Nastassja Kinski

Cinema of the surreal icon David Lynch follows up the success of his critically acclaimed 2001 feature Mulholland Drive with this dark mystery, shot on a handheld Sony PD150 digital video recorder. It is the tale of an actress whose personality becomes increasingly fragmented as she delves ever deeper into her work for a high-profile filmmaker. Kingsley (Jeremy Irons) is a director looking to adapt for the screen a Polish gypsy folktale that was previously stalled when the two leads were viciously murdered. Having offered the female lead to devoted actress Nikki (Laura Dern), Kingsley warns her male co-star, Devon (Justin Theroux), to maintain his professional distance, as Nikki's husband (Peter J. Lucas) is known to be notoriously possessive. As the passionate co-stars quickly cross the line and become lovers, Nikki's slowly slipping sense of reality causes her to eventually become lost in her character while the mysterious story of a Polish couple and a trio of giant stage-bound rabbits (voices of Naomi Watts, Scott Coffey, and Laura Harring) lounge around on the sofa and tend to their domestic duties. Shot over the course of two and a half years and without a formalized script, Lynch's hallucinogenic look at a doomed film project features all of the abstract imagery and strange symbolism that have long made the director a favorite of film fans who embrace his disorienting approach to unconventional storytelling. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

French filmmaker Josée Dayan directs the erotic drama Les Liaisons Dangereuses, based on the 18th century novel by Choderlos de Laclos and updated by screenwriter Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt. A co-production of France and Canada, this French-language television miniseries is reimagined with a swinging '60s setting. Madame de Mertueil (Catherine Deneuve) and Vicomte de Valmont (Rupert Everett) are a couple of wealthy and seductive aristocrats. Advancing in years, Mertueil grows jealous when she learns that her old flame Gercourt (Andrzej Zulawski) is planning to marry the much younger Cécile Volanges (Leelee Sobieski). The bored rich couple plot a scheme to have Valmont seduce Cécile before the wedding. Valmont also goes to visit Rosemonde (Danielle Darrieux) in Saint Tropez, where he meets the married woman Marie Tourvel (Nastassja Kinski). Featuring a musical score by Angelo Badalamenti and period costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier. Les Liaisons Dangereuses premiered on U.S. television on WE: Women's Entertainment in March 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

