These two are out Tuesday and I missed both in theaters. They looked good by their trailers but how about any actual opinions? :) They seem like good "check your brain at the door" popcorn movies.

I enjoyed Knowing in a popcorn movie sort of way. The biggest problems for me was Cage's over the top acting and a few plot holes that hurt the film if you give them any serious thought. Concept wise, it's ambitious and had a cool ending. I plan on picking it up once it falls below $20. Also there are two sequences with amazing special effects that will be great demo material if that's your sort of thing.

Really bad movies, but Summit's transfers are usually really good and both of these have gotten good reviews.

yeah both have gotten pretty exemplary marks for both audio and video. haven't seen either but want to, so i'm looking forward to it.

I enjoyed Knowing in a popcorn movie sort of way. The biggest problems for me was Cage's over the top acting and a few plot holes that hurt the film if you give them any serious thought. Concept wise, it's ambitious and had a cool ending. I plan on picking it up once it falls below $20. Also there are two sequences with amazing special effects that will be great demo material if that's your sort of thing.

I just finished watching "Knowing" on blu-ray and (almost) agree completely with this quote. Unfortunately, the plot holes were too much for me too handle though. The concept was good. The ending was good. But I really wouldn't recommend a blind buy due to the major plot holes. I'd give it a rental if you have nothing better to watch.

Knowing was OK but I loved PUSH! I just hope to find it for less than $20

but have very aggressive audio tracks.... almost overkill on the BASS :D

Push i did not like at all, it felt like it was a 4 hour movie ...

Knowing, i enjoyed a lot... what exact plit holes are you guys refering to ?

I would say that at a PUSH, neither of them are worth KNOWING about...lol

Knowing wasn't too bad, and had one of , if not the best action sequences I've ver seen in a movie. It almost felt real. It was worth a watch, I think. The ending was lame to me though.

I also have a crush on Rose Byrne, so.......

Knowing, i enjoyed a lot... what exact plit holes are you guys refering to ?

If the aliens wanted Nicolas Cage to figure out that the end of the world was coming, why wouldn't they just tell him about it, rather than hide the message in a goofy code buried in a time capsule, and hope that his son just happens to be the kid that note is given to 50 years later? And also hope that he just happens to be able to decode it in time?

For that matter, why do they need him to figure it out at all? Why don't they just kidnap his kids? What's the point of the code?

And how do the aliens know the future, anyway?

I thought they both sucked but video and audio were good!

If the aliens wanted Nicolas Cage to figure out that the end of the world was coming, why wouldn't they just tell him about it, rather than hide the message in a goofy code buried in a time capsule, and hope that his son just happens to be the kid that note is given to 50 years later? And also hope that he just happens to be able to decode it in time?

For that matter, why do they need him to figure it out at all? Why don't they just kidnap his kids? What's the point of the code?

And how do the aliens know the future, anyway?

Exactly

I enjoyed Knowing in a popcorn movie sort of way. The biggest problems for me was Cage's over the top acting and a few plot holes that hurt the film if you give them any serious thought. Concept wise, it's ambitious and had a cool ending. I plan on picking it up once it falls below $20. Also there are two sequences with amazing special effects that will be great demo material if that's your sort of thing.

I thought "Knowing" was a fun movie. Most people who rip on these kinds of movies do exactly just that -- they give them serious thought. My advice: Stop thinking so much and enjoy the movie for what it is, a little break from the real world and real problems.

what exact plit holes are you guys refering to ?

If the aliens wanted Nicolas Cage to figure out that the end of the world was coming, why wouldn't they just tell him about it, rather than hide the message in a goofy code buried in a time capsule, and hope that his son just happens to be the kid that note is given to 50 years later? And also hope that he just happens to be able to decode it in time?

For that matter, why do they need him to figure it out at all? Why don't they just kidnap his kids? What's the point of the code?

And how do the aliens know the future, anyway?

I disagree with the first "plot hole." That whole sequence followed the class discussion on determinism vs. randomness. I felt that the rest of the movie proved that the universe is deterministic, not random.

However, the second plot hole that Josh has listed was, in my opinion, the biggest. It was also really the only one that I couldn't handle. The entire movie is set around deciphering the code, which in the end didn't seem to have any purpose. There was nothing that Cage's character could do to stop the tragedies from happening. The "whisper people" wouldn't let anyone else live, even if he/she discovered where to go by deciphering the code. And in the end, the "whisper people" kidnapped the kids to take them to safety (although ultimately the decision was the kids'), so the code wasn't needed to get the kids to those coordinates. The code served no purpose.

The only somewhat reasonable explanation that I've been able to find for the code is that it was used to save Cage's character's soul, as he had become so cynical, as well as an agnostic. If that was the case, that was a ridiculously elaborate plan to save one man's soul (even if he was Caleb's father). That answer doesn't fill the plot hole for me. And even if it did, it wouldn't change my opinion of the movie.

Feel free to correct me if I'm missing something.

PUSH is harmlessly stupid. It's not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, and certainly not worth watching, but how's that different from most movies?

KNOWING, on the other hand, is offensively stupid.

knowing, on the other hand, is offensively stupid.

+1

I disagree with the first "plot hole." That whole sequence followed the class discussion on determinism vs. randomness. I felt that the rest of the movie proved that the universe is deterministic, not random.

However, the second plot hole that Josh has listed was, in my opinion, the biggest. It was also really the only one that I couldn't handle. The entire movie is set around deciphering the code, which in the end didn't seem to have any purpose. There was nothing that Cage's character could do to stop the tragedies from happening. The "whisper people" wouldn't let anyone else live, even if he/she discovered where to go by deciphering the code. And in the end, the "whisper people" kidnapped the kids to take them to safety (although ultimately the decision was the kids'), so the code wasn't needed to get the kids to those coordinates. The code served no purpose.

The only somewhat reasonable explanation that I've been able to find for the code is that it was used to save Cage's character's soul, as he had become so cynical, as well as an agnostic. If that was the case, that was a ridiculously elaborate plan to save one man's soul (even if he was Caleb's father). That answer doesn't fill the plot hole for me. And even if it did, it wouldn't change my opinion of the movie.

Feel free to correct me if I'm missing something.

The code was just a side-effect of the alien manipulation of the kids. It was never meant to be something for people to act on or have any effect on the outcome of everything. It was just the way one little girl dealt with the information in her head. The code in movie terms was just the entry point for the main character and the audience to get exposed to what was going on. If no hints were ever given, then no one would have known the end of the world was coming and thus no movie to watch.

The code was just a side-effect of the alien manipulation of the kids. It was never meant to be something for people to act on or have any effect on the outcome of everything. It was just the way one little girl dealt with the information in her head.

That being the case...

Why did they put the information in that little girl's head 50 years early, when they (being able to see the future) knew that she wasn't going with them anyway? What was the point? It's her granddaughter they want. Again, why not just kidnap the kid, which they wind up doing anyway?

The code serves no purpose whatsoever, other than to remind people of that stupid "Bible Code" nonsense that was all the rage a few years ago (but which has been basically forgotten in the meantime).

I lean toward the "offensively stupid" explanation for this one. The movie just sucks.

That being the case...

Why did they put the information in that little girl's head 50 years early, when they (being able to see the future) knew that she wasn't going with them anyway? What was the point? It's her granddaughter they want. Again, why not just kidnap the kid, which they wind up doing anyway?

The code serves no purpose whatsoever, other than to remind people of that stupid "Bible Code" nonsense that was all the rage a few years ago (but which has been basically forgotten in the meantime).

I lean toward the "offensively stupid" explanation for this one. The movie just sucks.Knowing is offensively stupid... but at the same time, I'd say it's worth renting and watching once on a big screen with a sound system just for the disasters. I've never seen anything quite like what happens on the highway in that movie...

It's just so much more visceral and "real" than what you see in most disaster movies. Roland Emmerich only wishes his disaster movies could capture that feel.

Knowing is great then the last 30 mins riuns it all, Push is the movie X3 should have been and the BRD is pretty nice too

If the aliens wanted Nicolas Cage to figure out that the end of the world was coming, why wouldn't they just tell him about it, rather than hide the message in a goofy code buried in a time capsule, and hope that his son just happens to be the kid that note is given to 50 years later? And also hope that he just happens to be able to decode it in time?

For that matter, why do they need him to figure it out at all? Why don't they just kidnap his kids? What's the point of the code?

And how do the aliens know the future, anyway?

i actually never went too deep into it... its like a chicken egg dilemma that i don't want to be bothered about.

reminds me also of the whole Terminator movies of time travel and such... why like this and why not like that... is it not easier if it was like that or they should have done it like that...... :D

i simply enjoyed the movie and the suspense of it... and its very effective at that... unlike PUSH which was just boring to me

Push is coming today via Netflix and I never saw it. I'll have low expectations and maybe I'll be surprised.

I like Knowing when I saw it at the theater but not enough to flat out buy it. I rented that one as well and maybe if the price is right I'll go for it in the future. Really looking forward to check out the PQ and AQ "BUT" I do remember the dialog volume was very inconsisent when I saw it at the theater so that is going to be a factor as well.

I know that Blu-ray does not support anamorphic tranfers but did anybody notice that the bottom of boxes for both discs state that the format is "Anamorphic Widescreen 2:35.1"?

Typo I guess.

You'd have to push me pretty damn hard to see Knowing again, but knowing nothing about Push might make me rent this one. Yeah, I'm bored today... ;)

I enjoyed Push, low expectations helped

If the aliens wanted Nicolas Cage to figure out that the end of the world was coming, why http://www.****************/img/i/P.jpgwouldn't they just tell him about it, rather than hide the message in a goofy code buried in a time capsule, and hope that his son just happens to be the kid that note is given to 50 years later? And also hope that he just happens to be able to decode it in time?

For that matter, why do they need him to figure it out at all? Why don't they just kidnap his kids? What's the point of the code?

And how do the aliens know the future, anyway?

Way to ruin it for everyone :D

Looking forward in getting both on Friday.

Knowing has some serious volume issues. The action scenes are ridiculously loud in comparison to the dialogue. Courage Under Fire Blu was the last time I heard a disc with the problem this bad. Trying to keep a steady volume is impossible, unless of course you live alone in your own house. I guess in that case it doesn't matter.

That said, movie was fine until the ending, which would be equal to King Kong shooting lasers out of his eyes at the bi-planes in terms of sheer stupidity.

That said, movie was fine until the ending, which would be equal to King Kong shooting lasers out of his eyes at the bi-planes in terms of sheer stupidity.
You're being too kind!:rolleyes::)

I enjoyed Push, low expectations helped

And renting it as well! I really enjoyed it and I suppose we are led to believe there will be a sequel but we all know how most of those fair.

Very good PQ and AQ for this movie. Give it a chance folks, it may surprise you as well.

KNOWING:

REFERENCE AUDIO and VIDEO!!

Wow.. Big audio. Huge dynamic range. There is a scene where a glass breaks and the sound just penetrates with its clarity and dynamic range... some great demo scenes. It gets very loud and dialog is always perfectly integrated. Big bass, too. An incredible mix.

The video was darn near perfect as well.

Movie.. Starts out pretty cool and simply goes downhill like a freight train from there.

The dialog on Knowing actually came through pretty well for me on my system unlike I remember with my theater experience which was shaky. Yes I agree, excellent PQ and AQ worthy of comparison to other top notch BDs.

The dialog on Knowing actually came through pretty well for me on my system unlike I remember with my theater experience which was shaky. Yes I agree, excellent PQ and AQ worthy of comparison to other top notch BDs.

Looking forward in getting both copies tomorrow.

I haven't decided whether I enjoyed Knowing last night, but the disaster sequences were the highest quality effects I've ever seen. Typically, you can see the "seams" in the CGI effect on these kinds of movies, but every sequence was top notch. I may end up owning this one in the future just to use as a demo disc.

I haven't decided whether I enjoyed Knowing last night, but the disaster sequences were the highest quality effects I've ever seen. Typically, you can see the "seams" in the CGI effect on these kinds of movies, but every sequence was top notch. I may end up owning this one in the future just to use as a demo disc.

visually the subway sequence wasn't as good as the plane crash imo. I liked the film. But the end is a bit hard to swallow.

Push was not so good to my taste but Knowing is the must own for everyone,it was great story line,great PQ,SQ,THE REFERENCE BD,Of course.

Push was not so good to my taste but Knowing is the must own for everyone,it was great story line,great PQ,SQ,THE REFERENCE BD,Of course.

Agreed. And, unlike others here, I have no problem with the ending. Unlike most movies with similar "threats", this one didn't cop-out. As far as I know, it's the first film I've ever seen that had the guts to do that. Sure, there's a lot of hooey, and yes...there are plot-holes...but that's the case with most movies if you over-think them. (It's all make-believe folks!) Heck, even STAR TREK had plot-holes! I'd rate this film as better than THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL remake, ARMAGEDDON, DEEP IMPACT, NUMBER 23, or any of the empty, plotless movies that so many seem to like so much, such as TRANSFORMERS, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, etc. Certainly Alex Proyas' best film since DARK CITY, IMHO. (And KNOWING has more in common with that film than I, ROBOT!)

Haven't seen Know1ng, I'm sure I'll rent it at some point.

However, I just watched PUSH and I enjoyed it. A lot of the public scenes were filmed guerilla style (with hidden cameras and crew members) and many times there was only 1 or 2 takes. This leads to both 'forced' and 'odd' moments in the film, as well as some genuine and intriguing interactions. Combine that with a cool premise, interesting background and story, and some decent production values and you have a flick that's worth at least one viewing on your HT setup of choice. :)

Agreed. And, unlike others here, I have no problem with the ending. Unlike most movies with similar "threats", this one didn't cop-out.

I would argue that this movie did cop-out as much as those other movies, just in a different way. The ending of the film is triumphant. Humanity lives. That's a cop-out.

If you really want to see an apocalyptic movie which delivers on its promise, watch Nicholas Meyer's THE DAY AFTER. They nuke the planet at the start of that movie, and it all goes downhill from there.

I definately agree with everybody that the Plot of Knowing was a little, stupid, but when that Plane crashes, the audio is A+. :D Definately one of the best sounding special effects and music soundtracks I have ever heard on a blue-ray. The CGI was also an A+.

IMHO knowing was dreadful - Another in a long string of really bad Nicholas Cage movies. The video was good, but the audio has been over hyped. I found the presentation to be pretty hollow in the mid-range and nowhere near as immersive as something like Master and Commander, Cloverfield, Hellboy II or Transformers. This is not reference quality audio!

J

IMHO knowing was dreadful - Another in a long string of really bad Nicholas Cage movies. The video was good, but the audio has been over hyped. I found the presentation to be pretty hollow in the mid-range and nowhere near as immersive as something like Master and Commander, Cloverfield, Hellboy II or Transformers. This is not reference quality audio!

J

Why not reference audio?? I have been a disc reviewer and have a capable system. I played it last night at -4 from reference and found it balanced, loud (when needed to be) and simply astonishing dynamics. The secondary explosions, for example, after the plane crash were visceral and impacting. That airliner screaming overhead was about as realistic as any crash sequence I can remember and fortunately, the dialog matched the superb CGI in that scene. Dialog was well recorded and unstrained. For a 5.1 soundtrack, this one would certainly be in the top 10 over the last year.

But yes, the film - the ending in particular - was dreadful. Even my 12 and 14 year old daughters rolled their eyes at the ridiculous anti-climatic ending. The ending reminded me of contact in a way but Contact's ending was far more sophisticated in its presentation (and more entertaining).

Dreadful is a good descriptor. But then again, it is Nicholas Cage, I wouldn't expect anything more...

Why not reference audio?? I have been a disc reviewer and have a capable system. I played it last night at -4 from reference and found it balanced, loud (when needed to be) and simply astonishing dynamics. The secondary explosions, for example, after the plane crash were visceral and impacting. That airliner screaming overhead was about as realistic as any crash sequence I can remember and fortunately, the dialog matched the superb CGI in that scene. Dialog was well recorded and unstrained. For a 5.1 soundtrack, this one would certainly be in the top 10 over the last year.

But yes, the film - the ending in particular - was dreadful. Even my 12 and 14 year old daughters rolled their eyes at the ridiculous anti-climatic ending. The ending reminded me of contact in a way but Contact's ending was far more sophisticated in its presentation (and more entertaining).

Dreadful is a good descriptor. But then again, it is Nicholas Cage, I wouldn't expect anything more...

I know what you are running and you have a reference system without question. I have to admit this is causing me to question my own evaluation. I am running Revel Performa F52s, C52 and M22s driven by Parasound Halo amps and an Integra 9.8 and this title sounded brittle to me. My room is less than perfect, but the titles I mentioned above present very well. I do not know what to attribute this too, but I was really underwhelemed with the Audio. Maybe I will have go back and try it again. I was listening at ~ -10 from reference. Maybe this title just needs a little more gain under it to completely open up.

J

I know what you are running and you have a reference system without question. I have to admit this is causing me to question my own evaluation. I am running Revel Performa F52s, C52 and M22s driven by Parasound Halo amps and an Integra 9.8 and this title sounded brittle to me. My room is less than perfect, but the titles I mentioned above present very well. I do not know what to attribute this too, but I was really underwhelemed with the Audio. Maybe I will have go back and try it again. I was listening at ~ -10 from reference. Maybe this title just needs a little more gain under it to completely open up.

J

Well, you have a nice speaker, amp, surround set up.. Could be some room interactions. Revel is fantastic stuff! Granted it did not have the holosonics and 3-D surround like Pan's Labrynth or Master & Commander, et al, but from a bombastic, dynamic standpoint, I found it pretty appealing. I did grin a bit after that plane collided with the ground.. Pretty cool.

Why not reference audio?? I have been a disc reviewer and have a capable system. I played it last night at -4 from reference and found it balanced, loud (when needed to be) and simply astonishing dynamics. The secondary explosions, for example, after the plane crash were visceral and impacting. That airliner screaming overhead was about as realistic as any crash sequence I can remember and fortunately, the dialog matched the superb CGI in that scene. Dialog was well recorded and unstrained. For a 5.1 soundtrack, this one would certainly be in the top 10 over the last year.

I agree with everything you say here, except the "superb CGI" comment. :eek:

The CGI in this movie is TERR-I-BLE.

I agree with everything you say here, except the "superb CGI" comment. :eek:

The CGI in this movie is TERR-I-BLE.

I thought all CGI was poor....except the airplane scene... It was cool.. Perhaps on second viewing, I may see some issues but that scene was pretty intense..

Agreed. And, unlike others here, I have no problem with the ending. Unlike most movies with similar "threats", this one didn't cop-out. As far as I know, it's the first film I've ever seen that had the guts to do that. Sure, there's a lot of hooey, and yes...there are plot-holes...but that's the case with most movies if you over-think them. (It's all make-believe folks!) Heck, even STAR TREK had plot-holes! I'd rate this film as better than THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL remake, ARMAGEDDON, DEEP IMPACT, NUMBER 23, or any of the empty, plotless movies that so many seem to like so much, such as TRANSFORMERS, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, etc. Certainly Alex Proyas' best film since DARK CITY, IMHO. (And KNOWING has more in common with that film than I, ROBOT!)

Strongly agreed.Many plot holes in this film but please forget them cause this disc was the superb quality BD now,Alex Proyas surely knows the way of film making especially CGI and special effects films and N.Cage was great again after Bangkok Dangerous.About the ending,I can live with that.:)

I found Push to be rather boring. Most episodes of Heroes are more entertaining. Still waiting for Netflix to ship me Knowing.

Strongly agreed.Many plot holes in this film but please forget them cause this disc was the superb quality BD now,Alex Proyas surely knows the way of film making especially CGI and special effects films and N.Cage was great again after Bangkok Dangerous.About the ending,I can live with that.:)

So, we should accept movies with terrible writing and horrid endings simply because the FX is good? No, thanks.

KNOWING:

REFERENCE AUDIO and VIDEO!!

Wow.. Big audio. Huge dynamic range. There is a scene where a glass breaks and the sound just penetrates with its clarity and dynamic range... some great demo scenes. It gets very loud and dialog is always perfectly integrated. Big bass, too. An incredible mix.

The video was darn near perfect as well.

Movie.. Starts out pretty cool and simply goes downhill like a freight train from there.

I was just about to post the exact same thing, except for the movie itself...I thought the first half was a 6/10 and the second half was a 9/10. But hey, we all have different taste in movies. If you like thriller/sci-fi stuff that has decent enough pacing, a few twists and strong action scenes, this is worth owning. I'm sure I'll watch this one a few more times at least. (On another note, I got it for about $14 after finding it used at FYE, with my 10% discount and then a B3G1 on top of that!)

The PQ for me was up there with what you'd expect from a clean, new release.

The AQ was ridiculous. In the 4-5 scenes where it's really called upon to perform, it's better than anything I've heard so far. It tops Master and Commander for me. I admit I don't have the greatest setup, but I can get lossless and I thought this was incredible. My receiver is a Sony 720 and I have Polk speakers for a 5.1 setup. Played on the PS3.

If the aliens wanted Nicolas Cage to figure out that the end of the world was coming, why wouldn't they just tell him about it, rather than hide the message in a goofy code buried in a time capsule, and hope that his son just happens to be the kid that note is given to 50 years later? And also hope that he just happens to be able to decode it in time?

For that matter, why do they need him to figure it out at all? Why don't they just kidnap his kids? What's the point of the code?

And how do the aliens know the future, anyway?

They didn't explicitly want him to know, he just figured it out.

As far as the aliens were concerned, they just wanted his kids, period.

I found Push to be rather boring. Most episodes of Heroes are more entertaining. Still waiting for Netflix to ship me Knowing.
Got both today finally looking forward in watching them this weekend.

I know what you are running and you have a reference system without question. I have to admit this is causing me to question my own evaluation. I am running Revel Performa F52s, C52 and M22s driven by Parasound Halo amps and an Integra 9.8 and this title sounded brittle to me. My room is less than perfect, but the titles I mentioned above present very well. I do not know what to attribute this too, but I was really underwhelemed with the Audio. Maybe I will have go back and try it again. I was listening at ~ -10 from reference. Maybe this title just needs a little more gain under it to completely open up.

J

I noticed you didn't mention any subs, I would imagine with your set-up you would have 1 if not 2?

