Da Vinci Code.

[poolcleaner]

I've almost completed my download of the movie "The Da Vinci Code" and I was wondering...

"Is it any good?"

Who's seen it?

[QUOTE]Plot summary

The book concerns the attempts of Robert Langdon, Professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard University, to solve the murder of renowned curator Jacques Saunière of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The title of the novel refers, among other things, to the fact that Saunière's body is found in the Denon Wing of the Louvre naked and posed like Leonardo da Vinci's famous drawing, the Vitruvian Man, with a cryptic message written beside his body and a Pentagram drawn on his stomach in his own blood. The interpretation of hidden messages inside Leonardo's famous works, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, figure prominently in the solution to the mystery.
Vitruvian Man, by Leonardo da Vinci.
Enlarge


The main conflict in the novel revolves around the solution to two mysteries:

* What secret was Saunière protecting that led to his murder?

* Who is the mastermind behind his murder?

The novel has several concurrent storylines that follow different characters. Eventually all the storylines are brought together and resolved with the denouement.

The unraveling of the mystery requires the solution to a series of brain-teasers, including anagrams and number puzzles. The solution itself is found to be intimately connected with the possible location of the Holy Grail and to a mysterious society called the Priory of Sion, as well as to the Knights Templar. The story also involves a fictional rendition of the Catholic organization Opus Dei.

The novel is the second book of a trilogy by Brown in which Robert Langdon is the main character. The previous book, Angels and Demons, took place in Rome and concerned the Illuminati. Although Angels and Demons is centered around the same character it is not necessary to read the book in order to understand the plot of The Da Vinci Code. The next book is tentatively scheduled for release in 2007. Its working title is The Solomon Key, and it is understood to concern Freemasonry.

[/QUOTE}

[Butterfly]

that one I will go see, no download for me

like I did for Mi3

at 120 Baht a movie, it's still a good deal

[Torbek]

Love the Thai censorship system and Christian community...

On Tuesday, two days before release, censors were insisting the last 1o minutes of the movie be cut. Why? Because Thai Christian groups believed the last few minutes, which contains *********** (I won't ruin the end!), has the potential to destroy Christianity.

WTF????

But it is the same ending as the book that has been a bestseller in Thailand...in English and Thai...for over a year now! Why should it matter?

Ah!, they say...but this a movie! This gives it exponentially more potential to destroy Christianity than a book did!

Again, WTF? Well, actually, that does make some kind of sense in a TIT kind of way...

But still, just how solid a foundation is Christianity in Thailand built upon? No other Asian nation censored this part and spokepeople for Christian groups in the Philippines see no issue or threat with the offending 10 minutes.

Now to the censors...on Wednesday, following an "appeal" by the distributors, have agreed to allow the offending 10 minutes.

I presume the "appeal" was expressed in Thai baht...

[kingwilly]

provided they have a disclaimer explaining that it is fictitious!

WTF ! no way - a movie isnt real!? MI3 was a make beleive story ?? no way! lol

[poolcleaner]

that one I will go see, no download for me

like I did for Mi3

at 120 Baht a movie, it's still a good deal

I pay the wife 120 baht and she blows me during the movie, and gets beers and ciggies.

[lom]

How much do you have to pay for the beers and ciggies ?

[king of uranus]

Is there a Fat Wah proclaimed against Ron Howard now?

[Lily]

I liked 'Angels and Demons' much better than the 'Da Vinci' code or maybe it was that I read the former first and they are so much alike, the second one becomes a bit predictable.

[Torbek]

I liked 'Angels and Demons' much better than the 'Da Vinci' code or maybe it was that I read the former first and they are so much alike, the second one becomes a bit predictable.

I put Angels and Demons down after the star falls thousands of feet from a helicopter, saving himself with a 2 sq metre piece of fabric...

[kingwilly]

I liked 'Angels and Demons' much better than the 'Da Vinci' code or maybe it was that I read the former first and they are so much alike, the second one becomes a bit predictable.

I put Angels and Demons down after the star falls thousands of feet from a helicopter, saving himself with a 2 sq metre piece of fabric...

it was a bit OTT - but the disclaimer should help you realise that it is ONLY fiction - that means NOT TRUE!

[poolcleaner]

How much do you have to pay for the beers and ciggies ?

Marly lights 60 Baht
Tall Leo's 45 baht.

[Lily]

I put Angels and Demons down after the star falls thousands of feet from a helicopter, saving himself with a 2 sq metre piece of fabric...

Yes, well both the books were a bit like that in their entirety.

The romantic angle kind of made the storyline a bit soft too, I think.

[poolcleaner]

I put Angels and Demons down after the star falls thousands of feet from a helicopter, saving himself with a 2 sq metre piece of fabric...

Yes, well both the books were a bit like that in their entirety.

