Da Vinci Code

[Ebony]

Funny, 'yung cousin ko rin na-dupe ng mga pirates. Da Vinci docu din 'yung nakuha niya.

I bet most of the people who are trying to block its release haven't even read the novel yet, like that spokesperson guy who admitted it in the news (forgot who it was). Token disapproval! Kakainis. All that hullabaloo just made the public more curious about this film; hence, more will watch. Any story that stimulates a person's mind is good enough for me.

I'm sure it will be one of the few movies that turn out better than the novels they were based on. I wasn't impressed by Dan Brown's writing style!

[jipi]

bro baka pwede rin makahingi ng .pdf copy ng Da vinci code and Angel and Demons

thanks in advance

[oldblue]

oo nga sana ipalabas na lang wala na ako time magbasa ng libro. yun nga LOTR saka Harry Potter sa sine ko lang talaga nalaman ang istorya.

if they're keen on banning it, ban the book as well.

[Ebony]

bro baka pwede rin makahingi ng .pdf copy ng Da vinci code and Angel and Demons

thanks in advance

Is this for me ba? PM your e-mail addy to me. And I'm a girl po.

[B2Bomber]

IMHO, magaling yung pagkakaweave nung story sa mga ibang parts ng history na would make you think na mas totoo nga yung nasa book, etc... ala-Og Mandino and Anne Rice. I wonder nga lang kung gano kaganda yung screen play nung movie...sana di matulad sa Queen of the Damned screen-adaptation.

[lightning099]

Critics crucify 'Da Vinci Code' in Cannes


CANNES, France -- The most hotly-awaited movie of the year, "The Da Vinci Code," failed to crack an audience of movie critics here at a sneak preview ahead of Wednesday's opening of the Cannes Film Festival.
Several whistles instead of applause were all that greeted the end of Ron Howard's 125-million-dollar film, and worse than that, the 2,000-strong audience even burst out laughing at the movie's key moment.

"I didn't like it very much. I thought it was almost as bad as the book. Tom Hanks was a zombie. Thank goodness for Ian McKellen. It was overplayed, there was too much music and it was much too grandiose," said Peter Brunette, critic for the US daily The Boston Globe.

The film version of Dan Brown's mega-best selling book premieres in Cannes on Wednesday before going on worldwide release on Friday. It stars Tom Hanks as symbologist Robert Langdon, called in after the curator of the Louvre is found murdered, his body splayed out covered in symbols.

Langdon and French police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, played by French actress Audrey Tautou, find themselves ensnared in a mystifying hunt to track down the murderer and solve a 2,000-year-old riddle.

The book has already sold some 50 million copies worldwide, been translated into 44 languages and spawned a spin-off tourist industry as well as whipping up a controversy. All ingredients to ensure that it will undoubtedly draw the crowds.

The greatest controversy has been stirred by the book's central theme that Jesus Christ married and had children whose descendants still survive today.

Thus book's detractors will no doubt be comforted to hear that when Hanks reveals who is supposedly the last surviving descendant of Jesus, the Cannes audience couldn't hold back their laughter.

"At the high point, there was laughter among the journalists. Not loud laughs, but a snicker and I think that says it all," said Gerson Da Cunha from The Times of India.

Other critics said the two and a half hour film was confusing to those who hadn't read the book.

"People were confused, there was no applause, just silence," said Margherita Ferrandino from the Italian television Rai 3.

"I have only read half the book, and then I got bored. It's terrible," she added.

"It was really disappointing. The dialogue was cheesy. The acting wasn't too bad, but the film is not as good as the book," added Lina Hamchaoui, from British radio IRN.

Despite being filmed against the backdrop of some of Paris' and London's most impressive and historic buildings -- Howard was even given unprecedented permission to film inside the Louvre -- the film fails to convince, becoming more of a drama-documentary with its overuse of historic flashbacks and other devices to tell the tale.

Hanks seems to get bogged down in the interminable dialogue, whereas Tautou, so brilliant in "Amelie," fails to make an impression.

McKellen however received plaudits for his portrayal of Holy Grail expert Sir Leigh Teabing, playing his role with the right amount of wit and humor.

And Paul Bettany is suitably menacing as a self-flagellating albino monk on a mission to kill.

The film was due to open the 59th Cannes Film Festival later Wednesday, before the real competition gets underway on Thursday, with 20 films competing this year for the coveted Palme d'Or.

[falken]

Approved na yung movie by MTRCB R-18 ang rating.

[artpogi]

Critics crucify 'Da Vinci Code' in Cannes


CANNES, France -- The most hotly-awaited movie of the year, "The Da Vinci Code," failed to crack an audience of movie critics here at a sneak preview ahead of Wednesday's opening of the Cannes Film Festival.
Several whistles instead of applause were all that greeted the end of Ron Howard's 125-million-dollar film, and worse than that, the 2,000-strong audience even burst out laughing at the movie's key moment.

