andrew-a-floyd

25 May 2012

Finally! An exorcism movie worth seeing.

Last night, I realized that I must be an exorcism movie fanatic,because Anthony Hopkins and whoever that other guy was reignitedsomething in me.I have seen every mainstream exorcism flick in, at least, the last tenyears (Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Last Exorcism, Dominion: Prequel tothe Exorcist, and all of the exorcists for that matter). With theexception of some of The Exorcist series, the rest have basically beencrap. This movie brought the exorcism sub-genre(?) back from the brinkof death.The Rite is believable, adequately dark, and yet it doesn't try tooterribly hard. Its a bit slow, and it is enriched by having at leastlay knowledge of Catholic dogma or at least general spirituality. Theviewers patience, however, is not in vain. This movie pays dividends!Best thing about this movie: Anthony Hopkins and Demons.Worst thing about this movie: A little slow.Biggest Surprise: Michael. By film's end, this character is fullydeveloped.Go see it. Its worth paying to see... twice.

TSTARX

24 May 2012

Another over dramatized and artistic exorcism film, but this time more informative as well.

(MINOR SPOILERS) I've seen all of these films, The Exorcist, toStigmata. From Paranormal Activity to The Fourth Kind. I usually try tostay away from these films because they've become too metaphorical andexaggerated. And I must say, that The Rite is the most informative andbest Exorcism film to come out since Dominion.Reason is that the film explains a lot. Yes, it's still very artisticand over the top, but It's a debate film that allows the viewer to hearand see all the possibilities. The film ponders on the theories ofAlien Abductions and Demonic Possessions. You get to learn about thefine line that separates the two, or perhaps they are on the same sideof the line. Aliens or Angels, it doesn't really matter. What mattersis what it takes to help the victims. Father Micheal Novack is a manwho is perfect for the job. You get to see why he's perfect for thejob. This is a film about the Exorcist, more so than the possessedvictims. Only a certain priest can become an exorcist. In this film, hebasically becomes the Arch Angel Micheal himself.Symptoms are shown and then debated upon, leaving the viewersquestioning themselves as the film goes on. Until it gets to the latterhalf of the film where it becomes obvious that there is more to whatmeets the eye. Can a human evolve into a rabid beast? Or is it just badhygiene, a breakdown of the nervous system, a near death experience,rabies, over emotional behavior, spiritual possession, and/or mentaldegradation? Perhaps both, all, or perhaps one or the other that leadsto another. In the end, you get what you see on the screen, which is astory based on factual events, and that history has shown and provedthat the phenomena is quite real. I advise you pay attention to theonset of possession in the victims and why it happened to them. In thecase of Rosaria, she became possessed due to emotional trauma. As wasthe case with Anthony Hopkins' character. In a sense, a weak mindedperson would most likely break down and possession can occur.Exorcists are real, Exorcist school is real, and the films basicallyshows you why the Devil is real. It shows you why, and how, if andwhen, but theology aside, I must say, I was enthralled by thecinematography, beautiful Gothic settings coupled with a simple mellowdramatic soundtrack. The tone of the film reminds me of Rosemary'sbaby, or The Omen. It's slow, methodical, and doesn't rely on cheapthrills. The acting was very good for a film of this genre. Never haveI seen such great performances in a horror film. From the supportingcast to the leads, especially by Anthony Hopkins. This was his bestperformance since he played Van Helsing ironically, in Bram Stoker'sDracula. I do admit his performance was comical at times, which tookaway from the seriousness of the film. It's a PG-13 film for sure.Worth a watch for anyone interested in this paranormal phenomena.

