Grace Zabriskie Movies

To say that Grace Zabriskie has specialized in maternal roles is hardly adequate. Many of the mothers portrayed by Zabriskie in films and on TV are the sort of parents that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy: clinging, castrating, and constantly jabbering away about nothing in particular (to be fair, she has essayed a few benign, likeable moms). She has been prominently featured in such films as Norma Rae (1979), Drugstore Cowboy (1988), and The Big Easy (1989). Her TV work includes the roles of Laura Palmer's hysterical mother in Twin Peaks (1990) and the recurring part of Thada Duvall in the NBC daytimer Santa Barbara. Undoubtedly, Zabriskie's most bizarre screen assignment was her S&M sex scene in Chain of Desire (1991). As brash and outspoken as ever, Grace Zabriskie played Granny in first-time director Anjelica Huston's controversial Bastard out of Carolina (1996). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
2009  
 
The first collaboration between legendary filmmakers David Lynch and Werner Herzog, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done is loosely based on the true story of a San Diego man whose mystifying experiences lead him to commit a shocking act of matricide. Michael Shannon, Chloë Sevigny, and Willem Dafoe headline this psychological thriller written and directed by Herzog, produced by Lynch, and featuring Grace Zabriskie, Udo Kier, and Brad Dourif. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Michael ShannonChloë Sevigny, (more)
2009  
 
Add Big Love: Season 03 to QueueAdd Big Love: Season 03 to top of Queue
Lies told, secrets kept and truths revealed make for a riveting third season of Big Love, the critically acclaimed HBO \drama about your average American polygamous family. As the season opens, the Henricksons are still reeling from publicity generated by the U.S. government's raid on the Juniper Creek compound, and worrying that Nikki's association with the now imprisoned Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton) will reveal their closely guarded secret. Their exclusion from a neighborhood block party seems to confirm their fears, and only the quick thinking of Nikki (Chloë Sevigny) at the event saves them from disaster. However, Nikki has secrets of her own. She's working at the DA's office under Margene's name to find out information about Roman's upcoming trial. And she's letting the family think she's having fertility issues while secretly taking the pill. Both deceptions place her marriage to Bill (Bill Paxton) in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) hides her pregnancy and makes plans to get away from her family after learning they're considering taking on Ana (Branka Katic) as a fourth wife. But Sarah's condition is not something she's able to hide for long. Meanwhile, "boss lady" Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) has troubles of her own. After enduring a cancer scare, she must defend herself in front of a Mormon disciplinary council for her polygamous lifestyle-but not before undergoing a sacred Mormon ceremony shown in a controversial episode. Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) shows her independent side and begins a new business venture. Tragedy strikes for Bill's brother Joey (Shawn Doyle) and his already troubled family. As for the Henrickson patriarch, Bill finds his efforts to launch the casino continually thwarted. But soon a new opportunity shows itself. Season 3 guest stars include Ellen Burstyn as Barb's loving but disapproving mother. ~ Dianne Zoccola, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Bill PaxtonJeanne Tripplehorn, (more)
2007  
 
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The critically acclaimed hit series, Big Love, returns for its second break-out season. Bill Henrickson works hard and plays by the rules. All he wants in return is a happy, secure, normal life for his family. Is that too much to ask? Maybe so. For a polygamist like Bill, the American Dream comes with strings attached. Season 2 opens with even more drama, as Bill's mission to learn who tipped off the authorities and exposed first wife, Barb, as a polygamist escalates. Not surprisingly, his search will lead him to the polygamist compound of Juniper Creek where his primary suspect is Roman Grant. Bill contemplates changes in his personal and professional life that promise to impact every member of his family.

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Starring:
Bill PaxtonJeanne Tripplehorn, (more)
2006  
 
