"Knowing" Is Surprisingly Good in Spite of Nic Cage

8/10

I am not a fan of Nic Cage in general. He has made some movies I like. "Matchstick Men" and "The Weather Man" come to mind. He actually tries to act in those movies. But in recent years, his penchant to accept any role and then play them all the same way has really gotten out of control. "Ghost Rider," the "National Treasure" movies, and "Next" are examples of Cage phoning in that annoying hyper-intense character.

On the other hand, I am an unapologetic fan of sci-fi movies. Sure the genre can lead to some terrible output, but it can also result in some thought provoking, engaging fare. However, I don't exactly care for disaster movies. So the trailers didn't really sell me on this movie since they pretty much painted it as a disaster flick in which Cage saves the world . . . again. In the end I said "fuck it" and decided to give "Knowing" a shot.

I went in knowing (dammit) the critics had trashed this movie. So imagine my surprise when I liked it. I thought maybe something was wrong with me. The religious allusions and symbolism caught me by surprise. I admit I am a sucker for that stuff. Most of the negative reviews for "Knowing" focus their vitriol on the ending. I happen to think that many critics feel they have a duty to blast any movie that incorporates religious themes. I further think that "Knowing" is a victim of this unfortunate trend toward political correctness. Anyone who was surprised by the religious turn this movie takes wasn't paying attention. Proyas sets up the religious aspect throughout the entire movie. There are numerous explicit and implicit biblical references.

Don't worry, I'm not going to start preaching the Gospel. I'm a functional atheist for God's sake (zing). Anyway, let's get down to brass tacks. The premise for this movie is a little hokey, but Proyas's execution of that premise is nothing short of genius. The whole numbers plot device is something of a red herring. It serves to propel the plot, but in the end you realize that the numbers are really not that important. This bait and switch might turn those who were expecting some case study in number theory or gematria against the movie, but I found it harmless.

The acting is good but not exceptional. Proyas managed to get Nic Cage to tone down his usual hyper-intensity. There are still a few moments where Cage YELLS SO YOU KNOW HE IS SERIOUS AND INTENSE OMG!!!!, but they are fewer and farther between than in his other recent movies. The music is outstanding, especially the choice of the Second Movement from Beethoven's 7th Symphony. The piece eerily augments the already disturbing denouement.

"Knowing" is visually astounding. The plane crash is one of the most realistic, unsettling disaster scenes I've ever seen in a movie. My jaw literally went slack. I felt like I was there, walking behind Nic Cage as he surveyed the carnage and tried to help. I really can't describe how amazing this scene was. The final disaster scene is also very realistic and really shocks you.

I was surprised by how good "Knowing" was. Perhaps my very low expectations served me well, but I happen to think "Knowing" stands on its own as one of the better disaster movies and a very good sci-fi movie. I will definitely be paying more attention to Proyas and looking forward to his next movie.

I Kind of Liked You, Movie

6/10

"I Love You, Man" is yet another comedy to feature some of the "It" Apatow crew. It stars Paul Rudd as the dork who doesn't have any regular, male friends and Jason Segel as the carefree dude who spends most of his time in his "man cave."

The type of comedy this movie offers seems like it was crafted to appeal to the widest audience possible. It has quite a bit of raunchy humor, some relationship humor, and a lot of awkward humor (courtesy of Paul Rudd trying to be hip). Sure I laughed at some of the jokes, but overall I came away feeling that "I Love You, Man" couldn't decide what kind of comedy it wanted to be.

I generally find Paul Rudd extremely funny, but he seems miscast as the hapless rube. He is much better when playing a sarcastic twit. Apparently the writers thought that Paul Rudd trying and failing to come up with cool nicknames and catchphrases was hilarious because he does exactly that for most of the movie. But it's not that funny, mainly because it seems forced.

I don't mean to beat this movie down too much. It was funny in parts, and I enjoyed seeing Rush featured in a movie (even if they overdid the Rush related jokes), but it felt a little half-assed and derivative. A big problem is that there are similar movies that are much funnier, such as "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "Knocked Up," and "Role Models." If you like those movies, you will either embrace this movie as a welcome addition to that pantheon or you will be disappointed by a movie that doesn't quite measure up to its predecessors.