Five Great Films Set in Texas Now on Satellite TV

Filmmakers have been enamored with the landscape of Texas ever since the beginning of film. While your mind may be drawn directly to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or some classic Westerns, there are a variety of films that use Texas as the perfect backdrop. Texas satellite TV subscribers can check out this great lineup of films set in the Lone Star State.

5. The Last Picture Show. Peter Bogdanovich was a film historian and scholar who had Orson Welles of all people as a mentor. This film took him away from the books and made a dramatic imprint on the cinema scene of the early 1970s. Featuring great performances from Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd, the film takes a long life at life in small town Texas. All about nostalgia and the sadness of a disappearing world, this film is a highlight of the Independent Film Channel archives on satellite TV.

4. Pee Wee's Big Adventure. In one of the greatest children's movies of all time, Pee Wee heads across the country in search of his lost bike. There are some nice scenes, but the movie truly hits its stride in Texas, if not at the Alamo, then definitely in Pee Wee's interpretation of "Tequila." This film was the full-length debut of Tim Burton, as well as the first film score ever written by legendary composer Danny Elfman. Check it out on satellite TV comedy networks.

3. Giant. This film is famous for so many reasons, but more than anything it's known as the final film of James Dean. Of course, when you round out the cast with Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor, you already have a classic film on your hands. A saga revolving around a wealthy Texas family takes a wild turn when knockabout helper Dean strikes oil on his little slice of land. See this film on Turner Classic Movies with Texas satellite TV packages.

2. No Country For Old Men. A lot of money is being sought by one of the most dangerous men in Texas (Javier Bardem) while a regular guy (Josh Brolin) decides he's going to try and keep it. Cormac McCarthy turned this seemingly simple struggle into a symbol of the modern world destroying the old. The Coen brothers made one of their finest films and took the Academy Awards by storm.

1. Wild At Heart. Sailor and Lula are having some problems, but Lula's Mom seemed bent on the ruin of her daughter's fiery boyfriend (Nicolas Cage). After a jail stint, some wandering around brings the couple to an impossibly seedy locale in Texas where cheap movies are made and scary men reside. David Lynch's shady road fantasy was written by Barry Gifford and benefits from one of Cage's best performances. Check out this forgotten gem on IFC in high definition.

To see this great lineup of films set in the Lone Star State, sign up for directtv in Dallas, Texas. When you want to see the movies that really entertain, leave behind cable in Texas for good with a satellite package.