Add Big Love: Season 01 to QueueAdd Big Love: Season 01 to top of Queue
Meet the Henricksons. They're the typical suburban American family, occupied with hectic schedules and bills to pay, as well as trying to make sense of an increasingly complicated world. Oh, and they also happen to be polygamists. In the first season of this unconventional, critically acclaimed drama, every day is a new adventure for patriarch Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), who lives outside Salt Lake City with his three wives -- Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) -- and their collective brood of seven children, including Bill and Barb's teenagers, Ben (Douglas Smith) and Sarah (Amanda Seyfried). Owner of a profitable home-improvement superstore, Bill is anxious to expand his empire (and support his growing family) by opening another Home Plus location with his business partner and fellow polygamist, Don Embry (Joel McKinnon Miller). However, an unwanted investor hoping to share in Bill's good fortune emerges: Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton), the scheming "Prophet" of the remote Juniper Creek polygamist compound who is also Nicki's father. There's been bad blood between Bill and Roman ever since the former was expelled from Juniper Creek as an adolescent, largely by the latter's hand. Bill also clashes with Adaleen (Mary Kay Place), one of Roman's wives, and their power-hungry son and chief enforcer, Alby (Matt Ross). But Bill is not alone in this feud, as his father Frank (Bruce Dern), mother Lois (Grace Zabriskie) and brother Joey (Shawn Doyle) still live at Juniper Creek and identify, to varying degrees of familial allegiance, with Bill's enmity for Roman. On the home front, third wife Margene risks exposing the Henricksons' illicit lifestyle by befriending a Mormon neighbor; Nicki tries to hide a shopping addiction and the tens of thousands of dollars of credit-card debt that goes with it; and Barb tiptoes into the spotlight after one of her kids nominates her for Utah's Mother of the Year award. ~ Joe Friedrich, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Bill PaxtonJeanne Tripplehorn, (more)
2003  
 
Piper and Leo's baby has been born, and has been brought back to the manor. Although Piper (Holly Marie Combs) is the mother, the maternal bug has bitten her sisters, Phoebe (Holly Marie Combs), who talks about nothing other than the baby, and Paige (Rose McGowan), who has become fiercely overprotective. It is in fact Paige who pursues two demons bent upon stealing the baby's powers to an unholy marketplace -- where she becomes a new "magic source" which all the demons hope to bleed dry. Elsewhere, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) is both frightened and terrified by her new boss, Jason Dean (Eric Dane); and while the Charmed Ones bicker over a choice of names for the baby, the infant himself proves to be a constant source of amazement. ~ All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Brian KrauseJulian McMahon, (more)
2003  
 
In trying to figure out the extent of baby Wyatt's powers -- and, eventually, to take over those powers herself -- the Crone (Grace Zabriskie) imposes the Curse of the Monkey Totem on the Charmed Ones. As a result, each girl loses one of her senses: Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) is deaf ("Hear no evil"), Piper (Holly Marie Combs) is blind ("See no evil"), and Paige (Rose McGowan) is mute ("Speak no evil"). In addition to compounding the girls' domestic, professional, and personal problems, their afflictions also leave little Wyatt defenseless -- or so it seems. Despite being unable to speak throughout most of the episode, Paige manages to belt out a rendition of Peggy Lee's "Fever." ~ All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Brian KrauseJulian McMahon, (more)
2002  
 
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Based on the novel by Brooks Stanwood, The Glow stars Dean Cain and Portia de Rossi as Matt and Jackie Lawrence, an affluent yuppie couple with two beautiful children. Rounding out their success story, the Lawrences move into a gorgeous New York apartment, where they soon discover that their neighbors are all elderly -- and all incredibly healthy. It is only after the neighbors make the couple an offer they can't refuse that Jackie realizes the grisly horror awaiting her family in their "dream" home. Not dissimilar to Rosemary's Baby, the made-for-TV The Glow was supposed to have aired during the fall of 2001, but for various reasons (including an unofficial post-9/11 moratorium on suspense films set in New York) the film did not make its Fox Network bow until August 30, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Portia de RossiDean Cain, (more)
2002  
 
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Intrigued by the lectures of his criminal psychology professor (Glenn Quinn), Nick Collier (Rick Otto) invites ten friends to a going-away party for Jimmy (Lucas Babin), whom he has killed and stuffed into piece of living room furniture in the Las Vegas penthouse that's the scene of the party. Now Nick, desperate for fame, wants to slay the others one by one to see if he can get away with it. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Glenn QuinnJason Mewes, (more)
2000  
 
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William Blake Herron directs this baroque family drama about dark family secrets, ear-sucking, and camel herding. The film opens with the funeral of family patriarch Grandpa Sparta (Martin Sheen). As witnessed by Little Sparta, the grieving widow Murtis (Grace Zabriskie) removes an ear from the corpse as a keepsake. Once Grandpa's will is read, family members start to reveal long untold secrets including the family's bizarre ear-fetish. This film won the Jury Prize at the 2000 L.A. Independent Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Robert PatrickJoanne Whalley, (more)
1999  
 
