David Jean Thomas Movies
A woman walks a fine line between pleasure and pain in the name of justice in this erotic thriller. J.C. Gale (Richard Grieco) is a well-known photographer who finds himself on trial, accused of involuntary manslaughter, after a woman died of asphyxiation while engaged in "rough sex" with him. Gale is found guilty, but is released on probation; however, it turns out his probation officer is Beth Spinella (Angie Everhart), whose best friend was Gale's victim. Spinella is determined to prove that Gale's actions were hardly "involuntary," and that the man is a dangerous sexual predator. However, to get to know him well enough to find out the truth, Spinella has to use herself as bait for Gale, and she is soon drawn into an alluring but sinister world of dark, deviant pleasures. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Even though her brother died of a drug overdose, a young, angry black girl named Charnelle (Kenya Williams) is on the brink of becoming a hopeless addict herself. Fortunately, Monica (Roma Downey) has shown up to help Charnelle write a school essay about finding "a piece of yourself in history." With the help of her fellow angels, Monica tells Charnelle the cautionary story of famed blues singer Billie Holliday, who likewise nearly allowed drugs to overwhelm her as she prepared her first public performance of the anti-lynching anthem "Strange Fruit". But in the end, Monica is not nearly as effective with Charnelle as the girl's own grandmother Georgia (Mary Alice), who has a story of her own to tell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Director Michael Stevens debuts with this two-fisted ultra-violent crime drama about redemption and revenge. Adapted from British author Tim Willocks' 1991 novel, the movie weaves together four stories resulting from a botched bank robbery. Callilou (Judith Hoag), the wounded girlfriend of the robbery's mastermind Luther (Jim Metzler), seeks refuge with kind-hearted doctor Eugene Grimes (Michael Massee), who lives among the impoverished in New Orleans' worst neighborhood. Hot on Callilou's trail is rakish but corrupt Vice Squad Captain Clarence Jefferson (Michael McGrady), who is looking to horn in on the robbers. He eventually catches up with Eugene, and, after a great deal of physical and emotional abuse, Eugene reveals both his odd connection with the criminal ringleader and his hideout. Soon after Jefferson and his gang converge on Luther's lair, a bloody gunfight ensues. Bad City Blues was screened at the L.A./AFI Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Massee, Michael McGrady, (more)
Frank Military and Susan Rhinehart scripted this western, a look back at the post-Civil War Black cavalry troops known as the Buffalo Soldiers, the fierce fighting unit previously covered in a PBS four-parter (1970) and an NBC pilot (1979). In the New Mexico Territory, ex-slave Sgt. Wyatt (Danny Glover) and the Buffalo soldiers arrest Captain Draper (Robert Knott) and other Texas Rangers, but politics mean the Rangers are quietly freed later. Back at Fort Craig, Wyatt reports to anti-black General Pike (Tom Bower) and Col. Grierson (Bob Gunton), a white responsible for assembling and supporting the black regiment. A search is underway for Indian chief Victorio (Harrison Lowe). Indian prophet Nana (Chesley Wilson) is tortured in an effort to get him to reveal Victorio's whereabouts. Determining that Victorio is at Rattlesnake Springs, the Buffalo Soldiers head in that direction for a confrontation. Filmed in the desert of Arizona's Cochise County, Buffalo Soldiers premiered December 7, 1997 on TNT. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Glover, Bob Gunton, (more)
Jill Eikenberry stars in this made-for-television drama about a mother's strength. Eikenberry stars as divorcee Tessa Bryan, who is raising her two daughters alone while her ex-husband takes up with a young model named Carolyn (Laura Leighton). When Tessa learns that she has terminal cancer, she puts aside her own feelings about her husband's new wife and decides that it is in her children's best interest to teach Carolyn how to be the best mother she can be. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
Like the old B movies it emulates, this mystery focuses on crooks, murder, and revenge. Sam is accidentally present during a robbery and somehow ends up in a scuffle that ends in the death of one of the three robbers. The other two track him down and slay his wife. He goes on the run as the crooks chase him form L.A. to San Diego, and finally, to a circus in Mexico where Sam makes his final stand. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederick Deane, Timothy Patrick Cavanaugh, (more)
- 1994
A man returns to the past to improve his present time and instead messes it up in this old-fashioned science fiction B movie. The film begins in the year 2073; Nicholas Sinclair, like his other time-travel researchers is dying from a virus. He returns via time warp to 1973 to bring back a defective robot probe. The trouble begins when his colleagues send a probe after him. In the revised present most of the world is being overrun by robots while the human population is being wiped out by a virus. Nicholas is a soldier in the guerrilla army that battles the robots. His wife Natasha is also in the army. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Keats, Mitch Cox, (more)
- 1994
When John Davenport (Scott Valentine) married his lovely wife, Diana (Katherine Kelly Lang), he was totally unaware that she had been wed before. And beyond that, John had no idea that Diana's ex-husband, Drew D'Arcy (John Enos III), is a dangerous psycho. But Davenport soon wises up when, with help of a phony parole office, Drew begins stalking Diana and ultimately kidnaps her. Alerting the authorities to this abduction, John finds that no one will believe him -- especially since he himself has recently been implicated in a murder. Thus, John must tackle the challenge of rescuing Diana himself, leading to a nail-biting climactic showdown in the desert. For all its melodrama and grimness, this film has as astonishing amount of humor, mostly invested in the "sick" comments made by Drew D'Arcy and his partner in crime. Originally filmed for theatrical play but ultimately released directly to home video, Till the End of Night made its TV debut courtesy of the Lifetime cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Valentine, Katherine Kelly Lang, (more)
Writer, director, and star Mario Van Peebles tried to correct historical misconceptions about African-Americans on the frontier with this action-packed western that's also an homage to spaghetti Westerns. During the Spanish-American War, a squadron of black soldiers led by Jesse Lee (Van Peebles) is assigned a dangerous mission behind enemy lines in Cuba by evil Colonel Graham (Billy Zane). Joined by a white gambler, Little J (Stephen Baldwin), the troupe is to recover a chest of gold. Realizing that Graham will slaughter them once they've relinquished the booty, Lee and his men retrieve the chest, wound Graham, and head for home. Ambushed by Graham in New Orleans, the "posse" heads for Lee's hometown of Freemanville, a frontier settlement of ex-slaves. Years ago, Lee's minister father (Robert Hooks) was murdered there by Klansmen, and the gunslinger wants revenge. There's new trouble brewing in Freemanville, however. Sheriff Bates (Richard Jordan), top lawman in neighboring Cutterville, plans to wipe out Freemanville's citizens and sell their lucrative property to a railroad. Then there's Graham, still on Lee's trail. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Van Peebles, Stephen Baldwin, (more)
