Samuel Bottoms Movies

One of a cluster of late-1970s films about the Vietnam War, Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now adapts the Joseph Conrad novella Heart of Darkness to depict the war as a descent into primal madness. Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen), already on the edge, is assigned to find and deal with AWOL Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), rumored to have set himself up in the Cambodian jungle as a local, lethal godhead. Along the way Willard encounters napalm and Wagner fan Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall), draftees who prefer to surf and do drugs, a USO Playboy Bunny show turned into a riot by the raucous soldiers, and a jumpy photographer (Dennis Hopper) telling wild, reverent tales about Kurtz. By the time Willard sees the heads mounted on stakes near Kurtz's compound, he knows Kurtz has gone over the deep end, but it is uncertain whether Willard himself now agrees with Kurtz's insane dictum to "Drop the Bomb. Exterminate them all." Coppola himself was not certain either, and he tried several different endings between the film's early rough-cut screenings for the press, the Palme d'Or-winning "work-in-progress" shown at Cannes, and the final 35 mm U.S. release (also the ending on the video cassette). The chaotic production also experienced shut-downs when a typhoon destroyed the set and star Sheen suffered a heart attack; the budget ballooned and Coppola covered the overages himself. These production headaches, which Coppola characterized as being like the Vietnam War itself, have been superbly captured in the documentary, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. Despite the studio's fears and mixed reviews of the film's ending, Apocalypse Now became a substantial hit and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Duvall's psychotic Kilgore, and Best Screenplay. It won Oscars for sound and for Vittorio Storaro's cinematography. This hallucinatory, Wagnerian project has produced admirers and detractors of equal ardor; it resembles no other film ever made, and its nightmarish aura and polarized reception aptly reflect the tensions and confusions of the Vietnam era. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Bronco Billy stars Clint Eastwood (who also directed) as the impresario of a seedy wild west show. Going along for the ride is spoiled socialite Sondra Locke, who is "initiated" by being pressed into service as the wrong end of a knife-throwing act. The rest of the troupe, like Eastwood himself, are losers in life who yearn for the freedom and opportunity of the long-gone Old West. Despite its raucous ad campaign, Bronco Billy is at base a wistful character study, avoiding the usual trappings of car chases and redneck villains and offering quiet chuckles instead of belly laughs. Unfortunately it failed to click with the public, compelling Eastwood to temporarily return to his old crash-bang-pow formula in his next few films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paul Bogart directed this ho-hum follow-up to Robert Mulligan's Summer of '42 in which the three adolescents begin their college years during the waning years of World War II. Hermie (Gary Grimes), Oscy (Jerry Houser), and Benjie (Oliver Conant) graduate from high school and head off in different directions. Benjie takes off to join the Marines and disappears from the story line, while Hermie and Oscy fret about entering college. Hermie falls for beautiful college freshman Julie (Deborah Winters), and the boys have to deal with a fractious fraternity president (William Atherton) who is the supervisor of the fraternity hazings. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