Shankru_Spam_Begone

23 May 2012

It makes Park Chan-Wooks entire Vengeance Trilogy look about as violent as the Toy Story Trilogy

This is one of Håfströms most under-appreciated masterpieces. Thesticking point for most viewers is the lack of definite resolution,both in individual scenes and in the work as a whole--you need to haveat the least a tolerance for ambiguity to appreciate The Rite--but Ipersonally feel that this unresolved tension is not merely a device butis indeed the very essence of the film. Håfström, like all greatartists, understands that exploring the ambiguities both within ourpsyches and beyond our individual selves is the nearest path we have toknowing the unknowable and understanding the workings of creation. Fromthe standpoint of craft the film is flawless--the brief and seeminglyunconnected scenes slowly weave a tapestry of fear and tension, and thebeautifully understated cinematography by Håfströms long-timecollaborator Sven Blommson perfectly expresses both the inner fears andthe outer menace the characters experience without resorting todramatic and showy effects. The film explores with both power andfinesse our most basic and turbulent emotions--love, fear, anger andguilt are all given their sway in a multitude of subtle andinterconnected ways. This is a deliberate, thoughtful and ultimatelydisturbing fantasy that will be sure to stay with all sensitive viewerslong after the screen goes dark.

23 May 2012

anthony hopkins horror flick

This review is from: The Rite (DVD) if you watched silence of the lambs or hannibal, then you won't be disappointed after you watched this move which is a true story based on exorcism. anthony hopkins does his best performance and he's the one who makes this movie worth watching. it'll scare the daylights out of you so don't watch it alone.

Dave

22 May 2012

Critics are so full of themselves

For anyone who has read the critics reviews, don't pay them too much mind. This is a very good movie about possession. One of the best that I've seen since the "Exorcism of Emily Rose". This movie felt very real, unlike so much of the exorcist crap that normally hits the big screen. It was easy to get into the characters and relate to them. Anthony Hopkins did an awesome job and the supporting cast was very good. Anyone who felt that the movie was too slow probably has ADD, and anyone who believes the original exocist is better needs to stop living in the past. I thought "The Exorcist" was scary as hell when I saw it at age 12, when I saw it again in my twenties I spent most of the time laughing. I'm not trying to say that the original wasn't good. It was good for it's time, but this is a movie that is good for the present. If you enjoyed movies like "Stigmata" or "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" but at the same time thought that movies like "The Unborn" and "The Last Exorcism" were stupid and cheezy loads of crap, then this movie is for you.

joey-flats

22 May 2012

Better than The Exorcist

Not to worry...I don't include spoilers."The Rite" is better than "The Exorcist" simply because it explainsmore about the spiritual fight between Good and Evil and the reality ofevil spirit at work in the flesh (of humans). "The Exorcist" was thebest horror film of its time and it evoked more fear than "The Rite".But, evil spirit is outed more into the light of the general public'sunderstanding in the present movie.All of the actors were superb. There was a perfect amount of humor(especially with Father Lucas' comical relationship with the straycats), and I didn't worry about the movie's tempo.If there's an aspect that I must warn viewers about real life: TheSacraments are far more powerful than a thousand Exorcists and amillion Exorcisms. Why? Because the Rite of Exorcism relies on thepriest's strength of Faith and his relationship with God, and theSacraments are God's Presence, Himself.Why is naming evil spirit important? Reference Genesis and how mankindnames creatures in taking dominion of this world. Likewise, we mortalsdon't know the Name of God--yet, He calls us by name. Because Satan isa mere creature like us, but it is a fallen creature meant to bebeneath us--literally. However, Satan is the most cunning of creatures.We can't take dominion of a creature of highest intelligence withoutthe aid of the Creator of Intelligence.Evil spirit is fallen because of disobedience. But Jesus Chrits, theSon of God, wins our victory because of His Obedience through theSacrifice of death on the Cross. The value of the Holy Eucharist isequal to and IS the Body and Blood of Christ (if this is hard tounderstand, then look upon the legally binding contract of printedmoney and how we use it as currency).The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the opportunity of the soul toreclaim personal free will, name the sin (which is the name of the evilspirit), and all with the assistance of Jesus Christ.It's easier to understand if you're raised Catholic. Since I'mCatholic, I didn't need the movie's special effects.Now, when I study Catechism, I can't help but imagine Anthony Hopkinsexplaining it to me...with a Welsh accent even.

