Billy-Bob-Thornton Movie Reviews

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VHS movie reviews for "Billy-Bob-Thornton" sorted by average review score:
Blue Valley Songbird
Released in VHS Tape by Image Entertainment (03 July, 2001)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: Richard A. Colla
This thoroughly enjoyable 1999 television movie is an appropriately understated vehicle for country superstar Dolly Parton. Though a limited actress, Parton's key role as a saloon singer with suppressed ambitions makes for a perfect fit, neither overextending her lean thespian gifts nor inadvertently mocking her range. Parton sings, of course, yet even the hillbilly angel within yields to the script's focused tale of a love triangle involving underrated singer-songwriter Leanna (Parton), her longtime manager and boyfriend Hank (an outstanding performance by John Terry), and a restless musician (Billy Dean). Veteran director Richard A. Colla (Fuzz, Battlestar Galactica) approaches the material with grown-up sensitivity and understanding. As Jean Renoir said, everyone has their reasons, and that's certainly the case with these good people on screen. A subplot concerning Leanna's psychological mistreatment in youth by a wacked-out father is an unnecessary and redundant character note, but other than that misstep, Blue Valley Songbird is a pure pleasure. --Tom Keogh
Average review score:

dolly's valley aint blue!
this movie was on lifetime and i thought it was great. then i bought the dvd and it's super-spectacular. she does a nice accoustic version of "wildflowers" and there's this weird easter egg where if you hilite her eyes and press enter then you hear only the music and the soundeffects. pretty strange.

Highlight for many occasions
This film is a blend of raw humanity and brutal honesty. It was so refreshing to see the issues delt with done with so much style and not the usual sentimental [stuff]. As a huge Dolly fan and a director of performance myself, I have only this to say: Yes, Dolly is not a Liz Taylor, but few performers has ever reached her level of honesty in character and emotion when it comes to playing any character. Instead of boring crocedile tears, Dolly shows us inner pain - as does this whole film. This is a movie for people that understand what it means to hide your pain so that the show can go on. Deeply moving and profoundly liberating if you are able to leave soap operas behind you for a minute or two.

"Two Thumps Up"
This is a great movie....Dolly Parton goes through a journey with many ups ans downs. She is a singer that is trying to make it big. She performs at a friend, Ruby's, bar. Will she make it big, or be stuck in the wrong gear?..highly recommmended especially Dolly fans!!

The Stars Fell on Henrietta
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Studios (14 September, 1998)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: James Keach
Starring: Robert Duvall and Aidan Quinn
Average review score:

Good for the whole family
Having children now I truly value good and wholesome movies that don't rely on profanity and tasteless antics.
Robert Duvall truly shines as does Aidan Quinn in this wonderful story. It is definately an "owner" and something you will want to watch again.

Robert Duvall at his best!
This is one of our great American films. This could not be improved...it's a five star gem. Watch it, love it!

BEING A PART OF HENRIETTA
THE STARS THAT FELL ON HENRIETTA IS A GREAT PERIOD FILM SET IN 1935. ROBERT DUVALL AND AIDAN QUINN DID A GREAT JOB OF ACTING IN THE FILM.IT ALSO WAS GREAT BEING ABLE TO BE IN THE FILM AS A PICTURE CAR DRIVER IN WHICH I HAD THREE VINTAGE CARS IN. ALSO IF YOU LOOK REAL HARD JANE SEYMORE IS STANDING AT THE BAR IN A SALOON WHILE A BOXING MATCH IS GOING ON.

The Stars Fell on Henrietta
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Studios (14 September, 1998)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: James Keach
Starring: Robert Duvall and Aidan Quinn
Average review score:

Good for the whole family
Having children now I truly value good and wholesome movies that don't rely on profanity and tasteless antics.
Robert Duvall truly shines as does Aidan Quinn in this wonderful story. It is definately an "owner" and something you will want to watch again.

Robert Duvall at his best!
This is one of our great American films. This could not be improved...it's a five star gem. Watch it, love it!

