Alexis Dziena Movies
A screen performer who, by her own account, was once typed as "the good girl" in a long string of telemovie soapers, Alexis Dziena then dramatically expanded her range with work in an extremely varied series of productions. These included Amy Sedaris' movie version of her satirical sitcom Strangers with Candy (in which the Manhattan native aggressively cut against her "good girl" typecasting by playing a bad seed), Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers (as a nymphet who fully disrobes to gain the attention of Bill Murray), and a blueblood with Mafia dreams in Barbara Kopple's Havoc (all in 2005). Dziena had a regular role as Kira Underlay on the short-lived ABC alien-invasion drama Invasion from 2005-2006, but the series did not last beyond its first season. She subsequently played a supporting part in the romantic comedy adventure Fool's Gold (2008), as Gemma Honeycutt, the debutante daughter of a billionaire (Donald Sutherland). ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
Disillusioned with romance during her whirlwind trip to Rome, an ambitious New Yorker defiantly swipes a few magic coins from a "foolish" wishing fountain, inadvertently igniting the passions of a motley crew of suitors as she's pursued by a handsome reporter with charm to spare. Beth (Kristen Bell) is at a point in her life where love seems like a luxury she just can't afford. Years of waiting for that perfect romance has made Beth bitter, and one day, while vacationing in Rome, she cynically plucks a handful of coins from a local fountain of love. Almost immediately thereafter, Beth finds herself fending off the advances of a diminutive sausage magnate (Danny DeVito), a lanky street magician (Jon Heder), a doting painter (Will Arnett), and a narcissistic male model (Dax Shepard). Meanwhile, a smitten reporter (Josh Duhamel) does his best to convince Beth that true love isn't just a topic of fairy tales and romance novels. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, (more)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days co-stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey re-team on the big screen for this adventurous tale about a treasure-hunting couple whose eight-year quest for the ultimate prize has left them flat broke and fresh out of gas. Ben "Finn" Finnegan (McConaughey) is a treasure hunter who has made it his mission in life to track down the Queen's Dowry -- a legendary collection of 40 chests filled with priceless treasure, and lost at sea in 1715. But in his single-minded quest to track down this sizable booty, Finn has sadly neglected his marriage to his loving wife Tess (Hudson). Tess has grown tired of the hunt, and now she's looking to start her life anew by going to work on the massive yacht of globetrotting billionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland). But just as Tess begins to relish the freedom on her new, laid-back lifestyle, Finn uses his roughish charm to convince the adventurous baron and his debutante daughter Gemma (Alexis Dziena) that the elusive Spanish treasure is finally within reach. Of course no magnate in his right mind would reject the prospect of tracking down the most mythical treasure on the planet, and now as the hapless Tess is forced on yet another wild goose chase, her husband's former mentor Moe Fitch (Ray Winstone) and a greedy local gangster (Kevin Hart) up the stakes by joining in on the race. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, (more)
- 2008
- PG13
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Michael Cera and Kat Dennings star as two lonesome teens who make a love connection as they prowl the streets of New York looking for their favorite band's secret show, as well as for their drunk friend Caroline. Norah is sick of being the doormat for her catty friend Tris, so rather than look like she's arrived at yet another concert without her unreliable ex-boyfriend-with-benefits Tal, she grabs a stranger and pretends he's her date. Unfortunately, that stranger is Nick -- whom Tris just dumped. Oddly enough, though, Nick and Norah seem to have a real connection. But is Nick still too hung up on the princess? The only way to find out is to spend all night combing Manhattan in a yellow Yugo. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, (more)
Four people get a crash course in the difference between love and desire in this independent drama. Ellis (Kuno Becker) and Renee (Eliza Dushku) are a young couple who've grown tired of one another, and though they're still in love, they aren't sure how to reignite the spark in their relationship. Elsewhere, James (Macaulay Culkin) and Heather (Alexis Dziena) are another young couple who are having trouble in the bedroom; he's not as attracted to her as he once was, and she's determined to do something about it. Heather arranges for her and James to attend a lecture by relationship therapist Dr. Wellbridge (Joanna Miles), where they meet Ellis and Renee. In a private meeting with Dr. Wellbridge, the two couples are encouraged to swap partners as a way of breaking up the monotony and confronting their problems, but after a few days together the four know more about one another and their troubles than they ever expected to learn. Sex and Breakfast was the first feature film from writer and director Miles Brandman. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Macaulay Culkin, Kuno Becker, (more)