Filmmaker Mark Anthony Galluzzo debuts with this gritty account of two poor boys in rural Florida whose lives are irreparably changed after witnessing a friend's thoughtless hunting death. For Sunny (Jeremy Sisto), life becomes meaningless, and he decides to take as much as he can from the world. The trauma causes Anthony (Eric Michael Cole), who has won a couple of high school writing awards, to re-evaluate his life and his future. Though his grades and his relationship with the middle class C.J. (Jaime Pressly) indicate that the future is bright, Anthony is painfully aware that he does not deserve his good fortune. Trash was screened at the 1999 Boston Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Jeremy SistoEric Michael Cole, (more)
1998  
 
In the concluding half of Seinfeld's controversial series finale, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Kramer (Michael Richards), and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) find themselves stranded in Latham, MA -- and even worse, they are facing arrest for violating the town's new Good Samaritan law (it seems there was this mugging...). Hoping to beat the rap -- and make it to California in time for Jerry to sell his proposed sitcom "about nothing" -- the gang engages the services of flamboyant lawyer Jackie Chiles (Phil Morris). Alas, the prosecution has managed to round up a daunting array of witnesses to bolster their case against the foursome, including Sidra (Teri Hatcher) of "they're real and they're spectacular" fame, the Soup Nazi (Larry Thomas), Marla the Virgin (Jane Leeves), and the Bubble Boy (Jon Hayman) -- while the sour-faced judge (Stanley Anderson) with the familiar-sounding name fumes, and a vengeful Newman (Wayne Knight) chuckles from the sidelines. As for the now-legendary final scene...haven't we had this conversation before? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1998  
 
Once Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) buys an expensive Wizard organizer for his dad, he finds himself trapped in a vicious cycle. Kramer (Michael Richards) figures he'll never have to work again after a Hollywood producer options his coffee-table book...about coffee tables. Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is involved in an interracial romance -- but is she the "different" race, or is he? And George (Jason Alexander) resorts to a lie (notify the media!) to get out of a commitment to the Susan Ross Foundation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1997  
 
"Death by typewriter" is the coroner's verdict when the body of a man is found. Elsewhere, a naked female corpse, dumped in a junkyard, leads Simone (Jimmy Smits) and Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) on another far-from-merry chase, and still-wobbly Gina (Lourdes Benedicto) returns to work. Outside the precinct, Simone hires the mercurial Henry (Willie Garson) to paint the apartment building, leading to a confrontation with an angry tenant (Maxine Stuart); and Diane (Kim Delaney) begins her counselling sessions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1997  
 
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This independent comedy-drama concerns George (David Morse), who works as a janitor cleaning up at a bar in a small town. While no one's sure if George is retarded, he doesn't seem to live in the same world as the rest of them; if he's not unintelligent, he is unfortunately gullible and trusting and lacks the ability to dodge around people's emotions in conversation. George has always thought of his birthday as his good luck day, so one year he decides to celebrate by taking a trip to Reno, and for a change George's hunch is right on the money -- he wins big and comes home with enough money to buy his own house and start his own cleaning business. George finds he's lonely in his new home, and he asks Angela (Nina Siemaszko), a young woman who works at a discount store, to move in with him. Angela doesn't care for her job and is desperate to get away from her harridan mother, so she agrees, though life with George proves to be both funny and troubling. George B. was shown in competition at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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1996  
 
In this made-for-television drama a mother tires to learn the truth about her college-age son following the murder of a neighborhood girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Judith LightJohnny Galecki, (more)
1996  
 
George (Jason Alexander) is willing to get over the death of his fiancée, Susan, but her parents have other ideas as Seinfeld begins its eighth season. Also, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) renews his acquaintance with the "woman whose name rhymes with a body part." Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is left in charge of the office when Peterman (John O'Hurley) goes to Burma. And Kramer (Michael Richards) becomes a truly "towering" figure when he learns karate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1995  
 
For his second outing as a director, filmmaker Philip Ridley once again enlisted the talents of Viggo Mortensen, who starred in Ridley's debut, The Reflecting Skin, and co-stars here with Ashley Judd and Brendan Fraser. Fraser plays Darkley Noon, a disturbed young man who received a sheltered upbringing from his strict Christian parents. When the elder Noons pass on, Darkly wanders off aimlessly until he is picked up by a passing truck driver named Jude (Loren Dean). Jude leaves the physically worn Darkly with Callie (Judd) and Clay (Mortensen), a young married couple. As Callie cares for Darkly, he begins to develop romantic and sexual feelings for her, feelings that threaten to turn violent when Darkly is taunted by the love between Callie and Clay. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

