Michael Knowles Movies
- 1985
Though geared for children, the Irish End of the World Man contains a cautionary lesson with grim underpinnings. Leanne O'Malley plays a hoydenish young conservationist anxious to save the last tree on earth, which stands in the middle of a Belfast playground. The government wants to bulldoze the tree and cover the playground with concrete in order to erect a highrise. The neighborhood children rally around Leanne to prevent this ecological rape from transpiring. End of the World Man proves that it's no mere Saturday morning filler by setting its story in a strife-torn Belfast, festooned with weapons and security police. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Hewitt, Maureen Dow, (more)
Fifteen New Yorkers head out for a night on the town that has unexpected consequences in this independent ensemble drama. Larry (Bill Sage) is a record company executive who is dating Mia (Maria Zyrianova), a beautiful model several years his junior, though he's also been sleeping with Emily (Holley Fain), his personal assistant. On Emily's suggestion, Larry goes out to a trendy club to see a promising local band fronted by Angelina (Donnamarie Recco) and Leroy (Aaron Staton); the two are also a couple offstage, but their relationship is on its last legs. When not singing, Angelina serves drinks at the club, and one of her regular customers, an actor named Greg (Christian Campbell), has finally worked up the nerve to ask her out on a date. Also at the club with romance on her mind is Michelle (Paola Mendoza), who is finally meeting Jack (Michael Muhney) after weeks of chatting on an internet dating site; however, Michelle's jealous former boyfriend (Billy Lush) is keeping his eye on her. Abby (Merissa Morin) is deeply in love with her boyfriend Marc (Bill Dawes), a bartender at the club, but is surprised to learn that her friend Clarice (Frankie Shaw) also has romantic feelings for her. And Wendy (Melissa Leo), who is older than most of the bar's clientele, finds herself vying for the attentions of both Marc and the more age-appropriate Doug (Robert Clohessy). One Night was an official selection at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin Cahoon, Christian Campbell, (more)
Five short stories play out in one room at a New York City hotel in this episodic independent comedy-drama. Stacey (Joelle Carter) wakes up one morning with no clear memory of what happened the night before, but the fact she's sharing a bed with Nick (Matthew Del Negro), a strapping professional football player she barely knows, offers a significant clue. Gretchen (Sarah Bennett) discovers her husband has rented a hotel room without telling her, and she comes to the city to confront Harry (Michael Laurence) about what he's doing; while she thinks he's seeing another woman, the truth is something far more disturbing. Jack (Michael Knowles) is a salesman in town for a convention along with one of his co-workers, Kathy (Robyn Myhr), and he attempts to persuade her to trade their professional relationship for something more intimate. Matt (Todd Swenson) is a guy from out of town who thinks he's in luck when he hooks up with Tracey (Monique Vukovic), but as the evening wears on he realizes he's gotten more than he bargained for. And David (Michael Mosley) has come to the city with his girlfriend Caly (Jennifer Marlowe) to attend his brother's wedding, and the circumstances have brought his insecurities about their relationship to the surface. Room 314 was written and directed by first-time filmmaker Michael Knowles (who also plays Jack) and was adapted from his play. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joelle Carter, Matthew Del Negro, (more)
A lonely orphan girl makes a most unusual friend as best-selling children's author Roald Dahl's timeless story comes to life in an animated effort that was nominated for Best Children's Program by the Academy of Film and Television. A twenty-five foot prince who harvests the dreams of Dream Country and blows them into the minds of children with his magical trumpet, the Big Friendly Giant is troubled to learn that some of the less friendly giants of the land have left many English boys and girls unable to rest soundly in their beds at night. Now determined to put a stop to the frightening activities of the gargantuan grumps, the Big Friendly Giant joins forces with young orphan Sophie to seek out the aid of Her Majesty the Queen and deliver the most spectacular dreams imaginable to the children who now sleep safely nestled away from the threat of the towering monsters who had once filled their hearts with fear and dread. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Disillusioned and dead broke, apathetic New Yorker Morris Bliss (Michael C. Hall) begins to view the ever-widening cracks in his life as potential paths to escape his stagnant existence. Thirty-five and still floundering, Morris lives with his widowed father (Peter Fonda) in a cramped New York apartment. With no job to speak of, he can't raise the cash to visit all the places he's dreamt of visiting, but lately his love life has taken an intriguing twist. As his relationship with the teenage daughter (Brie Larson) of an old high-school friend threatens to blow up in his face, Morris also begins a tenuous romance with his sexy neighbor (Lucy Liu), who doesn't mince words when revealing what she really wants in a man. Just when it seems like Morris' life can't get any more complicated, he begins to recognize that he's finally being presented with a unique opportunity for real change. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Vampire's Kiss follows the story of yuppie literary agent Peter Loew (Nicolas Cage) as he descends into madness and vampirism. Loew believes he has been bitten by a vampire (Jennifer Beals) and is slowly becoming one himself, despite the contrary opinion of his therapist (Elizabeth Ashley). He then begins to wage a campaign of escalating terror against his secretary and first potential victim, Alva (Maria Conchita Alonso, looking appropriately baffled). Alva begs her parents to let her stay home from work to avoid her unusual boss, but they force her to go on that fateful day, and the plot unfolds. Vampire's Kiss became a cult item on the basis of Cage's outrageous performance: at one point he actually eats a live cockroach. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Maria Conchita Alonso, (more)
- 2004
Six people in their early thirties come to terms with their own lives as they acknowledge the passing of a friend in this independent drama. Josh (Michael Knowles) was a successful and seemingly happy art dealer who one day jumped to his death from the window of his Manhattan high-rise apartment. A few days later, a handful of his friends arrive to help clear away his belongings and plan his funeral -- Sara (Susan Misner), his distraught former fiancée; Nick (Randall Batinkoff), a one-time professional athlete whose career is on the skids; Liz (Nicole Fonarow), an emotionally cool yuppie who arrives with her husband, Jim (Chris Henry Coffey); Dylan (Carl T. Evans), a misfit who still hasn't found his place in life; and Joann (Kristen Marie Holly), a socially and environmentally conscious type. No one seems to have any idea of what led Josh to take his own life. While clearing out the apartment, someone finds his journal, and temptation gets the better of them. As they begin to read it, they discover a side of their friend's life that they never knew before. Walking on the Sky was the first film for writer and director Carl T. Evans, who also appears as Dylan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1990
The British sitcom You Rang, M'Lord was a wicked lampoon of the popular drama series Upstairs, Downstairs. The pilot episode, telecast December 29, 1988, endeavored to explain the curious relationship between the upper-crust Meldrum family and their rather disreputable servants. It seemed that during WWI, a pair of larcenous "Tommies," Alf (Paul Shane) and James (Jeffrey Holland), attempted to steal the valuables from a "dead" officer. As it turned out, the corpse was very much alive -- and better still, he was the Hon. Teddy Meldrum (Michael Knowles), brother of fabulously wealthy Lord George Meldrum (Donald Hewlett). Laboring under the misapprehension that James was trying to save his life, Teddy rewarded the man with a job for life as a servant in the Meldrum household. Several years later, who should resurface but James' old chum Alf. Promising to keep secret the truth about the "rescue" in exchange for certain favors, Alf was installed as the Meldrum's butler at the behest of the disgruntled James. Later on, Alf's daughter Ivy (Su Pollard) was hired as a maid, though she kept mum about her family ties with Alf. Lasting 50 episodes, You Rang, M'Lord was seen from January 14, 1990 to April 24, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Shane, Su Pollard, (more)
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