Skip to main content
THE ORDER
Adapted from The Silent Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, The Order doesn’t reinvent the police procedural but instead delivers a finely-honed version of it; a taut thriller carried by strong performances, a sharp script and an emotional story that’s entirely too timely. Taking place in 1984, FBI Agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) and Sheriff’s Deputy Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan) investigate a string of bank heists and counterfeiting operations across the Pacific Northwest that they believe are linked to a local white supremacist militia. Their chemistry evokes Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe from Mississippi Burning, with the veteran Husk as a whirling dervish of anger and self-destruction opposite the earnest Bowen, whose innocence falls to pieces as he learns the true depths of American hatred. Rounding out the cast are Jurnee Smollett as Husk’s FBI superior, mostly to carry the emotional weight of the baddies’ bigotry, and Nicholas Hoult as Bob Matthews, the cabal’s sinister leader who’s trying to fund a racist revolution. Hoult is sufficiently charismatic and brings a level of humanity to an inhumane figure, but screenwriter Zach Baylin never lets the audience forget about Matthews’ myopia and violent ambitions. That rage permeates The Order, directed not only at our villains but also law enforcement personnel not interested in taking the threat seriously until bodies stop dropping. In the long run, The Order’s lack of ambition may keep it from greatness, but as a gritty crime drama with something to say, it’s exciting, fast-paced, and just as infuriating as it needs to be. R. MORGAN SHAUNETTE. Cinemark Clackamas Town Center, Regal Bridgeport Village, Regal Fox Tower.
BREAKUP SEASON
Breakup Season brings together what every good holiday rom-com needs: complete and utter chaos wrapped up in the holiday season’s trademark blend of cheer and grief. Writer/director H. Nelson Tracey has crafted a realistic and grounded coming of age breakup story set during the holiday season. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, audiences might see themselves and their families in Breakup Season’s plot and characters.
Ben (Chandler Riggs) and Cassie (Samantha Isler) are a twentysomething couple spending the holidays with Ben’s family in rural eastern Oregon. After their arrival and a tense family dinner, they get into an argument that leads to Cassie ending the relationship. This kicks off the movie’s chain reaction of misfortune, as now the former couple realize they are stuck together due to a heavy snowstorm. The family of supporting characters help navigate the highs and lows of an extremely awkward situation, with a standout debut performance from Brook Hogan as Ben’s mother, Mia.
Ben and Cassie’s relationship wasn’t strong enough to board the plane in the first place. But Riggs—best known as The Walking Dead’s Carl Grimes—steps into a more mature role of a broken yet ambitious post-graduate. Though this is technically a holiday film, Breakup Season really works at any time of year. NR. RUDY VALDEZ. Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango/Vudu, Google Play, YouTube.
FOR WHEN YOU GET LOST
The semi-autobiographical For When You Get Lost opens in the garage of June Stevenson (writer-producer Jennifer Sorenson) as she stages a suicide to manipulate a romantic relationship at its end. Before she passes out, June’s father (Mark L. Taylor) calls to reveal his aggressive terminal cancer, inspiring a road trip between June and her estranged sisters (Elizabeth Alderfer, Aja Bair).
The real-life Oregon resident features cool local scenery—shout-out to the train tracks behind the Bowline Hotel—but Sorenson’s real fondness for the Pacific Northwest lies at breweries where she once found coming-of-age community. The sea lions outside Astoria’s Buoy Beer Co., for instance, were a perfect calling card to anyone who has spent a weekend in the area.
The best parts of this project were clearly the ones Sorenson authentically experienced. But fictional licenses feel somewhat forced and unrelatable. June’s sisters and the rest of the cast, for example, feel undeveloped and random. The onscreen mixed-race family’s dynamics already don’t seem fully realized, so to learn later that much of the family is fictionalized felt like a distractingly misguided attempt at inclusivity. Black family members’ characteristics intrinsically felt detached from lived experience.
For When You Get Lost serves as an accurate portrayal of family dynamics entrenched in the complexity of death and anticipatory grief. But Sorenson’s experiences seem to be the ones that matter most. Had these characters and relationships been explored visually, the whole experience would read more impactful and sincere than the secondhand accounts of their father that June’s sisters deliver. NR. JAGGER BLAEC. Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu/Fandango.
And playing on the small screen...
SECOND CHANCE STAGE
Second Chance Stage is probably the most kind-hearted adult talent contest in TV history. Without the staple reality ingredient of drama, everyone works harder to pop onscreen. This new Max variety show—judged by country singer Martina McBride, actor Taye Diggs and SNL regular Heidi Gardner, and hosted by former NFL player Emmanuel Acho—treats its contestants with dignity, making sure that would-be performers’ talents and potential match how strongly their stories tug on viewers’ heartstrings. The judges watch singers, dancers, musicians, comedians and other skilled artists after learning about the detours that kept any of them from pursuing their biggest star fantasy. Sometimes it’s a personal or family crisis, other times it’s an unfulfilled dream that bursts out on Tik Tok.
Constructive criticism keeps this from being a total fluff-fest. Second Chance Stage is what would happen if every American Idol, X Factor, et al contestant was a Susan Boyle-type of Everyperson whose dreams of stardom were sidelined. The judges pick one person from each episode to advance to the finals, where the top entertainers will duke it out for a $100,000 prize, leaving many dreams unrealized. The episode featuring Vanessa Fuller, the founder and artistic director of Eugene-based Xcape Dance Academy, was not available for review, but is one of two episodes to release on Thursday, Dec. 12. Cameras don’t care how compelling personal stories are, so hopefully Fuller makes the most of her screentime. TV-14. ANDREW JANKOWSKI. Max.