Alex Bentley

Associate Editor

Alex Bentley isn’t a Dallas-Fort Worth native, but with all his experience in the area, he’s the next best thing. He received his bachelor’s degree from TCU, and after a five-year sojourn to work for the Florida Marlins in Miami, he returned to the area to get his master’s degree at UNT. Prior to joining CultureMap, he worked for Pegasus News, helping deliver hyper-local news to the internet masses. He uses that experience to make CultureMap the go-to site for everything to see and do in Dallas.

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All articles by this author. 154 Results. Showing 1 to 20

Page 1 of 8

Box Office Stunner

Box Office stunner: American Sniper shatters records with unapologetically pro-American war story

By Alex Bentley

01.19.15 | 11:57 am

There are certain movies you can count on to have big opening weekends at the box office, such as The Avengers and The Hunger Games. But American Sniper? The Clint ...

Movie Time

Bradley Cooper does Texas right in American Sniper: Nothing easy about this movie, war lessons

By Alex Bentley

01.18.15 | 7:34 am

Last we heard from director Clint Eastwood, he was fumbling his way through the adaptation of the jukebox musical Jersey Boys. So naturally he would quickly follow that up with ...

The Review Is In

Michael Mann loses his magic touch: Blackhat fits every horrible January movie stereotype

By Alex Bentley

01.17.15 | 1:33 pm

Every time I go into a film released in January — and I’m not talking about movies like Selma or American Sniper that expand nationwide after limited release in December ...

Lone Star Pride

Oscar surprise: Houston-born director's Grand Budapest Hotel leads nominations

By Alex Bentley

01.15.15 | 9:48 am

A film that no one but Austin-based director Richard Linklater could dream up has now turned into one of the year's most-lauded films: Boyhood was nominated for six Academy ...

Golden Moments at the Globes

Houston-born directors rule at Golden Globes; Tina and Amy's best jokes (including Cosby zingers)

By Alex Bentley

01.12.15 | 1:15 am

Despite being around for 72 years, the Golden Globe Awards have been and likely always will be the redheaded stepchild of awards season. They’re rarely a harbinger for awards ...

History Comes Alive in Selma

Despite inaccurate portrayal of LBJ, Selma makes history come alive with humanizing view of Martin Luther King

By Alex Bentley

01.11.15 | 11:00 am

Whether by chance or due to the sheer enormity of his legacy, not one feature film has been made about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. since he was assassinated in ...

The Review Is In

Stoned movie making bums out audiences: Inherent Vice an incoherent haze of a messy downer

By Alex Bentley

01.10.15 | 3:03 pm

Director Paul Thomas Anderson has always been known for his esoteric films. In fact, he’s probably the most well-known current filmmaker to have trafficked solely in films that aren ...

Best Movies of 2014

Best movies of 2014: Performances by Chris Rock and casts of Birdman, Boyhood and Whiplash stand out

By Alex Bentley

01.01.15 | 9:47 am

Although it wasn't a standout year for movies collectively, 2014 will be remembered for individual performances. These are the 10 best films I saw in 2014.

Worst Movies of 2014

Worst movies of 2014: Hobbit, Spider-Man and a slew of not very funny comedians make the list

By Alex Bentley

12.31.14 | 8:30 am

It may be hard to believe, but as a film critic, it takes a real stinker to make it to the bottom of my list. These are 10 worst movies ...

Fairy Tale Cinema

Meryl Streep is a real witch in fairy tale musical with a clever twist

By Alex Bentley

12.28.14 | 4:00 pm

Translating a stage musical into a movie has never been an easy job. The difficulties most often lie in replicating theater’s intimacy, as even the most grandiose of productions ...

Movie Time

A normal Tim Burton movie? Believe it, underrated Big Eyes surprises by not being strange

By Alex Bentley

12.27.14 | 12:02 pm

Tim Burton’s films don’t normally fly under the radar, but his latest, Big Eyes, certainly has. Perhaps that’s because it has few Oscar aspirations, unlike most other ...

Movie Magic

Keira Knightley proves Benedict Cumberbatch isn't the only smart star in The Imitation Game

By Alex Bentley

12.26.14 | 1:28 pm

Whether we like it or not, movies about World War II continue to be popular for filmmakers because of the myriad stories that can be mined from such rich history ...

Movie Time

Angelina Jolie's director fail: Her Unbroken makes the heroic seem somehow mundane

By Alex Bentley

12.25.14 | 3:03 pm

If ever there was a true story that deserved big-screen treatment, it’s the life of Louis Zamperini. He packed a lifetime’s worth of events into just about 10 ...

Dumb Movie Freedom

In your face, North Korea! Two Houston movie theaters step up to show The Interview anyways

By Alex Bentley

12.24.14 | 7:27 am

After some back-and-forth in the public arena, The Interview is back on for Christmas Day, and two Alamo Drafthouse theaters in the Houston area are showing the controversial film. "We ...

Watch Out for the Big Balls

Wipeout just like they do on TV with crazy Houston obstacle course: Watch out for the wrecking ball!

By Alex Bentley

12.23.14 | 11:45 am

If you've ever wanted to take a crack at the crazy obstacle courses on ABC's Wipeout, you'll soon be able to experience the next best thing: Wipeout ...

