Michael E. Knight Movies
- 2005
Three 12-year-old boys grow up a bit faster than they expected when an adventure takes an unforseen turn in this bittersweet comedy. Joe (Soren Fulton), Tiger (Matthew Borish), and Chris (Sam Semenza) are best friends growing up together in Allentown, PA. The three boys look to one another for support as they struggle with their personal issues -- Joe's big brother is in Europe, Tiger's dad is a cop who has developed a drinking problem, and Chris is a target for bullies since he's overweight. When Joe reads some open mail in his house that leads him to suspect his parents haven't been honest with him about a trip they're planning while he's away at baseball camp, he and his friends hit the road for Philadelphia to find out the truth. While Joe, Tiger, and Chris try at first to make the 60-mile trip on their bikes, the fates have other plans, and they soon turn to hitchhiking. The boys are picked up by a grubby guy named Rascal (Michael Dean), who en route sticks up a convenience store, and the three runaways aren't sure if they're hostages or accomplices as the police begin looking for them and Rascal at the same time. Rounding First was the first feature film from writer and director Jim Fleigner. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Soren Fulton, Matthew Borish, (more)
- 1996
The bane of the existence of city attorney Elizabeth Gates (Shelley Long) is the jovial, widowed former barber (Bruce Kirby) who has chosen to be a year-round Santa Claus, transforming his house into a permanent "North Pole" village and giving away free presents to needy children. Unfortunately, "Santa" is operating out of a residential zone, and thus is technically running an illegal commercial business. Elizabeth's problem is to evict the would-be Kris Kringle without endangering her mayoral campaign -- and to hide from her impressionable son Tommy (Nathan Lawrence) the real reason behind her dislike for "Santa." Meanwhile, a cynical big-city reporter (Barry Bostwick) follows the case with interest (his interest is mainly in Elizabeth, of course), and a local land developer goes into "Scrooge" mode as he schemes to tear down a landmark train station. Based on an actual 1989 court case, A Different Kind of Christmas was made for cable, airing originally over the Lifetime network on December 9, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Long, Barry Bostwick, (more)
- 1992
Millionaire oilman Buck Wilson (Wayne Tippet), the father of Jessica's editor, has disappeared--and along with him $150,000,000 from his corporate account has vanished. Brought in to investigate the matter, psychic Marika Valenti (Natalja Nogulich) claims to have had a vision that Wilson is dead. Jessica (Angela Lansbury) enters the fray when Marika herself turns up murdered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the early 1960s, two very different New Jersey high schoolers share their first love in this bittersweet romantic drama, an early feature by writer/director John Sayles. Jill Rosen (Rosanna Arquette) is a sweet, overachieving Jewish girl heading for college to become an actor; "Sheik" Capodilupo (Vincent Spano) is a mysterious, confident Italian guy who pushes his way into Jill's already busy life. Sheik successfully woos Jill, and the story follows their ups and downs as teenage romantics. While that introduction is lighter fare than most Sayles material, the film trails off into some unexpected plot developments, providing an original take on the "different sides of the track" genre. Sayles directs the high school scenes with a combination of reminiscence and reality, balancing the excitement of cars and the prom with the heartache, anxiety, and classwork that goes along with it. The movie is injected with a mostly 1960s soundtrack, yet the videocassette lists that "some music has been changed" for home video -- the note apparently refers to four Bruce Springsteen cuts. Matthew Modine and Tracy Pollan appear in small parts, and Robert Downey Jr. also has a tiny role. This was the fiercely independent Sayles' first film to be made with a major studio (Paramount), and he claims it will be his last, as he lost final editing control. ~ Norm Schrager, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosanna Arquette, Vincent Spano, (more)
- 1982
The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana was one of two 1982 TV movies inspired by the 1981 wedding of the Prince of Wales--and, like the competing Charles and Diana: A Royal Love Story was all glitter and no substance. Christopher Baines plays Prince Charles like a Monty Python imitation, while Catherine Oxenberg, a cousin of the real Charles, is decorative as Lady Diana Spencer. This leaves the real acting in the hands of Dana Wynter as Queen Elizabeth, Olivia De Havilland as the Queen Mother, and Stewart Granger as Prince Philip (if you must know, the ever-popular John Hadden portrays Prince Andrew). The fact that Catherine Oxenberg was a blood relative of the Prince of Wales did not prevent her from starring in the 1992 "sequel," Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After (We need not go into the shabby history of the Royals in this essay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A beautiful divorced young woman moves into a new apartment in New York City only to find out her upstairs neighbor is slowly driving her stark raving mad. Joyce Chandler (Trish Goff) is a successful newspaper copy editor that is still mourning the recent split from her husband when she moves into her swank Manhattan apartment building. Soon after, she begins to get annoyed with her upstairs neighbor Charlotte Bancroft's (Ally Sheedy) constant blaring of music and general stomping around. Despite repeated requests to soften the noise, the disturbances continue, and Joyce finds her grasp on reality threatened as she sinks deeper into insomnia and addiction. At her wits end, she pulls a desperate prank on Charlotte that leads to dire consequences for both of them. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Trish Goff, Ally Sheedy, (more)
Hexed is a lame, low-budget comedy spoof of Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction -- both of which are funnier than Hexed. The film concerns Matthew Welsh (Ayres Gross), a scheming hotel clerk at the Holiday Park Hotel whose life changes for better and worse when famed super-model Hexina (Claudia Christian) checks into the hotel. Matthew manages to lure Hexina back to his apartment for what he thinks will be an uninhibited night of sex -- but Hexina has other things on her mind. It turns out that she is being blackmailed over a series of murders committed in her youth when she was fat and dumpy. Hexina, whose psychological profile hasn't changed since she began to grace fashion-magazine covers, is still a raving paranoid schizophrenic who thinks that Matthew is her blackmailer. So, she acquiesces to bed down Matthew in anticipation of murdering him in the afterglow. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arye Gross, Claudia Christian, (more)
In this romantic comedy fantasy, an angel (Emmanuelle Beart) with a heavenly body falls into the swimming pool of Jim Sanders (Michael E. Knight). Hung over from his bachelor party, his encounter with the angel has Jim questioning his upcoming marriage to Patty (Phoebe Cates), the daughter of a wealthy cosmetics mogul (David Dukes). After he helps the injured celestial being, Jim must protect her from his lecherous friends and his curious fiance. Beart's beauty and performance is the highlight of the film even though she does not speak. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael E. Knight, Phoebe Cates, (more)
