Stephen Schlueter Movies
Hold on for dear life as three of the hottest contenders in the wild world of bull riding attempt to maintain their grips long enough to earn the coveted PBR World Champion title as documentary filmmaker John Hyams turns his lens on a treacherous sport where eight seconds can mean the difference between ultimate victory and crushing defeat. Justin McBride is a third-generation bull rider looking to keep the family tradition alive, Mike Lee is a born-again Christian who calls on the power of the Lord to keep him on the bull, and Adriano Morales is a professional rider who has been holding on tight since the age of 18. With the gold belt buckle and a millions dollars in prize money on the line, these three finalists have seven days to prove their worth in the arena and show the crowd that they have what it takes to ride their way to the championship title. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justin McBride, Mike Lee, (more)
- 2003
- Add The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Mark Kerr to QueueAdd The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Mark Kerr to top of Queue
Mark Kerr is one of the great champions of a violent and dangerous sport -- "no holds barred fighting" or "mixed martial arts fighting," in which challengers of any fighting sport (boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, karate, and so on) may challenge one another, without observing the official rules of either sport. In "no holds barred" fighting, the two competitors attempt to reduce one another to a bloody pulp, and Kerr is one of the best men in the game. But behind his violent exterior is an intelligent man who has made a decision to pursue a career in a wildly dangerous profession. The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Mark Kerr is a documentary which looks at Kerr's life in and out of the ring, as he attempts to deal with his demons and hold his personal life together while traveling the world and fighting some of the world's most formidable foes. The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Mark Kerr was originally produced for the premium cable network HBO, where it first aired in 2003. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark "The Specimen" Kerr, Mark Coleman, (more)
Eric Drilling wrote and directed this adaptation of his one-act play, set in rural New England, about alcoholic abuse in a single-parent family. After Dave Holden (Tom Everett Scott) fatally stabs his father while protecting his younger brother Tom (David Moscow), it's Tom who takes the rap and is sent off to a juvenile correction facility. But then Dave discovers dad's debts, works as a dishwasher to pay them off, and finally turns to robbery. Scott was the director of Drilling's one-act play. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Everett Scott, David Moscow, (more)
- 1997
This independent comedy-drama follows a stray dog as he wanders from one New York neighborhood to another, proving a link between the stories of a number of otherwise unrelated characters. The dog's chance acquaintances include a businessman who has skipped out of work and is trying to pick up a free-thinking woman he meets on the street; a guy with a bowling ball who thinks that it might be fun to toss it out of his apartment window; a man trying to make a delivery who is pursued by a pair of toughs; an artist deciding where the first brushstroke should go on his latest canvas; and a man who takes his much younger girlfriend to a bar as he works up the nerve to break up with her. One Dog Day marked the feature debut for writer and director John Hyams; the rock band Kilgore Trout contributed the film's original score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Longtime gay couple Josh and Paul (Troy Sostillio and Henry White) are trying to fulfill the wishes of two-year-old Nickie's mother, and are trying to adopt him, much to the horror of Nickie's grandmother. Her opposition precipitates a heated custody battle. On his way to a custody hearing, Josh accidentally witnesses some gangster killings in a deli. Rather than notify the authorities or tell his lover, he carries on as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately, the mobsters know who he his, and don't believe he will remain silent. Even when Josh must push one of his would-be assassins out of the window to his apartment, killing him, he continues to try to keep up appearances. When this fails, Josh finally tells Paul what is happening, and together they address the situation like action heroes in more mainstream movies (i.e., there are plenty of shoot-outs, etc.). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
