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 <strong>The</strong> Sin Eater--a key figure in this mysterious and ancient Order. <strong>The</strong> 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. <strong>The</strong> characters of the romantic West say little but reveal much in their silence. <strong>The</strong>y have secret pasts that present events are sure to uncover. <strong>The</strong>y 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. <strong>The</strong> 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. <strong>The</strong> wide open spaces are contrasted with the gloomy, typically rainy streets and dark, threatening interiors of the town. <strong>The</strong> 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. <strong>The</strong> rain pours from the roofs, the road is flooded, and the dialogue is almost indiscernible under the noise. <strong>The</strong>re'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. <strong>The</strong>re 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
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