Movie Review: The Rite

THE RITE (2011), Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga and Ciarin Hinds. Directed by Mikael Hafstrom.

THE RITE is an eerie psychological suspense thriller, based on a true story, which uses the exorcism of demons as a platform to explore questions of faith and relationships within its characters. Hafstrom portrays Fr. Lucas (Hopkins) as an aloof Roman Catholic priest conducting exorcisms in Florence, when the instructor at the Vatican’s College of Exorcism (Hinds) sends a conflicted, young seminarian named Michael Kovak (O’Donoghue) to witness Fr. Lucas’ handiwork. The screenplay, exquisitely crafted by Michael Pettroni and based on a book by Matt Baglio, artfully provides the exposition of Kovak’s upbringing as the son of a mortician (Rutger Hauer) providing a believable course of events that lands the floundering theologian in the Vatican. His tutelage under Fr. Lucas does not seem to yield any positive results, until Kovak must perform an exorcism on his own.

By design, Hopkins loafs through the first half of the film before rising to heights comparable to his Lechter roles. O’Donoghue shines brilliantly in a starring role – forget supporting actor nods — and there is no doubt the Irish actor will be great demand based on this performance. Remember the name Marta Gastini, who turns in a haunting role as the demonically afflicted Rosario. There will be no “I’ll have what she’s having” in this film.

The scariest part of the film for me is the mere thought of Hauer as my funeral director after all his roles in slasher films throughout the decades. Hafstrom’s The Rite is understated terror without any over-the-top special effects. The demonic behaviors are consistent with most first-hand descriptions, and the exorcism ritual is accurate, although not spot on. The spooky lines and subtle nuances in the film add to an already frightening atmosphere. Folks, the toads and the cats are no accidents, as they often are associated with the demon Ba’al. I entered with high expectations for this film, and was not disappointed.

Four shamrocks out of five.

Oracle of Bacon: Anthony Hopkins (2), Colin O’Donoghue (3), Rutger Hauer (2), Ciaran Hinds (2) and Alice Braga (2).

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Mike Wallace Interviews Rod Serling (1959)

Mike Wallace interviews a former Cincinnati TV ad writer. Don’t you just love the internet, making this available on demand!

Orange Pancake – Original Recipe

Orange Pancakes with Maple Syrup and Butter

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk (or more)*
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 navel orange, peeled and divided
1 tbs. vegetable oil or canola
Option: orange zest

Preheat skillet to medium heat. For extra “oranginess,” zest an orange and combine about 1/2 tsp with the flour, baking powder and sugar. Peel and divide the orange, cutting the orange sections in half width-wise. Stir in 1/2 cup milk. Add OJ and stir well, or blend with a mixer. *Add milk to make a batter consistency. Add orange chunks.

Pour oil on hot skillet, and let it expand until it starts to ripple. Pour the batter to make 6-inch pancakes. Because of the added sugar from the orange and OJ, the batter will brown more quickly than regular batter, so turn them before the batter bubbles completely. Grill to a golden brown. Serve with butter and 100% pure Canadian maple syrup. 😉

* I didn’t measure the extra milk I added. I also used just one egg, but I think the pancakes would have been fluffier with two.

This time around, I didn’t make my own maple syrup!