all aboard the express

Houston Astros legend Nolan Ryan's must-see documentary screens for limited time

Facing Nolan boasts widespread acclaim and a 100-percent rating.

Photo courtesy of Utopia Distribution

Towering, intimidating, and possessing one of the most blistering fastballs ever witnessed in Major League Baseball, Nolan Ryan — the pride of Alvin High School, Houston Astros, and one of the most acclaimed pitchers in MLB history, is the stuff of Texas legend and lore.

Now, the slow-talking, fast-throwing ace is the subject of a new film screening across Texas and the nation. Facing Nolan, already in limited release, will screen Tuesday, May 24. Fans can find the closest theater screening the film here.

Here in Houston, Nolan Ryan’s son, Reid Ryan, will host a Q&A session following the 7 pm screening at Memorial City Mall. “The post-film Q&A will be exciting to share all the behind-the-scenes stories,” Reid Ryan tells CultureMap. Reid, a former Houston Astros president and pro player himself, is an executive producer on the film and says his dad is a fan. “He is really pleased with how it turned out,” says Reid.

And battles they were. Indeed, the title Facing Nolan speaks to what major league hitters secretly dreaded when they stepped up to the plate and started down the six-foot-two Ryan, who regularly threw 100 mph and once clocked a 98 mph fastball — at the staggering age of 46.

The film, which received rave reviews at its SXSW premiere and currently boasts a 100-percent Rotten Tomatoes rating, centers on Nolan Ryan’s career, which started in Refugio, Texas, took him through Alvin High School and Alvin Community College, on the way to an illustrious, 27-year career with the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. He boasts 51 MLB records, including the most career strikeouts and no-hitters and is known by many as No. 34 and “The Ryan Express.”

His career was made for the movies: Ryan once pitched with his jersey covered in blood and ran his cattle ranch during the off-season. And no fan can ever forget the iconic, in-game brawl between Ryan — then of the Texas Rangers — and Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox, who, at 20 years younger than Ryan, found himself on the wrong end of the pitcher’s headlock.

Directed by Bradley Jackson, Facing Nolan features new interviews with notables such as President George W. Bush, Craig Biggio, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pete Rose, Dave Winfield, and a host of former players.

Despite being a terror on the mound, Ryan has been the consummate gentleman in his retirement, something his former opponents observe now . “He was surprised,” Reid adds, “to hear other players fondly reminisce about their infield battles.”

For a full list of participating Houston-area theaters, visit the official film event site.

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Movie Review

Billie Eilish takes fans behind the scenes in immersive 3D tour film

Photo by Henry Hwu/courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Billie Eilish in Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft - The Tour Live in 3D.

In 2021, at the tender age of 19, singer Billie Eilish was already the subject of a documentary, The World’s a Little Blurry. At that point, she had only released one album, so the film threatened to feel too early for such treatment. The ensuing five years have only made her a bigger star, though, so in many ways that movie now feels prescient for the person on display in the new concert documentary with the unwieldy title of Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft - The Tour Live in 3D.

Directed by Eilish and blockbuster filmmaker James Cameron, the film takes viewers inside Eilish’s 2024-2025 tour in support of her latest album, 2023’s Hit Me Hard and Soft. Filmed mostly at her series of shows in Manchester, England, the movie is a showcase for Eilish’s music, but it also serves as a smaller exploration of the type of person she is, as well as the impact she has had on her legion of fans.

The draw of the film is the use of Cameron’s beloved 3D technology, which he has employed in each of the three Avatar films. Unlike in those films, where the 3D has the odd effect of making the visuals too realistic for their own good, the technique brings an intimacy to the large-scale show that underscores the unique bond the singer has with her supporters.

Eilish and Cameron go back and forth between performances at the concert to behind-the-scenes sequences, detailing the enormous effort it takes to put on a show like that and how Eilish spends her time getting ready for it. As in The World’s a Little Blurry, this film continues to portray the singer as down-to-Earth, someone who yearns to maintain the connection to her fans that she’s had since she released her first single, “Ocean Eyes,” 10 years ago.

And as the many emotional songs in Eilish’s concert playlist prove, the feeling from the crowd is mutual. While Eilish has multiple bangers like “Bad Guy,” “Therefore I Am,” and the Charli XCX collaboration “Guess,” it’s the sad songs like “Everything I Wanted,” “Happier Than Ever,” and the Oscar-winning Barbie anthem, “What Was I Made For?” that hit the hardest. The depth of feeling emanating from her many sobbing fans singing along to crushing songs cannot be understated.

For audiences of the film, though, it’s the breadth of camera angles and shot choices that make it truly dynamic. There are cameras everywhere, including in the crowd, inside a cube at the center of the stage that rises and descends, following Eilish as she traipses every inch of the long, rectangular stage, and even a small one Eilish uses to bring an extra personal touch to the in-arena screen. Combined, they capture the complete energy of the concert, something that is not always the case in a film of this type.

Eilish has almost as many movies — two — as she does albums — three — which borders on overkill for a singer of her age. But both her music and the movies show her to be a person who knows the responsibility of being a celebrity, someone who understands that her fans are the reason she’s famous at all. Her career may go up or down from here, but it’s clear she’s already made a huge impact on those who love her most.

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Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft - The Tour Live in 3D opens in theaters on May 8.

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