19 May 2012

Not nearly as good as expected

This review is from: The Rite [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) I was mostly disappointed with this movie. They seemed to copy a few "ideas" from The Exorcist, such as the older and younger priest and a few other things, but none of the great parts. I think Anthony Hopkins is a great actor, but not so much in this movie, which could have been the role he had to play. I expected it to be more on the scary side and more possessions, but was very disappointed. There are a few funny parts and a few good parts, but overall, I wish I rented instead of bought.

19 May 2012

2.5 STARS Started out well, but falters towards the end...left me wanting more and something different.

Anthony Hopkins is one of the finest actors that I have ever had the pleasure of watching. It's interesting that many people would call his "Silence of the Lambs" role as Hannibal Lecter quite possibly his finest piece of acting, and it was brilliant, but my favorite role was the job he did as Van Helsing in Bram Stoker's Dracula. While not honoring the book, Hopkins added flavor and brilliance to the role. So, when I heard that Hopkins was in the movie called "The Rite", I knew that I had to watch it. "The Rite" is a movie about the exorcists, and that's right up my alley.In "The Rite", a young man decides to enter the seminary after spending his life observing his father as a mortician. Wanting no part of life as an undertaker, but feeling limited to the life of a priest or an undertaker, the young man, Michael, chooses the priesthood, but for selfish reasons. Michael has a faith problem, and while there are those who believe in him in his ability to be a priest, Michael just wanted to steal an education. Ultimately, Father Superior talks Michael into taking a course in Rome on exorcisms. When the instructor, Xavier, finds Michael snotty little atheistic attitude to be revolting, he decides to send Michael and his doubts to see a real exorcist in action, Father Lucas, played exceptionally well by the aforementioned Anthony Hopkins.As it turns out, Michael is not as smart as he thinks, but he holds on to his doubts with all his might even when his doubts and skepticism becomes rather obtuse in light of the facts present before him. At this point, Michael actually tries to intervene on a possessed girl's behalf in a medical way and overrule Father Lucas. This proves costly. So, the basic battles here are the old ones between science and religion and good and evil and the role of Satan's deception of the human condition. Query, where does Michael's faith lie? Can Father Lucas show him the error of his ways? Will Satan win yet another battle and destroy more souls? Is demonic possession real or is just a medical condition that these people suffer from? Michael wrestles with these questions and what he chooses to believe in will ultimately decide the fates of several lives."The Rite" starts out well with a lot of interesting questions about exorcists and demonic possession and the question of faith and how it relates to the human condition--I like this much about "The Rite". However, I thought that the creators of this movie went in the wrong direction with regard to plot direction. "The Rite" is supposedly inspired by true events, and while that may be so, that does not shield the movie from warranted criticisms. Indeed, "The Rite" is very reliant on Michael's character and to be quite frank not reliant enough on Anthony Hopkins' character, Father Lucas. Indeed, I was not very impressed with that actor who portrayed Michael. Surely, they could have done a better job picking someone with superior acting ability, but they did not, and this hurts the movie. Anthony Hopkins was brilliant, however, and the scenes with Hopkins present are the most interesting scenes of the movie, so not only does Hopkins' acting ability overshadow everyone else's, but also the scenes of the movie with Hopkins present clearly overshadow the rest of the action of the movie. Indeed, "The Rite" left me wanting more Hopkins' scenes, but perhaps most importantly, I did not like the rash direction (that I saw coming a mile away--very predictable) that movie chose to go in about 2/3 of the way through the movie. I cannot analyze this much further as it would involve spoilers, but I just found this particular decision by the creators of this movie to be ineffective, anti-climactic and a bit over the top. This decision creates a rather anti-climactic ending and severely cripples the movie as it became predictable and boring at this point and sadly, it became rather silly in my opinion which goes against the grain of what this type of movie is all about. The plot execution was decent notwithstanding limitations in the acting, but there is no question that this movie did not live up to its potential. Even though "The Rite" is a decent movie about demonic possession and Catholic act of exorcism, the movie fails to deliver in spots, and left me wanting more. I thought that the scenes involving the exorcisms could have been much more effective. No one expects "The Rite" to be able to match up with the seminal classic movie on demonic possession and exorcisms called "The Exorcist" (maybe my favorite movie of all-time), but they could have spent more time with the dialogue between priest and demons and the exorcism scenes were clearly not very dynamic. The action flowed fairly well notwithstanding the uneven acting, the atmosphere was lacking at times and very inconsistent and while "The Rite" has style, it could have done more in the substance department. "The Rite" was suspenseful at times, but even though the movie is rated PG-13, I couldn't help but notice that "The Rite" is simply not a very scary movie at all. I would call "The Rite" a very light horror movie. In conclusion, "The Rite" is an interesting movie about demonic possession and the Catholic act of exorcism, but it is lacking in vital areas like atmosphere, suspense at times, very light on scares and while the execution was good the story itself takes a rash turn that cripples the movie's effectiveness. Last but not least, "The Rite" relies too much on the actor who plays Michael, and he's simply not up for the role. Too much Michael in this film and not enough of Father Lucas, "The Rite" proves to be a very interesting movie that grabs the viewer early on and builds on that promise, but ultimate begins to fade and crashes down to a miserable conclusion by the movie's end. Still, it's not without value as it is interesting, but do not over expect with this very mediocre movie.