"I didn't like it very much. I thought it was almost as bad as the book. Tom Hanks was a zombie. Thank goodness for Ian McKellen. It was overplayed, there was too much music and it was much too grandiose," said Peter Brunette, critic for the US daily The Boston Globe.

The film version of Dan Brown's mega-best selling book premieres in Cannes on Wednesday before going on worldwide release on Friday. It stars Tom Hanks as symbologist Robert Langdon, called in after the curator of the Louvre is found murdered, his body splayed out covered in symbols.

Langdon and French police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, played by French actress Audrey Tautou, find themselves ensnared in a mystifying hunt to track down the murderer and solve a 2,000-year-old riddle.

The book has already sold some 50 million copies worldwide, been translated into 44 languages and spawned a spin-off tourist industry as well as whipping up a controversy. All ingredients to ensure that it will undoubtedly draw the crowds.

The greatest controversy has been stirred by the book's central theme that Jesus Christ married and had children whose descendants still survive today.

Thus book's detractors will no doubt be comforted to hear that when Hanks reveals who is supposedly the last surviving descendant of Jesus, the Cannes audience couldn't hold back their laughter.

"At the high point, there was laughter among the journalists. Not loud laughs, but a snicker and I think that says it all," said Gerson Da Cunha from The Times of India.

Other critics said the two and a half hour film was confusing to those who hadn't read the book.

"People were confused, there was no applause, just silence," said Margherita Ferrandino from the Italian television Rai 3.

"I have only read half the book, and then I got bored. It's terrible," she added.

"It was really disappointing. The dialogue was cheesy. The acting wasn't too bad, but the film is not as good as the book," added Lina Hamchaoui, from British radio IRN.

Despite being filmed against the backdrop of some of Paris' and London's most impressive and historic buildings -- Howard was even given unprecedented permission to film inside the Louvre -- the film fails to convince, becoming more of a drama-documentary with its overuse of historic flashbacks and other devices to tell the tale.

Hanks seems to get bogged down in the interminable dialogue, whereas Tautou, so brilliant in "Amelie," fails to make an impression.

McKellen however received plaudits for his portrayal of Holy Grail expert Sir Leigh Teabing, playing his role with the right amount of wit and humor.

And Paul Bettany is suitably menacing as a self-flagellating albino monk on a mission to kill.

The film was due to open the 59th Cannes Film Festival later Wednesday, before the real competition gets underway on Thursday, with 20 films competing this year for the coveted Palme d'Or.

I was kinda expecting this, but I will still watch the movie out of curiousity.

[theveed]

The the producers/studio/tom hanks give a crap about what the "critics" say... the fact that they watched it and gave them publicity adds $$$ to their pockets...

They're so dumb, with all this fuzz, lalong manonood mga tao dahil sa controversy, edi counter-effective din sila hehe.

[Eismann]

This was featured again in the National Geographic two weeks ago....doon mas malinaw kasi lahat ng sides kinuha na NatGeo....you would be enlightened more rather than ma-weaken ang faith mo.

Great series.........

[badsekktor]

sino meron pa existing copies nung ebook ng digital fortress saka yun deception point? pa-email naman po! badsekktor*yahoo.com

[theveed]

digital fortress di ko pa nababasa... might as well since nabasa ko na iba, pasend nadin kung sino meron hehe

[stinkaboy]

Da Vinci Code’ for adults only, says film review body

First posted 03:33am (Mla time) May 17, 2006
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer



Editor's Note: Published on Page A1 of the May 17, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


LEONARDO DA VINCI himself would’ve been shocked.

A three-member committee of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) gave an R-18 rating to the controversial Hollywood film “The Da Vinci Code,” which is directed by Oscar Best Director Ron Howard and topbills Oscar Best Actor Tom Hanks.

The movie is based on the best-selling novel by Dan Brown which “chronicles a murder investigation that could uncover a secret that has been protected since the days of Christ.”

The R-18 rating for “Da Vinci” is surprising, according to a source in Columbia Pictures, the Philippine office of Sony Pictures Releasing International, producer of “Da Vinci.”

Filipino employees of Columbia Pictures are not allowed by its head office in the United States to speak to the media. The Columbia source spoke to the Inquirer on the condition of anonymity.

“We will not appeal the R-18 rating because it might get an X on its second screening,” the source said.


R-18 rating, however, would mean that it will not be shown in SM malls nationwide because of the cineplex’s ban on adult-themed films.

SM has a huge chunk of the movie market, 40 to 50 percent of the ticket sales, according to Macie Imperial, director for acquisitions and marketing of Sky Films, which released the award-winning film “Brokeback Mountain” in the Philippines.

Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” also received an R-18 from the MTRCB and, as such, was not shown in SM cinemas.

Earlier, Columbia sent the Inquirer an official statement that stated that “Da Vinci” earned “favorable ratings” in countries with large Catholic populations. It was “classified appropriate for children” in Poland (89.8 percent Catholic), France (88 percent), Belgium (75 percent) and Slovakia (68.9 percent), as well as in China, Japan, Romania, Finland, Norway, Israel, Czech Republic and Turkey.

