Those pesky U.S. government agencies -- they always have to make things difficult. No, I'm not talking about getting a passport, although that seems to be hellish these days, but about the groups looking to capture or neutralize the "different" people. After watching E.T. and similar films as a kid, I've had a love/hate relationship with special abilities -- I've wanted to read minds, see the future, etcetera, but I also feared that some scary, government agency would then hunt me down and conduct tests and experiments on me. If the government didn't get me, I was sure some corporation would fool me into working for them and fulfilling their evil plans, like Dark Visions. Not fun.It looks like my fantastical childhood fear is going to be relived on the big screen soon with a supernatural thriller called Push. The film stars Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), Dakota Fanning (Hounddog), Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) and Camilla Belle (The Chumscrubber) as young American ex-pats who are hiding out in Hong Kong. See, they all have telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities, so they're trying to hide from a government agency. As The Hollywood Reporter describes it: "They must band together and use their different talents to try to escape the control of the division." Where's Magneto and Professor X when you need them?! The film, which was written by David Bourla, will be directed by Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin).
1. I believe this comes under the heading of "milking the genre for all you can get". Chris Evans is known only AS a superhero, so you have typecasting. Hounsou is probably hoping to become the next Denzel Washington. And, as his "Pita", he gets the same (but now badly fallen) co-star. Dakota Fanning's handlers are probably hoping that, having at last gotten her in something of a clean and non-taumatic role since her depravitization in "Hounddog", she might make a comeback as a cheaper version of "The Invisible Girl"... a title which pretty well sums up her life since that movie. Let's hope for Hounsou that this association doesn't result in a "Hounsoudog" for HIS fledgling career. If Dakota's kiddie porn film attempts to come to theaters again- and the scandal erupts again in the press- it may do for "Push" what it did to "Charlotte's Web". Personally, I hope it turns out well... for the sake of that poor, exploited kid if for no other reason.
Posted at 3:49PM on Aug 26th 2007 by Steven Mark Pilling