Nude Celebs: Antoinette Valente - A labyrinthine cast of characters accommodate this twisty narrative that finds veteran actor Peter Coyote as a widowed college professor whose career is littered with co-ed indiscretions. After maintaining a correspondence with an intriguing and beautiful convict (Nastassja Kinski), his latest campus job is interrupted both by her break from prison and yet another obsessive student (Fairuza Balk). Add to this some of the most random cameos you can imagine (Udo Kier, Pauley Shore) and excellent supporting turns by the likes of Ernie Hudson and Jeremy Piven, and you have a nice hidden gem of a movie that will surprise you with its clever, offbeat sense of humor.

Writer/director Bradley Battersby is clearly an actor’s director as he draws very convincing and heartfelt portrayals from Coyote and Kinski, but he’s also got a good eye for shot selection. The movie flows very well through various plot hiccups, and is particularly memorable for a sexy and stylishly executed sequence during the opening credits featuring Antoinette Valente as a heart-broken student looking to get Coyote tossed from his current teaching position. Don’t let that opening sequence fool you, however – this is not another dull, pointless erotic thriller. Boasting some big name cast members and a circuitous storyline, this is smart, independent moviemaking.

• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: January 30, 2001
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• US Theatrical Release Date: June 9, 2000
• Production Company: Filmtown Entertainment, Red Letters Inc.