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1995  
 
Friendship and racism in 1880s America is explored in this made-for-television drama. Sidney Poitier stars as Gypsy Smith, a bounty hunter who, much to the chagrin of the local white population, leads a group of black settlers to Oklahoma to form their own free community. The film shows how racial tensions erupt between the black and white homesteaders. The Native American experience of racism is intertwined into the plot as well, with the story of a young Cheyenne boy who has lost his roots. Sidney Poitier and Regina Taylor were nominated for Image awards for their performances. Based on the novel by Clancy Carlile, the film originally aired in two parts. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Sidney PoitierMichael Moriarty, (more)
1995  
 
The precinct investigates the killing of a bookie. Donna (Gail O'Grady) returns to work, and her temporary replacement John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) moves upstairs to the anti-crime unit. Simone (Jimmy Smits) has no further use for unreliable murder witness Joyce (Susanna Thompson), but she continues to obsess over him. Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) suspects that undercover cop Russell (Kim Delaney) is a drinker. And Sipowicz and Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence) have a soul-baring session with her priest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1993  
 
The full title of this derivative comedy is Hometown Boy Makes Good. A pre-ER Anthony Edwards plays a young medical student who sends home glowing success reports to his mother. In reality, Edwards is washing dishes rather than scrubbing up. Deciding to return home and confess all, our hero is ordered to set up a psychiatric practice by the town mayor. Despite his protests, Edwards become the community's resident "shrink"-and, amazingly, his highly uniformed technique works! It's essentially Hail the Conquering Hero and Doc Hollywood rolled into one, but it's fun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1993  
 
Former Bewitched TV-star Elizabeth Montgomery plays against type and stars as a murderess in this made-for-television movie. Based on the book Preacher's Girl by Jim Schutze, Montgomery stars as the real-life killer Blanche Taylor Moore who was caught by authorities in 1989. The movie chronicles her transformation from the innocent 1950s daughter of a preacher into the serial killer known for poisoning her husbands with arsenic. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Elizabeth MontgomeryDavid Clennon, (more)
1993  
 
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This passable made-for-cable-TV vampire opus explores the clever concept of a Transylvanian immigrant community in the western United States. Young Cody (Jason London) is introduced to their legacy one fateful night when his parents are awakened, staked, and set on fire by ruthless vampire-hunters. After a narrow escape, Cody seeks out a distant uncle in Long Beach -- who happens to be a key figure in the "Carpathian-American" mob. Cody is eventually inducted into the culture, which is represented by various social strata, from a lawyer/journalist couple (who encourage further assimilation into non-vampire society), to a bloodsucking teenage biker gang. Cody becomes a full-fledged member of the family, learning the real secret which binds the community... but the new path to his destiny is soon blocked by the untimely arrival of the hunters, who have tracked him cross-country to his new family's Long Beach lair. This was originally conceived as a pilot for a TV series, and it shows -- the tendency to lapse into soap-opera conventions is all too apparent -- but benefits from a glossy look, high production values and some interesting plot twists. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

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1993  
 
In classic noir tradition, the protagonist of the made-for-TV Double Deception is hard-boiled private eye John Kane (James Russo), who provides the first-person narration for the deliciously convoluted plotline. Kane knew that former call girl Pamela Sparrow (Alice Krige) was a keg of dynamite the minute she uncrossed her beautiful stems in his seedy office. "Please help me," pleaded Pamela in that come-hither voice, "My husband is missing." But the dame wasn't up front at first, failing to mention that her soul-mate was tied in with a 10-year-old murder case. Funny thing: Pamela reminded Kane of his dead wife -- and funnier still, there are some things just don't stay dead. It figured that Kane would get a few lumps on the casaba along the way, and that he'd have a couple of waltz-arounds with the top brass. But a case is a case, and when murder's involved, someone's got to do something about it, or it's bad for business. Double Deception was originally broadcast by NBC on June 21, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1992  
 
When a successful newswoman receives an on-the-air shock, she begins to analyze her relationship with her philandering husband. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Connie SelleccaKevin Dobson, (more)
1992  
 
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The Bonds of Love in this made-for-TV drama are those forged between divorcee Kelly McGillis and mentally disabled Treat Williams. What begins as a friendship between two lost souls blossoms into a deep and genuine romance. Their wedding plans are challenged by his mother (Grace Zabriskie) and father (Hal Holbrook)-who are not depicted as villains but merely well-meaning and overprotective (only Williams' brother, played by Steve Railsback, comes off in negative terms). Based on a true story, Bonds of Love is set in Kansas (though it was lensed in Ontario). The film premiered January 24, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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