The legend of Jacques D'Artagnan (Michael York) gets a gender-bending update in this swashbuckling adventure from stuntman-turned-director Steve Boyum. Though legendary swordsman Jacques D'Artagnan's best days may be well behind him, he has schooled his daughter Valentine (Susie Amy) well in the way of the sword. Now it's time for Valentine to strike out on her own. With her father's sword and a letter of introduction to Commander Flint (Roy Dotrice), the eager young novice sets out to seek her fortune in Paris. Though a woman has never before been appointed the rank of swordsman, Valentine is determined to prove her worth by taking on a deadly mission to rescue the bride-to-be of King Louis XIV from a band of fearsome kidnappers, teaming with the sons of the legendary musketeers who rode with her father. There's more to the mission than meets the eye, however. After discovering that a mysterious stolen letter which could destroy the reputation of the king rests in the possession of the wicked Lady Bolton (Nastassja Kinski), Valentine is framed for murder and imprisoned by the venomous villain. Now it's more than a rescue mission, and in order to survive, Valentine must trust in the skills of her fellow musketeers to bring back the princess and bring Lady Bolton to justice. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Another of the PAX network's feature-length Mary Higgins Clark adaptation, All Around the Town wastes little time getting down to business, as popular college professor Allan Grant (Kevin Jubinville) is murdered. Despite her public display of grief, Allan's widow, travel agent Karen (Nastassja Kinski), is well aware of her late husband's reputation as a womanizer. In fact, the prime suspect is one of Allan's nubile young students, Laurie Kinmount (Kim Shraner) -- who happens to be the sister of DA Sarah Kinmount (Andrea Roth), the person in charge of prosecuting the case. Sarah does not want to send her own kid sister to the slammer, but is unable to get a clear story from Laurie, who claims to have no memory of the killing or even of being in the vicinity of the crime. Thus, Sarah joins forces with investigating detective Brandon Moody (Ron Lea) and psychiatrist Justin Donnelly (Michael Shanks) to unlock Laurie's mind -- with startling results. Filmed in Canada, Mary Higgins Clark's All Around the Town was first broadcast on May 18, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A true story based on the life story of writer/director Eva Gardos, this film depicts the personal odyssey of a family's escape from Communist Hungary. One night, Margaret (Nastassja Kinski) and Peter (Tony Goldwyn) arrange to escape Hungary with their eldest daughter in tow, forcing them to leave behind their youngest, Suzanne, in the care of Margaret's mother. When the mother is separated from the young child, she goes to live in a peaceful Eastern European countryside with a loving man and woman who raise her until age six, where Suzanne is sent for by her birth parents, now living in America. She finds the adjustment difficult and does not fully comprehend that Margaret and Peter are her parents, but she is willing to stay, and if she feels the same way in several years, Peter has agreed to give her a ticket back to Hungary. Later, as a rebellious teenager (played by Scarlett Johansson), with Margaret becoming a highly overprotective mother, she takes her father up on his offer to go back and reconnect with those who raised her as a child. While in Hungary, she has a change of heart , however, and discovers her true identity. The feature also co-stars Mae Whitman, Emmy Rossum, and Larisa Oleynik. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Nastassja Kinski stars in this taut thriller as Susan, a woman who is still coming to terms with the murder of her husband two years after his death. One day Susan meets an artist named Kevin (Stewart Bick) and the two hit it off; two months later, they impulsively fly to Las Vegas and get married. However, it isn't long before Susan begins to wonder if she acted to hastily, and as she tries to resolve her anxieties about her relationship, she discovers a stalker has been following her. Things go from annoying to dangerous when the stalker begins leaving her messages threatening her life, and Susan realizes she has to find her psychotic "admirer" before it's too late. Blind Terror also features Gordon Pinsent and Maxim Roy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A woman trying to help a disturbed child discovers his nightmarish fears are all too real in this sci-fi horror opus. Dr. Jennifer Stillman (Nastassja Kinski) is a child psychologist from New York City who takes a job working at an elementary school in a small Nevada community. Jennifer is seen as an unwelcome outsider by most of her neighbors and colleagues, but she does strike up a rapport with Ben (Bobby Edner), a troubled young student. Ben is haunted by fears he has a hard time talking about, and she learns that his mother died under unexplained circumstances -- a matter his father (Randy Quaid) is equally reticent to discuss. As Jennifer struggles to get to the bottom of Ben's traumas, she learns that a monster from another world and a terrible secret the town has been trying to hide are both parts of the puzzle. The Day the World Ended was loosely adapted from Roger Corman's 1956 film of the same name, which was the first monster movie the B-movie icon made for American-International Pictures; this version was created as part of the made-for-cable "Creature Features" series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A woman discovers a casual affair may have led both her and her husband into dangerous territory in this thriller. Claire and Ed Needham (Nastassja Kinski and Hart Bochner) are a married couple whose relationship has been going through some difficult changes; Ed has lost his job, and his depression has led to a problem with alcohol.
Claire takes a vacation alone, where she meets Julian (William Baldwin), a handsome and strongly persuasive stranger. Claire has a brief affair with Julian, but she soon finds herself feeling guilty about her infidelity and returns home determined to make a fresh start in her marriage. Claire comes home to the good news that Ed has found a new job, but Claire's hope turns to shock and suspicion when she meets Ed's new boss --
Julian. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Also known as Bitter Suite, the made-for-cable romantic comedy TimeShare is predicated on the premise that two extremely different people have been booked to occupy the same California house at different times of the year. The inevitable mix-up in scheduling occurs, forcing humorless German scientist Julia Weiland (Nastassja Kinski) to spend the summer under the same roof with divorced chef Matt (Timothy Dalton). Not surprisingly, this is an oil-and-water combination, made worse by the endless bickering between Julia and Matt's equally ill-matched children. Will True Love eventually prevail over divergent personalities--and what of Julia's "Ralph Bellamy" boyfriend, stuffy bioengineer Russell (Geoffrey Lower? Filmed on location in Malibu, TimeShare debuted June 18, 2000, on the Fox Family channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One man's small empire threatens to collapse under the weight of his greed and deceit in this drama that transplants the story of Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge to 19th century America. In 1867, Dillon (Peter Mullan) is an Irish immigrant who settled in California during the Gold Rush of '49 and has done quite well for himself. Dillon owns nearly every business of consequence in the town of Kingdom Come; if someone wants to dig for gold, rent a room, open a bank account, or even order a drink, they have to go to Dillon to do it. One of the few profitable enterprises in town that he doesn't own is the brothel, which is operated by Lucia (Milla Jovovich), Dillon's lover. Circumstances change somewhat when Dalglish - a surveyor with the Central Pacific Railroad - turns up and expresses his plans to implement a railroad in the area. Dillon, sensing a great opportunity afoot, travels well out of his way to ensure that the line is run through Kingdom Come, to enhance the town's commercial prospects. Also arriving in town the same time as Dalglish are two women, the beautiful but ailing Elena (Nastassja Kinski) and her lovely teenage daughter Hope (Sarah Polley); their presence is deeply troubling for Dillon, for they are the keys to a dark secret Dillon has kept from the people of Kingdom Come. The Claim is Michael Winterbottom's second adaptation of the works of Thomas Hardy; his 1996 feature Jude was adapted from Hardy's final novel, Jude the Obscure. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The Lost Son brings together talented British director Chris Menges with a well-known face of French cinema, Daniel Auteuil, who plays a detective in self-exile in London who deals mostly with cases of adultery. At the same time, he is trying to come to terms with the ghosts of his past. While trying to locate the brother-in-law of an old friend who once saved his life, he finds himself in the middle of a network of pedophiles. The director tries to avoid voyeurism or over-simplification in dealing with such a sensitive issue. The tone is not judgmental. One memorable image sums up the thrust of the film: a silent boy urinating on the corpse of one of his torturers. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