16 May 2012

A waste of time...

This is a mix of a bad remake of "The Exorcist" and a Vatican marketing campaign to catch priests. It is a pity that such an actor like Anthony Hopkins has put himself in the role for this class B argument. The movie is full of common places and the typical catholic nonsense of the devil and a god. Shame on me that despite all the bad critics I decided to watch this movie anyway. My advise: keep your money for something better.

Christian_Dimartino

15 May 2012

Its not great, but its worth seeing.

Anthony Hopkins stars in a rare movie called The Rite. I say its rarebecause it is rare when a scary movie is good nowadays ( I mean, we'vegot a Single white female ripoff called The Roommate out right now).The Rite obviously isn't a great horror/thriller, but its a good one.Especially with the year beginning.Newcomer Colin O'Donoghue,stars as a man who needs an awakening fromhis mortician life. So, he goes to become a priest. After a while, herealizes that he doesn't actually want it. So, his teacher (Toby Jones)suggests that he goes to Rome to study exorcisms.Hopkins plays a priest who is "the best-of-the-best" when it comes toexorcisms. Hopkins gives a good performance, as he always does. Makingeven a horror movie look stylish. The Rite isn't a great movie. It says"Inspired by true events", but I mean, you don't know what to believehere.With something as magnificent as Black swan out right now, The Ritedoesn't stand a chance. But it's a decent movie. I enjoy stories aboutexorcisms, and The Rite goes into a lot of detail. Evben though you'renot sure if its all true.The performances are surprising also. Both Hopkins and the newcomer aredecent. Overall, I don't know what to believe about the film. But Ithink you should go along with it. I think its worth seeing, so, I saysee it.B

Sean

14 May 2012

Critics are once again off...

First off, if you're looking for a horror movie this isn't it...but it does have some scary parts and very disturbing content. There are deep religious overtones here...shocking for hollywood. The story of the priest is by far the most interesting thing about this movie. The acting is top notch and the movie is thought provoking. I think it's great and the deep story involving the priest makes the movie worth it...even if you're not Catholic. If you're looking for a thought provoking movie with some scares and great acting, it's well worth it.

