David McKnight Movies

In the late 1940's, as Australian politics became increasingly polarized in the wake of the growing Cold War, a group of leftist film enthusiasts who were increasingly troubled by the hesitance of most exhibitors to screen Russian or European films with radical themes founded a film society called the Realist Film Unit. While the Realists initially showed films made by others, the group soon began producing documentaries on political and social issues they believed were being ignored by the mainstream media, including economic injustice and unfair housing practices. While members of the Realist Film Unit found themselves hounded by police and were subjected to surveillance by Australian Security and Investigation Organization, the group continued to make films and document political actions through the 1950's. Australian filmmakers John Hughes and Uri Mizrahi were given a cache of the Realist Film Unit's archival materials by the daughter of founder Bob Matthews, and the documentary The Archive Project looks back at the men and women who comprised the RFU, the issues they explored, the opposition they faced from the Australian authorities, and the historic footage they left behind. The Archive Project received its world premiere at the 2006 Sydney Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, the title delivery boy finds his life tossed up and spun 'round when he inadvertently finds himself enmeshed in an international conspiracy. In Hollywood, where he works, Elmo Bunn's speedy delivery and ability to make sure he is always paid has elevated him to nearly legendary status. His troubles begin when he is called to deliver a sausage and anchovy pizza in East Hollywood at the very address where his best friend and fellow delivery man was last seen years ago. Though he knows he is in for trouble, he cannot deny an order and so heads out to meet his fate. Along the way, he meets some of the most powerful men and women in the U.S. (all played by professional look-a-likes). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Loosely based on the life and times of several R&B artists (The Dells, The Temptations, Frankie Lymon, Sam Cooke and others) The Five Heartbeats traces the rise and fall of a popular African-American 1950s singing aggregation. The story is told from the point of view of one of the "Heartbeats," played by Robert Townsend (who also co-produced, directed and co-wrote the script with Keenan Ivory Waynans). The film is an amalgam of anecdotes drawn from real-life experiences: the long struggle upward, the first rush of success, the dishonest record-company executives, the hard-nosed but nurturing managers, the sex, the drugs, the isolation and the precipitous downward slide. The film begins and ends in the 1990s, as the middle-aged "Duck" (Townsend) ruminates on the past and makes the best of the present. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young couple go to a picturesque island for a romantic holiday, but when they witness the activities of a terrorist group, they become the next targets. ~ All Movie Guide

Adapted from a true story and made for the video stores, Dangerous Company concerns convicted criminal Ray Johnson, who spent almost 30 years in prison before rehabilitating himself. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

A feisty, feminist intern uncovers a medical conspiracy in this icy thriller about mysterious goings-on at Boston Memorial Hospital. When her best friend and aerobics partner, Nancy Greenly (Lois Chiles), emerges in a vegetative state from a routine abortion, Dr. Susan Wheeler (Genevieve Bujold) does some digging and discovers an overabundance of anesthesia-induced comas among otherwise healthy young patients. The male authority figures who challenge Susan's technically illegal tampering with medical records include her boss, Dr. Harris (Richard Widmark); the chief anesthesiologist, Dr. George (Rip Torn); and even her boyfriend, Dr. Mark Bellows (Michael Douglas), who doesn't want Susan's shenanigans to get in the way of his shot at chief resident. As Susan continues her crusade, the paper trail leads to the Jefferson Institute, a mysterious, experimental facility in which vegetative patients are stored en masse, suspended from the ceiling by wires threaded through their long bones, in order to reduce the cost of long-term care. A shadowy assailant begins to stalk Susan just as she uncovers the link between the Jefferson Institute and the comas at Boston Memorial, setting the stage for climactic suspense scenes involving morgues, malpractice and endless institutional corridors. Writer/director Michael Crichton adapted his second feature film from Robin Cook's bestseller of the same name. Tom Selleck, who would star in Crichton's Runaway several years later, appears briefly in Coma as another victim of lethal anesthesia. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

This stylish and very entertaining blend of the horror and "Blaxploitation" genres takes some creative risks on a seriously limited budget but manages to deliver the gory goods. The story begins in New Orleans in the mid-1940s, with black crime kingpin J.D. Walker (David McKnight) shot dead on Bourbon Street. Flash forward to the present, when clean-cut college student Ike (Cooley High's Glynn E. Turman) falls under the malevolent influence of the ghostly gangster. As he begins to exhibit J.D.'s boisterous, violent traits, Ike seeks out a local minister (Louis Gossett, Jr., in a standout performance) -- who had once played a role in the gangster's execution -- to exact his revenge. This cult favorite has seen a revival of sorts on home video and primarily remains in the public eye due to the novelty value of its soundtrack: all songs are performed by the artist soon to be known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince -- who also supplies the vocal for " Will Never Let You Go". ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide