Adrian Pintea Movies
Born in 1954, actor Adrian Pintea graduated from the acting program of the prestigious Theatrical and Cinematographical Arts Institute in his native Romania, and enjoyed a prolific career in that country from the late '70s through the end of the '80s, though predominantly in motion pictures that failed to cross over to the West and clock in as international successes. Pintea began tackling U.S. roles in the early '90s, but was often relegated to supporting turns in campy, B-grade productions, such as Trancers 4 (1993), Mandroid (1993), and Lurking Fear (1994). Pintea only landed a mainstream Hollywood role with his turn in Francis Ford Coppola's 2007 Youth Without Youth -- and, on a note of sad irony, died several months before the film's premiere, at age 52. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola returns to the director's chair after a ten-year hiatus with this adaptation of Romanian author Mircea Eliade's tome detailing the arduous journey of a professor whose life is thrown into chaos as World War II looms ominously on the horizon. When the 70-year-old scholar is struck by lightning, his age begins to reverse as his mind grows infinitely more brilliant. Now determined to understand the origins of language and consciousness, the fugitive professor leads authorities on a wild chase through Romania, Switzerland, Malta, and India. Tim Roth, Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Marcel Iures star in an ambitious low-budget drama trumpeted by Zoetrope as a "return to personal filmmaking" for the revered Godfather director. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Roth, Bruno Ganz, (more)
In this action thriller, Steve Mitchell (Peter Weller) is an American agent sent to Bucharest to defuse a bomb located in the U.S. embassy. He's pleasantly surprised to find that Erica Long (Daryl Hannah), his colleague and former girlfriend, will be his assistant for this project, but the fun part of the reunion is cut short when Serbian terrorists attack the embassy and take most of the staff hostage. While Steve and Erica manage to escape, Steve's 14-year-old son is still inside, and he must find a way to get him out before Gen. Buck Swain (Tom Berenger), who was once a schoolmate of the terrorist leader, executes his raid to liberate the embassy, which could prove bloody. Enemy Of My Enemy manages to season its traditional action scenario with moments of dry humor and a dash of romance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Weller, Daryl Hannah, (more)
- 1994
- R
This period drama explores the life and times of the 16th century doctor and scientist who some believed could see into the future. Michel de Nostradamus (Tcheky Karyo) was the son in a Jewish family who posed as Catholics to be spared the wrath of the Inquisition. As a student of the renowned physician Dr. Scalinger (F. Murray Abraham), Nostradamus created herbal cures and did pioneering research in the importance of proper nutrition and hygiene. However, he was unable to protect his wife Marie (Julia Ormand) from the Black Plague sweeping the country, and he lost both her and their two children. Nostradamus remarried, to widow Anne (Assumpta Sterna), but at the urging of Scalinger, he began to more carefully explore the strange trances that befell him, and Nostradamus began writing prophetic essays predicting any number of future catastrophes. Nostradamus also features Amanda Plummer as Queen Catherine de Medici and Anthony Higgins as the King. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tchéky Karyo, F. Murray Abraham, (more)
- 1994
In this chilling horror movie, loosely based on a tale by H.P. Lovecraft, a group of people in an ancient church find themselves beleaguered by terrifying monsters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- R
When a super elixir (capable of either curing all diseases or being used as an all-powerful destructive weapon) is discovered in eastern Europe, a scientist (Curt Lowens) tries to hijack the formula. To prevent the elixir's safe return, he invents an android controlled by the use of thought-power alone. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- R
Trancers 4: Jack of Swords follows the time-traveling policeman Jack Deth into another dimension, where aliens called the Trancers are keeping the natives as food. Deth's mission is to save the population from the Trancers. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Thomerson, Stacie Randall, (more)
- 1991
Not long after World War I, the politicians are back to business as usual in the lovely city of Bucharest. In this political melodrama, a journalist has his sights set on one of these politicians and hopes to get his paper to expose him as the scoundrel he is. However, when the politician and his allies get wind of the investigation, things become very difficult for him. In a parallel story, a sensitive poet has returned from serving in the war and has fallen in love with a very wealthy woman. He has no hope of getting anywhere with her, as he is desperately poor. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Pintea, Gheorghe Visu, (more)
- 1987
In Transylvania, in the 19th century, the village birthplace of a rich farmer's son is undergoing a cholera epidemic when he returns from studying at a university, and bodies are being removed from houses. Once at home, he spies the beautiful daughter of a local forester. However, one of his father's servants has also seen her, and they become rivals in love. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Rebengiuc, Adrian Pintea, (more)
- 1981
In the early 19th century the Rumanian Theodor Diamant was inspired by the French utopian socialist Charles Fourier and established one of Fourier's "phalansteries" in Rumania. The film dramatizes the origins and demise of this effort, called the "Scaieni Phalanstery (the term is derived from "phalanx" and "monastery"). Among the socio-political commentary that is conveyed throughout, there is an important collusion between the army and the wealthy landowners of the time, and as the film points out in its own way, neither of these groups has ever been convicted of socialist/utopian tendencies. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adrian Pintea, Liviu Ciulei, (more)
- 1978
Camil Petrescu's novel Last Night of Love, First Night of War, provided the inspiration for this story of two friends, one who is an activist and the other who is not. The friends are intellectuals accustomed to considering issues from broad perspectives and debating them. War intrudes on their lives and their country and injects a strong dose of emotional candor into their personal relationship. When the activist is captured by the police, the more passive tendencies of his friend are assaulted by increasingly extreme circumstances, and the country's own threatening situation. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ion Caramitru, Ovidiu Luliu Moldovan, (more)
