Bill Thurman Movies
American actor Bill Thurman is one of several Southern performers specializing in "regional" pictures -- films made exclusively for distribution in the deep South by states' rights exhibitors. In the '60s, Thurman appeared in a group of inexpensive horror films, many of them remakes of earlier American-International Pictures releases, and most of them directed in a hurry by Larry Buchanan: titles in this series include Curse of the Swamp Creature (1966), Zontar, the Thing From Venus (1968) and In the Year 2889 (1968). The actor has had numerous roles in other exploitation quickies like Gator Bait (1975) and Slumber Party 57 (1977). Bill Thurman had one shining moment of glory in an A-picture, as the high school coach husband of frustrated Cloris Leachman in Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1972); but as late as 1986, Thurman was back at his old stand, appearing as Reverend Bill McWilley in Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1986). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1970
- R
This plodding crime drama concerns the life of Depression-era gangster Pretty Boy Floyd. Imprisoned for the manslaughter of a jealous rival for his affections, Floyd escapes from jail a hardened criminal with ties to the mob in Kansas City. After meeting up with a whorehouse madam, he goes on a series of bank robberies that makes him public enemy number one on the FBI most wanted list. Soon G-man Hossler (Robert Glenn) is assigned to end the crime spree spawned by Floyd and his gang. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fabian Forte, Jocelyn Lane, (more)
- 1985
- R
Director Louis Malle scrutinizes modern-day racism in Alamo Bay. The scene is the Texas coast, where local fishermen resent the "intrusion" of Vietnam refugees. Fair-minded shrimp supplier Wally (Donald Moffat) hires several Vietnamese workers, which serves to further infuriate the locals. The most vociferous of Moffat's opponents is a fisherman, Shang (Ed Harris), who faces bankruptcy due to loss of business. A town meeting designed to settle the issue erupts into violence when Vietnamese emigre Dinh (Ho Nguyen) accuses some of the locals of bending the law for their own purposes. A desperate Shang asks his former lover Glory (Amy Madigan) for financial aid, a delicate situation in that she is Wally's daughter. When the Ku Klux Klan arrives on the scene to drive the Vietnamese out, Glory sides with the refugees, resulting in strong friendship between herself and Dinh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Madigan, Ed Harris, (more)
The longest (26-1/2 hours), most expensive ($25 million) and most complicated (four directors, five producers, five cinematographers, almost 100 speaking parts, several hundred extras) project made for television up to that time, Centennial was shown in two- and three-hour installments over a period of four months. An adaptation of James Michener's best-selling novel, it told the story of the settling of the American West by looking at the founding of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, from the settling of the area in the late 18th century to the present. Emmy-nominated for film editing and art direction, it boasts of sterling performances from Richard Chamberlain as frontiersman Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad as the French-Canadian trapper Pasquinel, and a surprisingly powerful performance from former football star Alex Karras as compassionate but iron-willed immigrant farmer Hans Brumbaugh. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 1977
- PG
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Steven Spielberg followed Jaws (1975), his first major box-office success, with this epic science fiction adventure about a disparate group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is an electrical lineman who, while sent out on emergency repairs, witnesses an unidentified flying object, and even has a "sunburn" from its bright lights to prove it. Neary's wife and children are at first skeptical, then concerned, and eventually fearful, as Roy refuses to accept a "logical" explanation for what he saw and is prepared to give up his job, his home, and his family to pursue the "truth" about UFOs. Neary's obsession eventually puts him in contact with others who've had close encounters with alien spacecraft, including Jillian (Melinda Dillon), a single mother whose son disappeared during her UFO experience, and Claude Lacombe (celebrated French filmmaker François Truffaut), a French researcher who believes that we can use a musical language to communicate with alien visitors. Lacombe's theory is put to the test when a band of government researchers and underground UFO enthusiasts (including Neary) join for an exchange with alien visitors near Devil's Tower, Wyoming. In 1980, a "Special Edition" was released. While its primary selling point was the addition of scenes inside the alien spaceship, Spielberg claimed that he also cleaned up some choppy editing in the second act. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, (more)
Texas-based cult director Larry Buchanan made this low-budget horror oddity starring John Agar as Rogers, a geologist who travels through the swamps to see a scientist named Simon (Jeff Alexander). What Rogers doesn't know is that Simon is quite mad and is experimenting on the local voodoo-practicing natives in order to create a mutant being, disposing of the corpses in a pit of alligators. Capturing Rogers' traveling companion, the treacherous Brenda (Shirley McLine), Simon turns her into a hideous monster before his horrible experiments are curtailed. As silly as most of Buchanan's films of the period, this forgettable trifle will be of interest to genre completists only. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1973
- PG
This film is another amateurish, low-rent pseudo-documentary (of the kind prevalent in the mid-1970s) which marked the unfortunate nadir of Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling's career. Serling offers intermittent narration to a trio of allegedly true supernatural tales, all of which are purported to be based on actual paranormal case studies by Dr. Jonathan Rankin. The first tale concerns a group of youths who fall victim to a chilling graveyard prophecy; the second features a monster lurking within a pit in a farmer's field; and the third describes a mysterious rendezvous between man and ghost on a lonely bridge. The poorly-shot, post-dubbed segments are apparently padded with footage from another film. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1976
In this "B" movie that falls between the cracks of mainstream vs. cult production (not rich enough for the former or sick enough for the latter), Claudia Jennings stars as Desirée, a tough Cajun huntress looking out for her younger brother and sister when three men and two of their sons come hunting for her, believing she killed the son of one of them. In the process of avoiding capture, Desirée's sister is victimized by the hunters, and the Cajun woman vows revenge -- first by luring them ever deeper into the swamp, and then by exacting her own deadly justice when the opportunity arises. In an era in which women had very few leading action roles in films, Jennings was setting a pattern for the future wave of female action stars. She was already a cult figure before her 1979 death at the age of 29 in a car crash. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Jennings, Sam Gilman, (more)
- 1987
- R
Hawken (Peter Fonda) is an itinerant wanderer, currently traversing the West. Upon meeting Indian girl Serene Hadin, Hawken immediately falls in love with her. He then takes it upon himself to avenge the brutal murder of Serene's family. In the late 1980s, Peter Fonda seemed determined to remain forever outside the Hollywood mainstream, and films like Hawken's Breed certainly helped him achieve that goal. Jack Elam and Bill Thurman also contribute their expertise to this ponderous exercise. Barely released theatrically, Hawken's Breed enjoyed a moderately successful second life on video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
John Agar leads an American demolition squad into Italy to destroy a U.S. headquarters recently commandeered by Axis forces. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Set during the tempestuous mid '60s, this drama seeks to expose the darkest aspects of a contemporary upper class family as it tells the story of a 17-year-old light skinned African American who decides to pass herself off as a white girl. She gets a job working in the home of a powerful movie mogul. Everything seems hunky-dory on the surface, but it doesn't take her long to learn the sordid truth about the man's troubled family. The wife is a sniveling hypochondriac, a promiscuous hellion for a daughter, and a son who was booted out of West Point after he was falsely accused of homosexuality. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In this drama, based on a true story, desperate townsfolk take up arms to defeat the sociopathic town bully who has been terrorizing them for years. They then swear themselves to silence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Cloris Leachman, (more)
- 1966
In this campy sci-fi film, the hero and his little band of post nuclear holocaust survivors find themselves stalked by telepathic cannibal mutants. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1968
In this sci-fi film a loony farmer finds a prehistoric monster hiding in a cavern on his land. To feed his newest critter, the farmer kidnaps three people. The three desperately try to escape and finally, one of them succeeds. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1980
- R
This unsettling but moody low-budget psycho-thriller -- a drive-in version of Repulsion with a Southern Gothic flavor -- stars the eerie-looking Camilla Carr as a demented young recluse who believes herself to be possessed by the spirit of her long-lost brother (who is presumed dead), and slays any man who makes sexual advances toward her -- usually running them through with a sword. Her dementia intensifies, leading her to take her own life by chewing on broken glass (a particularly unsettling scene). The chief plot twist and subsequent dramatic punchline -- involving the brother's true identity and whereabouts -- is a long time coming, but fairly satisfying nonetheless. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
