User reviews

"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.

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.

TOFOG and Russell Crowe give a great behind the scenes look at the band making BLOC. Raw, crude and wonderful!! This a direct and honest look into the man and his mates. Friendship is the backbone of this group. Their music is fantastic and the messages are universal. Take a look. You won't be disappointed!

I bought the loaded DVD at one of TOFOG's Austin shows his past summer. It has loads of hidden features which can only be viewed using the clues provided at gruntland.com. For those of you not familiar with Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts [TOFOG] you will meet a terrific roots rock and roll band and see them preparing to perform, behind the scenes, rehearsing and kicking back.

In Texas, the language is raw and uncensored, the music rocking, the beer flowing, and the men antipodean to the core. Lead singer, song writer and driving force for the band is actor extroidinaire, Russell Crowe. But this is no vanity band. Crowe has been a musician longer than he's been an actor. This is a different and important creative outlet from his "day job", which just happens to involve creating characters on screen and winning Oscars in the process.

His music exposes the man, his thoughts, his heart and his soul. His band mates are also his friends. Lead guitarist Dean Cochran has been his closest friend since they were both teens in New Zealand.

Above all, this documentary allows us a look at how this unique band tries to pull it all together to perform and record, and the interaction with fans. It is one of the best Rock and Roll docu's I've seen. Fantastic cinematography, sound and cinema verite' style.

Excellent example of a love letter to their fans. Wonderful look at Russell Crowe and the loyalty and friendship within his band. The hidden extras are great and the fact that they let their fans direct the feature is so much fun.

This DVD is fantastic! It is the first DVD that I have seen to take advantage of every medium within the technology. The interaction with the scenes, the hints that you can look up on their web site, and the overall use of the DVD format is fantastic.

Oh, and the music and the band aren't bad either! :)

Picked up my copy at a TOFOG concert in August 2001. Not having a clue what it was about -- other than featuring the band -- I was amazed by how masterfully it was crafted. The technology employed for the many hidden surprises far surpasses anything I've seen to date, and the effort to 'crack the code' before the hints were posted on TOFOG's official website were well worth the time and effort.

This is a true 'behind the scenes' or 'on the road' documentary that doesn't seem contrived in the least. You really get the sense, that for the most part, the band members forgot the cameras were there.

The music is good, and the live coverage of the 2000 concerts in Austin almost give the sense that you're there with them. Since the band doesn't tour often, this DVD will satiate any fan's longing and help hold back the tide until the next live concert comes their way.

~Jaylen

TEXAS is a raw, honest documentary with behind the scenes footage of a band on location to make a CD. Russell Crowe is a serious musician. He and Dean Cochran have been best mates since their teen years and have experienced the down side of trying to make it in the music business.

This film shows the band traveling to London, Italy and Austin Texas with some clips of Russell and Dean's early years. It's funny, raunchy (as people who have worked hard and are jet lagged frequently become)and very full of soul touching music. You will go on a journey that will give you a real insight to how difficult it is to produce music and put on a live show. You will see a portion of the sold out Austin, Texas performance that will make you wish you were there.

I loved this DVD and I hate cursing. But, the bad language is not done for shock effect, it is just how these guys interact.

There are surprises on the DVD that you have to dig deep to find but they are definitely worth the effort. Some of my friends who considered TOFOG a vanity project of Russell's are die-hard fans of the band since watching the DVD.

These are first class musicians who are not only a band but true friends that enjoy making music and are determined to give 100% to ensure their fans are entertained.

I highly recommend the DVD.

Funny, irreverent and uncensored, Texas allows the viewer a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes and see what really happens when these six talented musicians rock, roll and have a good laugh while recording their latest album, Bastard Life or Clarity.

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.

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.

This is a fun documentary that shows an irreverent side to Russell Crowe and his band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, as they recorded a new album and played some gigs at Stubb's in Austin, Texas. This film did a great job in capturing the overall experience of seeing the band live. And by the way, the music is great too.

Great fun! Very entertaining. Gives an unvarnished,frank view into yet another facet of the ever changing and multi-talented Russell Crowe as well as his long time Aussie mates who make up the band Thirty-Odd Foot of Grunts (TOFOG). It is original - sometimes silly :) but never boring. If you haven't had the opportunity to see the 'Grunts' live .. this is the next best thing! The music and the story telling is fresh - ranging from serious to frolicking...and more importantly - it all ROCKS!!!

Texas is a documentary of Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts trying to record the Bastard Life or Clarity Album. From London to Austin, Texas the footage is entertaining. Russell shows how much he loves his music and his fans. I loved it.

This was a uniquely entertaining music documentary. I was able to learn more about this band by watching the DVD than when I listen to them on CD's. I play their music all the time and really enjoy their lyrics and style. To be able to watch them in concert was a real pleasure and also a bit of a quest to find all the pieces of information. My daughter and I spent a whole weekend following the links and still are digging for certain parts. We were thoroughly engrossed in the music and the fun!! It was nice to feel like we learned more about the whole band and some of their background, they are such a great group of guys. I recommend this to any TOFOG or music fan.

This documentary is a must see for any fan of 30 odd foot of grunts or Russell Crowe. It is funny, has great music, and is an honest look into the creative process of a phenomenal band. In addition to the documentary itself is all the extras that come on the dvd, such as outtakes, an additional documentary, videos, and pictures. Any tofog fan should watch Texas, if you're not a tofog fan, watch it and you will be.

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!