Knowing (2009)

4/5

Alex Proyas's Knowing follows Nic Cage as an astrophysicist who discovers a secret code in a letter written 50 years ago predicting all major global disasters, including ones that have not yet happened. Is it just in his head, seeing patterns where they don't exist, or is it a warning? Was he chosen to prevent them all from happening, or was he just an unsuspecting participant in the randomness of nature? It may sound a bit silly or cheesy written out, but the film is made with a seriousness and purpose that quickly removes any doubt you might have had about the quality of this film.

For the most part, it was truly astounding. There were some technical aspects that were a little rough around the edges. For example, some mysteries were left unanswered and some dialogue was hammy and overwrought. But for each of those small flaws, the movie made up for it tremendously. The entire plot was suspenseful and riveting and the special effects were awe-inspiring. The cinematography was absolutely phenomenal and breathtaking, the compositions luminous and stunning, and the editing brisk and lean. The acting and characterizations were a welcome step above what I expect for this genre of movie. (And the genre, by the way, is a mix of horror and disaster, not mystery and action, as I had assumed going in.)

What I like about Proyas is that he doesn't spoon-feed us answers, nor does he beat his message into our heads. He treads a fine line, but he trusts his audience to figure it out for themselves and interpret his movie in manners he may not have even considered himself. Sometimes he succeeds (Dark City and I, Robot), and sometimes he fails (The Crow), but he is willing to take the risk of making a new and different movie experience. And here he has succeeded again. Knowing was a wholly unexpected and exhilarating surprise.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448011/

The Crow (1994)

2/5

I had high hopes for this movie. I like Alex Proyas (Dark City and I, Robot) and I wanted to see how Bruce Lee's son turned out. Unfortunately, the movie was terrible. The acting on all parts was so contrived, it was painful to hear the actors talk. In fact, I cherished the moments of action, not because they were good (there were in fact not good), but because it meant there was no more bad acting. At least for the time being. The dialogue was utterly lacking--it was merely a means to tell the story without images. The music, which may have been good stand-alone, was heinous when used in the movie. And the thing with the guitar didn't work at all.

Even though most of it is terrible, there are some absolutely amazing shots in this movie. Some shots are so cool, so pretty, and so well-carried out that's it shocking to see them in the same movie as the crappy dialogue, acting, and music. The pacing worked really well; it was never boring per se, just bad. Also, the movie was surprisingly gritty, graphic, and violent, which actually worked really well for the environment it attempted to show. Overall, not recommended.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0109506/