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Michael Stephenson (filmmaker)

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Michael Paul Stephenson
Born1978 (age 45–46)
Galveston, Texas, U.S.[1]
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • producer
  • writer
Years active1983–present
SpouseLindsay Rowles Stephenson
Children3[2]

Michael Stephenson (born 1978), known professionally as Michael Paul Stephenson, is an American filmmaker and actor.[3] He is known for directing the critically acclaimed documentaries Best Worst Movie and The American Scream. Stephenson made his narrative feature debut with Girlfriend’s Day, starring Bob Odenkirk. Stephenson's latest film, Attack of the Murder Hornets, is an original documentary that he directed and produced for Discovery+.[4] He is a member of the Directors Guild of America.[5]

Personal life

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Michael Paul Stephenson lives in Los Angeles with his producing-partner and wife.[6]

Career

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1983–2005: Early career

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Michael Paul Stephenson's career in the entertainment industry started at the age of 8 when he was discovered by a talent agent while acting in his school's rendition of Peter Pan. When he was 10 years old, he auditioned for the horror film Troll 2, and got the starring role.[5] Troll 2 was released in 1990 and is widely considered to be of exceptionally poor quality, and has come to be regarded by the public as one of the worst films ever made.

Stephenson continued professional acting into his early twenties appearing in various film and television productions. In 2005, he played "The Mummy" for Academy Award director Taika Waititi during a workshop of Eagle vs. Shark at the Sundance Film Institute. In this role, Stephenson was wrapped in toilet paper and set on fire by Taika Waititi. It was the last time Stephenson stepped in front of the camera as an actor.

Throughout his younger years, Stephenson spent most of his time writing stories and making skateboarding films. He has always been drawn to photography and is known to shoot on every film he makes. Early in his career, Stephenson worked with Oscar nominee Mel Stuart as a cinematographer. As a writer, Stephenson was a beneficiary of the American Gem Screenplay Award for his screenplay Orange.[7][6]

2009–present

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Michael Paul Stephenson co-founded a production company with his wife Lindsay Stephenson, Magic Stone Productions, in 2009.

In 2009, Stephenson produced and directed the crowd-pleasing and critically acclaimed Best Worst Movie,[8] a documentary about Troll 2 and its cult status.[9] The film launched on March 14, 2009, at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, as part of the South by Southwest film festival. Best Worst Movie won several awards[10] and ABC's Nightline ran a segment on Troll 2 and Best Worst Movie in May 2010, including interviews with Hardy and Stephenson.[11] On Rotten Tomatoes, Best Worst Movie holds an approval rating of 94%.

In 2012, Stephenson produced and directed his second feature documentary, The American Scream, for NBC Universal's Chiller network.[10] The American Scream premiered on October 28, 2012, and was named a "Must Watch" by Entertainment Weekly.[citation needed] Michael Paul Stephenson is also the Executive Producer of Zero Charisma, a comedy directed by Katie Graham and editor Andrew Matthews. Zero Charisma won the audience award at the SXSW film festival in 2013.[12]

In 2017, Michael Paul Stephenson made his narrative feature debut with the dark comedy Girlfriend's Day, starring Bob Odenkirk. The film premiered worldwide on February 14 – Valentine's Day — on Netflix.[12]

Michael Paul Stephenson's most recent film, Attack of the Murder Hornets, is an original documentary that he produced and directed for Discovery+.[13] The film was released worldwide on February 20, 2021 and has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Select filmography

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As actor

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Year Title Role
1990 Troll 2 Joshua Waits
Beyond Darkness Martin
Encyclopedia Brown (TV series) Deeter Cross
1992 The Bulkin Trail (TV movie) Nick Jackson
Miracles & Other Wonders (TV series) Michael
1996 The Paper Brigade Luke
1998 Before He Wakes (TV movie) Jordan
2001 The Penalty Box Luke
Touched by an Angel Jordan (uncredited)[14]
2009 Best Worst Movie (documentary) Self
2010 That Movie Show (TV series)
Scream Awards 2010 (TV special)
Last Call with Carson Daly

As filmmaker

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Year Title Credit as
Director Producer Writer Notes
2009 Kids with Cameras (documentary) Yes Cinematographer
Best Worst Movie (documentary) Yes Yes Yes
2012 The American Scream (documentary) Yes Yes Yes
2013 Zero Charisma Yes [12]
2017 Girlfriend's Day Yes Netflix
2021 Attack of the Murder Hornets (documentary) Yes Yes Yes Discovery+

Critical reception

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Best Worst Movie was an official selection of the 2009 SXSW Film Festival.[15][16][17] Best Worst Movie won Best Feature Documentary (as voted by the official jury), as well as the Audience Choice for Best Documentary Feature at the 11th annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in September 2009.[18] On Rotten Tomatoes, Best Worst Movie holds an approval rating of 94%.

The American Scream won the Best Picture award in Fantastic Fest 2012 in the category of Documentary Features.[19][13][20] On Rotten Tomatoes, The American Scream holds an approval rating of 100% and won the 2013 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award in the category of the narrative spotlight.

Girlfriend's Day received mixed reviews from critics, where in the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 43% with an average 5.5/10. Paste Magazine gave the film an 8.0 rating (out of 10).[21]

Attack of the Murder Hornets holds an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

References

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  1. ^ "Rotten Tomatoes: Movies | TV Shows | Movie Trailers | Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
  2. ^ "ATTACK OF THE MURDER HORNETS Director on Reality Becoming Sci-Fi".
  3. ^ "Michael Paul Stephenson". www.netflixreleases.com. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  4. ^ "Michael Paul Stephenson - DT Interviews". Double Toasted. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  5. ^ a b "Michael Paul Stephenson". Peliplat. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  6. ^ a b "Michael Paul Stephenson | HuffPost". www.huffpost.com. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  7. ^ "Michael Paul Stephenson news - The Wrap". Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  8. ^ Harley, David (2009-12-25). "Best & Worst of 2009: David Harley Picks His Top 10!". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  9. ^ "Michael Paul Stephenson - Sitges Film Festival - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya". sitgesfilmfestival.com. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  10. ^ a b "Michael Paul Stephenson Biographie Filmographie". CinéDweller (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  11. ^ "Video Is 'Troll 2' the 'Best Worst Movie' Ever?". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  12. ^ a b c Han, Angie (2017-01-17). "Girlfriend's Day Trailer Starring Bob Odenkirk". SlashFilm.com. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  13. ^ a b "The Fantastic Fest 2012 Awards!". Fantastic Fest. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  14. ^ Touched by an Angel (TV Series 1994–2003) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-02-15
  15. ^ Meyer, Joshua (2021-08-24). "Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 11 - Everything We Know So Far". SlashFilm.com. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  16. ^ Kohn, Eric (2009-03-14). "SXSW Snapshot: Michael Paul Stephenson's "Best Worst Movie"". IndieWire. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  17. ^ "History | SXSW Conference & Festivals". SXSW. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  18. ^ "Home | Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema - Birmingham, AL". Sidewalk Film Center & Cinema. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  19. ^ "Fantastic Fest 2012 Awards". www.austinchronicle.com. September 28, 2012. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  20. ^ "SXSW: 'Short Term 12', 'The Short Game' Take Audience Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. 2013-03-16. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  21. ^ "The Fantastic Fest 2012 Awards!". Fantastic Fest. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
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