The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code is based on the bestselling 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Because of some controversial interpretations and factual inaccuracies of Christian history in both the book and movie, they were criticized by the Roman Catholic Church.

Some bishops urged members to boycott the film. However, in its opening weekend, the film earned over US$224 million worldwide. It is the second highest grossing movie of 2006 worldwide—having reached US$758,239,851 as of November 2, 2006, making it both Tom Hanks' and Ron Howard's most successful film

Plot:
Famed symbologist Professor Robert Langdon is called to the Louvre museum one night where a curator has been murdered, leaving behind a mysterious trail of symbols and clues. With his own survival at stake, Langdon, aided by the police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, unveils a series of stunning secrets hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, all leading to a covert society dedicated to guarding an ancient secret that has remained hidden for 2000 years. The pair set off on a thrilling quest through Paris, London and Scotland, collecting clues as they desperately attempt to crack the code and reveal secrets that will shake the very foundations of mankind.

Directed by Ron Howard, the movie stars Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou (Amelie).

Movie Rating:




Book Rating:
As most book-to-movie adaptations, it loses some of it grandeur. The twists are less sharp and it's a bit more predictable. The movie is pretty faithful to the book. However, in trying to place all of the book's riddles in the movie, the characters had less time to "de-code" them. Therefore, they seemed like all-knowing geniuses that casually figured out the most complex mystery in no time. The result? It gets confusing and tedious. The story is just as flawed and as poorly-researched in the movie as in the novel.

The Lovely Bone

COMING TO CINEMA
December 11th, 2009 (wide)

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Author) tells about 14-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish") who is lured into a makeshift underground den in a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer--the man she knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. From heaven, Susie keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case.
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The novel draws from the author's personal experiences from when she was raped during her freshman year at Syracuse University.
In Lucky, Sebold's 1997 memoir of the event and its aftermath, she describes how it transformed her life, especially after learning that the rapist's previous victim had died. After later seeing the rapist on the street, she reported him to the police and eventually testified against him. He was convicted and received the maximum sentence. She began the novel in the early 1990s as an outgrowth of those events. However, she fiercely resists suggestions that it had anything to do with the aftermath of the rape.

Book Rating