Daphne Zuniga Movies
Actress Daphne Zuniga achieved nationwide fame through her weekly appearances on Fox's Melrose Place in 1994; despite her comparative unfamiliarity, she was certainly no overnight success. The daughter of a Guatemalan-born philosophy professor, Zuniga attended U.C.L.A. while her dad was teaching at California State. Stardom beckoned when she was cast as John Cusack's recalcitrant traveling companion in The Sure Thing (1985). For reasons that defy explanation, this engaging performance did not immediately elevate her to the top ranks, and Zuniga would have to mark time in unmemorable films like Last Rites (1988) and Prey of the Chameleon (1991) before Melrose Place secured her popularity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
In this jungle adventure, based on a Jules Verne novel, Spunky Minha, was born and raised in the Amazon jungle on her father's hemp plantation. After she agrees to marry Dr. Manuel Valdez, they decide to hold the wedding in Brazil so his sickly mother can be there. Unfortunately, the girl's father hestitates to make the long, dangerous journey downstream because years before he was convicted for a crime and was sentenced to die. Though innocent, he does not want to face Brazilian justice and so changed his name and created his own jungle world on the plantation. Despite all this, he decides he will be there at the wedding. They set off on a great raft and during the journey face many dangers including deadly natives, snakes, piranhas, gators, fierce storms and a greedy bounty hunter who wants to blackmail Juan. The extortionist knows that Juan is innocent and carries with him proof, but this does not stop him from demanding that Juan pay him a fortune and hand over his lovely daughter. When Juan refuses, the bounty hunter makes good his threat, leaving his daughter and the doctor to somehow prove her father's innocence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daphne Zuniga, Barry Bostwick, (more)
- 2000
Two former stars of Melrose Place reunite for this story that trades in soap opera glamour for the grittier thrills of a psychological crime thriller. Karen (Daphne Zuniga) was born to a wealthy family and has never quite found her way out from under the wings of her overprotective parents. Karen is seeing an analyst, but she's also having an affair with him -- which does not make her unusual among his female patients. When her psychiatrist/lover is killed after one of her appointments, Karen becomes the police's prime suspect; she decides to play with the truth and tells the police that she can no longer remember what happened that day. On the advice of her lawyer, Karen begins working with another psychiatrist, Dr. Peter Rexler (Jack Wagner), in hope that he can help her recover her memories of her last meeting with the doctor. But Karen's forgetful act works all too well when Peter, unable to get to the bottom of her repressed memories, has her institutionalized. Artificial Lies also stars Stewart Bick, Maxim Roy, and Claudia Ferri. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Wagner, Daphne Zuniga, (more)
A ne'er do well father and ex-husband who always raced his way through the holidays is forced to relive Christmas Day time and again until he gets it right in this family oriented fantasy comedy starring Jay Mohr. It's Christmas time once again, and as usual Kevin (Moore) is scrambling to get his son Ben a last minute gift before stopping by his ex-wife Jill's house for a quick swig of eggnog. Ben can't stand Jill's impossibly perfect new boyfriend, and the prospect of spending the entire evening with his former inlaws is nearly too painful to ponder. But this Christmas things are going to be different, because this Christmas might just last forever. At first Kevin resists the curious development by simply reverting to his childish ways, though he is about to find out that sometimes in order to build a better future one must finally make amends with the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Mohr, Daphne Zuniga, (more)
Popular mystery writer Richard North Patterson found two of his potboilers, Eyes of a Child and Degree of Guilt, turned into a four-part miniseries for NBC with this star-studded opus. Degree of Guilt stars Daphne Zuniga as Terri, a young wife and mother trapped in an abusive marriage to Ritchie (Vincent Ventresca) in the San Francisco Bay area. With Ritchie sleeping around on her and burning through the family's savings, Terri turns to the sheltering arms of Patterson's recurring attorney-hero Christopher Paget (David James Elliott), much to her mother Rosa's (Tricia O'Neil) dismay. Torn between two men, Terri moves back in, child in tow, with the scolding Rosa. But when Ritchie turns up dead, it's up to Christopher to get his love off the hook. Degree of Guilt also stars Sharon Lawrence as an icy femme fatale whom Christopher is called upon to represent. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daphne Zuniga, Vincent Ventresca, (more)
When a police dog is killed in the line of duty and his grieving human partner seeks answers from a local medium, the canine-loving cop soon discovers just how helpful his fallen partner was in this supernatural comedy starring Jack Wagner and Daphne Zuniga. Kyle's partner Hunter was killed in a high profile stakeout, but a series of strange events lead the officer to suspect that his four-legged friend isn't as dead as it may seem. Convinced that Hunter's ghost is trying to reach out from beyond the grave, Kyle implores local medium Madame Wanda and her gifted son Howie to help him find out if Hunter really is still around. As the séance gets under way, Howie soon begins to show signs that he is possessed by the spirit of the deceased police dog. Later, when Howie begins to display a variety of traits more suited to man's best friend than man himself, Kyle gets one last chance to avenge Hunter's death and finally allow his loyal partner to rest in peace. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