BEING A PART OF HENRIETTA
THE STARS THAT FELL ON HENRIETTA IS A GREAT PERIOD FILM SET IN 1935. ROBERT DUVALL AND AIDAN QUINN DID A GREAT JOB OF ACTING IN THE FILM.IT ALSO WAS GREAT BEING ABLE TO BE IN THE FILM AS A PICTURE CAR DRIVER IN WHICH I HAD THREE VINTAGE CARS IN. ALSO IF YOU LOOK REAL HARD JANE SEYMORE IS STANDING AT THE BAR IN A SALOON WHILE A BOXING MATCH IS GOING ON.

The Stars Fell on Henrietta
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Studios (13 May, 1997)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: James Keach
Starring: Robert Duvall and Aidan Quinn
Average review score:

Good for the whole family
Having children now I truly value good and wholesome movies that don't rely on profanity and tasteless antics.
Robert Duvall truly shines as does Aidan Quinn in this wonderful story. It is definately an "owner" and something you will want to watch again.

Robert Duvall at his best!
This is one of our great American films. This could not be improved...it's a five star gem. Watch it, love it!

BEING A PART OF HENRIETTA
THE STARS THAT FELL ON HENRIETTA IS A GREAT PERIOD FILM SET IN 1935. ROBERT DUVALL AND AIDAN QUINN DID A GREAT JOB OF ACTING IN THE FILM.IT ALSO WAS GREAT BEING ABLE TO BE IN THE FILM AS A PICTURE CAR DRIVER IN WHICH I HAD THREE VINTAGE CARS IN. ALSO IF YOU LOOK REAL HARD JANE SEYMORE IS STANDING AT THE BAR IN A SALOON WHILE A BOXING MATCH IS GOING ON.

Trouble Bound
Released in VHS Tape by Usa Films (09 September, 1997)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Jeffrey Reiner
Average review score:

Can't go wrong with this one!
I'd have to echo the previous reviewers and say this is an excellent road picture. WIth a great cast.

the best road movie ever
Patricia Arquette and Michael Madsen are amazingly wonderful in this film. And I don't understand why this film is not on sale anymore. Is there any way we could get it back. I'm dying to buy it. This is the best road movie I've ever seen in years !

great road movie
This is one rockin road pic, it just keeps getting stranger, I cuoldn't stop laughing. Rustam Branaman and Billy Bob thornton are great as bad guys.

The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Studios (23 May, 1995)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: Daniel Mann
Average review score:

Great movie for Kilmer fans..
An early film by Val Kilmer. Some may think it drags on but it ends up being a pretty good movie. Val Kilmer fans must see his great performance. I'd recommend to at least rent if not by this movie.

AN AMAZING PERFORMANCE BY ONE AMAZING GUY
The first words that spring to mind when I think of this film is 'WOW'. Val Kilmer brings this character of Robert Elliot Burns to life, probably too well, and makes you believe that you're living it with him... the sign of a truly amazing actor... The things Mr Burns went through, the struggles that he faced seem so horrific it makes you think of the question 'This can't be real, can it?'.. What makes it more horrific is that it's based on a true life, a real person, real situations, real actual events...It blows my mind every time I watch it...Val Kilmer was the right person to play it because he puts so much into the role, he makes you feel the pain that he's suffering. This is a sign of an amazing, talented, young man..who just keeps on getting better...if that's possible. If I could I'd give it more marks than 5 because it is definitely a film not to miss.

Excellent Portrayal of a Serious Social Problem
Val Kilmer gave 110% in his portrayal of the horrors faced by those sentenced to the old Southern chain gangs. Unfortunately, with the emphasis on making criminals pay for their crimes, the film may generate less sympathy than it once did.

Blood In Blood Out
Released in VHS Tape by Hollywood Pictures (02 April, 2002)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Damian Chapa, Jesse Borrego, and Benjamin Bratt
Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman) directed this 1993 epic about Chicano gang wars in the California prison system and the differing and tragic paths of three boyhood friends. Half-brothers Paco and Cruz grow up with their cousin Miklo in Chicano Los Angeles, and each in turn is influenced by their violent environment and the prevalence of drugs on their streets. Cruz becomes an artist but winds up tragically addicted to heroin, while Miklo serves time for murder and Paco becomes a cop, setting the stage for a confrontation between the two when Miklo is released from prison. The film strives for an epic feel but takes too long to set up its interweaving stories. It is notable, however, for some fine acting on the part of Benjamin Bratt and Damian Chiapa, as well as smaller roles by Billy Bob Thornton, Ving Rhames and Delroy Lindo. Its depictions of life in the California prison system are harrowing and powerful, and serve as the centerpiece of this urban drama. --Robert Lane
Average review score:

A Real Depiction of the Chicano Culture & Lifestyle
We live in an entertainment society where the face of a minority tends to represent the face of a drug dealer or a gang member. Although that is a partial truth to a sad reality that many in our families face, this movie finally serves as a proper representation to people from other cultures and from other communities of life in the streets of East L.A. as a Chicano.

