17 Movies Starring Keith David

Platoon

Platoon

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1987-02-06

Languages:

English, Vietnamese

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

120 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

8.1 (265331 Reviews)

Director:

Oliver Stone

Genres:

DramaWar

Fullplot:

Chris Taylor is a young, naive American who gives up college and volunteers for combat in Vietnam. Upon arrival, he quickly discovers that his presence is quite nonessential, and is considered insignificant to the other soldiers, as he has not fought for as long as the rest of them and felt the effects of combat. Chris has two non-commissioned officers, the ill-tempered and indestructible Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes and the more pleasant and cooperative Sergeant Elias Grodin. A line is drawn between the two NCOs and a number of men in the platoon when an illegal killing occurs during a village raid. As the war continues, Chris himself draws towards psychological meltdown. And as he struggles for survival, he soon realizes he is fighting two battles, the conflict with the enemy and the conflict between the men within his platoon.

They Live

They Live

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1988-11-04

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

93 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (64087 Reviews)

Director:

John Carpenter

Cast:

Writer:

Ray Nelson (short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning")

John Carpenter (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Nada, a down-on-his-luck construction worker, discovers a pair of special sunglasses. Wearing them, he is able to see the world as it really is: people being bombarded by media and government with messages like "Stay Asleep", "No Imagination", "Submit to Authority". Even scarier is that he is able to see that some usually normal-looking people are in fact ugly aliens in charge of the massive campaign to keep humans subdued.

The Puppet Masters

The Puppet Masters

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1994-10-21

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

109 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

5.8 (6596 Reviews)

Director:

Stuart Orme

Cast:

Writer:

Robert A. Heinlein (novel)

Ted Elliott (screenplay)

Terry Rossio (screenplay)

David S. Goyer (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Strange aliens land in the Midwest, taking over people's minds in order to spread their dominion. Sam Nivens and Andrew Nivens, aided by Mary Sefton, are part of a government agency who must stop the the aliens before the aliens get to them...

Dead Presidents

Dead Presidents

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1995-10-06

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

119 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (14113 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Allen Hughes (story)

Albert Hughes (story)

Michael Henry Brown (story)

Michael Henry Brown (screenplay)

Wallace Terry (story)

Fullplot:

This action film, directed by the Hughes brothers, depicts a heist of old bills, retired from circulation and destined by the government to be "money to burn." However, more broadly, it addresses the issues of Black Americans' involvement in the Vietnam War and their subsequent disillusionment with progress in social issues and civil rights back home in the United States, during the 1960's.

Pitch Black

Pitch Black

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2000-02-18

Languages:

English, Arabic

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

109 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (182486 Reviews)

Director:

David Twohy

Cast:

Writer:

Jim Wheat (story)

Ken Wheat (story)

Jim Wheat (screenplay)

Ken Wheat (screenplay)

David Twohy (screenplay)

Fullplot:

The space transport vessel "Hunter-Gratzner" carrying 40 people on-board crashes on a desert planet when the ship is struck in a meteor storm. There are only 11 survivors, among them are pilot Carolyn Fry (Who has assumed command after the ship's captain is killed), bounty hunter William J. Johns, religious man Abu Al-Walid, Antiques dealer Paris P. Ogilvie, runaway teenager Jack, settlers John 'Zeke' Ezekiel and his lover Sharon 'Shazza' Montgomery, and Richard B. Riddick, a dangerous escaped convict. Marooned, the survivors discover the barren and hot desert-scape has sunlight from three suns. Not only must they find food and water and worry about Riddick, the survivors find themselves being hunted by the planet's flesh-eating alien inhabitants when the planet is engulfed in darkness, which happens every 22 years, as they emerge from underground to hunt and eat all signs of life. Fry and the survivors find Riddick is their best chance of survival, as Riddick has surgically-enhanced eyes that allow him to see in the dark as they set out to find a way of escaping from the planet and getting to a escape shuttle, before they all get eaten by the creatures on the surface.

Pitch Black

Pitch Black

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2000-02-18

Languages:

English, Arabic

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

109 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (182308 Reviews)

Director:

David Twohy

Cast:

Writer:

Jim Wheat (story)

Ken Wheat (story)

Jim Wheat (screenplay)

Ken Wheat (screenplay)

David Twohy (screenplay)

Fullplot:

The space transport vessel "Hunter-Gratzner" carrying 40 people on-board crashes on a desert planet when the ship is struck in a meteor storm. There are only 11 survivors, among them are pilot Carolyn Fry (Who has assumed command after the ship's captain is killed), bounty hunter William J. Johns, religious man Abu Al-Walid, Antiques dealer Paris P. Ogilvie, runaway teenager Jack, settlers John 'Zeke' Ezekiel and his lover Sharon 'Shazza' Montgomery, and Richard B. Riddick, a dangerous escaped convict. Marooned, the survivors discover the barren and hot desert-scape has sunlight from three suns. Not only must they find food and water and worry about Riddick, the survivors find themselves being hunted by the planet's flesh-eating alien inhabitants when the planet is engulfed in darkness, which happens every 22 years, as they emerge from underground to hunt and eat all signs of life. Fry and the survivors find Riddick is their best chance of survival, as Riddick has surgically-enhanced eyes that allow him to see in the dark as they set out to find a way of escaping from the planet and getting to a escape shuttle, before they all get eaten by the creatures on the surface.

Jazz

Jazz

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2001-01-08

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK, USA

Runtime:

114 min

IMDB Ratings:

8.4 (1244 Reviews)

Fullplot:

This series explores the history of the major American musical form. We track its development in African American culture, its rise to prominence with its golden age of popularity spanning from the 1920's to the mid 1940's both in its original form and in Swing through its popular decline and the rise of vital new sub-genres into the present day. Along the way, we learn of the lives and work of major contributors to the form such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Charlie "Bird" Parker and many others who helped form Jazz into the vibrant musical form it is. Moreover, we see how the music reflected the political and social issues of the African American community over the course of the form's history.

Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2002-01-14

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

212 min

IMDB Ratings:

8.3 (496 Reviews)

Director:

Ken Burns

Cast:

Writer:

Dayton Duncan

Geoffrey C. Ward

Fullplot:

Ken Burns, the premiere documentarian of Americana, tackles the life of Mark Twain, the first writer with a uniquely American voice. In this installment in Burns' "American Lives" series, the two 2-hour episodes explore a side of Twain that is unfamiliar to many. Widely regarded as the funniest person of the 19th century, Twain suffered through severe personal tragedies and lack of business sense that brought him to the brink of financial ruin on several occasions. Includes interviews with writers William Styron and Arthur Miller and actor Hal Holbrook (who has portrayed Twain in a one-man play each year for over 50 years).

Agent Cody Banks

Agent Cody Banks

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2003-03-14

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, Canada

Runtime:

102 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

(24542 Reviews)

Director:

Harald Zwart

Cast:

Writer:

Ashley Miller (screenplay)

Zack Stentz (screenplay)

Scott Alexander (screenplay)

Larry Karaszewski (screenplay)

Jeffrey Jurgensen (story)

Fullplot:

A government agent trains a typical teenager Cody Banks who loves to skateboard, hates math, and feels like a complete idiot around girls, in the ways of covert operations that require younger participants. But Cody's got a secret--he's actually part of a secret teen CIA program. Cody's living every boy's dream life--he can drive like a stunt man, has an incredible arsenal of cool gadgets, and his agency mentor, Ronica Miles, is totally hot. But Cody's training is put to the test when he's sent to pose as a prep school student and befriend fellow teen Natalie Connors in order to gain access to her father--a scientist unknowingly developing a fleet of deadly pair of twisted villains called the nanobots for the evil organization ERIS, which can destroy any carbon or silicon-based substance-to destroy the world's defense systems so he can threaten anyone who opposes him. From runaway cars and high-speed snowboard chases to a spectacular final mountaintop showdown, Cody has to use everything he's learned to prove himself as an agent and stop ERIS from completing their mission before their mission fails.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2004-06-15

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

35 min

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (8045 Reviews)

Director:

Peter Chung

Cast:

Writer:

David Twohy (story)

Brett Matthews (screenplay)

Ken Wheat (characters)

Jim Wheat (characters)

Fullplot:

This story opens with the new action hero and the two other survivors of Pitch Black already caught by a giant spaceship filled with dread. The sinewy leader has a unique--and creepy--jail for master villains and she has her sights set on Riddick. And Jack as they cross paths with a ship of body hunters and are brought on board. The captain of the ship, Chillingsworth has an interesting hobby - she captures wanted criminals and makes living statues of them.

The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2009-12-11

Languages:

English, French

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

97 min

Rated:

G

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (81216 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Ron Clements (screenplay)

John Musker (screenplay)

Rob Edwards (screenplay)

Ron Clements (story)

John Musker (story)

Greg Erb (story)

Jason Oremland (story)

Don Hall (story)

E.D. Baker (story)

Chris Ure (additional story material)

Jared Stern (additional story material)

Dean Wellins (additional story material)

Will Csaklos (additional source material)

Ralph Eggleston (additional source material)

Fullplot:

A modern day retelling of the classic story The Frog Prince. The Princess and the Frog finds the lives of arrogant, carefree Prince Naveen and hardworking waitress Tiana crossing paths. Prince Naveen is transformed into a frog by a conniving voodoo magician and Tiana, following suit, upon kissing the amphibian royalty. With the help of a trumpet-playing alligator, a Cajun firefly, and an old blind lady who lives in a boat in a tree, Naveen and Tiana must race to break the spell and fulfill their dreams.

The War

The War

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2007-09-23

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

124 min

Rated:

TV-14

IMDB Ratings:

(2519 Reviews)

Fullplot:

A seven-part series focusing on the many ways in which the Second World War impacted the lives of American families.

Blue

Blue

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2010-12-06

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

IMDB Ratings:

7.1 (78 Reviews)

Director:

Ryan Miningham

Genres:

Drama

Fullplot:

Gary "Blue" Meekins struggles against unusually high obstacles to turn his hopeless life into that of the American dream. As an adolescent growing up in the crime riddled streets of Harlem and losing both parents in a violent murder, Blue became a survivor by any means necessary. After going through a series of financial woes, Blue runs into two of his old childhood acquaintances, Chip and Dutch, who are now hardcore criminals. They offer Blue a part in a robbery of a supposed neighborhood drug dealer. During the robbery, Blue realizes he has been fooled into robbing an innocent family. The events haunt Blue and lead him to give up his life of crime and return to his childhood boxing gym and longtime trainer/mentor China Banks. While Blue struggles in the fighting circuit, he is suddenly laid off from work and his longtime girlfriend Crystal, decides she has had enough of Blue's short sighted dream of becoming a boxing champion, and leaves him. Now, Blue focuses even more on boxing and training. The determination of one man will lead to redemption at all cost. The race is not won by the swift or the strong, but by the one who endures until the end. Fight or die.

Death at a Funeral

Death at a Funeral

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2010-04-16

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

92 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

5.6 (33274 Reviews)

Director:

Neil LaBute

Genres:

Comedy

Fullplot:

Aaron's father's funeral is today at the family home, and everything goes wrong: the funeral home delivers the wrong body; a cousin gives her fiancè a Valium from her brother's apartment, not knowing her brother is dealing drugs - it's LSD and the fiancè arrives at the funeral wildly stoned; Aaron's younger brother, Ryan, a successful writer, flies in from New York broke but arrogant; one uncle is angry over his daughter's choice of boyfriends, and the other is cranky and coarse. Add an ovulating wife, a jealous ex-boyfriend, and a short stranger who wants a word with Aaron - what could he want? Would another death solve Aaron's problems? And what about the eulogy?

The Inheritance

The Inheritance

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2011-04-12

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

90 min

IMDB Ratings:

2.8 (674 Reviews)

Director:

Robert O'Hara

Genres:

Thriller

Fullplot:

Five ambitious cousins set out on a family reunion during the dead of winter. The purpose of the retreat is to secure their inheritance, a fortune that dates back many generations.

The Bible

The Bible

Basic Info:

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, UK

Runtime:

600 min

Rated:

TV-14

IMDB Ratings:

7.4 (7266 Reviews)

Genres:

ActionDrama

Fullplot:

The story of God's creation of the Earth and the landmark events leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Field of Lost Shoes

Field of Lost Shoes

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-09-26

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

96 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

5.6 (713 Reviews)

Director:

Sean McNamara

Cast:

Writer:

Thomas Farrell

Thomas Farrell

Dave Kennedy

Dave Kennedy

Fullplot:

Based on a true story of the American Civil War, culminating at the Battle of New Market, May 1864. A group of teenage cadets sheltered from war at the Virginia Military Institute must confront the horrors of an adult world when they are called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley. Leaving behind their youth, these cadets must decide what they are fighting for.

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