Adapted from the novel by Robert Cormier, this psychological crime drama tells the tense story of an obsessed police lieutenant who's on the hunt for a dangerous young killer. The first thing most people notice about handsome high school student Eric Komenko (Jon Foster) is his easy charm. But that charm doesn't run deep, because a closer look reveals a cold-blooded killer. When Eric's devoutly religious mother discovers that her son has been sleeping around, the teen responds to her maternal scolding by viciously slaughtering both she and his father. The man assigned to Eric's case, Lt. Cristofuoro (Russell Crowe), believes that the young psychopath will kill again if given the opportunity. Lt. Cristofuoro knows that Eric has had a rough life, but he's determined to catch him before his murderous impulses once again take over. As Eric hits the road to Syracuse in search of a girl he met in juvenile detention, he is surprised to find Lori Cranston hiding in his truck. A tragic victim of sexual abuse, Lori knows what Eric is capable of, yet remains steadfast in her devotion to him. The crueler Eric is to Lori, the more she desires him. Later, as Lt. Cristofuoro closes in on the pair, Lori embraces her fate as Eric's next victim, and gives herself to him without struggle. But Eric is more interested in the girl from juvenile detention than he is with Lori. Little does the young killer realize that he's walking straight into a carefully set trap. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Laura Dern, (more)
Mark Christopher - writer-director of the hit Miramax drama 54 (1998) - returns to the helmer's chair for the first occasion in eight years with the indie comedy Pizza, from IFC Films. An unofficial homage to mid-80s teen films, the picture concerns Cara-Ethyl (Kylie Sparks), an overweight high-schooler whose mom (screen vet Julie Hagerty) lost her sight in a baking accident. Despondent and lonely as her eighteenth birthday arrives and passes - not to mention embarrassed by her lack of friends - Cara attempts to save face by lying to her mother and pretending that she's expecting a whole host of guests. She then impersonates the "friends" one at a time in front of her mother. When thirty-something pizza delivery guy Matt turns up, Cara falls instantly in love; he then invites her to accompany him, into the night, on his pizza route. As Matt inducts Cara into the area's social realm - replete with bed-hopping flatmates, deadhead teenage addicts and obstinate employers - a friendship forms between the two. Joey Kern, Alexis Dziena and Judah Friedlander co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ethan Embry, Kylie Sparks, (more)
A tough cop must deal with some ugly crimes in a small New England town in this made-for-TV mystery. Jesse Stone (Tom Selleck) is the thick-skinned chief of police in the small town of Paradise, MA; while Stone has a good heart, he's not the sort of man who wears his emotions on his sleeve, and often turns to whiskey when his work gets to be too much for him. When a series of unexplained murders begin occurring in Paradise, Stone begins to suspect Andrew Lincoln (Reg Rogers) and his wife, Brianna (Jane Adams), a pair of eccentric artists who have a fascination with violence. But when 16-year-old Candace Pennington (Alexis Dziena) is brought in to see Stone by her mother and father after she's been raped, Stone is a bit puzzled by the parents' reaction to the crime, and wonders if there might be some link between this assault and the murders. Stone Cold was based on the best-selling novel by noted crime author Robert B. Parker. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Selleck, Jane Adams, (more)
The cult-favorite television series which offered a fun-house version of '70s "after-school specials" returns in this big-screen prequel to the show Strangers With Candy. Middle-aged ex-prostitute, former drug addict and all-around lowlife Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris) emerges from prison at the age of 46 ready to start her life over again. Jerri arrives at her parents' home to discover that her father Guy (Dan Hedaya) divorced Jerri's mom and remarried before slipping into a coma. Jerri's stepmom Sara (Deborah Rush) decides to let her stay with the family in the hope her presence might bring Guy around, though she doesn't seem very fond of her new "daughter." Jerri decides to complete the education she abandoned years ago by enrolling at Flatpoint High School, where Principal Blackman (Greg Hollimon) has bigger fish to fry than a middle-aged sex offender as a student. It seems Flatpoint's science scores have been dreadful, and only a first-place entry in the county science fair will maintain the school's accreditation. Science fair guru Roger Beekman (Matthew Broderick) is brought in with hopes of creating a winning project, but science teacher Mr. Noblet (Stephen Colbert) objects to using outside talent and starts a separate team of his own, bringing in Jerri to give her something to do. As it happens, Noblet's team comes up with a potential prize-winner with their Soup Can Superconductor, while Beekman foolishly accepts the help of art teacher Mr. Jellineck (Paul Dinello) and ends up with a dance routine instead of a science presentation. Determined to win out over Noblet's team, Beekman tries to get his hand on the plans for Noblet's project by convincing handsome Brason (Chris Pratt) to charm them away from weak-willed Jerri. Strangers With Candy also features cameo appearances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Allison Janney, Ian Holm, and Kristen Johnston. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Amy Sedaris, Deborah Rush, (more)