chrismsawin

14 May 2012

Anthony Hopkins at his best

The Rite looked like it would be a mixed bag right from the start. Thefilm seemed to suffer the same fate many other films before it fellvictim to and that's giving away too much of the storyline in thetrailers. On top of that, it was a film that revolved around exorcismwhich is a subject that usually leads to disappointing results.Expectations would lead one to believe that The Rite would have enoughmomentum to reel you in only to drop the ball during its finale similarto last year's The Last Exorcism (except hopefully without theappearance of a neon red, glow in the dark fetus). Luckily, the filmhas a few surprises up its sleeve.The cinematography in the film is probably the first thing you'llnotice visually. The opening of the film makes things like drippingembalming fluid, a swing set on a playground, and an overturnedshopping cart seem more interesting than they really are. Rain is anelement used fairly often in the film to usually signify when somethinghas gone wrong or is about to. Whether the camera is placed up high tomake it seem like you're looking down on the cast from the heavens ordown low as if you're looking up at them from the depths of the earth,the rain sequences in the film are definitely some of the mostmemorable due to the camera work.This is probably a pretty obvious statement, but the film is worthseeing for Anthony Hopkins alone. It's not that Colin O'Donoghue doespoorly since he certainly has a strong screen presence and does afantastic job carrying the film, but Hopkins just manages to trump thatwhile stealing every scene he's in and rightfully so. Father LucasTrevant is the strongest and creepiest role Hopkins has played sinceHannibal Lecter and his best role overall in years. It's just amazingseeing a man in his seventies give a performance that's this physicaland this absorbing. Speaking of distinguished actors, it was niceseeing Rutger Hauer as well even if it was just for a small role.The dream sequences and hallucinations in the film may have been myhands down favorite. I've always been a fan of the surreal, theimaginative, the creative, and the things that don't seem to make senseat first but gain meaning as the film or story progresses. I neverthought I'd find myself intrigued with the actions of a mule or thatfrogs could have an even deeper meaning than what you're probablyexpecting, but The Rite accomplishes this very well.Thankfully, The Rite delivers an exorcism film that is actually worthseeing. It'll probably be forgotten about in a year filled with so manyblockbuster film releases, but considering that January and Februaryare usually filled with such monstrous duds at the box office The Ritemanages to surpass expectations. While the film does seem ratherreminiscent of The Last Exorcism and borrows the atmosphere from theHeath Ledger film The Order, The Rite is actually a better experienceoverall. With an engrossing performance by Anthony Hopkins along with afairly strong cast all around, its fantastic cinematography, surrealdream sequences, and a satisfying conclusion that doesn't hint at asequel, The Rite is actually a surprisingly decent film all around.

12 May 2012

You expected revolving heads? Pea soup? Too bad ....

THE RITE (2011), director Mikael Hafstrom, 1:55, is one of the worst films I have ever seen. Truly, one of the worst. Obviously it must be well known by now that it is about the Catholic Church and exorcism ... and let me say up front, the two versions, both laughable, of the original EXORCIST prequel were far better than this limp rag of a film.Let me give you the synopsis of this meandering and pointless story, cobbled together from discarded scraps of old Church urban myth: young man Michael Kovac (horrendously acted, if you can call it acting, by Colin O'Donoghue) becomes a seminarian, annoys the hell out of everyone, gets sent to Rome to be trained as an exorcist as a reward, meets an exorcist (Father Lucas Trevant by Sir Anthony Hopkins) who then becomes possessed. Guess who has to save the poor old exorcist? - get the picture? "Youth, come and save the Church from itself."Hopkins takes on a role that I thought Sir Ben Kingsley ought to have had, considering Kingsley's track record. (But he gets possessed, see, so they needed old Hannibal Lector one more time.) Fr. Trevant is a comical, eccentric old Welsh priest living in Rome - Fr. Brown of the Church of Rome incarnate. His attempted pithy one-liners sound junior high school-level at best - like the rest of the dialogue.Rutger Hauer as Michael's father Istvan is totally wasted here, as is Ciarán Hinds as Father Xavier the exorcist-trainer. Michael's gradeschool kid wardrobe is not the only thing this film ripped off of HARRY POTTER. Sad. In an important scene, Fr. Trevant blesses Michael and makes the sign of the cross backward: that is just one of many unbelievably stupid things in this film. It makes THE ORDER look like Oscar material.I have to say, Hopkins' Italian is perfect. I was angered and offended by the possessed pregnant girl and the young boy who suffered Satanic hoofmarks all over his body. A total creep show ... for what? To scare us? With its Wikipedia dialogue of silly arguments and confrontations, the thing could have at least chilled a little on the demonic and made it more cerebral. The attempts to make demonic possession seem like a worthy cerebral exercise remind me of the questions I see on the sophomoric Yahoo!Answers.This thing was released on the heels of the real-life situation with the Church needing exorcists and trying to train a new generation of priests to perform exorcisms. As it touts itself to be based on actual events, all I can say is I think I know upon whom the characters of Michael and Fr. Trevant are based. I say, I THINK I know. Then again, the typical disclaimer at the end of the credits tells us none of these characters is real anyway.As for the rest, give this thing a miss, please, I am begging. The theology on THE X-FILES was better. And so was the acting.

