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Weekend Movie Forecast: <em>The Rite</em> Vs. <em>The Mechanic</em>

It's strange; whenever one of these possessed/exorcism movies comes out, like today's The Rite, it always says it's "inspired by true events." Most of these religious horror movies take place in relatively contemporary times, so isn't it a little odd that we never hear about these "actual events" on the news or anything? It's not like we read the Christian Monitor everyday to check, but you'd think that the church would want to publicize these actual satanic possessions as a way of proving that there are actually forces of good and evil and that the church can save you from them. Maybe a nicely timed spot on TMZ or a new TLC reality show on exorcisms (better yetâa celebrity version starring LaLohan!) would help the church get some fresh blood. Just a thought. Anyway, The Rite stars Sir Anthony Hopkins (it's getting harder to remember why the man was knighted to begin with) as priest Father Lucas, who introduces a skeptical seminary student into the darker side of his faith... child molestation, err, we meant Satan.Reviews have been pretty bad, but what else did you expect from the Liberal Media? Pinko film reviewer Joshua Rothkopf from the leftist Time Out New York says: "You wait, bored, with demons crawling up your ass, for the good stuff to start. And when it finally doesâall-white contact lenses, pulsating veins, barking voices from another dimension, etc.âitâs so typical, the mind still canât help but wander."Hollywoodâs hocus-pocus machine has turned out swill like this before, but even ultra-observant Catholics will find their interest waning. Hammy acting should make nonbelievers of the rest." — Gothamist

Published Jan 28, 2011

Modified Jan 28, 2011

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Click on the film stills for more details and reviews of this week's new releases and repertory screenings, which include: The Rite, The Mechanic, Biutiful, Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster, Kaboom, From Prada to Nada, Rage, Strongman, When We Leave, Blackmail Boys, Ghostbusters, and The Birds.