Not a fan of Billy Bob's Crockett. None of the Alamo movies are above historical criticism but some have their merits -- Wayne's is a good Western and the Hancock 2004 film has a good final assault sequence.
Here's what I would regard as essential books for resesrch or general reading, apart from those noted above:
Fiction: Stephen Harrigan, The Gates of the Alamo -- takes a while to get there, but the Alamo chapters are superb. It's all a well-written book, if on the grim side, and the Alamo historical figures are, I think, captured nearly perfectly.
Uniform reference:
The original Osprey book by P. Haythornwaite has a lot of flaws and errors, but the more recent "Campaign" book "The Alamo 1836" by Stephen Hardin (author of Texian Iliad) is very good, as are the Stuart Reid MAA "The Texan Army" and Rene Chartrand Elite "Santa Anna's Mexican Army."
Uniforms of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution by Bruce Marshall (color plates and accompanying text). He also wrote a followup volume, Uniforms of the Republic of Texas, equally valuable.
Alamo Sourcebook 1836 by Tim and terry Todish -- escellent all-purpose reference on uniforms, orders of battle, organization, equipment, weapons, chronology, and the mssion itself. Art is subpar but the content is reliable and comprehensive.
Blood of Noble Men: The Alamo Siege and Battle by Alan Huffines, illus. by Gary Zaboly. Best single-volume reference work of all for hobby gamers, modellers, students of military history, oversize hardback fully illustrated in B&W and detailed text and primary source quotes.
General Histories:
Walter Lord, A Time to Stand, is dated in many respects and not detailed enough for extensive reference but remains eminently readable and dramatic and provides a nice overview of the revolution to get you motivated.
Bill Groneman, Alamo Defenders, is a carefully researched roster of every known Alamo defender and their backgrounds and what is known about their part in the siege.
William Davis, Three Roads to the Alamo, is a more exhaustive look at the lives of Bowie, Crockett, and Travis and their parts in the revolution.
Albert Nofi, The Alamo and the Texas War for Independence, is an excellent, information-packed history by a former SPI and Strategy & Tactics contributor, so you know it's well-grounded in research and fact-checking and concentrates on the military aspects and data.
Finally, if you want to really explore primary sources and the raging debates surrounding nearly every aspect of the Alamo battle, pick up The Alamo Reader edited by Todd Hansen, a thick volume of source material and analysis on everything 1836.
There's a library of stuff on this era, lots of chaff but also plenty of wheat.
examines another pre-painted building for WWII.