John Landis directed this comedy suspense-thriller about a woman plotting to murder her ex-husband for insurance money. When Susan (Nastassja Kinski) and insurance salesman Sam (Billy Zane) decide to kill her ex, Paul (Adrian Paul), Sam contacts Bill (Michael Biehn) and Steve (Rob Schneider) to do the deed, while Susan recruits her hairdresser, Betty (Lara Flynn Boyle), to set up the victim. Bill and Steve shoot three times at close range but miss. Betty distracts doctors, while biker Bob (Dan Aykroyd) goes into the intensive care room to smother Paul. When Sam's former wife Penny (Lisa Edelstein) learns what's going down, she demands sex plus money. Appearing in cameos are several film directors (Stuart Gordon, Randall Kleiser and Adam Rifkin). Shown at the 1998 AFI Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

After producer Oliver Stone saw Serbian director Peter Antonijevic's political drama The Little One (1992), he sent him Robert Orr's screenplay, which Orr based on the true story of an American mercenary in Bosnia. Orr had been a photographer's assistant during the war. Thus, Antonijevic directed the first 100% American-funded film about the Yugoslav conflict, beginning with a Paris prologue: Former U.S. military official Joshua (Dennis Quaid) entered the Foreign Legion after his wife (Nastassja Kinski) was killed in Paris by Muslim fundamentalists. Six years later, in Bosnia during 1993, Joshua and his pal Peter (Stellan Skarsgard), fight together on the Serbian side. After Peter dies from a grenade tossed by a young girl, Joshua shoots another youth on the side of the enemy. In a prisoner exchange, psycho Serb Goran (Sergej Trifunovic), a Muslim-hater, and Joshua wind up with pregnant Vera (Natasa Ninkovic), victim of a Muslim rape. When Goran threatens to shoot her baby, Joshua kills Goran. After Vera rejects the child, her family turns against her, and Joshua drives mother and child to a refugee center. Eventually, Joshua attempts to get Vera and her baby out of the country, but they encounter death-dealing Croatian marauders. Filmed in Montenegro, Savior was shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival and the 1998 Sochi Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide