VIDEO RELEASES 7/06/09
Psychic espionage! Rabbi exorcists! Flaming moose! This week's video and DVD releases are pure comic genius, a trifecta of the most looney-bin moments of the year. And the beauty of it is that none of these films set out to be intentionally funny! But they are hysterical!
KNOWING (2009)
Nicolas Cage, Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne, D.G. Maloney, Lara Robinson
SCR: Alex Proyas, Stuart Hazeldine, Juliet Snowden
DIR: Alex Proyas
PG-13 / 2:01 / BOX: $78,451,476
Cage is a professor who stumbles upon the numerical pattern for the end of the world. It's a bold story, to be sure, and I really like director Proyas (the original The Crow and Dark City) as a visualist and storyteller. Certain sequences are just amazing and a plane crash – done in one uninterrupted take – is horrifying and awesome. But you really have to take a leap of faith when it comes to the quasi-religious sci-fi conclusion, which could rub folks the wrong way. For me, it wasn’t the loopy conclusion (I’ve thrown my support behind crazier ideas) but the presence of Cage. If an actor with any more gravitas had been cast, I might have been more involved. I’m not talking about the Nicolas Cage that’s occasionally brilliant in movies like Adaptation. I’m talking about the foaming-at-the mouth bug-eyed Cage from most of his 21st century output. Then again, it’s not every day you get to see a flaming moose. (Summit)
PUSH (2009)
Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou, Ming-Na
SCR: David Bourla
DIR: Paul McGuigan
PG-13 / 1:51 / BOX: $30,527,000
Psychic espionage, shadowy government agents and Dakota Fanning! “Pushers” are dangerous psychics who possess the ability to influence others’ actions by implanting thoughts in their minds. This is another illogical fantasy thriller with nonsensical twists and a set of rules that changes when push comes to shove and the filmmakers need a convenient out. If you want amped-up action and great visuals that make no sense, this is your film! The worst part about this concept is that it was played straight because it’s a great idea for a comedy! (Summit)
UNBORN, THE (2009)
Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Cam Gigandet, Meagan Good, Jane Alexander, James Remar, Idris Elba, Rhys Coiro, Carla Gugino
SCR/DIR: David S. Goyer
R / 1:27 / BOX: $42,670,410
Give writer-director Goyer points for being ambitious, but someone please go to his house and take away his copy of The Exorcist. He's obviously watched it too many times. When nubile babe Yustman is haunted by an evil spirit, she goes to her grandmother (she never knew she had) who happens to be a psychic holocaust survivor and learns how the Nazis conducted horrible experiments that blurred the lines between science and the occult. After that, we get Oldman as an rabbi exorcist, a lot of broken mirrors, bad dialogue and -- bingo bango -- one of the most unintentionally funny movies of the year. (Universal)
Add a Comment
© 2009 Created by SoundwavesTV on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
You need to be a member of Soundwaves Cinema to add comments!
Join this Ning Network