at all. You live just for yourself." – Homer Bannon

Why watch this? I applaud Paul Newman's role choices. This one fits him

Dad's Review: Paul Newman’s performance in this film is vintage Windham. The Windham's were my grandmother's side. The men were good-looking and blue-eyed charming. Some of them could also be tough, mean, and very much like the character Hud in this film. It's very realistic to the plights of West Texas, right down to the scene where they have to shoot the entire cattle herd because of foot-and-mouth disease. My family had had to perform that grim task.

Starring: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Clu Gulager, Sam Bottoms, Randy Quaid

"You wouldn't believe how this country's changed. First time I seen it, there wasn't a mesquite tree on it. Or, a prickly pear neither. I used to own this land, you know." – Sam the Lion

Why watch this? A bittersweet story about living in a dying Texas town in 1951.

Dad's Review: There ain't much to do in the Little oil town of Anarene. For the population, it is a painful existence. As we get to know them, we wonder who will be swallowed up and who will escape. This well-crafted film perfectly sets the mood, and we can picture scenes like this playing out in real Texas hamlets like Odessa, Abilene, Waco and Mineral Wells. Many of its young actors became majors stars, but it's veteran actor Ben Johnson who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Starring: Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Matthew McConaughey, Ron Canada, Elizabeth Peña, Joe Morton

"I remember Charlie Wade come to my father's hardware store once...The man winked at me. I peed my pants." – Ben Wetzel

Why watch this? Another Texas tale of hard-case murder and forbidden relationships.

Dad's Review: I didn’t expect to like this film, back in the 90’s. I was not a huge McConaughey or Kristofferson fan, but man, did they both won me over. They really shine. That said, the rock of this south Texas crime drama is Chris Cooper. He’s quiet and complex. The plot is rich and developed. We follow several unrelated stories, working on old mysteries with new information. It all leads to a rewarding revelation. This is fine film-making by director John Sayles.

Starring: Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, Diane Lane, Robert Urich, Frederic Forrest, D. B. Sweeney, Ricky Schroder, Anjelica Huston, Chris Cooper, Tim Scott, Glenne Headly

"You know the men you're a' huntin' are two of the most famous Texas rangers that ever lived." – Roscoe Brown

Why watch this film? This film captures the mannerisms of real cow-folk that I grew up working with.

Dad's Review: Yes, this film covers territory across the Great Plaines on the trail to Montana, but it starts in a little "fart of a town" along the Texas border. It all builds from the films first two hours in Lonesome Dove, where two business partners decide to leave it all for adventure and the paradise of Northern pastures.

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Barry Corbin

"I'm fixin' to do somethin' dumbern' hell but I'm goin' anyways. If I don't come back, tell Mother I love her." – Llewelyn Moss

Why watch this film? The Coen brothers nail this neo-Western about a simple sheriff looking for a killer.

Dad's Review: This film's most memorable character is Anton Chigurh (Bardem's breakthrough role) as a merciless hit man hired to find the missing drug-deal money, but there are many more stellar performances. This taut thriller will keep you on edge of your seat. The suspense is intense as Chigurh mercilessly pursues Llewelyn and the money. Steady Sheriff Bell is always two steps behind, usually only able to witness the deadly aftermath of events he could not prevent.

Starring: Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, G.D. Spradlin, Dayle Haddon, Bo Svenson, John Matuszak, Marshall Colt, Steve Forrest, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning

"You had better learn how to play the game, and I don't mean just the game of football." - Maxwell

Why watch this? As a Dallas Cowboy fan, I loved this raunchy 70's comedy about the highs and lows of pro football.

Dad's Review: This dramatic comedy, about the ugly side of Pro Football, features the adorably gruff Nick Nolte and Top 40 recording artist Mac Davis (whose acting skills surprised me). The team's greedy ownership is all about money and winning. A player is to be used, shot full of pain medicine and forced back onto the field without regard for player safety. Nolte, however, gets the last laugh.

