Peter Olsen Movies
- 2006
Loosely based on the controversial Terri Schiavo case that made headlines back in 2005, filmmaker Jeffrey Stanley's satirical short film stars Sarita Choudhury as a tormented lawyer attempting to resolve a bitter family feud over a peculiar family heirloom. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarita Choudhury, John Lordan, (more)
- 2003
A couple trying to kick their sex life back into gear get more advice than they either need or can use in this satiric mock documentary. Joseph St. John (Hans Hoffman) and his wife Mary (Heather Smith) have been married for seven years, and both are certain the spark has gone out of their relationship when they realize they haven't made love in close to a month. Grimly determined to reclaim the passion of their newlywed days, Joseph and Mary throw in their lot with a variety of sex therapists and relationship counselors -- prying psychotherapist Dr. Emil Watson (Douglas Manes), curious urologist Dr. Nadia Pfelt (Leslie Shearing), tantric spiritual seeker Tanya Nashold (Elizabeth Quinn), and the adventurous husband-and-wife team of Todd Cohen (Michael Rose) and Gehan Brown-Cohen (Donna Klimek). But between lots of conflicting advice and a dizzying variety of drugs, balms, and appliances, is it possible Joseph and Mary could end up even more confused than they were before? Unscrewed was the first theatrical feature from filmmaker Leslie Shearing. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Heather Smith, Hans Hoffman, (more)
The second and third novels in author Anne Rice's popular book series The Vampire Chronicles provide the inspiration for this horror sequel starring ill-fated actress and recording artist Aaliyah, who was killed in an airplane crash before the film's release. Stuart Townsend is the vampire Lestat, who has awakened from a century-long slumber and turned his considerable energy to rock music. His vampirism identity mistaken for a gothic hard rock publicity stunt along the lines of Kiss or Marilyn Manson, he quickly becomes a pop music sensation. Lestat's powerful music reaches the ear of the slumbering Akasha (Aaliyah), the millennia-old "queen of the vampires" who was the first immortal bloodsucker. Akasha is soon free and embarking on a quest to seize control of the world with Lestat at her side. In the meantime, Lestat becomes an object of fascination for Jesse Reeves (Marguerite Moreau), member of a secret order studying the supernatural called the Talamasca, and a band of ancient vampires come together in an effort to stop Akasha, even though her destruction could potentially cause their own deaths. Queen of the Damned co-stars Lena Olin and Vincent Perez. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Aaliyah, Stuart Townsend, (more)
Greg Pak directs Robot Stories, a feature film made up of four separate vignettes set in the near future. In "My Robot Baby," Maria (Tamlyn Tomita) and Roy (James Saito) must take care of a robot baby before they can adopt a real one. In "The Robot Fixer," a car accident puts Wilson in a coma. His mother, Bernice Chin (Wai Ching Ho), tries to connect with him by repairing his old collection of toy robots. Her obsessive quest to find missing robot parts is observed by her daughter Grace (Cindy Cheung). In "Machine Love," a Sprout G9 iPerson (Greg Pak) is introduced to an office environment. In "Clay," sculptor John Lee (Sab Shimono) refuses to get scanned, which would merge his memory with a collective consciousness. He struggles to maintain his humanity against the judgement of his son Tommy (Ron Domingo) and wife Helen (Eisa Davis). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tamlyn Tomita, James Saito, (more)
An act of benevolence towards a stranger leads to terror and betrayal in this psychological thriller. A young couple is vacationing in the Catskill Mountains when they pick up a hitchhiker; the man seems well mannered enough, and they eventually buy him dinner and let him stay in their motel room. But they quickly learn that he's not nearly as benign as his initial appearance suggests, and they soon find their lives in grave danger. Kaaterskill Falls was shot on a shoestring budget, with directors Josh Apter and Peter Olsen comprising the entire production crew; the dialogue was all improvised by the actors (Hilary Howard, Mitchell Riggs, and Anthony Leslie), while guitarist Steve Tibbets contributed the musical score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hilary Howard, Mitchell Riggs, (more)
- 1999
Film time director Adam Watstein debuts with this urban drama about two rappers trying to keep their lives together while pursuing a recording contract. Lorenzo (Jamal Mackey) is a drug-dealing troublemaker who hails from a welfare family headed by his crack-addicted mother. His rapping partner is the more focused Walter (Walter Velasquez, who also wrote the autobiographical script), who attends college, teaches gym to youngsters, and tends to Narine (Pamela Johnson), his pregnant girlfriend and Lorenzo's sister. In spite of a real chance at getting a record contract, Lorenzo winds up in jail, and Walter tries to further his career by himself. When Lorenzo gets released from jail, he promises to stay clean, though he soon discovers that he is on a collision course with doom. Bounce was screened at the 1999 Chicago Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Walter Velasquez, Jamal Mackey, (more)
