I've always thought that whenever a movie has to rely on flashbacks to tell its story, than such a film is doomed to fail. Add in a weak maguffin, than your recipe for disaster is off the charts. Such is the case with the plodding dud that is, "Push," a low-brow saga that seriously needed about half an hour shaved from its running time.
"Push" seemed to have the necessary elements for an enjoyable romp, but its story about covert psychic agencies was never able to take off. The fact that the actors seemed as though they were reciting preposterous lines didn't seem to help. The only worthwhile bit of cinema that seemed to come out of this takes place in the final 20 minutes of the film when a supercharged action scenes take flight. Besides that, it's mostly cringe inducing.
One last thing about "Push" -- a scene in which a young Dakota Fanning is toting a pair of guns is inexcusable and lacked discretion. Shame on the producers for including that in the picture.

5/10

Sometimes a movie just needs to get on with it. Such is the case with, "The International," a film that fails to capitalize on one of the best action sequences in years with sluggish pacing everywhere else. Conceptually, the plot is stout and features a central enemy that all audience members can relate to (a global bank), but the endless dialogue keeps this from being the gripping thriller that it should have been. Indeed, the aforementioned action scene, a thrilling shoot-out in NYC's Guggenheim, is pretty much the only thing that distinguishes "The International" as an above par experience. All else, in my opinion, is only moderately entertaining.
7/10