Kinetic, dynamic Kidman

British-American biographical drama Genius, which stars Nicole Kidman, opened in cinemas yesterday. Aref Omar lists 10 films of the talented Australian beauty

BMX BANDITS (1983)

NO plot, no budget but cheeky fun with great bicycle stunts, this Australian cult classic sees Kidman in one of her first major roles (check out her hair!). She plays one of three teens (she was 16 at the time) who unwittingly get involved in a cat-and-mouse chase with bank robbers. Viewers got to see her character perform stunning bike stunts, which were obviously done by a male stunt double.

Kidman recently agreed to shoot a cameo in a surprise sequel, BMX Bandits: Second Gear, due for a 2017 release.

DAYS OF THUNDER (1990)

ALTHOUGH Aussie thriller Dead Calm (1989) brought her international recognition among critics, it was this Hollywood Nascar action drama that made her a genuine star among moviegoers worldwide. In her US debut, which was one of the highest grossing films of the year, Kidman plays a neurosurgeon who develops a relationship with a young race car driver (Tom Cruise) out to make a name for himself.

Cruise and Kidman tied the knot soon after. The-then power couple would go on to star together in Far And Away (1992) and Eyes Wide

Shut (1999). TO DIE FOR (1995)

THIS mockumentary-styled crime comedy, based on a novel inspired by the true story of Pamela Smart, sees Kidman as an overly ambitious and manipulative femme fatale, who kills her husband to realise her dream of becoming a world-famous news anchor.

Her chilling performance resulted in a Golden Globe nomination and Bafta win for Best Actress.

MOULIN ROUGE! (2001)

In a musical that only Baz Luhrmann could have directed, Kidman stars as a cabaret actress and courtesan in 18th century Paris, who steals the heart of a young Scottish writer (Ewan McGregor). The good: The flamboyant and frantic movie gave Kidman her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The bad: Cruise and Kidman called it quits after 11 years and divorced in 2001.

THE OTHERS (2001)

Kidman bucks the trend of sucky horror films featuring A-list actresses with this supernatural gothic chiller written, directed, and scored by Alejandro Amenábar. Effectively creepy and atmospheric, it follows Kidman and her two young children, who are trapped in a house that seems to be haunted. The actress received Golden Globe and Bafta nominations for Best Actress. THE HOURS (2002)

Kidman showcases her acting chops in this affecting drama, co-starring Hollywood heavyweights Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore, as celebrated bipolar English novelist Virginia Woolf (complete with a huge prosthetic nose to boot). The film centres on the lives of three women from different generations, whose lives are interconnected by Woolf ’s novel, Mrs Dalloway.

Critics praised the acting and emotional impact of the film, which had a worldwide gross of RM459 million from a RM105 million budget. It also bagged Kidman an Oscar for Best Actress. Not bad for a downbeat drama.

COLD MOUNTAIN (2003)

THIS Anthony Minghella-directed epic drama, which showcases the brutal hardships of war, sees Kidman as the love interest of a Confederate soldier (Jude Law) who deserts the war to be with her on Cold Mountain in North Carolina, USA. This sleeper hit grossed RM730 million worldwide.

BIRTH (2004)

Kidman plays the daughter of a prominent Manhattan-based family, who gradually becomes convinced that her deceased husband has been reincarnated as a 10-year-old boy (Cameron Bright), in this controversial drama about grief and vulnerability. It gained notoriety for a scene where the two characters share a bath, allegedly in the nude. The film is apparently one of Kidman’s favourites. She also believes it to be one of the most overlooked and misunderstood works of her career.

RABBIT HOLE (2010)

This moving drama saw Kidman delivering a critically acclaimed performance that had viewers bawling out loud (garnering her Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress again). An adaptation of the 2005 play of the same name by David Lindsay-Abaire, the film was also produced by the actress. In it she plays a distraught mother who, together with her husband, struggle to get over the death of their young son.

THE PAPERBOY (2012)

A critic described Kidman’s performance as “terrifically good — funny, sexy, poignantly vulnerable,” in this drama directed by Lee Daniels. No surprise then that she received another Golden Globe nomination, for her role as a woman in love with a death row inmate. Kidman has said that this is the only time she has stayed in character throughout a shoot for a film. She is also responsible for creating her character’s “trashy” look and it was the first time during a production where she did her own make-up. aref@nst.com.my