D.J. Cotrona Movies
- 2006
A teenage outcast finds an effective but dangerous way to impress his hipper classmates in this independent drama. Jonah Brand (John Patrick Amedori) is a new student at an exclusive private school, and unlike most of his classmates, Jonah is neither wealthy nor especially self-assured. Jonah's social clumsiness is especially troubling to him given his infatuation with Sara (Lizzy Caplan), a pretty girl who travels in an elite social circle. Sara takes a shine to Jonah despite his geeky attitude, but her pals -- sometime boyfriend Troy (Jonathon Trent), spoiled Erin (Jenny Wade) and emotionally abusive Lucas (D.J. Cotrona) -- make it clear they have no use for him. That changes when Lucas learns Jonah has a part time job at a pharmacy, and realizes he could get them a variety of under-the-counter medications if they play their cards right. Lucas, Erin and Troy have little trouble persuading Johan to get them all the pills they want, but as their experimentation with drugs grows, they begin to take greater risks; they also discover that Jonah's willingness to get them drugs isn't as benevolent as it may have seemed. Also starring Daryl Hannah, Love is the Drug was the first feature film from director Elliott Lester. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Patrick Amedori, Lizzy Caplan, (more)
- 2006
Inspired by the many real-life stories of "instant millionaires" created by various state lotteries, the weekly, 60-minute Windfall dramatized the trials and tribulations of 20 friends who had pooled their resources to win a 386-million-dollar lottery jackpot. The series focused on nine main characters, and how their sudden wealth changed their lives, both for good and ill, with emphasis on the legal, ethical, and moral problems arising from overnight affluence. Luke Perry and Lana Parrilla headed the cast as married couple Peter and Nina, who had entered the lottery with their lifelong friends Cameron (Jason Gedrick) and Beth (Sarah Wynter), also married; the enormous financial windfall caused Nina and Cameron, who'd once been sweethearts, to seriously reconsider resuming their premarital romance. Others in the cast included D.J. Cotrona as Sean Mathers, who tried to shun the spotlight after winning his share of the lottery so as not to expose an unsavory secret in his past; Jon Foster as teenager Damien, who, in order to claim the money and cut the cord binding him to his parents, impulsively married a Russian woman to gain legal status as an adult; Alice Greczyn as another teenager named Frankie, caught in the crossfire when her separated parents declared open warfare after her father claimed he was entitled to half of her mother's winnings; Malinda Williams as Kimberly George, a single mom with big ambitions; and Jaclyn DeSantis as nurse Maggie Hernandez, whose efforts to be generous with her money often proved disastrous. Originally set to air on Fox in the fall of 2005, Windfall was purchased by NBC, which unveiled the series on June 8, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luke Perry, Lana Parrilla, (more)
A good Samaritan becomes the victim of voodoo spells in this horror story produced by Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson. When an aged Creole woman is caught in a car wreck in a remote section of Louisiana, Ray (Rick Cramer), the owner of a nearby filling station, speeds to the scene of the accident to help. However, Ray doesn't know that the woman is a voodoo practitioner whose vehicle holds a case full of magic talismans. The magical spirits lead Ray to an unexpected death, and then they take over his body, turning him into a bloodthirsty monster. As the reanimated Ray makes his way into town, a group of teenagers including Eden (Agnes Bruckner) and Tammy (Bijou Phillips) find themselves running for their lives from the supernatural creature, while Deputy Turner (Method Man) looks for a way to keep the strange menace under control. Venom went into release in the fall of 2005 -- only a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the state of Louisiana, making the film seem unfortunately topical. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Romeo and Juliet was updated to contemporary Beverly Hills in this typically stylish Jerry Bruckheimer TV series. This time around, Juliet was Jewel Goldman (Olivia Wilde), the stunning teenage daughter of Larry Goldman (Ron Silver), a successful producer of steamy adult films. As for Romeo, he was Adam Roane (D.J. Cotrona), the hot-hunk son of district attorney Michael Roame (Kevin Anderson), a staunch anti-porn crusader. Yes, the elder Goldman and Roame were longtime enemies. Yes, both men forbade their children from seeing one another. And yes, Jewel and Adam managed to sneak in a few torrid balcony scenes -- though not always on the balcony. Created by Jim Leonard, Skin made its FOX network bow on October 20, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Silver, Kevin Anderson, (more)
