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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2 
 
Author Topic: Da Vinci Code
Justin Gorka
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 174
From: High Wycombe, England
Registered: Apr 2006


 - posted 05-18-2006 07:54 PM      Profile for Justin Gorka   Email Justin Gorka   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Well, having NOT read the book I quite enjoyed it. I'm not sure Tom Hanks was the right person and there were a few corny bits, but on the whole the time passed quickly (2hrs 28 mins)which to me is always a good bench mark.

Oh, and for those religious members please try to remember it is a work of FICTION so lets not have any banner waving!

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 05-18-2006 11:54 PM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Oh, and for those religious members please try to remember it is a work of FICTION so lets not have any banner waving!

Humm.... I think Larry Miller's playing it here in SLC.... [Eek!]

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 05-19-2006 01:37 AM      Profile for Mike Blakesley   Author's Homepage   Email Mike Blakesley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Must not have any gay cowboys in it then, eh? [Big Grin]

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Robert John Jeromson
Master Film Handler

Posts: 264
From: Auckland, New Zealand
Registered: Jul 2004


 - posted 05-19-2006 03:37 AM      Profile for Robert John Jeromson   Email Robert John Jeromson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I had a conversation with someone today who was of the opinion that you would have to be on drugs, with a concussion, blind and with perforated ear drums to appreciate this film. Whilst I think that is unnecessarily harsh I do believe had I not seen it at 11:00pm in the evening and instead seen it during the day with an audience I might have thought more of but, as is so often the case it doesn't live up to its hype and is lukewarm at best.

Sections of it are intriguing but overall I found it flat, Hans Zimmer score is impressive (as always though).

2.5 out of 5.

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Phil Blake
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 558
From: esperance western australia
Registered: Nov 2003


 - posted 05-19-2006 04:02 AM      Profile for Phil Blake   Author's Homepage   Email Phil Blake   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Also not having read the book I was not exactly sure what to expect.

I also found it interesting , well acted and the flashback scenes were very impressive. The sound (in DTS) was very good but similar to MIP 3 the focus was not the best.

The critics over here are bagging it big time giving it 1 star and saying its not worth the film it's printed on!

Well, they gave Date Movie 2 stars and I am quite sure the Da Vinci code rates far higher than that! I guess this weekend will tell how successfull it will be.

3 out of 5 for me

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Keith Peticolas
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 108
From: Eagle River, Alaska, USA
Registered: Aug 2001


 - posted 05-19-2006 08:23 AM      Profile for Keith Peticolas   Email Keith Peticolas   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Just finished watching my print and really enjoyed it. Ian Mckellan (sp?) does steal the scenes he is in. But is over all real well casted pic. The weirdo focus thing had me making a few trips to the booth to check things, but got into story and it doesn't bug ya much. Joe Blow won't notice it. Decent sound, although not a big sound movie. Dialog was nice and clean.
The book is a damn hard act to follow. Ron Howard did it justice. Won't break records but will do okay. Hanks final scene was very cool.

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Justin Gorka
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 174
From: High Wycombe, England
Registered: Apr 2006


 - posted 05-19-2006 08:46 AM      Profile for Justin Gorka   Email Justin Gorka   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Think the critics are panning it 'cos it's had so much hype. Seems to be the norm these days. Is better than the gay cowboy film though!

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Michael Gonzalez
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 790
From: Grand Island , NE USA
Registered: Sep 2000


 - posted 05-19-2006 11:45 AM      Profile for Michael Gonzalez   Email Michael Gonzalez   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I've actually read the book twice and enjoyed the film. Overall it was a pretty fathful adaptation with a few story changes here and there. The most interesting change is the Robert Langdon character being a bit wishy-washy about the whole history part as oppose to being compleatly steadfast in the novel. I also think that they should have tighting up the ending just a bit as it dragged pretty bad.

I also have to say that I HATED the score in the beginning of the film (especially during the car chase scene) but it did get better near the end. Also the print that I screened had a LOT of negative dirt which I found really distracting. I wonder if dragging the print across the booth floor will cancel that out [Smile]

Anyway 2.5 out of 5 for me...

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Michael Brown
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1522
From: Bradford, England
Registered: May 2001


 - posted 05-19-2006 09:26 PM      Profile for Michael Brown   Email Michael Brown   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I saw the original rough cut of this film about a year ago.

Nicolas Cage played the lead role instead of Tom Hanks and he was supported by Diane Kruger instead of Audrey Tautou.

And the working title for the film was "National Treasure"
(later changed to 'Da Vinci Code' when director Ron Howard took over)

and it was much better back then...
[Eek!] [Big Grin]

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Sam Graham
AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues.

Posts: 1431
From: Waukee, IA
Registered: Dec 2004


 - posted 05-21-2006 03:45 PM      Profile for Sam Graham   Author's Homepage   Email Sam Graham   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
CINEMA: Century 20 at Jordan Creek, West Des Moines, IA
AUDITORIUM: 10
PRESENTATION: 35mm/Dolby Digital/THX
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: Annoying woman with loud candy bag behind me
RATING: Two and one half stars (out of four)

Wife #1, who learned everything she needed to know from romance novels, read the book. She says it stayed pretty true to the book. A few differences here and there, but she thought it was very good overall.

