Nicolas Cage in "Knowing"
courtesy of Summit Entertainment
“Sci-Fi, Horror and Disney”

In the world of DVD’s you can have some strange arrangements of entertainment. This week the offerings range from sci-fi to horror to Disney. It is a week with something for everyone. 

One of the best known titles is “Knowing.” Nicolas Cage may not always pick the best scripts but most of the time he picks interesting ones. “Knowing” won’t win any awards for artistic merit but it will find an audience ready for its suspense and entertainment value. No one will be nodding off during the length of time it gets this DVD to go from start to finish.

John Koestler (Cage) is a professor at MIT. His son is a grammar school student. His wife is deceased. One day a time capsule is opened at his son’s school. The capsule was placed in the ground in 1959. Now fifty years later it is ready to be uncovered. 

Messages and pictures from the students of 1959 were placed in the capsule and are now distributed to the new students. John’s son Caleb (Chandler Canterbury) gets one prepared by Lucinda Embry. It is a series of numbers and nothing else. Caleb shows it to his father who is intrigued by it.

John studies these numbers and figures out they are numeric messages describing tragedies which have occurred and are to occur. Desperately he seeks to find Lucinda, but only manages to find her daughter Diana (Rose Byrne). John feels sure that he and Diana must work together to prevent a horrible tragedy from occurring.

This movie moves at breakneck speed. One horrific event occurs after another and the special effects team for this film shows them in amazing detail. You will believe these occurrences are actually happening.

Cage is his unique self once again in this film. He has a creepy presence that actually grows on you as the film progresses. Byrne is one of the stars of the TV series “Damages” and shows in this film that she is a very capable actress. Canterbury shows precocious talent as Cage’s son.

There are moments in the movie that are never explained and some of the occurrences are totally over the top. You can either pick all of this apart or go with the flow and have a good time.

Your enjoyment of the film will depend on how you accept the message of the film and its surprising ending. 

Another sci-fi film out this week on DVD is “Push.” This is one of those movies that tries so hard to be different it just ends up being mundane. Giving each and every character a “special” talent such as being a “mover,” a “pusher,” a “shadow,” or a “sniffer” plus an assorted variety of other gifts does not a good movie make, when none of the actions make any sense.

The film takes place in Hong Kong where Nick Gant (Chris Evans) is living. He is the son of a man who was killed by the Division and now the Division is hunting him down. A young girl named Cassie (Dakota Fanning) shows up to offer her help. She can see the future and also sometimes help change the future. She keeps seeing herself and Nick dead.

The whole movie is one long chase with Nick and Cassie being pursued by Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou) of the Division. He employs a group who can actually scream you to death. At times you may feel the DVD is screaming you to death.

Then there is Kira Hudson (Camilla Belle). She too is on the run from the Division, and eventually she meets up with Nick and Cassie. She is trying to find her mother but that is never resolved in the film.

Evans makes an anemic looking hero. He is scrawny and not particularly good looking in this film. Also he seems to have lost the sense of humor he had as the fire guy in “The Fantastic Four.” Believe me this movie could have used some humor.

Belle was impressive in the film “10,000 BC.” She looked gorgeous and displayed some acting talent. She doesn’t look that great in this movie and seems to be just walking through her role. As for chemistry with Evans, it is less than zero.

As for Fanning, well this is not her finest hour. As the psychically charged Cassie she gets to swear and drink. I am not ready for that change in her persona. She should still be playing with dolls as far as I am concerned.

There have been movies with telekinesis and other special gifts as a theme and they have been fine, but somehow this movie just wastes whatever specialness the subject matter brings. It is too long, too ordinary, and too overdone. 

The horror movie of the week is “The Unborn” which is available in PG-13 rated and unrated versions. This film tells the story of a young woman (Odette Yustman) who is tortured by appearances by a demonic ghost. At her wits end she goes to a spiritual adviser (Gary Oldman) to see if the demon can be exorcised.

Once the chase of the demon, or exorcism, starts taking place all Hell breaks loose – literally. Life becomes more of a nightmare and the unreal becomes real. This is a creepy, scary movie.

The acting and the special effects are above average and this movie delivers the chills. “The Unborn” is a DVD not to watch alone.

On the other end of the DVD spectrum is “Princess Protection Program,” a Disney Channel original movie that just premiered on that network a week or so ago. Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, two up and coming stars of the Disney world, co-star in this family movie.

Gomez plays Carter, a young woman living the simple life in Louisiana. The only unusual aspect of her life is that her father is a secret agent. One day he brings home a girl named Rosie (Lovato) and tells Carter she is a princess in exile and is hiding out from evil people who want to kill her. Hiding in plain sight Rosie enters high school with Carter.

The girls start off as two totally different people but find some mutual fun in life. Rosie tries to get out of her princess mode and Carter tries to be more accepting. It is a funny and charming film made more so by the talents of Lovato and Gomez as well as Tom Verica who plays Carter’s father.

If you have teen or pre-teen girls in your household then get this DVD for them. They will love it.
 

 

 

 

 

©2009 Jackie K. Cooper

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