The Review Is In

The funniest movie of the year? Chris Rock finally hits it out of the park with brilliant Top Five

By Alex Bentley

12.13.14 | 7:31 am

Great serious comedies — an oxymoronic term, perhaps — are in short supply. Most comedies either try to appeal to the lowest common denominator or aim high and fall short of their ...

Girls On Stage

Girls on stage: Lana Del Rey and Courtney Love kick off tour together in Houston

By Alex Bentley

12.01.14 | 2:20 pm

Courtney Love has been a highly idiosyncratic musician for well over 20 years, and Lana Del Rey has picked up that mantle in recent years, so it makes sense the ...

Wannabe Prestige Film

Funny man's Oscar-caliber acting and Olympic intrigue can't redeem sullen Foxcatcher

By Alex Bentley

11.30.14 | 12:00 pm

Making a great movie is never easy. Multiple factors — from the acting to the directing to the editing to the soundtrack — have to come together to form a cohesive, memorable ...

The Science of Love

Love triumphs over science in Oscar-bound movie about Stephen Hawking's amazing life

By Alex Bentley

11.29.14 | 3:12 pm

Stephen Hawking, who has developed scientific theories that boggle the imagination, would be an impressive individual based solely on his intelligence. But when you also consider that he’s done ...

Hunger Games Revolution

Calm before the storm: Mockingjay - Part 1 sets up final Hunger Games battle just right

By Alex Bentley

11.29.14 | 10:34 am

Splitting the final film of a popular book-turned-movie series into two parts is all the rage these days, as the makers of the Harry Potter, Twilight and now The Hunger ...

All articles by this author. 154 Results. Showing 1 to 20

Page 1 of 8

01.24.15

07:00 pm

Keeping it classical: Houston Symphony reveals a showstopping new season — here are the don't-miss concerts

01.24.15

05:33 pm

Busted! TV star arrested in Texas for a beer run gone horribly wrong

01.24.15

01:27 pm

Inside the minds of Houston's best chefs: Top burger guru, dessert queen & more share their reading habits

01.24.15

12:02 pm

Houston's own walking chill encyclopedia: Native son artist takes on guns, poisioning, Melrose Place & more

01.24.15

09:36 am

Restaurant name fight triggers a lawsuit: One of Houston's top chefs charges an upstart with copycat

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Alex Bentley

Associate Editor

Follow this author on:

Box Office Stunner

By Alex Bentley

01.19.15 | 11:57 am

There are certain movies you can count on to have big opening weekends at the box office, such as The Avengers and The Hunger Games. But American Sniper? The Clint ...

Movie Time

By Alex Bentley

01.18.15 | 7:34 am

Last we heard from director Clint Eastwood, he was fumbling his way through the adaptation of the jukebox musical Jersey Boys. So naturally he would quickly follow that up with ...

The Review Is In

By Alex Bentley

01.17.15 | 1:33 pm

Every time I go into a film released in January — and I’m not talking about movies like Selma or American Sniper that expand nationwide after limited release in December ...

Lone Star Pride

By Alex Bentley

01.15.15 | 9:48 am

A film that no one but Austin-based director Richard Linklater could dream up has now turned into one of the year's most-lauded films: Boyhood was nominated for six Academy ...

Golden Moments at the Globes

By Alex Bentley

01.12.15 | 1:15 am

Despite being around for 72 years, the Golden Globe Awards have been and likely always will be the redheaded stepchild of awards season. They’re rarely a harbinger for awards ...

History Comes Alive in Selma

By Alex Bentley

01.11.15 | 11:00 am

Whether by chance or due to the sheer enormity of his legacy, not one feature film has been made about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. since he was assassinated in ...

The Review Is In

By Alex Bentley

01.10.15 | 3:03 pm

Director Paul Thomas Anderson has always been known for his esoteric films. In fact, he’s probably the most well-known current filmmaker to have trafficked solely in films that aren ...

Best Movies of 2014

By Alex Bentley

01.01.15 | 9:47 am

Although it wasn't a standout year for movies collectively, 2014 will be remembered for individual performances. These are the 10 best films I saw in 2014.

Worst Movies of 2014

By Alex Bentley

12.31.14 | 8:30 am

It may be hard to believe, but as a film critic, it takes a real stinker to make it to the bottom of my list. These are 10 worst movies ...

Fairy Tale Cinema

By Alex Bentley

12.28.14 | 4:00 pm

Translating a stage musical into a movie has never been an easy job. The difficulties most often lie in replicating theater’s intimacy, as even the most grandiose of productions ...

Movie Time

By Alex Bentley

12.27.14 | 12:02 pm

Tim Burton’s films don’t normally fly under the radar, but his latest, Big Eyes, certainly has. Perhaps that’s because it has few Oscar aspirations, unlike most other ...

Movie Magic

By Alex Bentley

12.26.14 | 1:28 pm

Whether we like it or not, movies about World War II continue to be popular for filmmakers because of the myriad stories that can be mined from such rich history ...

Movie Time

By Alex Bentley

12.25.14 | 3:03 pm

If you've ever wanted to take a crack at the crazy obstacle courses on ABC's Wipeout, you'll soon be able to experience the next best thing: Wipeout ...