“Da Vinci” was given a PG-13 in the United States and an R-rating in Singapore and Spain.

‘Mature discernment’

In the committee report, the MTRCB members explained that they found that the movie’s “thematic, verbal and visual content … requires mature discernment.”

The committee that reviewed the film consisted of journalist Edmund Sicam, academician Betty Molina and lawyer Eric Mallonga. The screening was held in the Columbia Pictures office in Manila yesterday at 9 a.m. and the result was released by two in the afternoon of the same day.

“We allow screenings outside of the MTRCB office for sensitive films,” board chair Marissa Laguardia explained. “The distributor requests exclusive screenings for security reasons, to prevent piracy.”

According to Laguardia, she sat through the “two-hour screening, as an observer, meaning I cannot overturn the committee’s decision.”

Laguardia shared her personal views on the film in a phone interview with the Inquirer yesterday: “It will not sway the [Catholic] beliefs I’ve held since childhood. It’s a suspense-thriller, a work of fiction. It only aims to entertain.”

Film is balanced

In any case, Laguardia described the movie “as balanced … In the end, Tom Hanks’ character had uplifting [lines of] dialogue. He said that ‘Jesus is a human inspiration … an extraordinary man … and what matters is what you believe in.’”

Laguardia opined that the film would open a healthy debate, “a discussion on what is true and fictitious. I believe it was explained well in the film. Still, that requires an audience above 18. Only a mature mind can discern, determine and separate fact from fiction.”

The committee report echoed Laguardia’s sentiments: “Minors, who are highly impressionable, should not be allowed … because of the thematic issues raised on the divinity and celibacy of Jesus Christ and the inner workings of the Catholic Church.”

However, the film “didn’t merit an X rating because it doesn’t constitute a clear, express or direct attack on the Catholic Church or religion … arguments are tackled within an academic discourse or theoretical context by the movie’s characters.”

No SM mall shows

Imperial told the Inquirer: “Brokeback earned a lot of money throughout its four-week run in theaters like Robinsons, but we could have doubled our box-office grosses if only we had SM, which comprises almost 50 percent of the market.”

In spite of the SM ban, the distributor “ordered 70 prints of ‘Da Vinci,’ the biggest number of prints we’ve requested in three decades,” according to the Columbia source.

“Columbia will just have more screenings and more theaters in other cineplexes, to compensate for SM’s nonparticipation,” said the source. “We will open as scheduled on May 18.”

Ric Camaligan, first vice president of SM Leisure Inc. which operates SM Cinemas, confirmed that SM would stand by its R-18 ban. “We will not show it.”

SM, in fact, pulled out the movie’s trailers and posters while waiting for the MTRCB’s decision.

A work of art

Columbia’s official statement, however, stated that “the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) already went on record that it would not take steps to censor or block the showing of the movie in local theaters.”

The statement quoted Monsignor Pedro Quitorio, CBCP spokesperson, as saying “the bishops view ‘Da Vinci’ as a work of art and not of science or history, so they do not see it as a threat to the teachings of the Church. If the faith of the people is strong, it would not be destroyed by one novel (or movie).”

In the same statement Sony Pictures spokesperson Jim Kennedy was quoted as saying: “Many religious leaders, including the Opus Dei, agree that the release of the film can provide a unique opportunity to educate people about their work and beliefs.”

In fact, Opus Dei spokesperson Joey Magalona commented in the same Columbia statement: “The more you hide it, the more people will look for it … [what’s needed is] parental guidance so when doubts (among the young) arise, you can fix them right away.”

[badsekktor]

san kaya ako manonood? bad trip! wala sa sm!

[_Qwerty_]

nag open reservation sa GB3 at around 8.15pm last night.. mahal ha.. 170.00 for cinema 1 and 2 plus 20.00 reservation..

[Monseratto]

nag open reservation sa GB3 at around 8.15pm last night.. mahal ha.. 170.00 for cinema 1 and 2 plus 20.00 reservation..

Ganon din sa Shang, 170.00 din at fully booked yung 7 + pm na showing. I guess the Church did the movie a favor...

[stinkaboy]

showing na ba sa mga robinsons cinema?

[empy]

boo to the MTRCB! i guess they think pinoys are not capable of thinking for themselves...or maybe they think that the faith of their countrymen is so weak that a 2-hour movie can instantly undo a lifetime of teachings and values

Critics crucify 'Da Vinci Code' in Cannes

palagay ko mali ang casting nila dun sa leading lady. Audrey Tautou?? bakit hindi si Monica Belluci?? :inlove:

[margaux]

yeey!!
*stinkaboy, yes showing na sya sa robinson's pioneer. i think it's also open for other rob malls

[BlueBimmer]

cant wait to watch, fiction lang naman to e bakit daming satsat hehe