I'm just wrapping up reading this book (the third in the series) and it's pretty fun. I really like this series. It reminds me of Indiana Jones, but instead of an archeologist, Robert Langdon is a symbologist. Anyway, pretty excited about the film adaptation now in the works. It's still in the very early stages, but I'm glad to see it's in the works anyway. I enjoyed the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. I do however, regret that Ron Howard will not be directing this time.
And shit, I just discovered today that Dan Brown has already released the next step in the series, called Inferno. Got that to look forward to. Shit, I wish Ron Howard was directing and that they'd just go ahead and film them back-to-back. Darn.
The second film was beeee-oring. I hated the singular setting of Vatican City and really felt the whole thing was beyond contrived. Perhaps this shall be a little better, but I doubt I'd see it in theaters.
I'm actually going back to read The Da Vinci Code before I read Inferno. I never actually read The Da Vinci Code before, just saw the movie. Good to hear Inferno is good. When was it released exactly, anyway? Did it just come out?
Is Angels & Demons actually a prequel to the Da Vinci Code? I had forgotten that. They switched it for the movies, I think?
Da Vinci Code is a damn good read.. in fact just about everything in the movie is also in the novel... Angels and Demons yes actually came first in the series but film wise its a sequel
Gender: Female Location: When in Doubt, Go to the Library.
It was released May 14th. I had it on hold on Amazon, and got it for a really good price.
The Da Vinci Code has always been my least favorite of the series. At that period of time, people were starting to discover the gnostic gospels over in the Dead Sea - and that became a trend really quickly. I always saw that story as Dan Brown's way of completely rushing a book to publish so he could catch that trend wave.
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Gender: Female Location: When in Doubt, Go to the Library.
I think that "Angels and Demons" was made as a prequel, because Langdon mentions that he basically has the power of the Vatican behind him - because he's just saved the future pope and a terrible tragedy that would've changed the world.
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It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
I bought and watched the Extended Cut of The Da Vinci Code (2006). I know it was received with lackluster reviews at the time, but with many years now separating the hype and expectation I thought it was an excellent film. There are certainly some differences from the novel that make it more accessible and that also perhaps soften some of the irreverent blows, but I didn't think they hurt the story or characters at all. I enjoyed it. And the Extended Cut did flow much better than I remembered, better pacing etc. I liked the extensions added here and there, for example more background flashbacks on Silas like there is in the book, I think there was some extended background history on Constantine revealed through Teabing and Langdon. The historical shots were brought to life very well and I think they, along with the emotional backbone involving Sophia Neveu, contribute greatly to the strength of the film. Ultimately, I think I would disagree with people who were disappointed by it because now that I am familiar with the book I actually enjoyed it more and got much more out of it. The Extended Cut is almost 3 hours, but it's only about 25 or 30 minutes longer than the Theatrical Cut. Well worth the extra time.
I think it's perhaps still a bit disappointing in that it doesn't have as many details as the book does, but it's of course impossible for the movie to include everything. I give Ron Howard and company major kudos. It's extremely well done. Sorry to hear they're not doing #3.
I actually think it's a better movie than it is a book. They imbued it with such a sense of urgency and excitement. It certainly lends itself more to a filmic thriller than The Da Vinci Code does, that's for sure, but the The Da Vinci Code is still a great movie for what it is. I thought the changed made for the Angels & Demons book-to-film were very good decisions. Ron Howard said that he typically doesn't like to do sequels, but that Angels & Demons was really quite different in execution and pacing and presented much different challenges. Watching the special features on the A&D disc I am blown away at the work they did to recreate not only the Vatican (The Sistine Chapel, etc), but also parts of Rome and sculptures like St. Peters Square and Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers. Not to mention the climactic antimatter explosion (that whole sequence is phenominal). The mix of practical sets, CGI, and matte painting is beautifully done. It's the same sort of techniques they used for the historical exposition in Da Vinci, but it seemed quite a bit more elaborate.
It's cool, because I was in Rome while they were filming Angels & Demons. I remember seeing a film crew, probably some second unit or something, but I still remember it very vividly.
Well, I can see why Ron Howard would pass on The Lost Symbol, because it doesn't really offer any new challenges as far as storytelling goes. But does this mean that the other director isn't going to do The Lost Symbol? That's kind of a bummer.. I mean, structurally it is a bit formulaic, but it's the details that are great and that's what makes a Dan Brown thriller interesting anyway. I haven't read Inferno yet, but it does sound a bit different. Glad to see that Ron Howard is back on board.
Gender: Female Location: When in Doubt, Go to the Library.
Well, and it's not like they're dedicated to filming the books in order - we got the second one first, and there's "Deception Point" which even Dan Brown doesn't like to mention. But it is a Robert Langdon adventure.
__________________
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
Gender: Female Location: When in Doubt, Go to the Library.
There's a great villain in "The Lost Symbol." I found it very exciting, finding all those double-meanings in the construction and some of the basic symbols of the United States. A lot of people have compared it negatively to National Treasure - and in some ways, it's like that, but much more intelligent.
__________________
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
I've been waiting for news on this for years and what do I stumble upon last night?
This...
I was hoping for another Ron Howard/Tom Hanks film for continuity, but I guess this will have to do. At least as a TV series they'll really be able to do the story justice.
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May 29th, 2013 01:54 AM
