Mrs. Betty Bowers is the First to Review "The Da Vinci Code"

tin_sword_arthur_. You have a perfect right to read whatever pleases you. I have a right to comment on the latest "fad" book which, I can say without fear of contradiction, will not be listed in the Canon.

People make choices. They are free to make choices. Some people are obsessed with characters like "50-cent" and think they are the best musicians the US has ever had. I think that the music of 50 Cent is disgusting and should be banned from the airwaves.

People have a right to express an opinion. I have expressed mine.

Oh, I quite agree. That's the whole point of this forum, to express your opinion on different topics. I was simply expressing mine, as well.
I hope this book is not taken too seriously (or too much more seriously, I guess I should say) since it is clearly a work of fiction and was never presented as anything else. At least, not by the novelist. I enjoyed it to the point that I purchased Mr. Brown's other novels, and found them just as riveting.
Although I am hearing that the movie is a dud. I'll decide that for myself, too, after I see it.

Usually, in the context with 'Roman Catholic Church' - that's one of the, of not the main topics of this book, 'Canon' - especially when capitalised, means the Canon Law.

But I've learnt now that you mean something totally different.

Thank you for clarifying.

You are correct, Mr. Walter Hinteler- Since the word "Canon" when used in a literary sense, is not identified by many, perhaps I should have given a line or two differentiating the literary Canon from the more frequent use.

You are correct in your point that Canon is and has been used most frequently in reference to the Roman Catholic Church. That sense of"authority" the word implies is one of the reasons I like to use it( with reference to Literature).

I'm glad that got cleared up! Although I don't believe "The Da Vinci Code" is quite on the same level of 50 Cent but falls into the category of, say, Robert Ludlum spy thrillers, the bitch slapping of the Catholic dogma is hilariously irreverent. The ambiguity of interpretations of Christ's life in the Bible is not the only gapping flaw in the oxymoron of organized religion, but it's one that they are obviously deeply self-conscious about and going on the defensive is putting themselves on the same level of this piece of pop fiction. As I've stated elsewhere, the perception of Christ could easily be discerned as an ancient David Copperfield.

It's funny that the film is getting almost the same proportion of bad reviews as "The Passion of the Christ" but for different reasons. A. O. Scott hated that film, Roger Ebert loved it. It could reveal how impartial a judge Ebert can be. He's reviewed another film in its own genre and thinks it's worth seeing.

That the film is reviewed as too talky could be its undoing -- the average age of the modern movie goer has dropped significantly in the past three decades. The book could, however, help propel the film into our pop culture if it's more entertaining than thought provoking as that's the earmark of the usual blockbuster.

However, can the film recover from really overwhelming bad reviews?

The answer could be yes, as "Passion or the Christ" drove flocks (sic) of those who may not even go to the cineplex to see this movie. Mel's next epic in the role of paleoanthropolog, incidentally, may only reveal that laymen should stay clear of real science.

I just got back from seeing it. I did not read the book so can not compare them I did not think the movie a waste of my 10 dollars but it definitely is not oscar material.

Variety is predicting a huge draw for the movie and the exit interviews with moviegoers is much better than the critical assessment. Movie critics are panning the book as much as the movie. It looks to me like Howard has directed a popcorn thriller that could do very well at the box office.

It isn't really all that thrilling. By todays standards the car chases are mundane and there is no hot sex. Judging by the reaction of the crowed as they left the theater, it is going to get indifferent word of mouth. People were not talking about the movie but what they were going to do next, always a bad sign.

Incidently, the score by Hans Zimmer was probably the best part of the movie. That may well be oscar material.

Jeffrey Lyons on NBC just gave the film a good review, along with several exit interviews that were positive. But, wait for the DVD? I think so.

I've heard the score -- very much like "The Omen," with Zimmer's infusion of Phillip Glass.

Here is a link to the New York Times review by A O Scott. I agree with most of it except the bit about the score and his last line. I would not recommend not seeing it. Movies either work or they don't, this is not a great movie but it does work.

http://movies2.nytimes.com/2006/05/18/movies/18code.html

I had cut-and-pasted that review on the first page but it doesn't hurt to repeat it -- A. O. Scott is a respected critic and, who knows, I also might agree with what he writes but then I also might be entertained without presuming it's suppose to be anything profoundly serious.

oops! sorry, missed that

Movie audiences didn't pay much heed to the reviews as the film has raked in the second largest box office world wide of any film ever --
$224M over a two day weekend, $77M domestic.

It looks like Sony made its investment back. The question now is will that make a bundle of money in profit.

People went to see it? They go to "slasher" movies too. The old line goes, No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American Public.

Roger Ebert termed its story-"preposterous"

enough said.

That is a fairly standard slur. But just for balance we might look at what the New York Times article, by Eric Pfanner said.

"Continuing a recent pattern for Hollywood blockbusters, "Da Vinci" appears to have done better in markets outside the United States. The film earned $147 million overseas, the biggest opening weekend ever, and $77 million in the United States, where it placed 13th.'
N YTimes Link

Why, it might make as much money as "Meet the Fockers" Another brilliant and uplifting film.