Posted on 05/18/2006 6:44:30 AM PDT by dynachrome
Hanks wanted the movie labelled as fiction? First I've heard of that.
It was too heterosexual to have gotten a good review.
Now it's a classic!
"I'm predicting 50 or 60 million.'
It will be interesting to see what the 2nd weekend is like. The drop off or increase in sales can tell a lot about a movie.
(I know I shouldn't) but I find it amazing that Ron Howard and Dan Brown would seek glory by clearly blaspheming the very essence of Christianity. I mean, even if one has a lack of faith, it seems that Paschal's law (the better bet is that God exists) would apply here. I don't presume to know the disposition of their souls, but suffice to say, they've been rather willing tools of Satan, and I hope they realize how offensive this whole thing is.
That said, the Church stands on truth, so the DaVinci code is no threat to the faith, per se, but the body of Christ (comprising you and I and all who believe) will definitely suffer from the loss of those who decided (or have already decided) that this is all true. That seems to me the overriding concern of the Church, as shepherd of the faithful...
Oh well. Best case scenario is this thing goes out with such a whimper that Dan Brown's work is thoroughly discredited by the public at large.
"movie (or book) offends Jews?"
I read the book and it was aquick read. Thriller type. I think it would offend Jews only in that it uses the usual "Catholics (Opus Dei) are anti-semetic. Jews killed Christ" line. Since I don't remember too much about the book, I could be wrong here. Opus Dei sure gets hammered though.
Tom "The Terminal" Hanks<<
LOL, wasn't that a stinkeroo?
Thanks for posting the article.
Ron Howard's past directions
have won him great esteem in
the American public and IMO
Dick and Jane Doe are going
to hold off until they see
the flick for themselves.
One thing that has perturbed
me re all this bugaboo about
the Opus Dei org is the fact
that anyone who has READ the
NOVEL is fully aware that the
true villain of the piece is
the mastermind who sends his
slave (the albino) out to
perform those murders. Also,
a READER is going to be struck
with the symbolism of the
colors red, black and white...
as well as a few more that
appear in the novel. Brown
has been sorely panned for his
writing, and I won't go on record
as suggesting his phraseology is
top notch. But give the man
credit, he DOES spin a yarn that
leads the reader who likes to
follow the clues a merry chase.
When the chaff is blown away, ONE
member of a Holy Order's
mental perversions is no more
earth-shattering than the
perversions of a priest turned
predator. Brown simply used
the age-old myth of Jesus and Mary
Magdelene as the necessary driving
force for such vile actions by the
villain. His motive HAD to be more
than simple JEALOUSY of other priests,
the Pope, etc. REVENGE? Wouldn't
work. And it's not as though others
hadn't used this same myth in their
works. Who howled this loudy at
JESUS CHRIST, SUPERSTAR? That one
blew my mind at the time. Today,
a novel dealing with a priest's
seduction of a child could appear
on the stalls and noone would make
such a fuss. Historically, Popes
have sired children, graft and
corruption have been found within
the Vatican Walls; the CHURCH
has survived all kinds of human
errors and scandals.
When the chips are down, I have
to iterate, it's sad to think one's
faith has even a slight tremor over
a piece of fiction.
Well .. I could have predicted this .. because you just don't mess with Jesus.
NBC did a poll recently where 86% said they believed in God - and they were upset that people were trying to remove "under God" from the pledge and "In God we Trust" from our money.
According to the report I received - NBC was STUNNED!! As well they should be .. and they should be ashamed also for always portraying us as some kind of nut or kook.
I never watched it. A movie about a guy stuck in an airport terminal?! I don't even like sitting for 20 minutes in the terminal to board the plane. Whoever thought this would be a good movie concept?
LOL, wasn't that a stinkeroo?
I kept thinking, "Houston, we have a problem".
Don't get me wrong. I think Tom Hanks is a very good actor.
It just says something to me that they could not choose a relatively unknown actor such as in The Passion of the Christ, and have to bring out the big box office draw.
That alone diminishes it to me.
I liked Willow. I liked Dune, too. I liked Waterworld. But I didn't like Ishtar.
My faith can handle the movie. Or the book. But I won't put money in the pocket of people who step over the line on these issues.
I can't condone supporting blasphemy, even if it is "just a novel."
These ideas aren't new. In my younger and non-Christian days I read the Passover Plot and the Jesus Scroll, and a variety of mostly gnostic things along with Holy Blood, Holy Grail, and even then I knew it was hokey.
But now, I won't support such stuff. Things being fiction or entertainment don't excuse certain actions, so I vote with my pocketbook! And I encourage those who consider themselves Christian to consider it from this POV.
Nevertheless, Willow was a Ron Howard picture that bombed, due to many of us being put to sleep by it. The reaction here sounds similar.
Ah. I had forgotten he did that. It was heavy handed about a lot of stuff. I think you had to like the genre.
You mean Roger Friedman that thought "The Passion" was too violent and gory but he loved "Kill Bill 2"?
I can't help wondering if the reviewers felt pressured to pan it because of Christian protests. (Not that the latter was wrong in protesting; I don't blame them.) But probably the reviewers felt between a rock and a hard place: to like the film is a form of blasphemy.
IMHO, the film should never have been made. Like BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, it might be well crafted, but suffers from a highly offensive plotline.
I think The Di Vinci Code will suffer against X-Men: The Last Stand, which is due May 26, 2006.
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