Knowing — Those who favor the “M” portion of the S&M equation are probably intimately familiar with the works of Nicolas Cage over the past decade or so. It’s hard to imagine a more masochistic experience than sitting through the likes of The Wicker Man, Bangkok Dangerous, and Ghost Rider, but director Alex Proyas (Dark City) may have topped them all with his latest brain-bender. Knowing features Cage in full bug-eyed Froot Loops mode as astrophysics professor John Koestler, who believes he’s uncovered evidence of an impending apocalypse encoded in letters unearthed from a time capsule. Roger Ebert called it “among the best science-fiction films I’ve seen” and was shocked to learn his opinion was decidedly in the minority. Still, those for whom pain is pleasure ought to be ecstatic to have another Cage fiasco to tide them over until the release of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.
The Unborn — This torpid tale of demonic possession is a junker made up of spare parts from better horror films, but it does offer plentiful opportunities to ogle Odette Yustman running around in her underwear. Unfortunately, she also attempts to act.
Push — Fans of Heroes and The X-Men should consider renting this telekinetic tale of genetically engineered mutants (Dakota Fanning, Chris Evans) on the run from a secret government agency known as the Division. Non-fans are probably best off avoiding it.
Matlock: The Third Season and Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Tenth Season — It’s never too late for love — at least, we assume that’s the rationale for the simultaneous release of these two senior-friendly boxed sets, sure to make any eligible octogenarian the envy of the retirement community. Buy it now to get the jump on Grandparents’ Day.