Paco Aguilar (Benjamin Bratt) shows the turn-arounds that many in our community have made for many years now, being able to change from a life of gangs and crime to becoming a figure of authority and respect. Cruz Candelaria (Jesse Borrego) shows how the gifts that are within our fellow brothers and sisters can be tarnished by the devils that are within the drugs that reside in our streets. And last but not least, Miklo Velka (Damian Chapa) shoes the struggles that many in people face from being of mestizo blood, which is true to members of mixed race from any background or ethnicity. His fight to belong leads him towards the world that exist in the confines of San Quentin.

Very few movies have given light to the true reality that exists in our beautful culture, and Blood In Blood Out is at the top of that list. I am a 22-year-old Chicano from the streets of Boyle Heights, with a degree from UCLA in Computer Science who has a little of Paco, Cruz, and Miklo within me. I don't care who you are, after watching this movie, you will know that you have a little bit of all three of them in you too. This is a great movie whether you are Chicano/Latino, Anglo, Asian, African-American, or any other race. This belongs in all movie collections of any culturally-concious movie goer, in any format.

Vatos Locos Forever
This movie has got to be one of the greatest chicano movies ever created. For those who enjoyed American Me, This movie blows that out of the water. The actors in this movie are really heartfelt. Throughout the whole movie your emotions are on a rollercoaster. The movie has some very devasting parts that break your heart, and some parts that keep you on the edge of your seat. The story of three chicano teens growing up, and how a couple decisions changed the paths of their lives. The only bad acting had to be Miklo, but the movie itself makes up for any flaws. This has to be added to any hispanics movie collection. If your not hispanic don't be discouraged, my best friend is white and he can quote every line in the movie. BUY this movie today. Before I go, does anyone know what's the deal with Benjamin Bratt on the back cover? He's holding a girl that is never shown in the movie. Bye

The Greatest Gangster Movie Ever Made
Blood in Blood out is the greatest gangster movie of all time. whoever didn't like this movie is crazy. Damian chapa did a great job as miklo. This movie is hands down the greatest ever!

Sangre Por Sangre
Released in VHS Tape by Disney Studios (18 February, 2002)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Damian Chapa, Jesse Borrego, and Benjamin Bratt
Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman) directed this 1993 epic about Chicano gang wars in the California prison system and the differing and tragic paths of three boyhood friends. Half-brothers Paco and Cruz grow up with their cousin Miklo in Chicano Los Angeles, and each in turn is influenced by their violent environment and the prevalence of drugs on their streets. Cruz becomes an artist but winds up tragically addicted to heroin, while Miklo serves time for murder and Paco becomes a cop, setting the stage for a confrontation between the two when Miklo is released from prison. The film strives for an epic feel but takes too long to set up its interweaving stories. It is notable, however, for some fine acting on the part of Benjamin Bratt and Damian Chiapa, as well as smaller roles by Billy Bob Thornton, Ving Rhames and Delroy Lindo. Its depictions of life in the California prison system are harrowing and powerful, and serve as the centerpiece of this urban drama. --Robert Lane
Average review score:

A Real Depiction of the Chicano Culture & Lifestyle
We live in an entertainment society where the face of a minority tends to represent the face of a drug dealer or a gang member. Although that is a partial truth to a sad reality that many in our families face, this movie finally serves as a proper representation to people from other cultures and from other communities of life in the streets of East L.A. as a Chicano.

