Indie Film Review: Accidental Texan

Though mostly shot in or near Austin, Accidental Texan takes place in New Orleans and Abilene, Texas, but mostly in Buffalo Gap, Texas. I was born in New Orleans and spent a lot of time there, lived in Abilene for two years, and visited Buffalo Gap several times. All of that caught my interest in this indie film, which I came across on Hulu. It also didn’t hurt that the cast includes Rudy Pankow (Outer Banks), Thomas Haden Church (Wings), Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), Maz Dugan (the NBC version of Friday Night Lights), and Bruce Dern (Nebraska).

Erwin (Rudy Pankow) sabotages his acting career with a careless error that shuts down an action movie set in New Orleans. During Erwin’s attempt to drive home, his car later breaks down in Buffalo Gap, where he meets Merle, who initially comes across as possibly unhinged, a conman, or both. However, Merle and some of the other quirky characters in Buffalo Gap soon turn out to be much more complicated and emotionally engaging than Erwin might expect.

The story takes some surprising and not-so-surprising twists, resulting in a charming small-town tale. I hope to see Rudy Pankow in more lead roles and look forward to seeing where his career takes him. Hopefully, it turns out better than his character’s acting career at the beginning of Accidental Texan. Also, he’ll hopefully keep surrounding himself with talented co-stars like in Outer Banks and in this movie.

Austin’s Mark Bristol produced and directed Accidental Texan. Besides directing the horror/comedy The Monster Hunter, Bristol worked as a a storyboard artist for directors Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, Spike Jonze, Terrence Malick, and Christopher McQuarrie. Julie B. Denny cowrote Accidental Texan’s screenplay with Bristol, adapting it from Chocolate Lizards, the debut novel of West Texas author Cole Thompson.

Read more about Mark Bristol’s work via IMBD or SquareSpace.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my small-town fiction collection The Acorn Stories and my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

For Your 2025 Dystopian Reading List

If you’re building a 2025 dystopian reading list, please download Degranon for free via B&N, Kobo, or many other online bookstores.

In an alternate reality, the Iroquois scientist Taldra questions her world’s ban on space travel and free speech, but that world funds her research. One of her sons becomes trapped on the other side of a time portal while the other loses himself to the religious cult Degranon. Can they find their way back to each other before the Degrans destroy Valchondria?

Gay Movie Review: Longhorns (revised repost)

Summary:

The writer/director of Redwoods and Rock Haven switches to outrageous comedy. During 1982, a Texas college student meets a man who makes him confront his gay feelings.

Watch the Longhorns trailer on YouTube. NSFW.

Text:

Set in 1982, Longhorns draws its laughs from several intertwining lives. Stage and short film actor Jacob Newton plays Kevin, a young Texas college student who lives in denial about his gay identity, even while constantly acting upon his feelings. Derek Villanueva—from the upcoming web series Fabulous High—plays Cesar, a gay man who is decidedly open about his orientation, which makes Kevin both interested and uncomfortable. Kevin flirts with Cesar, while telling himself that Cesar makes all the advances.

Kevin’s college buddy Justin (Kevin Held) clashes with Cesar while pursuing Cesar’s best friend, Marsha (Bonnie Marion). The tangled lives of the four characters provide humor and occasionally touching scenes.

It all becomes even more complicated when Kevin flees his budding relationship with Cesar for a getaway weekend with his two best friends. Dylan Vox (from The Lair, Homewrecker, and Vampire Boys) plays Steve, who enables Kevin’s closet games by taking advantage of him. Writer/actor Stephen Matzke plays Daniel, not Danny. Matzke’s facial expressions and adorable awkwardness give the film even more heart and humor.

When plans with their girlfriends collapse, Kevin finds himself alone with his buddies and his thoughts. The entire film leans toward raciness and silliness, but always with an affectionate look at the characters, making it funny and charming.

Writer/director David Lewis previously made the dramas Rock Haven and Redwoods. Producer H.P. Mendoza also directed the musical Fruit Fly; he provided original music for Longhorns and several other films.

Producer Lewis Tice also worked as a producer for Bear City, helped market numerous TLA Releasing films, and worked at numerous film festivals. Lewis passed away in April 1, 2014. Though we never met in person, I enjoyed our email correspondence about upcoming LGBTQ movies and his enthusiasm for supporting independent films. The image below is one of his publicity pictures; you might have seen him at a film festival.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please also read about the Texas comedy, drama, and closet cases in The Acorn Stories.

Science Fiction TV: Resident Alien. #ResidentAlien #series #SyFy

I loved Alan Tudyk’s performances on Firefly/Serenity, Dollhouse, and A Knight’s Tale, to name some favorites. He can say a lot without saying anything, thanks to an expressive face, comic timing, and just a willingness to try anything to make his role memorable. I’d never read the Dark Horse Comic Resident Alien, but the description made Tudyk sound perfect for the title role.

Not only has he delivered on those expectations during the first three seasons, but the show surrounds him with a great array of quirky characters and odd situations. It’s bizarre, funny, exciting, and surprisingly touching. In a recurring role, a very serious Linda Hamilton brings more conflicts and surprises.

The upcoming fourth season will apparently air on SyFy’s sister station USA. SyFy seemed a more logical place for a science fiction series, kind of like keeping music on MTV Music Television, but at least the move doesn’t mean adding yet another channel or steaming app. I haven’t seen a definitive premiere date yet, just probably well into 2025. I’m looking forward to it and also recommend SyFy’s outer space series The Ark.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.