Darren Stein Movies
- 2007
Darren Stein's seriocomedy Color Me Olsen follows the adventures of Taylor and Hanson, identical twins who venture to Hollywood to realize a shared dream of launching themselves into superstardom. They begin their "ascent" by performing as Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in front of Mann's Chinese Theater in downtown Hollywood; the act generates attention, but soon goes awry, becoming complex and messy. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Narrative filmmaker Darren Stein teamed up with childhood friend Adam Shell to make the intimate documentary Put the Camera on Me. Using home-video footage, follow-up interviews, and reflective commentary, the film explores the psychological and humorous implications of a child's use of a video camera to express themselves. As a kid in the Southern California suburbs during the early '80s, Stein made more than 100 movies using neighborhood pals as his actors. The homemade amateur movies ranged from horror to war to musicals to erotic dramas, some of which suggested serious adult issues. Put the Camera on Me was screened at the 2003 San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
At Ronald Reagan High School, the power elite clique consists of Courtney Shane (Rose McGowan), Julie Freeman (Rebecca Gayheart), Marcie Fox (Julie Benz), and Liz Purr (Charlotte Roldan). The four girls control the school through a combination of beauty, sex, and intimidation. Of the four, only Liz is actually liked by the less fortunate members of the student body, and Liz is also the only one who can keep Courtney, the vicious group leader, in check. Unfortunately for Liz, she's also the only thing keeping Courtney from becoming prom queen. To achieve her goal, Courtney convinces Marcie and Julie to kidnap Liz on her 17th birthday and force her to eat until she's too fat to win. The three sneak into Liz's house, tie her up, stick a jawbreaker in her mouth, and gag her to keep her quiet before they throw her into the trunk of a car. Once they decide to free her, though, they find Liz has choked to death. Courtney decides not to go to the police; her brilliant idea is to take the body back home and create a death scene where Liz is strangled during kinky sex. Predictably, the girls screw it up, and they end up with a witness, social outcast Fern Mayo (Judy Greer). To buy her silence, Courtney draws her into the clique, transforming much more than just her outward appearance. The identity of Fern disappears, to be replaced by the very popular Vylette. In parallel to the rise of Vylette, we witness Julie's descent. Overcome with guilt over Liz's death, Julie drops out of the clique, and without the veil of protection from the others, she is now a target of abuse throughout the school. Courtney's ordeal has just begun as Vylette now challenges her for prom queen and Julie, with the help of another outcast, Zach (Chad Christ), now wants to reveal the truth behind Liz's death. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, (more)
- 1997
- R
Melba (Park Overall) lives in a trailer park in Victorville, California and is on a run of bad luck. Her husband Flint (Don Harvey) runs out on her when she catches him with a girlfriend. Her mother Sherri (Grace Zabriskie) connects her to a phone psychic, who tells her to watch for three kings who will change her life. In a bar, she runs into Trent (Jamie Kennedy), Brad (Freddie Prinze Jr.), and Joel (Steven Petrarca), who are on their way to Las Vegas, hoping to win enough money to pay their back rent. They nickname her Sparkler; she figures they're the kings and runs off with them. Meanwhile, Flint finds out Melba's won a million-dollar sweepstakes, but she must accept the prize in person within 72 hours or lose it. Melba finds her way to the Crack, a Vegas strip club, and runs into her high school pal Dottie Delgato (Veronica Cartwright) who lives with the club's lesbian owner, Ed (Sandy Martin). Flint, on the other hand, is desperately hunting Melba down with a plan to keep the sweepstakes money for himself. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Park Overall, Veronica Cartwright, (more)
