Mariya Mironova Movies
The daughter of the late Russian actor Andrei Mironov, she used to be credited as Masha Mironova early in her career. She is not to be confused with another Maria Mironova, the mother of Andrei Mironov. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide- 2008
Anton Sivers's tense and visceral psychological thriller Kacheli concerns a military commando nicknamed The Sledgehammer who returns to his wife in Chechnya after enduring a lengthy conflict. Discovering his beloved with an extramarital partner, The Sledgehammer explodes with anger and seeks immediate vengeance. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mariya Mironova, Kseniya Rappoport, (more)
The apocalyptic sci-fi thriller Day Watch (aka Dvevnoy Dozor, 2006) constitutes the second installment in a planned supernatural trilogy by Russian director Timur Bekmambetov. As preceded by 2004's blockbuster Night Watch and followed by Twilight Watch, this sophomore film picks up on the byzantine tale of a world where, centuries ago, the powers of light (representing goodness) and the powers of darkness (representing evil) called a truce. Each side set up a law-enforcement team to guard and monitor the other's activities -- the powers of darkness established and controlled the Day Watch, while the powers of light established and controlled the Night Watch. Day Watch opens in the 14th century, when Tamerlane, a Mongol warrior, acquires an implement called "The Chalk of Destiny," that can be used to guide the course of history. Eons later (in the present day), the Day Watch and the Night Watch are ongoing. Two Warriors of Light, Anton Gorodetsky (Konstantin Khabensky) and his protégé/partner-in-training, Svetlana (Maria Poroshina), quietly develop feelings for one another as they patrol the Night Watch together. As the story progresses, the pair must respond to a distress call from an octogenarian victim of a vampiric attack -- an attack committed (as it turns out) by Anton's 12-year-old son, Yegor (Dima Martynov) -- now a Warrior of Darkness. Anton must suddenly wrestle with two conflicting desires -- the need to protect his offspring by destroying incriminating evidence, and his own desire to remain loyal to the Night Watch. Several additional subplots then unfold concurrently, including that of Yegor learning to practice evil from his mentor, Zavulon (Viktor Verzhbitsky), that of Anton "body swapping" with associate Olga (Galina Tyunina), and that of the relationship between a vampiric child, Kostya (Aleksei Chadov), and his dad (Valery Zolotukhin), who works as a butcher. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Konstantin Khabensky, Maria Poroshina, (more)
Two bands of warriors, one good and one evil, battle to keep the peace in Moscow in this cat's cradle thriller from Russia. In 1342, the Warriors of Light (led by Gesser, Lord of Light) and the Warriors of Darkness (led by Zavulon, General of Darkness) declare a truce under which each side will form a law enforcement team to monitor the other side's activities. The Warriors of Light, who enforce the powers of good, patrol the Night Watch, while the Warriors of Darkness, who openly embrace evil, staff the Day Watch. Each watch group also contains "Others," mortals with supernatural powers from both sides that include vampires, shapeshifters, witches, and the like. Prophecy suggests that one day, a Great One will surface and permanently extinguish the threat of an apocalyptic war between the two sides by upsetting the balance, lending greater power to either good or evil (depending on his or her choice) and thus determining the future of mankind forever.
In 1992, Night Watch member and Warrior of Light Anton Gordesky (Konstantin Khabensky) discovers he's an "other" amid a sting on a witch. Cut to twelve years later. In 2004, Anton still works the Night Watch, but now he's a vampiric warrior who drinks blood. One night, while on patrol, he rescues a young boy named Egor (Dima Martinov) from a handful of Dark Warriors, but in the process, he encounters Svetlana (Maria Poroshina), a woman who acts as a "funnel" -- a conduit for the powers of evil. Anton reflects on the prophecy regarding "The Great One," and begins to suspect that Svetlana and Egor may be harbingers of this fateful event. As the first installment in a Russian trilogy, Night Watch (aka Nochnoj Dozor) was a massive box-office success in its native Russia, and is followed by the second installment, Day Watch; it was released in the U.S. with a heavy prologue and epilogue, and animated subtitles that alternately scuttle across the screen, dissolve, shudder, and explode.
20th Century Fox not only purchased United States distribution rights for the film, but also announced plans for a Westernized remake. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshov, (more)
Political intrigue and total corruption within the so-called democratic Russia are brought to the forefront in Pavel Lungin's Tycoon. Beginning as an investigation into the assassination of one of the richest men in Russia, the story flashes back to late-'80s Russia, just after Perestroika has broken up the Soviet Union. Five intelligent Russian students -- including one Platon Makovski (Vladimir Mashkov) -- abandon their academic careers in exchange for diving into the newly developing private business sector. As the rules for business in Russia are barely in place, the five new businessmen find a number of ways to profit from a wide array of nearly illegal dealings. Platon, in particular, has developed a knack for ingenious new ways of making money and very quickly becomes one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Russia. Along the way, he also manages to alienate and/or infuriate most of his friends as well as a few government officials. Tycoon premiered to positive reviews at the 2002 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vladimir Mashkov, Andrei Krasko, (more)
- 2000
In this frantic comedy from Russia, Mishka (Marat Basharov) lives in a small town near Moscow, where like most of his neighbors, he works as a miner. Years ago, Mishka was in love with a pretty girl named Tania (Maria Mironova), who moved to Moscow to become a model. After five years in the big city, Tania returns, and she immediately tells Mishka that she wants to marry him. Mishka is thrilled and starts planning a big wedding, though his parents wonder out loud what the bride-to-be was up to while she was gone. One snag in organizing the wedding party is that the mine is having a severe cash flow problem and no one has been paid for six months. However, on the day of the nuptials, the money finally arrives (and Mishka's paycheck just about covers the cost of the reception); soon half the city is celebrating Mishka and Tania's wedding, and as the vodka begins to flow and many friends and relatives arrive, chaos ensues. La Noce was shown in competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival; it was the only Russian film screened as an official entry that year. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marat Basharov, Mariya Mironova, (more)
- 1981
While Mark Twain's classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is regarded as one of the true classics of American literature, it has also become a favorite in many other countries around the world and this lengthy screen adaptation of Tom Sawyer was originally produced as a miniseries for Russian television. Tom Sawyer faithfully follows the narrative of the book as Tom (Fedya Stukov) and his friend, Huck Finn (Vladik Sukhachev), find adventure along the Mississippi River and Tom finds first love with Becky Thatcher (Mariya Mironova). For its American release on home video, Tom Sawyer was dubbed into English and the name of most of the cast and crew were Americanized; Fedya Stukov became Fred Stack and director Stanislav Govorukhin is credited as Stan Govorkin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fedya Stukov, Vladik Sukhachev, (more)
