Steven Brand Movies
- 2005
Produced for cable's Sci-Fi Channel, Alien Express makes up in speed what it lacks in production finesse. Among the passengers on the maiden trip of a new, streamlined "bullet train" is a collection of millionaires, presidential candidates and beauty contest winners--not to mention a band of eco-terrorists who plan to hijack the train as it streaks nonstop from LA to Vegas at 100 mph. Making matters worse, if such a thing is possible, the train has been invaded by lizardish space aliens, who multiply at an astonishing rate and have a nasty habit of spittig toxing goo at the passengers. And oh, have we mentioned the suicide bomber in the baggage car? Thank heaven that all-purpose detective Vic Holden (Lou Diamond Phillips) is on board to (hopefully) save everyone--including his estranged wife--from villains foreign, domestic and extraterrestrial. Alien Express originally aired on August 13, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
This Hallmark Channel TV movie is one of a series starring John Larroquette as McBride (no first name), a hard-nosed cop turned compassionate defense lawyer, specializing in "lost causes." McBride's client this time is a hitchhiker named Dudley Banks (Devon Gummesall), who had the rotten luck to accept a ride from a beautiful, affluent-looking woman calling herself Whitney (Maeve Quinlan), just before she is found murdered. As he digs into Whitney's past, he finds that there are several men who had good reason to wish her dead--especially the several husbands she accumulated (and robbed blind) while adopting a plethora of false identities! McBride: The Chameleon Murder originally aired January 14, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Borat foil Ken Davidian stars in this zany comedy about two lovable pot-heads who inadvertently stumble into an escalating war between the CIA and a powerful drug lord. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Reed Kesler, Travis Wester, (more)
Based on the novel by Ridley Pearson, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer is a prequel to the goose-pimply 2002 TV miniseries Stephen King's Rose Red. In its efforts to "explain" the supernatural events in the earlier project, this made-for-TV chiller is set at the turn of the century, when the stately, sinister Rose Red mansion is constructed by powerful Seattle oil magnate John Rimbauer (Steven Brand) as a wedding present for his timid, submissive young bride, Ellen (Lisa Brenner). At first impressed by her husband's extravagance, Ellen eventually comes to hate and fear John, especially when learning a few unsavory facts about his past. Meanwhile, the mansion seems to be festooned with ghosts, possibly those of the many people close to John Rimbauer who have mysteriously vanished. Can the eerie moanings and manifestations be interpreted as a warning to Ellen that she, too, may some day disappear without a trace? This is the sort of film in which, after someone exclaims "I'll be damned!," someone else replies, "You already are." The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer originally aired May 12, 2003, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Brenner, Steven Brand, (more)
The Rock has his first starring role in this prequel to The Mummy films, which was developed while The Mummy Returns was still in production. The film takes place in ancient times, when a mighty swordsman, Memnon (Steven Brand, making his film debut) ruled over nearly all the known world. Memnon, a brutal tyrant, defeats his enemies in battle with the help of a beautiful sorceress, Cassandra (Kelly Hu), who can predict the future. The last of the "free tribes" form a fragile alliance to fight Memnon, and hire a trio of Akkadian assassins, led by Mathayus (pro wrestler The Rock, who made his big-screen debut as this character in The Mummy Returns), to kill the sorceress and thus remove Memnon's advantage. Balthazar (Michael Clarke Duncan of The Green Mile), the powerful leader of the Nubians, objects to hiring mercenaries, but the plan goes forward. The assassins are betrayed by Takmet (Peter Facinelli), the son of one of the tribal leaders, and Mathayus finds himself unable to kill Cassandra. Thanks to the unlikely machinations of Cassandra, and the aid of a horse thief, Arpid (Grant Heslov of True Lies), Mathayus escapes to the desert. He eventually abducts Cassandra, who explains that Memnon was holding her against her will. Mathayus thwarts Memnon's efforts to re-capture Cassandra, then uses his newfound sense of justice to convince the surviving tribal leaders to join forces again to defeat Memnon. The Scorpion King was directed by Chuck Russell. Jonathan Hales (Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones) was credited with the story, and WWF owner Vince McMahon has an executive producer credit. The film, which was shot in the U.S. (very unusual for a big action film), reportedly underwent extensive re-shoots when the first cut came in with a running time of 70 minutes. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Rock, Steven Brand, (more)
- 1997
No, the British TV series Wing and a Prayer had nothing to do with WWII aviators. Instead, the series devoted itself to the exploits of a young and hungry law firm, populated by young, hungry, and very attractive lawyers. In the fine tradition of such American weeklies as L.A. Law and The Practice, the attorneys herein played as hard as they worked, with sexual intrigues and one-upsmanship abounding. Lasting 12 episodes, Wing and a Prayer debuted September 22, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Buffery, Maureen Beattie, (more)
