Texas

"Texas" follows the members of Russell Crowe's band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, on a journey to record a new CD. The film follows the close-knit band as they journey from Australia to England and then onto Austin, Texas during the summer of 2000.

The band's lead guitarist and Crowe's song-writing partner, Dean Cochran, is the film's narrator. Crowe and Cochran are close friends and this film documents their long friendship almost as much as it documents the music they make together.

Crowe and his band mates are surprisingly crude but they always have something funny to say.

I found the film highly engaging. It really captures the band's energy and the joy they have while playing together.

Seeing this film is the next best thing to seeing them play live.

I love this DVD. It has great photography and the scenes with the group backstage really shows off their unique personalities. Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts is so much better when seen in concert; the CDs are great and their music is really great, but nothing compares to the concert experience. They're great performers and it is easy to see just how much fun they have playing the music. I wish all bands had this much personality on stage. The DVD allows for viewing on different camera angles and includes a large number of music videos from the band including "Circus" and "Photograph Kills." If you can't see the guys actually on stage then this is definitely the next best thing. The ability to switch the angles of the camera and to look at the song lyrics is great. Great concert DVD all around.

Russell Crowe was a musical artist for several years before turning to acting in 1990. He has maintained that interest, in various forms to this day. His current band, Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts, known to fans as TOFOG, has been together for about 5 years, but his lead guitarist, Billy Dean Cochran, has been with Crowe since they were teens in New Zealand. This documentary, narrated by Cochran and produced by Crowe, allows us an insiders look at the folk rock band as it gets together for a short tour in London and Austin, Texas in the summer of 2000.

Crowe is lead singer, growling out his own lyrics to an enthusiastic largely female audience. We see the guys, Cochran, Crowe, Dave Wilkens, Dave Kelly, Garth Adams and Stewart Kirwin as they perform, but most importantly, we see the off the wall comraderie of Australian based mates behind the scene. Crowe's "day job" has opened doors, increased interest and ticket sales, but also brought change. No longer able to freely mingle with fans without setting off a frenzy, he tries to remain just one of the guys. We see them kidding around in rehearsals, preparing for performance and trying to work around the demands of Crowe's movie making schedule.

This is a rude and unvarnished documentary, but great fun to watch. A tidbit of note; in the original limited release DVD, sold only at TOFOG shows in August of 2001 while on another tour, there was a glimpse of Crowe mussing the hair of Meg Ryan in London. That 2 second bit has since been removed in the Miramax release.

Dean (Mr. Shy himself) actually speaks! Not only does he speak, but he did a great job narrating. I liked everyone's sense of humor. OK...Maybe Mark could tone it down a bit...but just a bit. LOL

This DVD is the first thing I've seen that gives real insight into the band that is TOFOG. The DVD covers the band's creation and the changes the guys have experienced over the years. The fans finally get to hear Dean Cochran, Dave Kelly, Garth Adam, Russell Crowe, Stewart Kirwan, and last but NOT least, Dave Wilkins talk about the music and, of course, they get to hear the music as it was recorded live in the summer of 2000.

As I don't own DVDs of other bands, I have nothing to compare. All I know is that I have enjoyed this DVD immensely. As a fan of the band, I find it to be a real treasure. Would it be a S P O I L E R if I said that it also contains my favorite song, All the White Circles (the loooong version!). The music is, of course, the best part!

While I loved the concert footage, which truly ROCKS, this film is more importantly a unique glimps into the personalities of the band members, their relationships with each other and what goes into preparing and putting on a concert. I've spent a little time with some of the band members and can honestly say that they are exactly the same as in the movie. Funny, fun loving, very nice people who take their music very seriously. As great as TOFOG's albums are, their live performances are 10 times better because they love to perform and that energy and excitment comes across well in the film.

The hidden parts of the DVD are wonderful. It's like seeing a different movie each time you watch it. Being able to change the camera angles and scenes keeps it fresh, new and exciting.