An ancient evil escapes its captivity in a Mayan temple in Mexico, kills the archaeologists who unearth it, and heads straight for a toy factory, which is eventually taken over by a new American owner (Sam Bottoms) and refurbished. When the owner's daughter (Candy Houston) discovers one of the previous owner's doll creations and brings it home, she soon develops a strangely intense attachment to her new toy. The family's superstitious housekeeper begins to suspect demonic work afoot... and is promptly dispatched by the doll. Another archaeologist (Rip Torn) attempts to further his predecessor's research into the demon's origins and finds that the evil force was conjured centuries ago by a black-magic cult, whose members aspired to breed a hybrid of man and demon. The little girl's parents refuse to accept this theory... until they come face-to-face with an army of the malevolent dolls, all of which are under the man-beast's control. A decent but obvious riff on Child's Play, this also makes a few chilling nods to Trilogy of Terror's rampaging Zuni doll segment, and the dollies are suitably spooky. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Set in Washington D.C. during the Vietnam War era, Gardens of Stone concentrates on the trials and tribulations of the Arlington National Cemetery home guard. James Caan plays career soldier Sgt. Clell Hazard, who has come to the sad conclusion that Vietnam is unwinnable and that America should withdraw as soon as possible. His attitude is contrasted to that held by Private Jackie Willow (D.B. Sweeney), who wants nothing more in life than to go into battle for his country. Though Hazard cannot officially dissuade Willow from this yearning, he pulls a few surreptitious strings to change the lad's mind, including encouraging a renewed romance between Jackie and his former girlfriend Rachel (Mary Stuart Masterton). After so many big-budgeters, Coppola determined that Gardens would be a deliberately "small" picture, concentrating on personalities rather than opulence; the director's father, Carmine Coppola, supplied the music, while Peter Masterton and Carlyn Glynn, the real-life parents of Mary Stuart Masterton, play Mary's on-screen dad and mom. Gardens of Stone was adapted by Ronald Bass from the novel by Nicholas Proffitt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Old Testament comes alive in this dramatic retelling of Biblical history. The story of Joseph begins with the young man being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. But Joseph's wisdom soon wins him a place of honor within the Pharaoh's palace. When he meets his family again, Joseph must practice what he preaches. Sam Bottoms plays the Egyptian hero. Joseph joins an impressive lineup of Biblical superstars for this television special, among them David, Samson, and Noah. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

A pair of naïve young girls learn that even the most insignificant actions can have lasting consequences in this music-driven take on teen culture starring Anne Hathaway and Bijou Phillips and directed by two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple. Influenced by the hip-hop thug lifestyle and seeking to explore life outside of their insulated, culturally homogenized suburb, pretty young teenagers Allison (Hathaway) and Emily (Phillips) set their sights on East L.A. to experience the "gangsta" lifestyle firsthand. By the time the pair meet some true-life Latino gang-bangers and realize just how far out of their element they really are, it may already be too late to turn back. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Cultural differences serve as a point of humor in this comedy about an American (Sam Bottoms) who is called down to Mexico for an inexplicable reason -- he is invited to attend the funeral of his father who actually died some 30 years earlier. He takes off from his home in California and after crossing the border he goes through one difficulty after another, all of which get him sent back home. Unwilling to give up easily, he heads back for a final sojourn because life just isn't as interesting stateside. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

This episode of the series Greatest Heroes of the Bible recounts the Old Testament story of Joseph, who ascended from slavery to become the pharaoh's minister. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

In this independent psychological drama, Lillian (Jade Henham) is a woman who is depressed and dissatisfied with her lot in life; she's the kept woman of a successful businessman, Gene (Samuel Bottoms), who has sexual identity issues and likes to dress up as Marilyn Monroe during his encounters with Lillian. Lillian longs for a different sort of relationship, and while Gene is away on business, she meets Luke (Robert Glen Keith), a handsome and seemingly sensitive writer who seems to offer a healthier perspective on love and sex than that to which she's become accustomed. However, in time she discovers Luke has secrets of his own, and now she finds herself torn between two men, neither of whom is giving her what she needs. Looking Through Lillian was the first feature film for director and co-screenwriter Jake Torem; leading lady Jade Henham also contributed to the script. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Just before attending the funeral of an old friend, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) makes the acquaintance of young Rick Banner (Marc Singer), former college roommate of the dead woman's long-lost son Peter. When Rick hears a song written by Peter, the ball starts rolling for a onslaught of intrigue, ill will and murder predicated on the fact that the missing Peter will fall heir to millions should he ever make a return appearance. Jessica's fellow sleuth on this occasion is rumpled, clownish Chief Underwood (Lane Smith), who may remind some viewers of Peter Falk's Lieutenant Columbo (of course, both Columbo and Murder, She Wrote were created by the same writing team!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This video offers a profile of filmmaker Bogdanovich's first great movie, The Last Picture Show, as Cybill Shepherd, Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms and Sam Bottoms, Polly Platt, Randy Quaid and others reveal the impacts that the film had on their lives. ~ All Movie Guide