How does a man convince the woman he loves that attempting to make him the toast of Broadway could be a really bad idea? Paul Halpern (David Paymer) is a cynical, middle-aged comedy writer who primarily works in television. Paul once had dreams of becoming a successful playwright, but after a passionate, short-lived relationship with a beautiful woman, he wrote a stage drama that became a notorious flop when it was presented for the first (and only) time by a Los Angeles theater company. Paul has come to believe that his play is cursed, and he has spent years trying to distance himself from the ill-fated project. Paul is more single than he'd like to be these days, and he's encouraged when he's approached by Carla (Rosalind Chao), an attractive, intelligent woman who seems quite fond of him. However, while Carla is attracted to Paul personally, she also has a professional interest in him. Carla is a director who wants to stage Paul's play in New York, and while he'd like to make her happy, he thinks it would be inviting disaster to put his drama back on the boards. Enemies of Laugher also features Judge Reinhold as a filmmaker directing a documentary about Paul, Peter Falk and Bea Arthur as Paul's parents, and cameos from Marilu Henner and Kathy Griffin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Paymer, Judge Reinhold, (more)
Gross Anatomy is to medical school what Paper Chase was to law school, with perhaps a little less sobriety. Mathew Modine plays a blue-collar kid attending a posh school of medicine, where everyone--teacher and student alike--seems to be well above Modine's social strata. Perhaps as a reaction to the snobbery all around him, Modine behaves as irreverently as possible. Neither teacher Christine Lahti nor lab partner Daphne Zuniga finds Modine's what-the-hell act appealing, but both are fully aware that he is a talented young man with a brilliant future. The climax of the film lays it on pretty thick in defining Modine as an all-around good fellow despite his cheekiness (he even delivers a baby just before taking his finals!), but Gross Anatomy strives successfully to be a "feel good" movie--albeit brought ever so slightly down to earth by the death of one of the principal characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Daphne Zuniga, (more)
- 1975
This traditional fairy tale, as told by Pyotr Yershov in his 1834 book, was first animated in 1947 in Russian by director Ivan Ivanov-Vano, and was remade by the same director in 1976. Ivanov-Vano was a distinguished artist and animator who was 76 at the time this film was released. It tells of the adventures that befall a wily, honest peasant boy who, after capturing a flying horse, is given three horses and a set of instructions by the flying steed. The first two horses are beautiful and are his to sell or give away, and the last, a tiny pony, he must keep. Following these instructions, and others he receives from the little pony, the boy becomes a prince and marries a beautiful princess after bringing about the death of an evil old Tsar. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Hector Elizondo, (more)
In Last Rites a serious thriller on a sensational topic, a priest falls in love with a woman he is protecting. Father Michael (Tom Berenger), a priest with family ties to the mob, helps a woman on the run. Angela (Daphne Zuniga) is the mistress of a murdered Mafia Don, now being hunted by hitmen hired by the Don's infuriated wife. As Father Michael realizes he is falling in love, both his faith and his vows are severely tested. Directed with restraint and respect for the subject matter by Donald Bellisario, the film still caused controversy and was criticized because of love scenes between the priest and the woman. Despite this criticism and despite the fact that the film is somewhat slow and predictable, Last Rites has fine performances by its cast and is an entertaining thriller. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Daphne Zuniga, (more)
- 1992
- R
Director Martin Donovan (real name Carlos Enrique Varela y Peralta-Ramos) directed this beautifully photographed western/horror amalgam. The story takes places in the American West in 1892. Jenny Hill (Mary Stuart Masterson) longs for the love of the local rough-and-tumble outlaw James Miller (Stephen Blake), who is also in love with her. But Jenny's mother (Fionnula Flanagan) doesn't approve, and instead marries Jenny off to James's half-brother Miller Brown (Hart Bochner), a polite and inarticulate farmer. Miller is in love with Jenny, but she can't stand his touch. Jenny begins to lapse into boredom until the full moon rises and she discovers Miller is a werewolf who spends his nights growling and baying at the moon, while Jenny remains locked inside their cabin. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Stuart Masterson, Hart Bochner, (more)
Daphne Zuniga stars as Diana McQueen, a con woman attempting to escape her past, in this Hallmark Channel drama. In order to leave her old life behind, she'll have to pull one last hustle: stealing her dead best friend's identity, and shipping out to the Wild West as a bride ordered by a lonely rancher. ~ Carly Wray, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daphne Zuniga, Greg Evigan, (more)
A nighttime soap opera about the lives, careers, trials and tribulations of a group of young people living in an apartment building in the trendy neighborhood of Melrose Place. The show was a spin off of Beverly Hills 90210 and starred Heather Locklear as the scheming Amanda Woodward, head of her own advertising agency and owner of the apartment building.
