Put the Camera on Me (2003)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Great Film overall

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Put The Camera On Me - This is one very telling look into the world of mini-adults. The both light and dark side of human nature captured by the cameras when the parents are away. Cult filmmaker Darren Stein, as a youngin, made a series a hilarious and creative films from age 7 to 11. As an adult, him and his "crew" re-examine the life they lead as children and the films they made.In the first act, I felt charmed by the youthful enthusiasm of the kids.the way they mimicked a combination of Hollywood and real life strewn together with hilarious make up effects (celephane and blood was pretty awesome - fun to watch someone elses memories and remember your own from those early creative years.And then the second act hit, and i felt like it should be required viewing in sociology and psych classes at universities. Especially child and sexual development classes. It's a very stark and fearless look into innocent sexuality, memory and kids who behave like mini-adults.And while at first I was skeptical about showing them as adults, thinking it would go too sentimental, the bond and bicker that remains and the way all of the personalities showed through made it cool and interesting. kinda like (but far more intimate and daring) the 7-up series by Michael Apted.And the third act, while sentimental, really pulls it in. The kids visions of violence carrried out as bonding is really true and beautiful. And the early expression of fear and rejection with one of the films being about a child's near suicide over having no friends - and the fact that the mini-filmmakers choose to end it happy and silly - shows the darkness they toy with in their expression is done with equal whimsy as the light. really telling stuff. Mini-humans with curiosities and awkward moments and jealousies and angers.Watch this picture. It's an beautiful expose on childhood imagination and jarringly hilarious look early sexuality.

I was so entertained throughout this insightful documentary, and I waited a good while for this to come through the pipes (my local video chain), and it was worth the wait. I like a good documentary / special interest piece, but this was definitely a heartfelt, honest, and nostalgic, if you will, look back on adolescent life. The imagination of a child is fascinating, and that's where a great story begins. Rent it or buy it if you like a good, humorous, and all around entertaining documentary. Mr. Stein and company have definitely come a long way from neighborhood Video CamCorder productions of bank hold-ups, and gay-rings that turn people gay from one glance. They all seem rather successful in they're respectful fields, and it was good to know that they are all still good friends. The DVD has a few extra trailers for other good documentaries, and it features a number of Darren's most notable productions, including, Crazy News.

I've never laughed and/or smiled so much in my life. My face literally hurt after watching this movie. The films Darren Stein (the director) made with his childhood friends were way more ambitious than anything my friends or I made as a child. We pretty much stuck to straight horror, whilst Darren and Company tackled such heady themes as the holocaust, child abuse, and nuclear war. My favorite part: a little girl screaming "no, mommy, no!" in a monotone while her mother "beats" her (the little girl's barely suppressed laughter audible throughout). Other parts worthy of mention include the concentration camp "execution" scene (shot in a suburban living room) and the "bank robbery" scene (also shot in what appears to be the same living room). What makes the film really special, however, is watching a young Darren exhibit signs of being a truly manipulative, megalomaniacal film director. It's sweet, and also a little bit scary. This film is a must for all artists, writers, filmmakers, and musicians who knew what they wanted to be at an early age.

This film is brilliant! It touches everyone who sees it in an extraordinary way. It really takes you back to your youth and puts a new perspective on how you view your childhood memories. There are so many layers to this film. It is innovative and absolutely fabulous!