Alex Désert Movies

One of the "popular girls" decides to put her mean streak to work in this black comedy. Kimberly Joyce (Evan Rachel Wood) is an outwardly friendly but inwardly cold and manipulative teenager who attends an exclusive private school in Beverly Hills when she's not making fun of her twentysomething stepmother (Jaime King) or listening to her business mogul father (James Woods) rant about the many people he hates. Kimberly's best friend is Brittany (Elisabeth Harnois), who doesn't seem to notice that Kimberly holds a bit of a grudge over the fact Brittany is now dating Troy (Stark Sands), Kimberly's former boyfriend. When Randa (Adi Schnall), an exchange student from the Middle East, arrives at school, Kimberly is asked to show her around, and soon she's giving her the inside scoop on the school's social hierarchy. Kimberly, Brittany, and Randa, like most of the girls at school, don't much care for Mr. Anderson (Ron Livingston), a teacher who doesn't make much of a secret of his lust for the female student body, though he doesn't do much besides look. Kimberly decides to do something about Mr. Anderson by fabricating a story that he has had inappropriate contact with her, Brittany, and Randa, and it doesn't take long for the matter to become a local scandal, though it does end up backfiring on Kimberly in time. Pretty Persuasion also features supporting performances from Selma Blair, Jane Krakowski, and Michael Hitchcock. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Directed by Mike Mitchell, Surviving Christmas finds Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) uneager to spend another lonely Christmas in his own home. Longing for holidays past, Drew travels to his childhood home intending to relive the experience of a family Christmas -- unfortunately, his family no longer lives there. This represents only a small snafu to Drew, who offers the Valco patriarch and his wife (Sopranos star James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara) a huge amount of money if they consent to pretend they are his parents and that he is a cherished member of the family. This entails participating in Latham family traditions, such as Christmas tree selection and crowded holiday shopping excursions. Though the Valcos reluctantly go along with Drew's requests, Alicia, their eldest daughter, arrives at home and refuses to comply with her "brother's" wishes. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Richard Murphy made his feature directorial debut with this drama about sexy Hollywood film star Betty Monday (Cheryl Pollak) who walks away from a $70-million movie during production. In search of a more meaningful way of life, she drives to Palm Springs, rents a condo from slightly unreal real estate agent Vincent Lord (Udo Kier), and pursues her quest for "the truth" by delivering groceries and cleaning pools -- despite pressure from her manager, Crystal Ball (Holland Taylor), who wants her back in front of the cameras. Shown at the 1998 Palm Springs Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Season four of Boy Meets World finds the now 16-year-old Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) still trying to make sense of the world around him and the people in it. More specifically, Cory's relationship with classmate Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel) has gone far beyond mere friendship...but is he willing to risk her anger and scorn by once more declaring his love? Elsewhere, John Adams High School's coolest teacher Mr. Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn) is no longer on the series, his absence explained away as the result of a serious motorcycle accident. Since Turner had been the legal guardian of Cory's best friend Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong), Shawn has no choice but to move back in with his irresponsible truck driver father Chet (Blake Clark). Also, Cory's older brother Eric is having trouble gaining admittance to the college of his choice, forcing him to make some serious decisions about the future. Similarly, Cory's dad Alan (William Russ) has begun asking himself if he really, truly wants to spend the rest of his life working in a grocery store. And finally, Cory loses track of another longtime buddy when the character of Frankie (Ethan Suplee) is written out of the series, not to return until the fifth season finale episode "Graduation." Of the many fourth season Boy Meets World episodes, a handful are standouts, notably the Christmas episode "Easy Street," featuring comedy legends Buddy Hackett and Soupy Sales; and the two-part "A Long Walk to Pittsburgh," wherein Olivia Hussey, star of the 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet, appears as Topanga's Aunt Prudence. And we mustn't forget the first appearance of Bonnie Bartlett as Ms. Bolander, Dean of Admissions at Penbrook College -- and future wife of the redoubtable high school principal Mr. Feeny (played by Bonnie Bartlett's real-life husband William Daniels). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Just as seasons one and two of Boy Meets World were seemingly separated by a two year time lapse, so too does season three apparently begin two years after the previous season. How else can one explain how Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong), and Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel) have suddenly surged ahead in age from 13 to 15 years old? Most of the familiar faces are back in their familiar roles this season, with one noteworthy exception. Lily Nicksay, who had played Cory's kid sister Morgan during the first two seasons, has been replaced by Lindsay Ridgeway, who makes her debut as Morgan in the episode "A Kiss Is More Than a Kiss." In other developments, Cory is cold shouldered by Topanga after impulsively telling her he loves her, whereupon he begins dating Melissa (Anndi McAfee) on the rebound. Shawn has moved in with high school teacher Mr. Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn), who has become his legal guardian. School bully Harley Keiner (Danny McNulty), written out of the series at the end of season two, returns (ostensibly from reform school) for one last appearance in "He Said, She Said." And Cory's school chum Joey (Blake Soper) drops out of sight, not to appear again until the fifth season finale episode "Graduation." Season three's many highlights include another of the series' pure fantasy episodes, "I Was a Teenage Spy," in which Cory is electronically transported back to the '50s -- where he meets former Happy Days regulars Tom Bosley, Anson Williams, and Pat Morita! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Whitley (Jasmine Guy) is convinced that she is the inspiration for Dwayne's poem "My First Love." Actually, Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) wrote the poem as a paean to mathematics--and its true inspiration turns out to be the spirit of William Shakespeare (John H. Francis), in one of his rare TV appearances. Meanwhile, Freddie (Cree Summer) suffers intense guilt pangs when she begins dating both Ron (Darryl M. Bell) and a dreamy pro-environmentalist named Livingston (Alex Gilbert). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide