Good story, Not enough for a whole film

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The movie drags viewers into a world when psychic abilities are common and each ability has a cute name.The pity is that Hollywood itself totally lacks any of these abilities, most especially the "watchers." Otherwise someone would have noticed that the great ideas in the story were steam-rolled under a chewy and wandering script.As I have said in some 1350+ reviews here, the key to a good movie is audience connection. It is that simple. In the opening of the Matrix for example we connect with Neo and he carries us through the film.Here all the characters are in a "connection vacuum" save for Fanning who holds the attention by star power alone. It is ironic how the script makes such a fuss about her "being 13 years old" when typical of Hollywood she was at the time 15 "playing younger." Turns out the strange world presented in the movie is quite normal and boring compared to the inner workings of Tinseltown itself.This film could have been something special. Instead it will go into the annals of film history as merely an oddity.

Push (2009): Dir: Paul McGuigan / Cast: Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou, Ming-Na Wen: Inventive adventure that plays with mind, matter and logic. Title doesn't exactly describe this science fiction thriller in full but the special effects and action are the payoff. Plot regards government agents seeking individuals with special powers while those sought seek a case containing an antidote. Clever but plays off the expected action violence in third act. Directed by Paul McGuigan who previously made the underrated Wicker Park as well as Lucky Number Sleven. Chris Evans plays a telekinetic who witness his father's death as a boy. He will become involved in a plot where he must locate the antidote as well as protect a past lover. Dakota Fanning plays a young contact who can see the future. She becomes instrumental in pushing Evans forward as well as provide key information towards the end. Camilla Belle plays a woman sought by government agents. She was once involved with Evans but now she is on the run as the first survivor of the experiment. Ming-Na Wen also assists then in their search. She is fortune teller in Hong Kong. Finally there is Djimon Hounsou who plays the sly villain responsible for the death of the hero's father. Perhaps his dismiss was anti climatic but this is a pointless effects spectacle that pushes for entertainment. Score: 6 / 10

Evans fits well with his character and his chemistry with Fanning is charming. Both do a great job in keeping the film grounded and though there are supernatural elements to this, it feels very real and rugged. The rest of the cast too were good, though some lines feel like they were delivered quite monotonously. I really would have loved it if they had more of Ming-Na Wen though. She plays Emily, and appears in a few scenes then absolutely disappears in the ending.The setting and the cultural input also really helped to bring some colour to the film. It also made it easier to have a kind of Mafia and guns going on thing since the Chinese are typically used as gangsters in films. Now that I think about it, the stereotypical roles in this regarding race is so very typical and horrible. Evans, Fanning and Belle who are all white, are also the good guys. Division is run by a black person, and the other group going against them are the Chinese gangsters. Wow.On to other things, the visual effects were well done and kept to a minimal which made it more realistic. The cinematography, editing and directing was all well done and came together quite well.The story was pretty intricate but not hard to follow and I really liked it. It seems unfair to end it the way it did, and I am expecting a sequel but seeing as there still isn't any, I'm a bit disappointed. This film does seem to be underrated and apart from the stereotypic racial roles, I quite like this film.Read more movie reviews at: championangels.wordpress.com

It started with the Nazis experimenting on people with psychic powers. Now there is a secret organization called Division that seeks to research and control people with powers. Nick Gant (Chris Evans) is a second generation Mover who has telekinetic powers. Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning) is a Watcher who can see into the future. She teams up with Nick to find a suitcase that will bring down Division.The idea of a secret world of people with superpowers never made a lot of sense. These powers are so great that it's questionable how they could possibly keep any of it a secret. It'd be better if the world isn't so clueless. It would give it better realism.I do like other realism in this movie. I like the real HongKong locations. I like the real effects, real stunts, and limiting the CG. I like that aspect of the movie.Chris Evans is OK as the lead, and I found Dakota Fanning interesting with a bit mystery. But Camilla Belle is too wooden. The story is over-explained and yet somehow seems confused. Director Paul McGuigan didn't get the best out of everybody.