The romantic angle kind of made the storyline a bit soft too, I think.

Not a romantic then Lily?

I did have visions you know....

[NickA]

I liked 'Angels and Demons' much better than the 'Da Vinci' code or maybe it was that I read the former first and they are so much alike, the second one becomes a bit predictable.

I read Da Vinci code first and thought "This is good", then I read Angels and Demons and thought "Nick, you're a twat, bith of these books are a load of crap, why id you read them?"

Funnily, if I'd never read the second book, I would still think the first one was good - it just made me realise what a formulaic piece of old crap it really was.

[ChiangMai noon]

^
I was very disappointed with the Da Vinci code for that very reason.

Also
You are asked to believe that these cryptic experts took 30 more pages than you did to crack their obvious clues.

[NickA]

Yep, there's more brainpower going into the Cryptic Cities thread than in the book - that reminds me - where did Cryptic Members go? That could be interesting now with more members names to play with....I might go and resurrect it....

[The Gent]

I put Angels and Demons down after the star falls thousands of feet from a helicopter, saving himself with a 2 sq metre piece of fabric...

Yes, well both the books were a bit like that in their entirety.

The romantic angle kind of made the storyline a bit soft too, I think.

"Holy Blood, Holy Grail" upon which the Da Vinci Code was based, was certainly good too.

[Torbek]

I read Da Vinci code first and thought "This is good", then I read Angels and Demons and thought "Nick, you're a twat, bith of these books are a load of crap, why id you read them?"

Funnily, if I'd never read the second book, I would still think the first one was good - it just made me realise what a formulaic piece of old crap it really was.

Interesting. I was exactly the same. Da Vinci seemed OK...perhaps just because it was a new slant on things? Even checked out some of the claims in it, like The Last Supper, etc. However, still felt something was missing in the story.

Then felt exactly the same as you after reading most of Angels.

Maybe it is the mix of "fact" and "fiction"? Somewhat implausible stories (Angels moreso) but in writing style that implies scientifically support... Not saying Dan Brown is trying to pass the stories off as anything other a good adventure read, but the mix/style doesn't appeal to me. Wouldn't bother reading another of his.

It does make me wonder though...does the proliferation of "Inside Da Vinci Code" and "Da Vinci Code Exposed" type books suggest many readers haven't grasped that these books are simply fiction, and as far as I am aware, Dan Brown has never claimed otherwise?

[Skulldigger]

I thought the Da Vinci code was pretty poor. Granted, the actual facts he brings to light are interesting and well worthy of discussion.

And yes, the man is obviously a genius at writing bestsellers... but the writing is fomulaic and mostly void of creativity, and his two main characters, supposedly experts in their fields and possessed with an almost supernatural intelligence (in Sophie's case anyway), cannot figure out simple word puzzles and also 'forget' historical and other facts that any reasonably alert BA student know.

Pretty sure I am not the only one here who was one to two steps ahead of the 'experts' throughout the whole book.

[NickA]

I was generally 3 to 4 steps behind, but I am stupid!

[DrAndy]

I thought the book was overblown and got very tedious. But who am I to judge the tastes of milions of others!?

The film has been over-hyped and will probably be as boring as crap.

[danbo]

I agree with whatever Nick said. I thought the DaVinci Code was good and then read others of his and was a liitle bit embarrassed of myself for admiring it. It's an easy read, which is no bad thing, but it isn't meaty at all, like a flashy soap-opera. Granted they're best sellers, but then so are Big Macs and I'm not all that keen on them. As for the controversy...well, don't get me started on that, suffice to say that I do not think that an omnipotent being is going to be threatened by a Hollywood movie, and they certainly don't need the help of a sanctimonious busy-body.

[danbo]

Why do we always have to walk on egg-shells when talking about people's beliefs? Fair, enough I don't think that you should walk up to a person with a big nose, and say, 'Oi big nose!', but why is there all this, 'Musn't say that it will offend so&so'. Why? Answers by 4 o'clock please.

[DrAndy]

well Danbo, because you are talking about peoples religious beliefs. Those are based on no real facts so can easily be demolished. It does tend to make believers very sensitive.

[Torbek]

Why do we always have to walk on egg-shells when talking about people's beliefs? ... but why is there all this, 'Musn't say that it will offend so&so'. Why? Answers by 4 o'clock please.

Speaking for myself (which I am only barely qualified to do at the best of times) it is not so much a matter of being overly sensitive to peoples' religious beliefs or walking on egg-shells.

It is usually a case that as the religious person is likely to be a lot more passionate about the subject than I am, I figure "If that's what they want to believe, and it is more important to them than it is to me, just let them go...".

Why go getting them all upset by taking cheap shots at their beliefs if I don't really give a shit either way? Unless they are arseholes, of course, in which case I might needle them for a while...