Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.

Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles, and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.

Knowing (also Blu-ray). As Knowing unfolded before me, I was drawn deeper and deeper into the tale. This is a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There is a delicious, slow-burn quality permeating each frame. You are only given what you need to know, and even then it is barely enough. Knowing forces you to engage, to become involved, but it does so in such a way that you may not even be aware of it at first. The film centers on a series of numbers that seem to predict disasters. It's up to Nicolas Cage to figure out what the meaning behind them is. I know that sounds simple, but believe me, there is more to it than meets the eye when it comes to Knowing.

Push (also Blu-ray). This is a good movie. The action is well executed, and the film delivers, mostly, on its promise of a new world. It is not nearly as visionary as the advertising would have you believe, but it has enough substance and verve to sustain itself and probably a couple more films. Try it, you may be surprised. Push creates a world where people are born with all sorts of different abilities. All of these abilities appear to be the result of genetic experiments by the Nazis, with the goal of enhancing and weaponizing these abilities. When the war ended, the experiments continued, but were broken up into a government-run operation called Division. They would track and capture anyone found with an ability that that showed promise for further experiments. Sounds exciting, no? It has a little too much story for its own good, but it is certainly compelling.

Article Author: Chris Beaumont

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about music and movies when he isn't indulging in them. He is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Follow: Twitter and Tumblr. Visit: Critical Outcast. …

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