I kept replacing Robert and Sophie with Fred and Daphne in my mind. Therefore, I thought it was the most boring episode of Scooby Doo ever.

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 05-21-2006 06:00 PM      Profile for Frank Angel   Author's Homepage   Email Frank Angel   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Well, I had to pass a group of some 15 or so fairly nasty picketters shouting at everyone who was going to that show that this film was an attack on Chrisitanity and we shouldn't go see it. Problem is, at this 20plex, there were hords of movie-goers and the picketters seemed at a lost who to target. In fact, a few people who seemed quite annoyed at being yelled at yelled right back saying they weren't even going to see THE DA VINCI CODE. I was just wanting to get past them without any confrontation at all, but it was not to be. When the fellow in front of me said he wasn't going to the film, two of the plackard holders moved forward toward me and asking if I were going. I said yes I was. Then just as one of them was about to launch into the scripted speil, I added, "but I'd be happy to go to see some other movie instead, if you'd care to buy me a ticket." Seems they weren't all THAT concerned about the attack on Christianity.

I was a little surprised that it had focus problems, but the DTS sound was excellent and I did like the score. Hanks will not be nominated for this role....it just seems like a job he's walking through. McCallen does seem to light up the screen much more than anyone else.

As a mystery movie, it was ok; nothing special, though, and it CERTAINLY doesn't live up to the hype, but how could it? The hype was churned out full-force.

As a so-called attach on humanity or christianity or whatever they were claiming, I didn't see it at all. I happend to come from a Catholic education (right up thru college) and from a theological point of view, even if this fictional "revelation" were true (Jesus being married), it wouldn't go against any actual doctrine. According to Catholic belief, Jesus was both God and man -- he had divinity and humanity. If part of Jesus's humanity was marriage (make no doubt about it, the real issue here isn't that he was married, but that means he would have "carnal knowledge," and THAT'S what sets them in a frenzy), that wouldn't deny his divinity and it would, at least for some, it would validate his humanity even more, so it wouldn't contradict any church tenent. So what's all the fuss about?

And as Ian McCallen said, "If Jesus were married, at least it would prove that he wasn't gay." (which was another theory put forth some time ago.) And since I see conspiracy behind every tree, I could almost believe that the studio pays these "protesters" just to drum up business since I don't see how Christians can be even mildly threatened by this movie or the book.

3 out of 5

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002


 - posted 05-21-2006 07:21 PM      Profile for David Stambaugh   Author's Homepage   Email David Stambaugh   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Today @ 11:30AM, Regal Cinema World 8 in Eugene, House #1, SR•D. Attendance around 60-70, not bad for an early matinee. OK presentation, nothing to get excited about either way.

This is a moderately-entertaining muddled mess of a movie. As it moves along from scene to scene it's like there's a thread of connectivity missing. Stuff was thrown in from the book that was non-essential to moving the narrative forward. It held my interest but just barely, and I suspect if I hadn't read the book I would have liked it less.

Tom Hanks is miscast in the role of Robert Langdon (at least as it's written and directed). Audrey Tautou is better. Ian McKellen seems to be having fun.

I give this 3 stars out of 5 if you've read the book, otherwise 2 stars out of 5. This will not be remembered as one of Tom Hanks' or Ron Howard's better films.

Why is there such a variation in the sharpness in this? Some of the present-day scenes are very soft, others are much sharper. The flashbacks are hyper-sharp. Way inconsistent.

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Matt Fields
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 545
From: Ohio, United States
Registered: Jun 2005


 - posted 05-21-2006 10:17 PM      Profile for Matt Fields   Email Matt Fields   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
On the attacking Christianity thing, doesn't the book and movie deny that Jesus was divine? After all, Tom Hanks character says in the movie (near the end): "All history shows is that Jesus was a great man."

By the way, this "Jesus wasn't really the Son of God but just a really great guy" theory doesn't hold water. Jesus was either what he said he was or a nutter. If you don't believe in him, feel free, but that means you think he's a quack, because normal people don't go around and call themselves God.

My 2 cents on the movie...way too long and frankly rather boring.

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Kyle Anderson
Film Handler

Posts: 86
From: Tyler, TX, USA
Registered: Dec 2005


 - posted 05-22-2006 01:27 AM      Profile for Kyle Anderson   Email Kyle Anderson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I was actually relieved once I saw this movie ( I haven't read the book, but I understand the assertions made in it ) - NO ONE could even THINK this crap was true by the last 1/3 of the movie. Seriously... the first 100 minutes or so was actually believable stuff ( if you didn't come to the movie prepared), but once they started the typical 'oh this "normal" person isn't so normal after all ladidadida' routine bull I completely lost interest. How Lame. This movie actually reinforces the Christian version of historical events.

And yup.. the camera focus was just wierd - no discernable pattern here at all that I could see.

But the sound mix was better than MI3, so not so bad i suppose.

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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999


 - posted 05-22-2006 02:09 AM      Profile for Paul Linfesty   Email Paul Linfesty   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Matt Fields
Jesus was either what he said he was or a nutter.
Well, there is a THIRD option, but since we're not supposed to get into religious discussions, I won't mention what it is.

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