It has been a strangely dry year thus far for movies, to the point that there have been several times when I wanted to go see a movie and there was nothing I was interested in seeing in even the remotest way. May, however, has been an exception, with an interesting new movie opening every weekend. Last weekend, it was MI3 which, despite Tom Cruise, is a must see for any fan of action movies. Sadly, unlike the first MI movie, it does not transcend the genre nor bring anything new to it, but as action movies go, it is pretty decent, fun, and about what you'd expect. Certainly it is a far sight better than the second movie in the series, however, and in any case, if you're just looking for a little action, it's worth a view. But I'm not here to talk about how I was disliking Tom Cruise way before it was fashionable, nor even about MI3. Mostly because I don't have much else to say about it. I'm here to talk about a movie that is being unfairly panned by many critics and another that you have already missed seeing the first time around: The DaVinci Code and V for Vendetta.
The DaVinci Code
There's no rock on earth big enough that anyone could claim to not, at the least, have heard of The DaVinci Code. Dan Brown's blockbuster book is the world's best selling book after the bible, and I daresay that more people have probably read it from end to end; this both serves and hinders the movie. You see, when a movie has as much buzz around it at the time of release, critics - already leaning toward the negative - tend to skew their reviews in the negative, perhaps reviewing the movie based on expectations rather than reality. On the other hand, having many people who have read the book means, in all likelihood, that they will not only go to see it, but have an understanding of what is going on in the first place. The movie is a little fast paced in explanation, I feel, for someone who has not read it (though perhaps those who have will argue the opposite), and I got the feeling that someone approaching the movie without the background would not necessarily appreciate the subtleties that made the book so endearing. In this regard, I tend to agree with Ron Howard, who in the face of criticism from Cannes, said, "This sounds a little 'hucksterish', but people really respond to the movie better the second time than they do the first time."
I'm not implying that you shouldn't see the movie without having read the book - au contraire, mes amis - just that, as always, the book does a better job explaining than the movie. This is not startling Hollywood news, in fact it's about the oldest and most well-accepted fact in the industry. And so it does not imply the movie is not good or true to the book. It not only sticks quite close to the book (many critics, of course, argue too close), but manages to take a few poetic touches as well. That Saunier's yard is, for example, filled with roses was a very small and admittedly unimportant touch, but something I appreciated. And one of the few somethings I can share without spoiling anything.
In short, the movie itself is fairly well done; it has a certain art to it. The mystery is engrossing, but I worry that it lacks the impact of the book. Comparisons aside, however, I think that someone going and paying attention will quite appreciate the mystery and thrills involved. This is not a movie where you want to go and be thinking about all the stuff you have to get done next week. I'm not implying it's brainy, just that - and perhaps this is my only real complaint when you boil it down - the movie does not do a good enough job of really pulling you in and it may take a little effort on the part of the audience. Otherwise, the direction is artfully done (thank you, Ron Howard), the acting is excellent (particularly Sir Ian McKellan, but I have yet to see him not deserving of his honorific), and I have a soft spot for Audrey Tautou (plus a fair amount of respect for Tom Hanks), so there you have it. Incidentally, if you have not seen Amelie, I highly recommend it when you're in the mood for something different. Audrey Tautou at her finest and in quite a different role. So, in Roman numerals, perhaps there is no V for The DaVinci Code, but I'd not hesititate to give it a III.V. In any case, it is perhaps fitting that "V" is supposedly the symbol for the sacred female... which is how I'm going to finally justify the title of this blog.
V for Vendetta First of all, nobody I have talked to has seen this movie. This disturbing fact is shocking to me for many reasons, here are a few:
1) The trailer = awesomeness. If you remember my post from some time ago, this passes all the trailer tests. That means you should see it. That's all. Go watch the trailer yourself here.
3) Wachowski Brothers. You may know them as the creators of The Matrix. Not good at making sequels, but I think they're due another chance on a new movie given how incredible the original Matrix was.
4) My personal recommendation. The movie may upset you, it may make you feel uneasy, but isn't that better than going to a movie and being bored after? I would go see it again, so you should see it once at least.
5) The Title. It takes guts to name your movie with a title that harkens back to the days of Dial M for Murder and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Though I guess we had Attack of the Clones recently, so maybe we're seeing a resurgence of poor titling.