Paco Aguilar (Benjamin Bratt) shows the turn-arounds that many in our community have made for many years now, being able to change from a life of gangs and crime to becoming a figure of authority and respect. Cruz Candelaria (Jesse Borrego) shows how the gifts that are within our fellow brothers and sisters can be tarnished by the devils that are within the drugs that reside in our streets. And last but not least, Miklo Velka (Damian Chapa) shoes the struggles that many in people face from being of mestizo blood, which is true to members of mixed race from any background or ethnicity. His fight to belong leads him towards the world that exist in the confines of San Quentin.

Very few movies have given light to the true reality that exists in our beautful culture, and Blood In Blood Out is at the top of that list. I am a 22-year-old Chicano from the streets of Boyle Heights, with a degree from UCLA in Computer Science who has a little of Paco, Cruz, and Miklo within me. I don't care who you are, after watching this movie, you will know that you have a little bit of all three of them in you too. This is a great movie whether you are Chicano/Latino, Anglo, Asian, African-American, or any other race. This belongs in all movie collections of any culturally-concious movie goer, in any format.

Vatos Locos Forever
This movie has got to be one of the greatest chicano movies ever created. For those who enjoyed American Me, This movie blows that out of the water. The actors in this movie are really heartfelt. Throughout the whole movie your emotions are on a rollercoaster. The movie has some very devasting parts that break your heart, and some parts that keep you on the edge of your seat. The story of three chicano teens growing up, and how a couple decisions changed the paths of their lives. The only bad acting had to be Miklo, but the movie itself makes up for any flaws. This has to be added to any hispanics movie collection. If your not hispanic don't be discouraged, my best friend is white and he can quote every line in the movie. BUY this movie today. Before I go, does anyone know what's the deal with Benjamin Bratt on the back cover? He's holding a girl that is never shown in the movie. Bye

The Greatest Gangster Movie Ever Made
Blood in Blood out is the greatest gangster movie of all time. whoever didn't like this movie is crazy. Damian chapa did a great job as miklo. This movie is hands down the greatest ever!

Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade
Released in VHS Tape by Vanguard Films (19 March, 2002)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: George Hickenlooper
Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade is the short film on which Billy Bob Thornton based Sling Blade (and the reason Thornton was awarded the best adapted--not best original--screenplay). The film is essentially the opening scenes of Sling Blade, in which Thornton's character, Karl Childers, is shown about to leave the mental hospital, intoning his account of his youthful crime to a naive reporter writing about his release. While the screenplay here is virtually the same as the corresponding part of the longer film, this film leaves a lingering chilling feeling. Unlike Sling Blade, which allows the audience to see Karl's innate goodness, this version ends at the end of the interview, when the reporter (here played by Molly Ringwald) is left stunned at the horrors she's just heard, and she (and the audience) have no real idea if Karl is someone who should be turned loose or not. Fans of Sling Blade owe it to themselves to see this version, too--focusing on its far darker sensibility adds to the appreciation of the work it would later become. (Historic footnote: unlike Sling Blade, Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade was directed by George Hickenlooper, codirector of the acclaimed documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, who was none too happy when the media attention over Sling Blade virtually ignored his contributions to the original film.) --Anne Hurley
Average review score:

Some Folks Call it an Acting Reel
Director George Hickenlooper shows us his all, including a short film entitled Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade.

The film is a dark black & white depiction of Billy Bob Thorton's "Karl" whom Thorton developed while looking at his reflection with time on his hands, then later brought to life on stage with one-man shows.

In collaboration with Billy, Hickenlooper hoped to use this film as a springboard to making a feature film (which of course happened - Sling Blade). But that's where the off-stage drama begins.

Besides being a great short film and a "hoot," if you will, being the first incarnation of our beloved "Karl" (those whom have seen Sling Blade know what I mean, those whom haven't, order both films), This DVD contains an extensive director-ography of Hickenlooper, and the reason he ultimately declined to work on the feature film Sling Blade.

It shows a different side of Thorton - albeit hearsay, but interesting at any rate. I still love the man because he has a band.

But one thing struck me as quite ironic - while filming Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade, Hickenlooper didn't like the idea of doing Thorton doing his monologue as a close-up, and felt Thorton wanted it that way so he could use the film as an 'acting reel' to get more film parts.

But amidst the DVD segment where he says this - "The Evolution of Sling Blade," Hickenlooper showcases his own material, citing every film he's directed (involving Billy Bob or not), with very extensive clips.

