The Chomedey News - Laval News

THE ORDER
Synopsis: For centuries a secret Order has
existed within the Church. Following a
series of unexplained murders, renegade
priest Father Alex Bernier begins an investigation
that
hurls him into a
maelstrom of
unimaginable
evil, murder
and the knowledge
that there
is a fate worse
than death.
F a t h e r
Bernier's
22 • THE CHOMEDEY NEWS • September 6, 2003 • www.chomedeynews.ca
Screening Room
search takes him to The Sin Eater--a key
figure in this mysterious and ancient Order.
The immortal Sin Eater's role is nothing less
than playing God on earth by absolving the
unforgiveable of their sins outside the
Church, allowing greater evil to go unpunished.
Burdened by centuries of evil, the Sin
Eater craves the luxury of death. But who
will eat his sins and grant eternal peace?
Who will carry on his dark tradition and
continue the work of the Order? As the
young priest uncovers the answers and pursues
these paragons of evil, he fights to save
his own soul and that of troubled artist
Mara, the woman he loves.
Genre: drama, romance, thriller
Rating: 13+ for violence
DICKIE ROBERTS:
FORMER CHILD STAR
Synopsis: TV child
star of the '70s, Dickie
Roberts is now 35 and
parking cars. Craving
to regain the spotlight,
he auditions for a role
of a "normal" guy, but
the director quickly
sees he is anything but
normal. Desperate to
win the part, Dickie hires a family to help
him "replay" his childhood and assume the
identity of an average, everyday kid.
Several folk who are also involved in
Dickie's special world include: Sidney,
Dickie's longtime friend and agent; Cyndi,
his on-again, off-again girlfriend; Peggy,
Dickie's real mother; George, Dickie's
adopted father figure; and Grace, his adopted
mother figure. medallion and face down
the evil Highbinders who desperately want
it back.
Genre: comedy
Rating: PG for some language
JEEPERS CREEPERS 2
Synopsis: Returning home from a championship
game, a group of varsity basketball
players, cheerleaders, and coaches become
stranded on the infamous East 9 Highway in
Poho County--only it's the cunning Creeper
who has actually crippled their bus. As its
23 horrifying days of flesh-eating comes to
an end, the Creeper has embarked on its
final voracious feeding frenzy. As night
falls, the terrified group of young athletes
must fight their own fears and prejudices
and come together in a seemingly hopeless
struggle against a winged nightmare--hellbent
on stockpiling as many victims as it
can on the ultimate night of its grizzly, ritual
fest.
Genre: horror, sequel, thriller
Rating: 13+ for horror violence and
language
COMING SOON
• MATCHSTICK MEN
• ONCE UPON A TIME
IN MEXICO
• THE FIGHTING
TEMPTATIONS
• UNDERWORLD
• DUPLEX
MOVIE REVIEW
OPEN RANGE
✰✰✰✰
Open Range marks Kevin Costner's return to
form as director and actor. Featuring breathtaking
vistas and panoramic shots of nature
untouched, it's safe to say that there are only
two genres in which Costner excels: westerns
and baseball dramas. With the help of famed
director of photography, James Muro (JFK,
Casino), Costner creates an evocative film that
hearkens back to the days when a film felt and
looked like an organic creation, not a product of
green screen technology.
Kevin Costner's Open Range is a welcome
return to the Western and more specifically to
the romantic West. It's a place where the good
guys are gentlemen and believe in things like
chivalry, good intentions, justice, freedom, and
love. So maybe the last one seems a bit out of
place, and really, that is the one clear and disappointing
flaw with the film. Otherwise, Costner
is at the top of his game, both behind and—in
something of a rarity—in front of the camera.
The characters of the romantic West say little
but reveal much in their silence. They have
secret pasts that present events are sure to
uncover. They don't take guff from anyone, and
if the system's broke, you'd better believe
they're aiming to fix it. This kind of material
fits comfortably—perhaps a bit too comfortably.
It's a double-edge sword, this level of
familiarity. On one level, the images, characterizations,
setting, and atmosphere all have a history
and are more effective and, at times, powerful
because of it, but on another, the outcome
is never fully in doubt. Screenwriter Craig
Storper (working from a novel by Lauran Paine)
maintains a deliberate focus on his two central
characters and, in the process, gives us people
who are more variable than the story they occupy.
The film is meticulous in its setup, allowing us
to indulge in the era and setting. Costner and
first-time cinematographer James Muro capture
an elegant, idyllic landscape in rich detail. The
wide open spaces are contrasted with the
gloomy, typically rainy streets and dark, threatening
interiors of the town. The transition
between the two moods of the film is subtle,
beginning with the silhouettes of the masked
assailants on the horizon and moving into a
small forested area where they're hiding. As the
story returns to the town, it has changed. The
rain pours from the roofs, the road is flooded,
and the dialogue is almost indiscernible under
the noise. There's something almost breathtaking
about this image of Boss and Charley walking
down this dirt road in the rain with their
guns, because it reminds us of so many other
such scenes. Munro uses minimal, ambient
lighting to great effect, with shadows falling
naturally upon the proceedings and characters.
Sometimes it is only a flash of lightning that
allows us to see a character and then only for a
few seconds. Costner uses the slow pacing to
gradually build suspense from the image of the
masked heavies, through the rest of story, and to
its logical conclusion.
How Open Range rises above the pitfalls of latter
day western genres is through staying true to
form. There is no gross overuse of CG technology
or camera tricks—clean and simple angles
and modest dialogue complement the splendid
scenes of mountains and prairies. Featuring one
of the best-paced fight scenes of the year, this
film climaxes on a good note despite the ample
time it takes to see any action.
Still, for a man with more than his fair share of
failures, Costner has managed to redeem himself
with this interesting and generally solid
endeavor in the world of the western. It may not
have the Duke's boots to walk in, but "Open
Range" covers a lot of ground just fine with its
own.
Peter Trenton