davideo-2

12 May 2012

Flat, tepid horror flick based on a true story

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Apparently based on a true story, this tells the tale of Michael Kovak(Colin O' Donoghue) who, after a crisis of faith, travels to Italy tomeet the unconventional Father Trevant (Anthony Hopkins) who it wouldseem has the power to perform exorcisms (wonder the pope didn't makehim a saint!) Initially held under the spell of the man and hismiracles, Michael of course soon finds all is not as it seems and thedevil lurks in every one of us.Although it was the crux of the story for a certain 1973 horror filmthat has irreversible cult status, the subject of 'exorcism' hasn'treally done the rounds in the genre since, just as well you may thinksince it hasn't become clichéd or corny, but on the other hand theremay have been many wasted opportunities to make it work effectivelyagain. But here it is, back at the forefront of another story, thistime apparently a true one (but there's all kinds of cranks out there!)Sadly, despite a decent set up and premise, The Rite manages to fallflat in most regards, a stale, tepid effort that moves at the pace ofyour average Sunday afternoon drama on the telly and never really findsit's teeth as a modern horror film. The colour is drowned out throughout, leaving some of the nice cinematography without it's full impact,and most of the cast, Hopkins especially, mumbling so badly as to beincoherent. The most well known cast member at one point says a line'be strong in the lord and the power of his might' which is exactlywhat he said as Van Helsing in Bram Stoker's Dracula, managing to turnin a performance as hammy and melodramatic as that.This is just a dull, uninvolving horror work, that doesn't come closeto convincing as a true story and would have no extra spark if it did.**

mm-39

11 May 2012

A question of faith

The Rite has a strong storyline. The movie is about a man who went toseminary school so the church can pay for his psychology degree. Duringan accident, another priest sees the protagonist's potential and sendsthe priest to exorcism school. The protagonist is analytical andquestions everything. The priest is sent to an experienced exorcist andmust learn through real experience if evil and God exists. One viewsthe movie's question of faith, and how through horrid events one'sfaith is tested, and sometimes horrid events create faith. AnthonyHopkins plays an excellent part as the eccentric exorcist priest. Igive the movie an eight out of ten.

11 May 2012

Must be true

This review is from: The Rite (Amazon Instant Video) This movie was SO GOOD and as accurate to what could really happen as possible. What I appreciate about this movie is that it kept true to what belief one must have in God to overcome evil. I remember at one point in the movie I kept thinking when is this guy going to get it and believe. I found it interesting that even the evil spirit was telling him to wake up and believe that it was real. Often times for us in this world it is so easy to turn off your spiritual senses that you don't know when evil or good is at your door step. I also thought where is God in this movie and it came to me: God is always there, but sometimes when your faith is lacking he will allow things to happen to you or others around you until you acknowledge the fact that he is there and that you can't do it alone and that he never left you alone in the first place. This was a fantastic movie! I recommend all to watch it.