There's a lot happening during the 31-episode 1993-94 season of Melrose Place, the sexy, steamy, outrageous, and slightly-more-grown-up spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210. Heather Locklear (as Amanda Woodward) -- a late-first-season, ratings-boosting addition to the cast -- fully becomes the show's star this season as she purchases the titular apartment complex, takes over the D&D advertising agency, and sets her sights on Jake Hanson (Grant Show). Philandering doctor Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro) has an affair with Dr. Kimberly Shaw (Marcia Cross, later of Desperate Housewives), divorces Jane Andrews (Josie Bissett), and then takes up with Sydney (Laura Leighton). Billy Campbell (Andrew Shue) still pines for Alison Parker (Courtney Thorne-Smith), whom he jilted for a fling with Amanda -- their boss -- in Season 1. But, this being Melrose Place, that's just the start of it: Jake breaks up with Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga); Michael becomes paralyzed; Kimberly slips into a coma; Sydney becomes a prostitute; and the other soapy twists that were to be the show's trademark come fast and frisky. Features on this set include select audio commentaries by series creator Darren Star and featurettes such as: "Melrose Place - Meet the Neighbors," in which viewers get the inside scoop on favorite characters; a highlight- and lowlight-filled "Melrose Place - The Best of the Worst"; and an overview of the characters' tangled webs, "Melrose Place: Complex Relationships."
One of the definitive, landmark shows of the 1990s, "90210" quickly became an important fixture on the FOX and in the popular discourse of adolescents and young adults. The third season's main characters, Dylan, Kelly, Donna, Steve, David, Andrea and twins Brandon and Brenda all attended West Beverly Hills High School. Brandon and Brenda Walsh and their parents, transplants from Minneapolis were the stable nuclear family with strong values; their home was a safe haven for the whole gang and the center of much of the drama. The show dealt with a steady stream of love triangles and other romantic entanglements and occasionally touched on more serious issues as well.
- 1986
- PG13
This is teen drama concerns three friends, Margo (Daphne Zuniga), Kelly (Virginia Madsen), and Cece (Cynthia Gibb) whose only pursuit in life is men. The three young women go out to night spots to see what action they can pick up, and one evening Kelly's discarded date Clifford (Clayton Rohner) is conned into driving Margo and Cece to their favorite clubs. Meanwhile, Kelly is close to getting herself into serious trouble. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daphne Zuniga, Virginia Madsen, (more)
- 2008
Daphne Zuniga, Paola Turbay, Ashley Williams, and Jolie Jenkins star in this web series about the four members of a close-knit book club and their ongoing efforts to overcome the many obstacles in their everyday lives. With each new book, single mother Laura, entertainment attorney Joanna, newly married Lizzie, and bakery owner Amy are exposed to exciting new worlds, and begin creating their own unique storylines. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daphne Zuniga, Paola Turbay, (more)
- 1996
- PG13
In this suspenseful drama, a commercial jet filled with passengers becomes a potential agent for widespread death after it is discovered that terrorists have loaded it with a deadly virus. While government officials wrestle with ways of handling the situation and try to avoid the most logical solution -- destroying the plane to save more lives -- the pilot contends with a dangerously low fuel supply. No airport in Europe will allow him to land, and he is too far from the U.S. to return home. At the same time, the passengers grow increasingly restless. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dean Anderson, Jane Leeves, (more)
- 1991
In this grim and violent made-for-cable television thriller, a murderous female escapes from a mental hospital and begins a killing spree that baffles the FBI because she is a mistress of disguises and is able to take on the identities of each of her victims. Fortunately, a female cop has the right stuff to stop her. She had better hurry because her FBI-agent boyfriend may be next on the killer's list. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1983
This fact-based youth-oriented drama chronicles the courage and determination of a teenage girl who stands tall in the face of sexist traditionalism and fights for her right to play on the varsity football team. Not only does she succeed, she also manages to become the homecoming queen. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Hunt, Don Murray, (more)