The Revel F52's are great speakers but need to be augmented by subs of comparable quality for movies. I have speakers which are capable of 20 hz bass but would never expect them to be satisfying enough for movie bass.

They didn't explicitly want him to know, he just figured it out.

As far as the aliens were concerned, they just wanted his kids, period.

And again I ask, what's the point of the code at all then? Why plant it in that little girl 50 years ago, if it doesn't mean anything? If they just want his kids, they should just kidnap them. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what they do!

The central conceit of this movie is utterly pointless and has no relevance at all to the story.

Just finished watching this film and have to agree with all of you the Audio quality and the picture quality is sensational. I actually enjoyed this film.

Well, you have a nice speaker, amp, surround set up.. Could be some room interactions. Revel is fantastic stuff! Granted it did not have the holosonics and 3-D surround like Pan's Labrynth or Master & Commander, et al, but from a bombastic, dynamic standpoint, I found it pretty appealing. I did grin a bit after that plane collided with the ground.. Pretty cool.

That Plane bit was fantastic I even thought the subway bit was great.

Was doubting you guys about PUSH. I usually love these types of movies like Jumper and what-not. I can watch Jumper anyday. PUSH though was pretty bad. Intriguing, but boring. Could concept for a book, but not for a movie. Why? All the powers were "powerless". Nothing to watch. Watchers powers are flashback/forward style, Shadows just uh stand there? Sniffers are flashbacks, Bleeders are just glass breaking, Pushers powers are just talking. Concept is cool, but not exciting to put on film. Movers and Shifters powers we have seen a million times before in every fantasy/sci-fi movie to date. Boring movie. Not even any funny lines to break the ice.

Knowing - Im on the fence with this one. Interesting first half. SFX were awesome. Crashes/Disasters were cool. I loved the long take with Cage after the plane crashes. Very cool. Train scene was great. These big crashes usually result in 0 body count cause its under construction or something ala Speed, but this one surprised me. Ending was a bit lame cause it just doesnt explain enough. For a disaster movie though, this one is pretty cool. Recommended if you enjoy things like Day After Tomorrow, etc. Enjoyable popcorn flick.

Audio on Knowing was great, but like others mentioned, I thought the dialogue was a bit on the low side.

i really enjoyed this movie. reference audio, up there with the incredible hulk in my book. PQ is very good also. i'm glad proyas didn't "spielberg" the ending and have it be all happy with gumdrops. cage's best performance in a while. he wasn't just phoning this one in. i do wish it couldn't been longer and had a bigger budget. if it was on the scale of the day after tomorrow, it would of rocked. it was too rushed. oh, it needed more of rose byrne.

And again I ask, what's the point of the code at all then? Why plant it in that little girl 50 years ago, if it doesn't mean anything? If they just want his kids, they should just kidnap them. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what they do!

The central conceit of this movie is utterly pointless and has no relevance at all to the story.


I disagree with the plot holes you talk about. The "code" that the kids write down are merely a side effect from the whispers they hear and not meant to be a warning for people to decipher. The code wasn't planted in Lucinda to be revealed 50 years later. Lucinda was merely another chosen person that was exhibiting the same side effects as the other chosen ones. Had she not died from an overdose, she would have been wisked away along with the other chosen ones (we shouldn't assume they are all children). In terms of the last pickup coordinates, it simply foretold where they will be picked up, not serving as a message telling them where they needed to go to get picked up.

I agree that this is not the most terrific movie to put it nicely. And yes, some plot elements were a bit contrived, but the "holes" aren't as bad as you say.

Just finished Knowing and thought the audio was awesome.....4-5 great sequences with my favorites being the subway, plane and at the end which were all "demo" caliber. Movie was lame, but still enjoyed it from a tech level.

Just finished Knowing and thought the audio was awesome.....4-5 great sequences with my favorites being the subway, plane and at the end which were all "demo" caliber. Movie was lame, but still enjoyed it from a tech level.

At least the kid wasn't a pain in the ass compared to the one in The Day The Earth Stood Still(Latest version)

Call me crazy, but Knowing looks scrubbed to me...
Look at these PNGs:
http://www.thehdcrowd.com/screenshots/knowing_2.png
http://www.thehdcrowd.com/screenshots/knowing_4.png
http://www.thehdcrowd.com/screenshots/knowing_12.png
http://www.thehdcrowd.com/screenshots/knowing_13.png
http://www.thehdcrowd.com/screenshots/knowing_14.png
http://www.thehdcrowd.com/screenshots/knowing_15.png

I am surprised because people usually point this out before I notice. There is alot of talk of reference video but I think it looks okay but not like film.

In contrast, Push looks a lot more filmlike:
http://www.thehdcrowd.com/screenshots/push_2.png

At least the kid wasn't a pain in the ass compared to the one in The Day The Earth Stood Still(Latest version)


Agreed. :) I did like how it ended in comparison to TDtESS as well. I still enjoyed it though and it was a fun Fri night flick.

Agreed. :) I did like how it ended in comparison to TDtESS as well. I still enjoyed it though and it was a fun Fri night flick.

I actually enjoyed it more than TDTEST (latest version).:)

Call me crazy, but Knowing looks scrubbed to me...

I am surprised because people usually point this out before I notice. There is alot of talk of reference video but I think it looks okay but not like film.

Knowing doesn't look like film, because it wasn't shot on film. It was shot on HD video using the RED ONE camera.

Personally, I think the Blu-ray is just about flawless technically. However, I agree with you that I don't enjoy the look of the movie aesthetically. It has a weird quality where it's both sharp and soft simultaneously, but doesn't seem to be the result of DNR. It's like they were trying to go for a film-like appearance, but didn't quite get there.

I disagree with the plot holes you talk about. The "code" that the kids write down are merely a side effect from the whispers they hear and not meant to be a warning for people to decipher. The code wasn't planted in Lucinda to be revealed 50 years later. Lucinda was merely another chosen person that was exhibiting the same side effects as the other chosen ones. Had she not died from an overdose, she would have been wisked away along with the other chosen ones (we shouldn't assume they are all children). In terms of the last pickup coordinates, it simply foretold where they will be picked up, not serving as a message telling them where they needed to go to get picked up.

I'm sorry, but I can't agree.

Throughout the movie, the point is made that Everything Happens for a Reason. The universe is not random. Everything is planned. That code wasn't accidentally left in the time capsule. It was deliberately left there so that John would find it 50 years later.

But, again, for what purpose? The movie drops the ball on that part.

As for Lucinda, she was never supposed to go with the aliens. They only wanted children. Besides which, if they can see the future, then they already knew that she was going to die, and wouldn't be going with them. So why torture the poor girl by planting the code in her head and making her go batshit crazy?

The movie's plot just doesn't add up.

Knowing doesn't look like film, because it wasn't shot on film. It was shot on HD video using the RED ONE camera.

Personally, I think the Blu-ray is just about flawless technically. However, I agree with you that I don't enjoy the look of the movie aesthetically. It has a weird quality where it's both sharp and soft simultaneously, but doesn't seem to be the result of DNR. It's like they were trying to go for a film-like appearance, but didn't quite get there.

I got the impression that in many scenes there was an attempt to duplicate the look of the unnatural light from the solar flares. I could be wrong.

I actually watched Push a second time before sending it back to Netflix. Go figure as I really don't plan to buy it. Of the two, I'd buy Knowing but would not be in any hurry to. I doubt it would sit collecting dust though cause the AQ and PQ are just outstanding.

I did not even bother finishing Push, what absolute crap.

I'm sorry, but I can't agree.

It was deliberately left there so that John would find it 50 years later.

But, again, for what purpose? The movie drops the ball on that part.

As for Lucinda, she was never supposed to go with the aliens. They only wanted children. Besides which, if they can see the future, then they already knew that she was going to die, and wouldn't be going with them. So why torture the poor girl by planting the code in her head and making her go batshit crazy?

The movie's plot just doesn't add up.


Maybe it could have been left there to help restore John's belief in purpose/meaning that was lost when his wife died.

I didn't realize that they ONLY took children. Did the movie mention that specifically? If so, then I would agree with you.

This entire movie is about determinism vs. free will and given that the topic itself is a contradictory concept, it makes sense that the movie naturally manifests these contradictions or loop holes... so I think we can probably talk it to death and still come away with no conclusions. This is pretty much the same issue of predestination vs. free will talked about in Christianity and everyone has a different way of reconciling the two.

I agree with those of you who think that Knowing's video was outstanding and its audio was demonstration quality. I have never heard a better BD soundtrack. Period, paragraph. Unfortunately, the film was another example of Nicholas Cage's career choices over the past too many years: mindless action flicks in which he can turn in over the top performances without really having to try too hard. An actor with Cage's consummate skills should be ashamed of himself.

Knowing's plot seemed to me to be what E.T. might have been had it been stripped of all humor and intelligence. What a waste of terrific production values Knowing is! If you have a good 1080p display and a good 5.1 audio system with a first class subwoofer, the BD is worth a couple of hours, albeit barely. Otherwise, stay far, far away.

Knowing arrived today. Will watch it soon. But first things first. The 2 hour series finale of Harper's Island.;)

There is alot of talk of reference video but I think it looks okay but not like film.

Based on your pngs, I prefer the look of Know1ng. Should digital cameras attempt to recreate film? sorry for going off topic.

Based on your pngs, I prefer the look of Know1ng. Should digital cameras attempt to recreate film? sorry for going off topic.

I'm not sure the OP knew Knowing wasn't shot on film.

I saw Knowing in a large theatre and was quite impressed by what the Red can do and am sure the finished product looks even better on BD where a film print wasn't involved.

I'm not sure the OP knew Knowing wasn't shot on film.

I saw Knowing in a large theatre and was quite impressed by what the Red can do and am sure the finished product looks even better on BD where a film print wasn't involved.

I did not know it was not shot on film.. However I still do not enjoy the look of the movie.

I did not know it was not shot on film.. However I still do not enjoy the look of the movie.

I tend to agree, I watched the movie last night, Knowing, and the pq was great in some scenes and in others it just did not look right. I don't know anything about cinematography, but I almost thought my eyes were being played with. All in all, it was an ok movie, the SVS got a workout in a few scenes as it shook the house.

Mike

Agree that Knowing was pretty interesting for about 3/4 of the film but you just knew the ending was going to be a joke, which it was. but was pleasantly surprised how great the audio was and watching on a brand new, calibrated Panny 65PZ850U I thought the picture quality was excellent. Didn't notice anything strange at all and thought most of the image was extremely sharp. still, probably wouldn't buy this unless it could be found for 10.00 at Wal-Mart.

At least the kid wasn't a pain in the ass compared to the one in The Day The Earth Stood Still(Latest version)

I thought the kid acting was poor. Very unbelievable and, thus, lacked any emotional punch. The school scene at the beginning was also very stilted and unrealistic. Also agree that Cage's acting was a little over the top. Diana was fine up until the end at which time I thought her whole character and acting fell apart. Overall, only "fair" as far as characterization and acting go.

So, are these popcorn films like Transformers 2 bad? I mean in the so-bad-and-stupid-it's-insulting kind of way?

It was like Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg were laughing at the audience the whole time and thinking: as long as it has Megan Fox wearing very little and all oiled up and shiny (I don't mind that, since I am a red-blooded American male and freely admit that, but for the fact she has zero acting abilities and is as annoying to listen to as finger nails on a chalk board), big robots going BOOM!, 2 hours+ of MTV glamor shots, 5 second ADHD friendly edits, and shaky-cam styled photography then they'll lap up any inanely crude drivel we throw at them and come back for more.

So, are these two films cut from the same cloth?

push is one of the most boring movies of ALL-TIME....just watch the trailer, and you'll get to see all the best scenes.

Knowing was good.

I thought the kid acting was poor. Very unbelievable and, thus, lacked any emotional punch. The school scene at the beginning was also very stilted and unrealistic.

All of the scenes involving school settings were stilted and unrealistic. I could almost believe that kids in the 1950s would be excited to bury a time capsule, but I have a much harder time believing that modern kids would be so rapturously excited to dig one up.

And look at the MIT college students hanging on every word of Cage's boring lecture like it's the most fascinating thing they've ever heard in their lives. I swear I thought the teenage girls were going to throw their panties at him like a rock star on stage.

The people who wrote this script have no fundamental understanding of human behavior.

I was just saying the other day, "I wish someone would come out with a disaster movie the the earth isn't saved at the last minute by some 30 something male or female hero of the day."
The ending of Knowing fulfilled my wish but that was the only thing that was good about it and Cage's acting was up to it's usual B movie star quality, how he gets these roles is beyond me, he should keep to collecting cars.
Seeing as the time capsule was not in a sealed manhole just covered with a loose cover does anyone really believe it would still be there 50 yrs. later?

So, are these popcorn films like Transformers 2 bad? I mean in the so-bad-and-stupid-it's-insulting kind of way?

It was like Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg were laughing at the audience the whole time and thinking: as long as it has Megan Fox wearing very little and all oiled up and shiny (I don't mind that, since I am a red-blooded American male and freely admit that, but for the fact she has zero acting abilities and is as annoying to listen to as finger nails on a chalk board), big robots going BOOM!, 2 hours+ of MTV glamor shots, 5 second ADHD friendly edits, and shaky-cam styled photography then they'll lap up any inanely crude drivel we throw at them and come back for more.

So, are these two films cut from the same cloth?

I would say that PUSH falls into this category. But KNOWING is far worse, because it is not simply bad, but dangerous. It presents a philosophical view of the world which is very much the opposite of what we need right now.

Knowing doesn't look like film, because it wasn't shot on film. It was shot on HD video using the RED ONE camera.

Personally, I think the Blu-ray is just about flawless technically. However, I agree with you that I don't enjoy the look of the movie aesthetically. It has a weird quality where it's both sharp and soft simultaneously, but doesn't seem to be the result of DNR. It's like they were trying to go for a film-like appearance, but didn't quite get there. Che was also shot on RED and it has the same odd smooth but sharp look as Knowing.

I watched Knowing last night and I have to agree with others on the great pq and audio - especially the audio. I thought the film itself was pretty interesting, despite some flaws and plot holes with the script. Here is an interesting article (http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/04/21/alex-proyas-knowing-and-biblical-prophecy/) dealing with some of the biblical references in the movie. I haven't watched push yet, but the trailers I've seen don't look promising.

The LFE on Knowing reached dangerous proportions....simply stunning.

So, are these popcorn films like Transformers 2 bad? I mean in the so-bad-and-stupid-it's-insulting kind of way?

It was like Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg were laughing at the audience the whole time and thinking: as long as it has Megan Fox wearing very little and all oiled up and shiny (I don't mind that, since I am a red-blooded American male and freely admit that, but for the fact she has zero acting abilities and is as annoying to listen to as finger nails on a chalk board), big robots going BOOM!, 2 hours+ of MTV glamor shots, 5 second ADHD friendly edits, and shaky-cam styled photography then they'll lap up any inanely crude drivel we throw at them and come back for more.

So, are these two films cut from the same cloth?

No, definitely not the same style at all.

It's hard to say if Alex Proyas peaked with The Crow and Dark City, as he appears to be going more mainstream with I Robot and Knowing, but I think he has more artistic talent and respect for the audience intelligence than Bay does. Knowing's budget is probably only 20% of the new Transformers movie, but still managed to pull off very impressive effects.

I recommend Knowing as a rental, and if you are as impressed with the disaster scenes as I was, you may end up owning as a demo disc for friends and family.

I agree with those of you who think that Knowing's video was outstanding and its audio was demonstration quality. I have never heard a better BD soundtrack. Period, paragraph. Unfortunately, the film was another example of Nicholas Cage's career choices over the past too many years: mindless action flicks in which he can turn in over the top performances without really having to try too hard. An actor with Cage's consummate skills should be ashamed of himself.

Knowing's plot seemed to me to be what E.T. might have been had it been stripped of all humor and intelligence. What a waste of terrific production values Knowing is! If you have a good 1080p display and a good 5.1 audio system with a first class subwoofer, the BD is worth a couple of hours, albeit barely. Otherwise, stay far, far away.Of course, I was curious why he was starring in Bangkok Dangerous.:confused::)

push is one of the most boring movies of ALL-TIME....just watch the trailer, and you'll get to see all the best scenes.

Knowing was good.Same here.The best in this film was the cute girl from 10000 B.C.:)

No, definitely not the same style at all.

It's hard to say if Alex Proyas peaked with The Crow and Dark City, as he appears to be going more mainstream with I Robot and Knowing, but I think he has more artistic talent and respect for the audience intelligence than Bay does. Knowing's budget is probably only 20% of the new Transformers movie, but still managed to pull off very impressive effects.

I recommend Knowing as a rental, and if you are as impressed with the disaster scenes as I was, you may end up owning as a demo disc for friends and family.

The airplane scene was quite intense/good. Reminded me of the extended scene in Children of Men. No cuts, just one long sequence. Very cool.

I watched Push tonight and thought it was enjoyable... I expected some crap like Jumper but it was actually fairly entertaining.

I watched push last night, i tought it was a cheap Heroes ripoff, and it sucked.

Knowing was pretty good the first 75 minutes or so, then it became ridiculous, it almost felt like a shyamalan, but the ending was kinda like indy 4.
At least some scenes are really Home Theatre Show-Off Material.

And again I ask, what's the point of the code at all then? Why plant it in that little girl 50 years ago, if it doesn't mean anything? If they just want his kids, they should just kidnap them. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what they do!

The girl that was 50 was to be saved as she could hear the code as a child as was stated at the end of the movie. She couldn't deal with it and committed suicide.

I'm sorry, but I can't agree.

Throughout the movie, the point is made that Everything Happens for a Reason. The universe is not random. Everything is planned. That code wasn't accidentally left in the time capsule. It was deliberately left there so that John would find it 50 years later.

But, again, for what purpose? The movie drops the ball on that part.

As for Lucinda, she was never supposed to go with the aliens. They only wanted children. Besides which, if they can see the future, then they already knew that she was going to die, and wouldn't be going with them. So why torture the poor girl by planting the code in her head and making her go batshit crazy?

The movie's plot just doesn't add up.

This is your interpretation. The girls letter/paper was not addressed to anyone when placed in the time capsule. It appears that the accidents could have been prevented (except the final one). In my opinion it was gone about the wrong way. If you had contacted the FBI and demonstrated you were not crazy they would have to act regardless if they thought you pre-planned it or not (innocent or guilty). And the codes were important so that the children/people who could hear the code would not be at those places; to avoid being killed. Nicholas cage figuring it out had nothing to do the code except to further the movie and give meaning to the code.

And this is a sci-fi movie, so if we can temporarily believe in aliens albeit for a few minutes for enjoyment purposes, then perhaps we can suspend our disbelief that there is alien technology that can prophesize future catastrophes as Nostradamus and Jesus claimed to have done. The most interesting part of the movie for me was the emotion of letting go of your only child (self sacrifice), and what would you do if the end of the world was immanent?

As far as audio quality goes, the Airplane Crash was off the chart. So in rare fashion I agree with thebland on this one. Also the Subway scene was intense.

So, are these popcorn films like Transformers 2 bad? I mean in the so-bad-and-stupid-it's-insulting kind of way?

If you hated Transformers 2, I understand, but for people who like that sort of film it was extremely well done and I predict will sell extremely well on BD.

For me it in no way approached the "bad" represented by Be Kind, Rewind, any of the Miracle on 34th Street remakes, or what still holds my personall worst film of all-time award, Shakespeare in Love.

I could argue Knowing plot points all day, but the last half hour truly is a bit, uh, different…

My argument is still the "codes" were in no way meant to allow Cage's character to "prevent" any of the events from occurring but rather it was more of a list of "major bad things" that was going to happen ending with the big one.

The aliens involved didn't care about anyone involved except in getting the two kids involved so they could save the human race in a sort of "save the endangered species" kind of way.

Unfortunately, the film was another example of Nicholas Cage's career choices over the past too many years: mindless action flicks in which he can turn in over the top performances without really having to try too hard. An actor with Cage's consummate skills should be ashamed of himself.
Of course, I was curious why he was starring in Bangkok Dangerous.:confused::)
I think that Cage paid such a high price emotionally for his Oscar winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas, it scared him, no kidding. I first noticed the very young Cage in Birdy (1984). Although all the critics were salivating over Matthew Modine's performance, which was very good, Cage simply blew me away, he was INTENSE. I understand that Cage actually got drunk for some of his Leaving Las Vegas scenes. Brrrr! Do you want to talk about life imitating art?

For whatever reason, Cage's career choices have been mostly awful in recent years, with the truly awful Knowing being the most recent example. Maybe its for the best from his perspective, though. He has been married to his current wife for 5 years and is now 45 years old, so maybe his life is more stable these days because he takes fewer chances with his art.

So, are these popcorn films like Transformers 2 bad? I mean in the so-bad-and-stupid-it's-insulting kind of way?

It was like Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg were laughing at the audience the whole time and thinking: as long as it has Megan Fox wearing very little and all oiled up and shiny (I don't mind that, since I am a red-blooded American male and freely admit that, but for the fact she has zero acting abilities and is as annoying to listen to as finger nails on a chalk board), big robots going BOOM!, 2 hours+ of MTV glamor shots, 5 second ADHD friendly edits, and shaky-cam styled photography then they'll lap up any inanely crude drivel we throw at them and come back for more.

So, are these two films cut from the same cloth?

Considering Transformers 2 was neither 'bad' nor nothing like the cloth you described (or cut from it), than the answer would be no.

So, are these popcorn films like Transformers 2 bad? I mean in the so-bad-and-stupid-it's-insulting kind of way?

It was like Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg were laughing at the audience the whole time and thinking: as long as it has Megan Fox wearing very little and all oiled up and shiny (I don't mind that, since I am a red-blooded American male and freely admit that, but for the fact she has zero acting abilities and is as annoying to listen to as finger nails on a chalk board), big robots going BOOM!, 2 hours+ of MTV glamor shots, 5 second ADHD friendly edits, and shaky-cam styled photography then they'll lap up any inanely crude drivel we throw at them and come back for more.

So, are these two films cut from the same cloth?

Transformers 2 was hit you in the stomach extremely hard when you aren't expecting it, right after thanksgiving dinner bad.....Knowing is more slap you in the face in front of a hot chick bad. Not cut from the same cloth, as Knowing can actually be interesting in some parts.

I think that Cage paid such a high price emotionally for his Oscar winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas, it scared him, no kidding. I first noticed the very young Cage in Birdy (1984). Although all the critics were salivating over Matthew Modine's performance, which was very good, Cage simply blew me away, he was INTENSE. I understand that Cage actually got drunk for some of his Leaving Las Vegas scenes. Brrrr! Do you want to talk about life imitating art?

For whatever reason, Cage's career choices have been mostly awful in recent years, with the truly awful Knowing being the most recent example. Maybe its for the best from his perspective, though. He has been married to his current wife for 5 years and is now 45 years old, so maybe his life is more stable these days because he takes fewer chances with his art.You are the best,gwsat.:)

I didn't realize this was a Transformers 2 thread.

Knowing, ironically, was extremely predictable. I had the whole movie, including the ending, figured out in the first 10 minutes.

Knowing was awful, i cant really say much more then that

Push wasnt good but i think it was at least worth watching if you're in the mood for something like that, great disc with good audio

I actually liked Knowing a fair bit, mainly because it was atmospheric and not a little creepy, plus the plot, while somewhat stupid, was ambiguous enough to keep me guessing (though I guessed correctly fairly early on).

Anyway, were I to fanwank the plot into some form of coherence, I would say:

The angels/aliens sent the message 50 years ago to PREPARE humanity for their demise. Lucinda wasn't supposed to entomb the message, but rather preach it (she was the apocalyptic prophet mentioned in the accompaning documentary on the disc). Cage's kid didn't become "chosen" until he saw the message, IMHO. Why Lucinda had so many black rocks was perhaps because she stayed near the pick-up site in hopes her daughter (with grand-daughter in tow, since she knew her daughter would not survive) would show up. Anyway, hard to say what Proyas was thinking, but this explanation closes most of the larger plot holes for me. I also think the end scene with the kids implies there are other humans there, and the "one tree" represents symbology found in several religions, so that place is somehow a "Eden".

Knowing and Push were fairly entertaining fare. I think I preferred Knowing, because it moved from between genres from investigative to creepy/horror to ultimately sci-fi. I have seen few things more violent than the subway scene - if you care to, you can really see the mangled humanity of it. Man. The plane scene was well done as well.

Push was okay, strangely, as awful as I think Dakota Fanning made War of the Worlds, I think she made this flick. I really enjoyed her work. A few years and a diet higher in fats and starches to fill her out and she could be a real somethin somethin.

Push have good PQ, but it's really bad!


Make Superheroes Entertainment Sci-Fi/Nerdy, not this mundane simple crap!

Push was okay, strangely, as awful as I think Dakota Fanning made War of the Worlds, I think she made this flick. I really enjoyed her work. A few years and a diet higher in fats and starches to fill her out and she could be a real somethin somethin.

I think she was fine in WOTW... It's just that sometimes her character was almost as annoying as that kid from The Ring; poor Naomi Watts!:)

All of the scenes involving school settings were stilted and unrealistic. I could almost believe that kids in the 1950s would be excited to bury a time capsule, but I have a much harder time believing that modern kids would be so rapturously excited to dig one up.


Well, they did get out of school for it, so I'm not sure it's so hard to believe... and I have a few "modern" kids. It can sometime surprise me how little it takes to get them excited.


And look at the MIT college students hanging on every word of Cage's boring lecture like it's the most fascinating thing they've ever heard in their lives. I swear I thought the teenage girls were going to throw their panties at him like a rock star on stage.


I didn't see that at all. Were they showing interest? Yeah. But, that analogy seems like a bit of an embellishment... or seen through the eyes of someone who already hated the movie by that point and was picking it apart (I mention that based on experience - once a movie has lost me, it's open season on everything else. There isn't one scene I can't destroy in "The Notebook").

Shoot, I'd be alert in Cage's class in case he throws that friggin' sun at me.

I watched Push tonight and thought it was enjoyable... I expected some crap like Jumper but it was actually fairly entertaining.


Sorry, but Jumper looks like Citizen Kane next to Push. I suffered through Push the other night and while the PQ and AQ were top-notch, the movie is easily one of the worst things I've seen this year. Thank goodness I didn't do a "blind buy" as that would have been like burning a $20 bill....actually watching money burn would have been more entertaining!

I sat through both of these this weekend and while I enjoyed "Knowing" in an MST3K kind of way I found almost nothing of worth in "Push." The actors were actually trying hard so I couldn't find much value in making fun of them like I did with Nic Cage.

i did not like knowing but did like push, so i guess i'm one of the few here that liked push.

Knowing was ok until they brought in aliens. At that point it got worse and IMO, outside of the terrible acting by Dakota Fanning and others in Push, Knowing dropped into the pit of moving making flops, almost like everything you wouldn't want to happen in a movie did. We get enough of that shite in reality who needs it in film. :D

Trying to tie in creation, "god", man's existence with aliens gets too convoluted. Stick to aliens making it happen or a "god", but not both.

Bottom line, they are both poor films worthy of a one star and barely a watch.

Did anyone have a sound problem with Push? I got a loud POP in the middle of it, during a fairly quiet scene. panny bd30k. integra 9.8

No I did not have a problem with Push with my PS3 and Integra 9.8

Push could have been good, if I can figure it out. It started out well. Being from HK, I loved seeing my home town. Though it's been 18 years since I've been back, the sights brought back fond memories. I don't know why the hate for Fanning here. She's acting like a typical teenager with battitude, you know, tough on the outside but confused and vulnerable on the inside.

The story feel off the cliff when

Chris Evan's character started writing letters to the others. I know the purpose was to prevent the Asian chick Watcher from knowing what they were gonna do, but I couldn't understand the logistics behind it.

Perhaps I'm just dense, but by the end I was like........f this.....i don't what the heck just happened in the last 1/2hr. Those Screamer dudes were annoying. What a stupid superpower to have. There is one redeeming quality: Camilla Belle. I loved her hair. She looks better in Push and 10000BC than she does in "normal" pictures.

edit: one more bonus from Push: the song "Consequence" by The Notwist. I bought it off of iTunes and have been listening to it all weekend.

I actually liked Knowing a fair bit, mainly because it was atmospheric and not a little creepy, plus the plot, while somewhat stupid, was ambiguous enough to keep me guessing (though I guessed correctly fairly early on).

Anyway, were I to fanwank the plot into some form of coherence, I would say:

The angels/aliens sent the message 50 years ago to PREPARE humanity for their demise. Lucinda wasn't supposed to entomb the message, but rather preach it (she was the apocalyptic prophet mentioned in the accompaning documentary on the disc). Cage's kid didn't become "chosen" until he saw the message, IMHO. Why Lucinda had so many black rocks was perhaps because she stayed near the pick-up site in hopes her daughter (with grand-daughter in tow, since she knew her daughter would not survive) would show up. Anyway, hard to say what Proyas was thinking, but this explanation closes most of the larger plot holes for me. I also think the end scene with the kids implies there are other humans there, and the "one tree" represents symbology found in several religions, so that place is somehow a "Eden".


I've always thought of God as the ultimate scientist--most of what's described in the Bible that sounds supernatural, would probably be more "natural" to modern man...like angels being aliens. Prophecy being glimpses through the space time continuum or whatever. Think about it, the universe has been maticulously designed in a very scientific fashion (if you believe in creation), there's no reason that the first race God created (angels) couldn't be aliens with the ability to see into the future using technology we don't understand.