Who's acting reel?

But ironic or not, this is a great short film that stands on its own. I just wish I saw it before I saw Sling Blade. Not so much the same impact, I reckon.

Short but Expensive
This independent short is essentially a b&w of the opening sequence of Sling Blade. The late JT Walsh is here, and Molly Ringwold will be recognized as the reporter interviewing Billy Bob Thorton's Karl in this version. Very good except for the price. Director George Hickenlooper takes potshots at Thorton in the Bonus Features. Recommended for people who really like Sling Blade, but again, they are selling it at full price.

a real thinker with a great twist at the end
i love this movie if you like any of billy bobs work this is one you have got to see. billy goes beyond acting in this role. youll be surprised by at how many celebs make an apperance in this film. all of them in roles you will not believe! its a strange and almost comical drama. i think you will enjoy this movie over and over again.

Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade
Released in VHS Tape by Mvp Home Entertainment (22 July, 1997)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: George Hickenlooper
Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade is the short film on which Billy Bob Thornton based Sling Blade (and the reason Thornton was awarded the best adapted--not best original--screenplay). The film is essentially the opening scenes of Sling Blade, in which Thornton's character, Karl Childers, is shown about to leave the mental hospital, intoning his account of his youthful crime to a naive reporter writing about his release. While the screenplay here is virtually the same as the corresponding part of the longer film, this film leaves a lingering chilling feeling. Unlike Sling Blade, which allows the audience to see Karl's innate goodness, this version ends at the end of the interview, when the reporter (here played by Molly Ringwald) is left stunned at the horrors she's just heard, and she (and the audience) have no real idea if Karl is someone who should be turned loose or not. Fans of Sling Blade owe it to themselves to see this version, too--focusing on its far darker sensibility adds to the appreciation of the work it would later become. (Historic footnote: unlike Sling Blade, Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade was directed by George Hickenlooper, codirector of the acclaimed documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, who was none too happy when the media attention over Sling Blade virtually ignored his contributions to the original film.) --Anne Hurley
Average review score:

Some Folks Call it an Acting Reel
Director George Hickenlooper shows us his all, including a short film entitled Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade.

The film is a dark black & white depiction of Billy Bob Thorton's "Karl" whom Thorton developed while looking at his reflection with time on his hands, then later brought to life on stage with one-man shows.

In collaboration with Billy, Hickenlooper hoped to use this film as a springboard to making a feature film (which of course happened - Sling Blade). But that's where the off-stage drama begins.

Besides being a great short film and a "hoot," if you will, being the first incarnation of our beloved "Karl" (those whom have seen Sling Blade know what I mean, those whom haven't, order both films), This DVD contains an extensive director-ography of Hickenlooper, and the reason he ultimately declined to work on the feature film Sling Blade.

It shows a different side of Thorton - albeit hearsay, but interesting at any rate. I still love the man because he has a band.

But one thing struck me as quite ironic - while filming Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade, Hickenlooper didn't like the idea of doing Thorton doing his monologue as a close-up, and felt Thorton wanted it that way so he could use the film as an 'acting reel' to get more film parts.

But amidst the DVD segment where he says this - "The Evolution of Sling Blade," Hickenlooper showcases his own material, citing every film he's directed (involving Billy Bob or not), with very extensive clips.

Who's acting reel?

But ironic or not, this is a great short film that stands on its own. I just wish I saw it before I saw Sling Blade. Not so much the same impact, I reckon.

Short but Expensive
This independent short is essentially a b&w of the opening sequence of Sling Blade. The late JT Walsh is here, and Molly Ringwold will be recognized as the reporter interviewing Billy Bob Thorton's Karl in this version. Very good except for the price. Director George Hickenlooper takes potshots at Thorton in the Bonus Features. Recommended for people who really like Sling Blade, but again, they are selling it at full price.

a real thinker with a great twist at the end
i love this movie if you like any of billy bobs work this is one you have got to see. billy goes beyond acting in this role. youll be surprised by at how many celebs make an apperance in this film. all of them in roles you will not believe! its a strange and almost comical drama. i think you will enjoy this movie over and over again.

Related Subjects: Ben-Stiller
More Pages: Billy-Bob-Thornton Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8