6) It is a rose among the thistle. Really. OK, possibly excluding the indie circuit, about which I am woefully uninformed, but in the list of contemporaries, we have The Sentinel (I hate movies starting with 'the' as though that makes it sound important). It stars Micheal Douglas as a secret agent. It's rumoured he personally financed the movie in order to keep Catherine Zeta Jones with him. Silent Hill, yet another 'thriller' about a parent who must fight through the undead and the spirit worzzzzzzzzzz. I'm thrilled to not see it, thank you. And Thank You For Smoking, which might be okay except for Katie Holmes who basically I see/hear as Tom Cruise now. Really. Put Tom Cruise in her place on Dawson's Creek, that's what I see. Kind of makes things weird. Scary Movie 4 (need I say more), The Benchwarmers (another Adam Sandler/Rob Schneider movie long past the time where it might be funny), Take The Lead, where we discover that what the ghetto needs is ballroom dancing and what ballroom dancing needs is large-bottomed women and backwards caps.
Now I don't mean to say you should see this movie because the rest are not so great. Rather, that I am shocked that so few have seen this movie given the utter lack of competition. And the fact that it is in second run means that you definitely should catch it on the cheap. Oh, and I missed Failure to Launch, which, really... a woman so sadistic that she plays with mens' feelings, gets them to fall for her, or at least get attached enough to move out, and then dumps them? The movie should've taken place 32 years prior, starred Sarah Jessica Parker's parents, and been called Failure to Abort.
Anyway, I have a life to lead (believe it or not) and you have a few movies to see, so I shant keep you. As always, thanks for listening, let me know what you think of either movie or even if I'm wrong about some of my judgements on my "Must Miss List".
Well, on the personal front, we now have a show at Amigos (Fri Jan 21) and at Seedy's in Edmonton on the 22nd, so lots of time has been going into that. The week was pretty uneventful as usual. Aside from band practices, there's not much going on with me right now, which is okay because it's fricking freezing. Nothing like -52 with the windchill. That was Friday, and I cleverly stayed home and read The DaVinci Code. Saturday I went to get my tires checked/replaced as needed because I had a whole in the sidewall (or so Acura informed me on Friday). KalTire took care of it for me under warranty, no charge, though I don't know how fond I am of a tire that has a whole in the sidewall after 6 months. I stopped at the mall for awhile and grabbed a bite, but didn't buy anything.
John & I went and saw The Life Aquatic that night. I was surprisingly late and so I sprinted to the theatre, where, luckily, John had bought my ticket. We got our popcorn and got into the movie a few minutes after it had started, and as I went to take my glasses (which I hooked around the zipper/collar of my jacket (it wasn't done all the way up)), I realized I'd lost my glasses. Which I got like three weeks ago. And spent a lot of money on, not to mention time picking out. So I left the theatre and scoured the hallways and even asked at Rainbow & Centre again if they'd seen any. Nope.
So I wasn't able to fully enjoy the movie because that was on my mind, but it was pretty funny nonetheless. Very subtle humour, like Rushmore, I found myself laughing more than almost anyone save John, who laughs at everything. Which, I suspect, is why we get along. I did think that the character development was a little lacking as I felt no sympathy for Steve "New to fatherhood" Zissou, no loss when a certain character dies, nothing (just surprise that he/she'd died for what appeared to be no reason). So in this respect, I'd say that this particular movie falters in comparison with earlier movies Wes Anderson has done.
Mike hadn't called by this point and I had to eat so we went for drinks at Athena and scavenged leftovers from a neighbouring table (whom I knew, so it's not as bad as it sounds). I also ordered perogy nachos and left a 'leftover' to give back to them. We had a few pints and decided we didn't feel like sitting at a concert with bands we weren't really THAT interested in seeing. So we rented Amelie and State & Main and watched Amelie, which was maybe even better the second time around. Audrey Tautou is awesome, and it's just such a funny movie. If you haven't seen this movie, go rent it now.
The next day I went and got my tires fixed and aside from a brief interlude at the mall to look for a new book and grab a snack, I continued reading and finished The DaVinci Code. This has to have been one of the best books I've read in a long time, despite the hype. The historical tie ins, the conspiracy theories, and fictional adventure blend seamlessly to make for an incredible read that you will be hard pressed to equal in any other modern novel. It is an instant classic in every sense imaginable. I may pick up another book by Dan Brown to see if this was a one-time success, which I imagine it is. I can't imagine he's been writing other books of this quality that have gone unnoticed, so I'm a little scared, but we'll see. In short, if you haven't read this book, go pick up the illustrated edition. You won't be disappointed.
I guess I love books that tie together theories, fact, and fiction. Not that it's anywhere near being in the same class, but I remember really enjoying Clive Cussler's Atlantis Found for a similar reason. You learn a little about theories, history, and do so through a compelling (or certainly entertaining) story. I know that Clive Cussler (like Stephen King and his ilk) is mass produced dreck, but darn it, Atlantis Found was still enjoyable in spite of that. If you have any books of a similar bent to recommend, please do! (just leave a comment). That's where I'll leave you today.
Incidentally, I did find my glasses after the movie - we backtracked again and I remembered being cut off by a woman with a cart and asked the coffee shop cashier if she had found some glasses.