Starring: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Stephen Root, Gary Cole, David Herman, Ajay Naidu

"Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime, so where's the motivation?" – Peter Gibbons

Why watch this? In 1985. I entered the cubicle-filled, over-managed world of IT... in Dallas, Texas

Dad's Review: This movie is a hilarious version of my early career working for an information technology company called EDS. What makes it all so funny, of course, is that it hits so close to the bone. It brutally pokes fun and the what things really were back then. I even work on a system called "TPS", and yes, we had TPS Reports. What a gas! Companies like Initech littered the DFW Metroplex and we all hand "team lunches" at Bennigans, Chili's, Chico's and (wait for it) Steak & Ale. 

Starring: Dorothy McGuire, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Jeff York, Chuck Connors, Beverly Washburn, Spike the dog

"If that don't beat all. I never saw such a dog." - Katie Coates

Why watch this? Every once in a while, a grown man needs to bawl his heart out.

Dad's Review: There once was only Disney shows on TV once a week on Sunday nights. This wonderful Western story about a flop-eared yellow dog. We meet a small frontier family with two young boys, Travis and Arlis. Dad has to leave the family and will be gone several weeks. During this time, they find the dog, and he becomes the family pet and protector. This heartwarming family film is a treasure. You will be inspired. You will love that dang dog! And you will literally bawl your eyes out. It is, however, worth it.  

Starring: Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, John Malkovich, Danny Glover

"You took a no-account piece of land and a bunch of people that didn't know what they were doin' and you farmed that land better than anybody could - colored or white. You're the one that brought in the first bale of cotton this year. Don't you ever forget that." - Edna Spalding

Why watch this? Because Elsie loved it.

Dad's Review: My mom lived through the Great Depression in Texas. People today have no concept of a hard life. Oscar-winner Sally Field carries the story as a mother forced to take charge of her farm after the death of her husband. Amid all the hardships, she finds help from a black man, Mose, who helps work the 40 acres of cotton. A tornado hits the small Texas down, then the Clan attacks her farm. You will stand up and cheer at the courage and determination inside this little lady a she fights to defend her own. 

Starring: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey, John Ireland, Noah Berr Jr., Coleen Gray, Chief Yowlachie

"You're soft, you should have let 'em kill me, 'cause I'm gonna kill you. I'll catch up with ya. I don't know when, but I'll catch up. Every time you turn around, expect to see me, 'cause one time you'll turn around and I'll be there." - Tom Dunson

Why watch this? Wayne rarely played against "the good guy" character. Here he is downright nasty as a Western Captain Ahab.

Dad's Review: This picture is hailed by many as one of the greatest ever made. I love it, too, but feel there are many better Westerns. This features drama along a "trail drive". Wayne's performance is excellent as a herd owner who pushes his men too hard. This results in a mutiny, led by his adopted son, Matt. They strand him on the trail. There's lots of great cowboy action and an excellent ending.

Starring: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood

It just so happens we be Texicans. A Texican is nothin' but a human man way out on a limb, this year and next. Maybe for a hundred more. But I don't think it'll be forever. Some day, this country's gonna be a fine good place to be. Maybe it needs our bones in the ground before that time can come." - Mrs. Jorgensen

Why watch this? This is Wayne's strongest, most complex performance.

Dad's Review: Although many of the scenes were filmed in Arizona, the setting is Texas, and it follows two men searching for a girl kidnapped by raiding "Injuns". As they trudge on exploring all leads, years pass. One man stays true to the girl's rescue. The other's motivation slowly turns to a simmering hate - hate for those who took her, and hate for who she's become living among them. This is a classic.  

Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro, Jon Bernthal, Maximiliano Hernández, Victor Garber, Daniel Kaluuya, Julio Cesar Cedillo

"You should move to a small town, somewhere the rule of law still exists. You will not survive here. You are not a wolf, and this is a land of wolves now." - Alejandro

Why watch this? It will help you understand the brutal drug war Texas faces every day.