IMDB_Vits

08 May 2012

Id rather be possessed by PAZUZU than be saved by HANNIBAL().

Starring:Colin O'Donoghue and Anthony Hopkins as THE RITE performers.So what is the problem with this movie?Not to sound anti-catholic,but Ihad problems with the idea.So a guy's who's about to become a priest issend to the other side of the world to risk his life only to basicallybe forced to believe in God?And in the Devil?Director Mikael Hafstrom fails to create the right atmosphere,makingthis movie as scary as the cats in the movie...which aren't scary.I dogive it points for not being laughable as many expected.I actuallylaughed more with THE EXORCIST(don't get me wrong,I liked that onebecause it was 90% scary and 10% funny).Speaking of the Devil(no pun intended)...Despite how bad this movieis,it's really unfair how it's been called a rip-off of THE EXORCISTjust because the story is about an exorcist.Despite the slow pacing,thestory is somewhat interesting because they don't try to clone thatclassic.At one point,FATHER LUCAS actually jokes saying "What did youexpect?A turning head vomiting pea soup?".Yes,both movies havesimilarities but when a premise has been used so many times it startsto become another genre.A lot of alien invasion movies are similar,butis MONSTERS a rip-off of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL,CLOSEENCOUNTERS,E.T. or INDEPENDENCE DAY?No,it actually rip-offs DISTRICT9,CLOVERFIELD and STALKER.I've heard people say INDEPENDENCE DAY isripped-off in SKYLINE which is ripped-off in BATTLE L.A.,when in factSKYLINE rips-off WAR OF THE WORLDS and BATTLE L.A. rips-off BLACK HAWKDOWN and THE THING RED LINE.Wait...what was I talkingabout?Oh,yeah.Anyway,how can a movie about an exorcism be made in anyother way than a priest reading the bible at a possessed person in anon-scary way?And how can a movie about an alien invasion be made inany other way than aliens going to Earth and fight against humans?Among the many bad things with people,there's one everyone admits withno problem,probably because it's not so serious.I'm talking about thecelebrity fixation.If celebrities suffer a tragedy,we usually accompanythem.If something simply bad happens to them,we enjoy it.A good exampleis watching a legendary actor like Hopkins agreeing to be in movieslike this.His performance,while disappointing,wasn't that bad.It's verystrange though.He at least tried,even though he clearly signed onknowing it was going to be bad.And earlier this year,he chose YOU WILLMEET A TALL DARK STRANGER thinking it was going to be good,but hedidn't try at all in that movie.However,if you're an official voter for the Razzies,you should focus onO'Donoghue.He reminded me of 2 performances from this year:AlexPettyfer in I AM "NUMBER 4" and Adam Sandler in JUST GO WITH IT.Yousee,he's a pretty boy that makes you wonder where are they all comingfrom(probably from a modeling agency instead of an acting school)thatkeeps the same face the whole movie except when the script literallytells him to emote,but all we get is a change of face.So yeah,he's acombination of those 2 actors...he's worse than them together!Alice Braga is very interesting in how she acts.Her sad puppyeyes(which I don't think are intentional)may prevent you fromconnecting with her.While she improved from her weak performance inREPO MEN months ago,she needs to be more careful when choosing amovie.Another person I have to mention is Marta Gastini,who I felt wason the same level as Hopkins(remember that' not a good thing).Grades:D- in the U.S. and 3,0 in Chile.

sid-Jo

08 May 2012

The Rite

The tone, mood and atmosphere sat well with the theme of this film andHopkins as usual was excellent and raised the film another level in hisscenes. I did find the lead a bit insipid and expressionless whenperhaps some of his more alarming moments could have been portrayedwith a bit more concern but the rest of the cast fitted well withintheir respective roles especially the pregnant girl. It kept meengrossed and on edge at and was well padded out, no more no less. Thiswas a film i didn't have on my radar but it seems not to have caught onwith the public and it deserves much more recognition and promotionthan it appears to have received. It is well worth watching, you willremember Hopkins's performance as a standout and i would if i couldaward him an 8.5/10 it being one of his best performance of recenttimes and the film a a 7.5.

