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.

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

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.

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.

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.