Dad's Review: This intense film follows a female DEA officer who wants to make a difference. She is assigned to an experienced team working on a big drug bust. She quickly learns that things work very differently than the black and white world she's used to. She's also way in over her head. Del Toro once again chews up every scene with his ability to portray the tough guy, with a touch of heart. The scene where they infiltrate the drug tunnel at night using infrared goggles is heart-stopping! The driving, suspenseful soundtrack is beyond powerful.

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Dwight Yoakam, John Ritter, Natalie Canerday

"What in the hell are you doing with that lawn mower blade?" - Doyle Hargraves

Why watch this? Thornton's film debut is nothing short of a masterpiece - simple and engrossing.

Dad's Review: There is something divinely Texas about this gem called a masterpiece of Southern storytelling by the press. This could have taken place in any number of small Texas towns. I recognize these characters, and their southern mannerisms, all captured accurately by the keen eye of director and screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton, in his breakout effort. It's warm, eerie, haunting, sad, disturbing and heart-warming. One thing is for sure, you won't forget it. 

Starring: Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley, Ellen Barkin, Allan Hubbard, Lenny von Dohlen, Paul Gleason

"Is there a reason that happened? And Sonny's daddy died in the war, my daughter killed in an automobile accident. Why? See, I don't trust happiness. I never did, I never will." - Mac Sledge

Why watch this? Duvall finally gets an Oscar for this bittersweet tale of redemption.

Dad's Review: Robert Duvall never ceases to amaze. At first, I could not understand all the hubbub. He didn't appear to be acting at all. But slowly I began to get it. He's so good it appears he's not acting. He takes on that person, and makes it his own. Here he plays a country singer and songwriter who lost his way to pain and alcohol. He then found salvation in a loving woman's arms and her son's need for a father figure. But can he find redemption? 

Starring: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen, Allen Danziger, William Vail, Teri McMinn

"They could not have expected nor would they have wished to see as much of the mad and macabre as they were to see that day. For them an idyllic summer afternoon drive became a nightmare." - Narrator

Why watch this? Just seeing the trailer traumatized me.

Dad's Review:  It took until 1979 for this seventeen-year-old to muster the courage to see this. Back then folks were still saying it was real footage of a true story that happened somewhere in my home state.  Six of us went to its traditional midnight showing. It scared the shit out of us. So (naturally) we drove to the creepy ghost town of Denton Valley where the old Williams place lay a mile off the road. We parked and slowly walked to the old house with flickering flashlights... Julie's fingernails were dug deep in my arm as we ventured inside, finding strange satanic writings on the dusty walls. The massacre could have occurred right here!

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Melissa Leo, Levon Helm, Mel Rodriguez

"You try to run away again, and I'll kill you. I guess you know that by now." - Pete Perkins

Why watch this? A memorable border tale about murder and retribution.

Dad's Review: This powerful neo-Western is both compelling on it's own, and as an allegorical tale, as it wanders through a young man's racism, crime, torture, and eventual redemption, all at the hands of a hard Texan. After the murder of his friend, Pete Perkins is hell bent on justice and keeping a promise made. Jones and Pepper deliver wonderful performances in this film, which was Tommy Lee' first to direct. 

Starring: Geraldine Page, John Heard, Carlin Glynn, Richard Bradford, Rebecca De Mornay

"I don't know of anything prettier, than a scissortail flyin' through the sky!" - Carrie Watts

Why watch this film? If you'd like to meet my Mom, watch this wonderful film.

Dad's Review: This low-key film so carefully illustrates the plight that many country mothers faced when the "big city", and better wages, lured away their sons. These matriarchs often found themselves alone, and many where forced to moved in with their children, often far from home. Within them was always the desire to see the old home place again. This earnest movie simply kills me every time - I see Mom, her sadnesses, her joys, her longing, her desire to be loved and cared for. Please enjoy this Texas trip, and remember, "Be good to your mother". It matters. 

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