brandonsullivan91

08 May 2012

God loves you first

The Rite was a slow and plodding tale of one man's journey to God'slove. At a snail's pace we watch Michael Kovak's frustration in Godgrow until Kovak is ready to drop out of seminary. A last ditch trip toRome is all that stands between the "Priest to be" living a life ofatheism.Kovak runs into Father Lucas (Hopkins) and starts exploring the realityof demons. The overwhelming evil encountered by Kovak leads him tofaith in God's love for him.I was very surprised The Rite included the message, albeit brief, thatGod loves us first by His choice, not by anything we could ever do.Bravo! The devil brings up very valid points that we are guilty of manysins and we are not "worthy" of love, but God in His infinite lovechooses us. Sadly exorcism movies spend 90% of the time focusing on thepower of the devil when God's power is far greater and more fun. Idon't recommend this movie unless you are an "exorcism movie junkie"like myself. It is just far too slow and the relationship that shouldexist between Lucas and Kovak does not materialize and isn't endearing.Read the Bible if you are interested in a dynamic exorcism story.

petit76

08 May 2012

Survival of Exorcism sub-genre with the phenomenon acting by a giant actor

The Rite looked like it would be a mixed bag right from the start. Thefilm seemed to suffer the same fate many other films before it fellvictim to and that's giving away too much of the storyline in thetrailers. On top of that, it was a film that revolved around exorcismwhich is a subject that usually leads to disappointing results.Expectations would lead one to believe that The Rite would have enoughmomentum to reel you in only to drop the ball during its finale similarto last year's The Last Exorcism (except hopefully without theappearance of a neon red, glow in the dark fetus). Luckily, the filmhas a few surprises up its sleeve.The cinematography in the film is probably the first thing you'llnotice visually. The opening of the film makes things like drippingembalming fluid, a swing set on a playground, and an overturnedshopping cart seem more interesting than they really are. Rain is anelement used fairly often in the film to usually signify when somethinghas gone wrong or is about to. Whether the camera is placed up high tomake it seem like you're looking down on the cast from the heavens ordown low as if you're looking up at them from the depths of the earth,the rain sequences in the film are definitely some of the mostmemorable due to the camera work.This is probably a pretty obvious statement, but the film is worthseeing for Anthony Hopkins alone. It's not that Colin O'Donoghue doespoorly since he certainly has a strong screen presence and does afantastic job carrying the film, but Hopkins just manages to trump thatwhile stealing every scene he's in and rightfully so. Father LucasTrevant is the strongest and creepiest role Hopkins has played sinceHannibal Lecter and his best role overall in years. It's just amazingseeing a man in his seventies give a performance that's this physicaland this absorbing. Speaking of distinguished actors, it was niceseeing Rutger Hauer as well even if it was just for a small role.The dream sequences and hallucinations in the film may have been myhands down favorite. I've always been a fan of the surreal, theimaginative, the creative, and the things that don't seem to make senseat first but gain meaning as the film or story progresses. I neverthought I'd find myself intrigued with the actions of a mule or thatfrogs could have an even deeper meaning than what you're probablyexpecting, but The Rite accomplishes this very well.Thankfully, The Rite delivers an exorcism film that is actually worthseeing. It'll probably be forgotten about in a year filled with so manyblockbuster film releases, but considering that January and Februaryare usually filled with such monstrous duds at the box office The Ritemanages to surpass expectations. While the film does seem ratherreminiscent of The Last Exorcism and borrows the atmosphere from theHeath Ledger film The Order, The Rite is actually a better experienceoverall. With an engrossing performance by Anthony Hopkins along with afairly strong cast all around, its fantastic cinematography, surrealdream sequences, and a satisfying conclusion that doesn't hint at asequel, The Rite is actually a surprisingly decent film all around.Evren Buyruk