film fest lineup

First Round Top Film Festival peeks into new Taylor Sheridan series

Oscar-winning actor Billy Bob Thornton will play the titular "landman" Tommy Norris.

Photo courtesy of Paramount+

Hollywood will descend on the tiny historic town of Round Top for its inaugural Round Top Film Festival from November 7-10, showcasing insightful panels with independent filmmakers and dynamic film screenings.

One of the most anticipated events that film buffs won't want to miss is the opening night advanced screening of Taylor Sheridan's new drama series Landman, taking place at 6:30 pm at Festival Hill Concert Hall. The 10-episode series is "a modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs," based on Texas Monthly's acclaimed podcast Boomtown. It boasts a star-studded cast with Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, Demi Moore as Cami Miller and Jon Hamm in a recurring guest role as her husband, Texas oil titan Monty Miller.

A Q&A session with Boomtown creator and Texas Monthly staff writer Christian Wallace will take place after the screening. Following the first episode's debut at the film festival, Landman will premiere on Paramount+ on November 17.

The Round Top Film Festival will screen about 40 films throughout the weekend, and host panels with established filmmakers and industry professionals. Here is a sneak peek at some of the festival programming, organized by each day.

Friday, November 8

Women in the Industry
1 pm at 550 District - Dance Hall
Panelists Kari Perkins (Boyhood, Mud), Jennifer Hutchins (Switch Up, Spyral), Suzanne Weinert (Hellion, A Good Son), and others will share personal anecdotes, valuable insights, and practical advice for future generations aiming to break into the film industry, overcome barriers, and establish a sustainable career.

Fashion and Film
3 pm at 550 District - Dance Hall
Industry experts will explore how costume design and styling shape character, enhance storytelling, and create iconic on-screen moments. Moderated by producer Camille Chambers (Hot Water Brew, Homegirls), the panelists include costume designer Kari Perkins, fashion blogger Amanda Tatom, fashion designer and costume, wardrobe and props supplier for film/television Stewart Colgate (Benny Safdie's The Curse, The Last Stop in Yuma County, Dark Winds season 1&2) and Vintage Clothing business/wardrobe and costume design/actor Tom Dragt (Taylor Sheridan's 1923) among others.

Saturday, November 9

Rising Star Showcase
Red carpet 10 am, doors open10:30 am, programming starts at 11:00 am at 550 District - Dance Hall
This moderated discussion features emerging stars among the film industry. The showcase will highlight the work of Kyle Allen (West Side Story, A Haunting In Venice, Space Oddity), Lilli Kay (Your Honor, Yellowstone, Rustin), Sasha Lane (Twisters, The Crowded Room, Conversations With Friends), and Marié Botha (Dickinson, The Penguin).

How to Break into the Industry
4:30 pm at 550 District - Dance Hall
This discussion will cover actionable tips for securing a first job, networking best practices, key skills to stand out among others, and tactics for maintaining resilience in a highly competitive environment. Featured panelists include former CAA talent agent Joe Rosenberg, producer Stephen Stafford, producer Russell Wayne Groves, stunt coordinator Tom Struthers, and actress/writer/director Michelle Krusiec. The session will be moderated by Stephen Galloway, Dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media.

Sunday, November 10

Veterans Discussion
10 am at Round Top Rifle Hall
The Veterans Discussion will feature insights from Bill Broyles, Jr. (Cast Away, Flags of Our Fathers), Rebecca Murga (The Promised Land), Nate Boyer (MVP), and Geoff Reeves (Days of Our Lives). Reeves is a former Division 1 swimmer, accomplished actor, and veteran Navy SEAL who completed two tours of duty overseas, will accept the Maverick Stunt Performer Award on behalf of RJ Casey, who is being honored at the festival's Awards Brunch.

More information about the Round Top Film Festival and tickets can be found on roundtopfilmfest.org.

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Movie Review

Gladiator II doesn't fight to distinguish its story from the original

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Paul Mescal in Gladiator II.

There are some films for which making a sequel is natural, and others where a follow-up is wholly unnecessary. Gladiator, which both made tons of money and was named Best Picture at the Oscars, told an impactful stand-alone story that ended with the protagonist dead and no real loose ends. And yet because there’s always more money to be made, here we are 24 years later with Gladiator II.

The lead character this time around is Lucius (Paul Mescal), a general in a North African army who becomes a prisoner of war when the Roman army led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) bests him and his troops in battle. Taken back to Rome, he is put in the pool of captured men forced to fight at the Colosseum for the amusement of twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracella (Fred Hechinger).

Lucius is controlled by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), an ambitious schemer who bets liberally on his prized fighter and always has an eye to move up in the world. Meanwhile, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), the sister of Emperor Commodus from the first film, is now married to Marcus Acacius and has a unique connection with Lucius that is fairly obvious from the get-go.

Directed once again by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa, the film commits a number of sins throughout its 150-minute running time, the most blatant of which is that, aside from a few embellishments, it essentially tells the same story as the first film. Lucius, like Maximus, is a deposed military leader who’s out for revenge on the person who killed his family. Instead of one obnoxious emperor, there are now two. And the only way for Lucius to earn his freedom is to fight his way out.

Stories told in the same world can echo each other and, if done well, overcome those similarities. But Gladiator II is shockingly boring for a purported sword-and-sandals epic. Scott and his team try to introduce new elements to the fights, like a gladiator riding a rhinoceros or a ship battle inside the Colosseum (with sharks!), but most of the sequences are inert with no propulsion to them.

The action fails because none of the relationships in the film amount to much. There are stand-out characters like Macrinus and the twin emperors, but instead of creating antipathy or strong feelings of triumph or defeat, the story just kind of happens without any sense of excitement or importance. Much of that issue lies at the feet of Lucius, who simply doesn’t inspire in the same way that Russell Crowe’s Maximus did.

Mescal is a fine actor who’s done good work in more intimate roles, but he’s not up to the task of being an action star, at least not in this film. Any bombast he shows with the character feels forced, and the story doesn’t give him enough opportunities to counteract that lack. Washington, however, fills up the screen with his charisma, and it’s during his scenes that the film comes closest to being rousing. Quinn and Hechinger are a lot of fun as the twin emperors, but in the end they feel like retreads of Joaquin Phoenix from the original.

Any sequel should have a purpose that sets it apart from what came before, but Scott, Scarpa, and the rest of their team fail in that respect in Gladiator II. It’s a mostly lifeless film that delivers scenes that would be exciting if they had any kind of good story to back them up.

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Gladiator II opened in theaters on November 22.

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