Knowing

(USA/Australia, 2009, 120 minutes)

A recently widowed MIT astrophysicist discovers that the list of numbers buried fifty years earlier in a time capsule by a strange high school student correspond almost exactly to a list of catastrophes — of which the last three are yet to happen. Apocalyptic horror thriller that is technically impeccable but seems a composite of earlier, better films; the religious subtext leaves a somewhat bitter taste.

Summit Entertainment presents an Escape Artists production, in association with Mystery Clock Cinema and Goldcrest Productions; produced with the assistance of Film Victoria. Starring Nicolas Cage; Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, Ben Mendelsohn. Directed by Alex Proyas; produced by Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, Alex Proyas; screenplay by Ryne Douglas Pearson, Juliet Snowden and Stiles White, based on a story by Ryne Douglas Pearson; music by Marco Beltrami; director of photography (DeLuxe, widescreen), Simon Duggan; production designer, Steven Jones-Evans; costume designer, Terry Ryan; film editor, Richard Learoyd; visual effects supervisors, Andrew Jackson, Eric Durst.