I also don't remember the angels saying that only children would be saved, I do remember them saying it was a choice to those that heard the call. Lucinda heard the call, and even prepared(moved out to the location), but unfortunately overdosed. Those that heard the call were probably supposed to warn people, but lets face it, would ANY of us listen to someone screaming on a street corner that the world was about to end?...probably not. And considering there's nothing we could do about it but prepare for our end, it's not much help...we're all going to die anyway--but for those that needed their souls saved, well they eventually got the warning on TV right before they burst into flames LOL.

Anyway, I liked Knowing, but didn't love it.

Push was okay, but nothing to write home about.

I updated the firmware on my bd30 and still have the pop. it is in chapter 6 around 34:19 while Chris Evans is turning the book pages in the car.

Any thoughts? I would exchange the disk if I thought that might help. IF of course I can find a receipt.

i did not like knowing but did like push, so i guess i'm one of the few here that liked push.

You are not alone, I thought Push was very entertaining, and I'm hoping they make more. Good looking release, too.

I updated the firmware on my bd30 and still have the pop. it is in chapter 6 around 34:19 while Chris Evans is turning the book pages in the car.

Any thoughts? I would exchange the disk if I thought that might help. IF of course I can find a receipt.

Might be some bad discs floating around out there, my rented copy from BB online was tiling and freezing up pretty bad on several scenes in the beginning but was fine for the rest of the film. I did not any pop during that scene. I'm using a BD55.

I finally watched Knowing last night. I have to admit, I found it entertaining. That subway scene was insane!

The first hour and forty minutes of Knowing had every intention of being a religious mind being terror, thriller. The last twenty minutes ruined the 4 out of 5 star film and cut it back to a 2. ugh, so much promise only for a tacked on CGI ending.

Push should have been my kind of movie, but left me another 2 star flick from start to finish and I am a Dragon Ball Z fan, so I was hoping for the best.

I know it has been heralded here already, but the airplane sequence one easily one of the best 'action' scenes I've ever seen.. and that's saying something. The fact that it was a perfect blend of top-notch CGI, live action, natural elements, pyrotechnics, suspense, horror, emotion, and visceral cinematography is reason enough, but the fact that it was all done in a single, unedited take crosses the line into an astounding cinematic accomplishment.

The movie itself was GREAT up until the part where the kids are petting bunnies in the clearing of black stones. It had great writing, great suspense, great soundtrack, great build-up, great intensity, great progression, great atmosphere.. but they really dropped the ball in the last 10 minutes. Such a shame. I did enjoy the relatively-overlooked foreshadowing and symbolic elements of the story, and the cinematography was incredible. Oh and the film was shot on the RED cameras, hence the superb PQ (and it really is).

My deal was

I was willing to accept that it was an 'Alien'-type movie. I thought the creepiness they had presented them in throughout the film was really well done and lent to the intense atmosphere and build-up for the first 4/5th of the movie. I was even willing to accept the cheesy pre-ending with the spaceship landing and the kids saying corny lines to let John know it was ok. In fact, I had even started to enjoy the fact that they had left a little ambiguity there as to whether or not it was actually a good thing that the kids had left with the aliens and whether or not the world was actually about to end and he just gave up the kids for no good reason. I was enjoying all this quite well. I thought the shot of the Earth evaporating into dust was poetic and a perfect way to end the film (dust to dust after all, right?).. the only problem was they then showed this atrocious scene of the two kids (and presumably more) running through a meadow of CGI wheat towards a implied Tree of Life. Are you kidding me? Took 30 seconds to absolutely tarnish an otherwise enjoyable film

Anyway.. definitely worth watching.

Anyone else think that the Center channel was a bit low? Seemed I was turning up volume to hear the dialogue clearly, then turning down when the effects started.

Anyone else think that the Center channel was a bit low? Seemed I was turning up volume to hear the dialogue clearly, then turning down when the effects started.
I had no such trouble. In fact the Knowing DTS-HD MA soundtrack was one of the very best I have heard, great LFE track with no bottoming, boominess, or distortion, and clear dialog.

Anyone else think that the Center channel was a bit low? Seemed I was turning up volume to hear the dialogue clearly, then turning down when the effects started.
No dialog or volume issues here. Everything seemed clear and balanced.

but the fact that it was all done in a single, unedited take crosses the line into an astounding cinematic accomplishment.

Can we confirm that it was one take? I think there is a common misconception about the ending of "Children of Men." Many thought the final action sequence involving Clive Owen going into the apartment building to rescue the woman was one take. I read somewhere that there were a few clever cuts. Still impressive.

Can we confirm that it was one take? I think there is a common misconception about the ending of "Children of Men." Many thought the final action sequence involving Clive Owen going into the apartment building to rescue the woman was one take. I read somewhere that there were a few clever cuts. Still impressive.

In regards to CoM.. I believe it was multiple 'takes' of the entire sequence and they cleverly transitioned the best parts together (something like that). However for Knowing, on the behind the scenes Alex Proyas and the visual effects supervisor both state that it was a single, unedited take that they rehearsed and reworked many times.. and the last take is what made it on screen.

With regards to Knowing, did everyone else notice the over abundance of the color green throughout the movie? Almost all interior rooms were a shade of green. Most characters, even background extras, had clothing in a shade of green be it shirts or dark green suits. Most of the subway sequence was cast in green light. Unless my color calibration was off...;)

Anyone else think that the Center channel was a bit low? Seemed I was turning up volume to hear the dialogue clearly, then turning down when the effects started.


Not at all....the track was very dynamic though I thought....I think I watched at -1 from ref level (according to AVIA) and dialog was loud and clear at this volume level and the action scenes sounded incredible as well (again though very dynamic which is not for everyone).

I enjoyed Push, low expectations helped

+1 on Push, but it's films like Knowing that make me thankful that the format war is over. I'd hate to think anyone would buy it and claim to like it just because it was on their format of choice.

Anyone else think that the Center channel was a bit low? Seemed I was turning up volume to hear the dialogue clearly, then turning down when the effects started.

I had the same problem. I believe someone else mentioned it elsewhere in the thread as well. Some people may not be as sensitive to quick volume changes, but when you live with other people, it's an issue. When the plane came down, it was ridiculously loud.

Sounded great, but way too loud comparatively.

I didn't realize the thread would be this old. I guess it goes to show what some folks thought of these movies?? :)

Anyway, a friend asked what classical work Cage was listening to in the early stages of the movie Knowing while sipping what appeared to be his favorite beverage as well (at least in the movie).

I don't remember what he was listening to and I don't own the movie. Any help?? Thanks!

I enjoyed both films...Push would get the edge If I had to choose between the two. Technically speaking, both discs have incredible PQ/AQ and Summit has become one of my favorite studios for transfers.

On a side note, the green light has been given for "Push", a television show based on the movie Push. If you've seen the movie you know they have plenty of stories left to tell.

I actually enjoyed Push, Knowing was so-so. But indeed, Summit makes some nice looking BD's.

I didn't realize the thread would be this old. I guess it goes to show what some folks thought of these movies?? :)

Anyway, a friend asked what classical work Cage was listening to in the early stages of the movie Knowing while sipping what appeared to be his favorite beverage as well (at least in the movie).

I don't remember what he was listening to and I don't own the movie. Any help?? Thanks!

Beethoven Symphony No 7 in A Major, Op 92 (1811-12) 2nd Movement: Allegretto

Beethoven Symphony No 7 in A Major, Op 92 (1811-12) 2nd Movement: Allegretto

Thanks! I'll let my friend know as he doesn't visit the forum.