In this sci-fi film, lonely Martians wire Earth in hopes of finding fertile women to repopulate their dying world. They are particularly interested in a voluptuous dancing scientist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The murderous Evelyn (Anna Chappell) runs her own version of the Bates Motel, a series of run-down units set on a mountainside. After the batty Evelyn finds her daughter performing a Satanic ritual in the basement, she stabs her to death and then invents a story for the suspicious sheriff. A number of people arrive for the daughter's funeral and they are put up at the motel. Evelyn, meanwhile, tries terrifying her guests with hordes of rats and nasty bugs. When this isn't enough, she decides to up the terror factor by using her sickle, exterminating the guests instead of the bugs and rats. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Thurman, Anna Chappell, (more)
This obscure horror movie is a remake of an even more obscure horror movie, 1964's The Demon From Devil's Lake. The sheriff of a small Texas town investigates when a serial killer starts bumping off female students at a local college. He discovers that the murderer is not a serial killer at all, but a hideous monster, the result of a botched NASA experiment. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Agar, Ralph Baker, Jr., (more)
Of the three "mortgage on the farm" films of 1984 (Country and The River were the other two), Places in the Heart is the only one set during the Depression. After her husband is killed, Sally Field is forced to take over the debt-ridden Texas family farm herself. Though slightly embittered by the fact that a black man was responsible for her husband's death, Field accepts the help of another African-American, Danny Glover. She is also given aid and comfort by her blind boarder, John Malkovich. Despite almost insurmountable odds, Field manages to bring in the cotton crop and to hold her farm and family together. Throughout the film, director Robert Benton stresses the importance of solidarity in facing down disaster, underlining this point with a remarkable surrealistic finale, in which the "live" members of the cast are seen singing a hymn with the characters who have "died" in the course of the film. Places in the Heart won Sally Field her second Academy Award. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, (more)
Sissy Spacek was directed by her husband Jack Fisk in 1981's Raggedy Man. Spacek plays a divorced mother of two who tries to go it alone in mid-1940s Texas. Shunned by the "respectable" townsfolk because of her marital breakup, Spacek must endure the unwanted attentions of every low-life man in the community. Enter Eric Roberts, a young sailor who becomes both friend and protector to Spacek and her sons. Once Roberts is called to active duty, however, Spacek is supposedly left at the mercy of the menacing "raggedy man"-a scuzzy ragpicker, played by Sam Shepard, whose intentions aren't what they seem. Leisurely paced for most of its running time, Raggedy Man takes a disturbing violent turn in its last half hour. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sissy Spacek, Eric Roberts, (more)
- 1974
- PG
In this grim action drama, a soldier in Vietnam is presumed to be dead by the folks back home. When he suddenly shows up in town, he is greeted with hatred. Soon he finds himself having to fight back against those who want to lynch him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Lawrence Kasdan's Silverado is a fond hark back to the all-star, big-budget westerns of the 1950s and 1960s. The various plotlines converge at the town of Silverado, held in thrall by crooked sheriff Brian Dennehy and his behemoth "deputies." The four disparate heroes--Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Scott Glenn and Danny Glover--prepare to do battle against Dennehy for personal reasons ranging from mercenary to altruistic. Sidelines characters include duplicitous, dandified gambler Jeff Goldblum, frontier widow Rosanna Arquette and gimlet-eyed saloon owner Linda Hunt. The film is stolen hands-down by Kevin Costner, playing an irresponsible young gunslinger who never speaks when hootin' and hollerin' will do. A classic, High Noon-style showdown caps this rousing retro western. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, (more)
- 1976
- R
When a group of teenage girls gather together for a slumber party, they spend the night relating stories of how they lost their virginity. Debra Winger makes her screen debut in this film. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noelle North, Bridget Hollman, (more)
A WW I German spy attempts to drive an artillery-adorned automobile into the States in this comedy. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1976
- PG
When Bigfoot is sighted near a Louisiana lake, two college students (Dennis Fimple, John David Carson) camp out to confirm the legendary monster's identity. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1979
- PG
This pedestrian haunted-house film stars Vic Morrow as a creepy real estate agent who introduces a young couple to a quaint Louisiana farmhouse, neglecting to inform them of its horrific, blood-spattered past. As bizarre events begin to plague the couple, their suspicions that the place may be haunted slowly give way to the notion that someone is trying to scare them silly. Unfortunately, viewers will have little difficulty solving the mystery, as writer-director Charles B. Pierce tends to be all thumbs in the suspense department (despite a few decent shocks toward the end). The pseudo-documentary tone (the film is supposedly based on a true story) only manages to cheapen the overall look, and is far short of convincing. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Parks, Jessica Harper, (more)