- 2005
Art professor Jill Thompson (Daphne Zuniga) receives the shock of her life when the police inform her that her husband has just been murdered. You see, up to that moment, Jill had been convinced that her hubby had died ten years earlier! Investigating this phenomenon on her own, our heroine diligently digs into her husband's past and uncovers a virtual labyrinth of lies, infidelity, embezzlement and worse! A few interesting Hitchcockian touches, plus an occasional exhibit of artwork created by the film's costar Duncan Regehr), adds a bit of zing to this overly familiar "Had she but known" yarn. Produced for cable's Lifetime channel, Secret Lives originally aired on July 18, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A space bum helps rescue a princess from an evil overlord with the help of a benevolent elder in this Star Wars send-up written and directed by Mel Brooks. Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man, half-dog co-pilot, Barf the Mawg (John Candy), are content to scour the galaxy living the easy life. But they reluctantly come to the rescue when Druish Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) is threatened by the evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), who wants to steal all of the air from her planet, Druidia. Trapped on a harsh desert world with Vespa and her robot chaperone, Dot Matrix (voice of Joan Rivers), Lone Starr and Barf are helpless to prevent Helmet from kidnapping the girl. But assistance arrives in the form of Yogurt (Brooks), a wizard who turns Lone Starr on to a mysterious power known as The Schwartz. Catching up with Helmet just as he's transforming his spaceship into a giant vacuum cleaner in orbit around Druidia, the reluctant heroes stage a dramatic showdown. Although it borrows most of its plot from the Star Wars series, Spaceballs also pokes fun at Star Trek, Snow White, and Planet of the Apes -- as well as the entire videocassette and movie marketing industries. The large supporting cast includes Dick Van Patten, Jim J. Bullock, and the voice of Dom DeLuise. John Hurt makes a cameo in a parody of the exploding chest scene he played in Alien. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Brooks, John Candy, (more)
- 1997
The actress Peg Entwistle (aka Lillian Millicent Entwistle) appeared as Hazel in David O. Selznick's Thirteen Women (1932), and tragically, on September 18, 1932, she leaped from the letter "H" of the Hollywood sign. An opening re-creation of Peg Entwistle's fatal plunge establishes the mood for this dark Hollywood drama, and then the action moves to a bar, operated by Jack (Costas Mandylor). The bar is the haven for a group of aspiring actresses who came in search of the Hollywood dream but instead serve as stand-ins for well-known screen stars. After three days on pills and alcohol, Garbo stand-in Shirley (Daphne Zuniga) has a run-in with mean-spirited Bette Davis-double Monica (Jordan Ladd). The stand-ins assemble at Jack's bar to stage a bitchy birthday party for Jean Harlow-look-alike Martha Anne (Sammi Davis), dysfunctional at age 30. Mae West-stand-in Peggy (Charlotte Chatton) and Dietrich-double Rhonda (Missy Crider) are also on hand for the festivities. The screenplay by Ed Kelleher and director Harvey Keith expands and embellishes Kelleher's one-act play. Shown at the 1997 Hamptons Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daphne Zuniga, Costas Mandylor, (more)
After winning an Academy Award for their documentary Down and Out in America (1986), actress-director Lee Grant and her producer-husband Joseph Feury filmed this comedy-drama based on an original script by playwright Monte Merrick. In a small Southern town, the McDermott family has owned and operated a popular chicken restaurant for years. Each of the three McDermott boys, Brian (Tim Quill), Kit (Dermot Mulroney), and Duncan (Sean Astin) expects to inherit part of the business from their father (Jim Haynie). While enjoying liberal amounts of skirt-chasing, marijuana-smoking, and alcohol consumption in their off hours, the McDermotts have big plans for the place, but then dad drops a bombshell -- he's sold the restaurant without consulting his family, leaving each son to struggle with his newfound, unwanted independence. In the meantime, mom (Melinda Dillon) considers reuniting with her old band. Because of the bankruptcy of its producer, Hemdale Film Corporation, Staying Together (1989) was shelved for over a year before its release. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Astin, Stockard Channing, (more)