A pair of naïve young girls learn that even the most insignificant actions can have lasting consequences in this music-driven take on teen culture starring Anne Hathaway and Bijou Phillips and directed by two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple. Influenced by the hip-hop thug lifestyle and seeking to explore life outside of their insulated, culturally homogenized suburb, pretty young teenagers Allison (Hathaway) and Emily (Phillips) set their sights on East L.A. to experience the "gangsta" lifestyle firsthand. By the time the pair meet some true-life Latino gang-bangers and realize just how far out of their element they really are, it may already be too late to turn back. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A man sets out to find the son he didn't know he had and winds up getting answers to some questions he never asked in this comedy drama from director Jim Jarmusch. Don Johnston (Bill Murray) is an emotionally blank middle-aged man who has never married and lives a quiet, comfortable life thanks to shrewd investments in computers (though he doesn't use one himself). After being given his walking papers by his latest girlfriend, Sherry (Julie Delpy), Don receives an anonymous letter informing him he fathered a son 19 years ago, and that the boy wants to find his dad. Not sure what to do, Don shows the note to Winston (Jeffrey Wright), a neighbor who fancies himself an amateur detective. With Winston's help, Don narrows the list of possible mothers down to four women, and with a mixture of reluctance and resigned determination he sets out to find them. Armed with a CD of traveling music from Winston, Don pays unannounced visits to Laura (Sharon Stone), an oversexed widow with a libidinous teenage daughter (Alexis Dziena); Dora (Frances Conroy), a stuffy real estate agent; Penny (Tilda Swinton), an aging biker with no happy memories of Don; and Carmen (Jessica Lange), a self-styled analyst for pets whose outward eccentricity disguises a firm inner stability. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, (more)
A syphilis outbreak rocks an upscale suburban high school in this made-for-cable movie. Freshman Hannah Vogul (Alexis Dziena) does everything her loving parents (Marcia Gay Harden and Gary Hudson) want: excels at music, makes good grades, and always tells the truth. That all changes when Hannah falls for the attentions of campus stud Nick Hartman (Mike Erwin). Supremely confident, the boy successfully pressures her to fellate him on their second date, then unsuccessfully invites her to an orgy for their third. Soon Dawn (Miriam McDonald), one of Nick's countless other conquests, confesses that she's contracted syphilis, which sets off an investigation by horrified public-health officials. When Hannah turns out to be one of dozens of infected students, her mother joins the crusade to bring their parents together and confront the underaged partying and casual sex that have led their children to this predicament. But with Hannah's self-esteem rocked by Nick's rejection and the ostracism of her peers, it may be too late to save her. She's Too Young premiered in February 2004 on the Lifetime cable network. Megan Park co-stars as Becca, another promiscuous 14-year-old, while Joe Dinicol appears as Hannah's supportive friend Tommy. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marcia Gay Harden, Alexis Dziena, (more)
- 2003
A young Russian model dies while shoplifting at a trendy clothing store, apparently the victim of an overdose of prescription drugs. During their investigation, the detectives cross the path of a controversial and extremely abrasive "Dr. Feelgood" named Ellis Heinz (Jonathan Hogan). But as much as the DA's office would like to send Heinz to prison for his unorthodox drug ministrations, it is just possible that the dead model was the victim of something other than a reckless misdiagnosis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
An unlikely fusion of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and the Mimic franchise, director J.T. Petty (Soft for Digging) takes the helm for this third installment in the giant killer cockroach series. Unable to leave the germ-free confines of his sterilized bedroom for any real stretch of time, environmentally hypersensitive Judas child Marvin (Karl Geary) spends his days taking pictures of his neighbors from his window. Occasionally catching glimpses of his young sister Rosy (Alexis Dziena) being romanced by the neighborhood drug dealer, Marvin's lens remained mostly fixed on a mysterious neighbor known as "The Garbageman" (Lance Henriksen) and pretty neighbor Carmen (Rebecca Mader), while his slightly overbearing mother (Amanda Plummer) rests on the couch. As neighbors begin disappearing and mysterious figures move in and out of Marvin's viewfinder, the secluded voyeur begins to suspect that a sinister force is at work in his neighborhood. Though Rosy and Carmen are anxious to assist in a little detective work, the situation soon begins to spiral out of control upon the discovery that the Judas breed is far from extinct. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Karl Geary, Alexis Dziena, (more)
James Cox directs the sleazy Hollywood murder tale Wonderland, starring Val Kilmer as legendary porn star John Holmes. Using a non-linear plot structure, the film explores different perspectives of the quadruple homicide that occurred on July 1, 1981, in the Hollywood Hills. At the lowest point of his career and the height of his drug addiction, Holmes was implicated in the murders of the Wonderland gang: Ron Launius (Josh Lucas), Billy Deverell (Tim Blake Nelson), Barbara Richardson (Natasha Gregson Wagner), and Joy Miller (Janeane Garofalo). Launius' wife, Susan (Christina Applegate), was the only survivor. Led by Detective Sam Nico (Ted Levine), the police investigation reveals a dark criminal underworld surrounding Holmes, his disapproving wife, Sharon (Lisa Kudrow), and his innocent teenage girlfriend, Dawn Schiller (Kate Bosworth). Eric Bogosian stars as notorious Hollywood nightclub owner Eddie Nash. Wonderland premiered at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, (more)
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