Annika Marks Movies
- 2004
A talented young man's idyllic life is shattered when he learns the truth about the small town he calls home in this independent drama. Sperry Rock School is a well-respected progressive school in Athens, VT, a small town that seems the picture of propriety on the surface. Sperry Rock's instructors encourage their students to follow their own path and create their own study plans, which has worked out well for Charlie (James Martinez), a gifted science student who has already earned a full scholarship to the college of his choice. However, his best friend Vernal (Paul Sado) lacks Charlie's intelligence and discipline, and is caught in a self-destructive spiral of disruptive behavior. Of even greater concern to Charlie is his girlfriend, Joy (Autumn Dornfeld), who dropped out of school for no apparent reason before leaving town without notice. As a difficult year wears on, Charlie and his friends learn some startling truths about the underside of Athens, the rivalry between the city's privileged and blue-collar communities, and a shocking secret that leads to an ugly act of violence. The Undeserved was the first feature film from writer and director Brad Coley. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Wood, Paul Sado, (more)
Set in 1953, Mona Lisa Smile tells the story of Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts), a new young art history professor at Wellesley College, an all-female campus with a prestigious reputation for academic excellence. Unfortunately for free-minded Berkeley grad Watson, her East Coast teaching stint comes during a less-progressive time that finds most of her students -- among them Betty Warren (Kirsten Dunst), Joan Brandwyn (Julia Stiles), and Giselle Levy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) -- more interested in nabbing a good husband than achieving scholastic and intellectual growth. Watson challenges her students and the Wellesley faculty to think outside of the current mores of the community and redefine what it means to be a success; meanwhile, she tries to come to terms with her own heart's desires. Mona Lisa Smile co-stars Marcia Gay Harden, Juliet Stevenson, and, as Watson's conflicting love interests, Dominic West and John Slattery. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, (more)
