Charlotte Sullivan Movies

The first feature film from the Nickelodeon cable channel, Harriet the Spy is an updated version of Louise Fitzhugh's best-selling 1964 children's novel. Sixth grade outcast Harriet (Michelle Trachtenberg) is an only child who has mostly been raised by her nanny, Golly (Rosie O'Donnell), rather than her materialistic parents. Harriet wants to be a writer when she grows up, and only Golly encourages her creative pursuits. Meanwhile, Harriet dons a yellow raincoat and a belt full of gadgets to spy on everyone around her, including her eccentric neighbor with a lot of cats and the other kids at school. Carefully taking notes in her private notebook, Harriet makes clever and cruel observations about her subjects, including her best friends, would-be scientist Janie (Vanessa Lee Chester) and overburdened Sport (Gregory Smith). Harriet's world begins to change when Golly leaves, signaling that it is time for her to grow up. Then a snobby girl a school, Marion, gets her hands on Harriet's special notebook and makes its contents known to the whole school. Soon everyone is against Harriet, and she must concoct a plan to get even. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Filmed in a special 3-D version of the IMAX high-definition film format, this short subject uses microscopic and time-lapse photographic techniques to explore the wonders that can be found in an ordinary home. Elly (Charlotte Sullivan) is helping her parents housesit at the home of her grandfather (voice of James Garner), an eccentric inventor. He leaves Elly directions on how to use some of his gadgets, ranging from an alarm clock that spits out soap bubbles to magnifying equipment that permits her to take an up-close look at bugs, plants, and other household items. For the film's 3-D screenings, audience members were issued special laser-controlled LCD glasses that acted as shutters, opening and closing in sequence to separate the right and left images for each eye at a rate of 95 times per second. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The six-part made-for-television Artists' Specials Series is an entertaining and educational collection of children's films. Programs focus on a significant segment of a famous artist's life. Biographical information is mixed with fiction to create compelling stories reflecting turning points in the lives of revered art world figures. In Mary Cassatt: American Impressionist, children are introduced to one of the country's foremost printmakers and women artists. The story revolves around a visit from Cassatt's brother and his three rowdy children just days prior to an important Paris exhibition, and a meeting with painter Edgar Degas. Other videos in the series include Degas and the Dancer, Rembrandt: Fathers and Sons, and Monet: Shadow and Light. The highly acclaimed series is designed for youngsters age eight and older. ~ Sally Barber, Rovi

Full-figured Broadway actress Marissa Jaret Winokur, who won an Emmy award for her performance in the musical version of Hairspray, is felicitously (if somewhat incongruously) teamed with slender soap opera heartthrob Mark Consuelos in this uplifting made-for-cable comedy. Although she's not what one could call beautiful or svelte, Becca Wasserman (Winokur) possesses a beauty that emanates from within: she also happens to be great singer, with a great career as a teacher and a super-great fiancé named Adam (Consuelos). All Becca lacks is the money to afford her dream honeymoon to Hawaii. Partly to get even for being snubbed by the gorgeous Libby (Reagan Pasternak), and partly just to prove that she can do it, Becca enters the The Miss Squirrel Hill beauty pageant, the first prize of which is two free tickets to the Aloha State. But though everyone is pulling for Becca, the plain cold fact of the matter is that no "super-sized" woman has ever won the pageant--and even Becca's mom Amanda (Fran Drescher), hitherto her daughter's biggest booster, is certain that Becca is going to make a fool of herself. Beautiful Girl originally aired October 19, 2003 on the ABC Family channel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The true story of one of Canada's most famous bandits comes to the big screen in this drama from writer and director Nathan Morlando. In 1949, Edwin Boyd (Scott Speedman) was a World War II veteran living in Toronto, struggling to support his wife Doreen (Kelly Reilly) and their two children by driving a bus and working odd jobs. Boyd dreams of moving to California and trying his luck as an actor, but it becomes increasingly clear this opportunity isn't about to present itself, and his father (Brian Cox) makes no secret of his disappointment with his son. Frustrated with his lot in life and desperate for money, he robs a bank using a gun he'd brought back from the war, and he discovers he likes the excitement and drama of armed robbery. Boyd eventually pushes his luck with too many heists and ends up in prison, but while behind bars he meets Willie "The Clown" Jackson (Brendan Fletcher), Lenny Jackson (Kevin Durand), and Val Kozak (Joseph Cross). Together, they hatch a plot to escape from prison, and once on the outside they become the nation's most notorious outlaw gang and are hailed as folk heroes in an uncertain age. Edwin Boyd was based in part on director Morlando's own correspondence with the real-life Edwin Boyd, who died in 2002; the picture was named Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi