Movies

Hey it's getting close to the Summer Movie extravaganza, where there is at least one good movie every weekend, sometimes more than one. I really enjoy going to the movies, but I don't like the cost, but then again, who does! Anyway, I post my opinions about movies I have recently watched here on my blog (in the column on the right, near the bottom), so I won't rehash those opinions here. What I wanted to talk about is the media play that some movies get, especially the current top seller "The Da Vinci Code". Is this movie that much better than many of the other movies playing or going to play this summer? Is it getting the publicity because of the well known actor, Tom Hanks, the respected director Ron Howard, because the movie production and marketing has spent tons of money advertising the move, or because of all of the controversy over the content? The story is a work of fiction and it states as much in the inside cover the of the book:

"This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental."

However the author, Dan Brown, has built the story around, actual people, places, items, and events which completely goes against the "fiction" disclaimer, and which blurs the lines between fiction and reality. I read a review of another of Dan Brown's books called "Deception Point" on Amazon by Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" where she said:

"... After completing each of Dan Brown's books, the reader usually comes away from the experience having learned much more than a storyline."

This is the part that creates the controversy, people who read his books believe he is teaching them facts about the real world we live in. What blurs the lines even more are statements by Dan Brown himself. When asked in an interview broadcast on the Today Show on 6/9/2003, "How much of this [The Da Vinici Code] is based on reality?" He says "Absolutely all of it. Obviously Robert Langdon is fictional, but all of the art, architecture, secret rituals, secret societies, all of that is historical fact." So it's no wonder people who have studied history, who have spent their lives researching the topic of Christian beliefs are so up in arms. What I don't understand is why our culture, of which the majority of people claim to be Christian, are reading the book, and watching the movie. Is it because they honestly believe this is a complete work of fiction, even against the author's own statements? Is it because they like the intrigue of secret organizations? Is it because they want to "learn something" in the context of an enjoyable story? What is it? Personally I can't seem to get away from all of the publicity and media hype of this story. My kids are asking me about it. My coworkers are reading the book, attending the movie, discussing it at lunch. Even my girlfriend is now reading the book. I listen to talk radio, even Christian talk, and it seems the movie is all everyone seems to be talking about. The magazine, Newsweek, has had the movie/book as a cover story twice already this year, and this year has only had 21 weeks. (That's almost 10% of the time!) So am I missing out? Am I missing something? How can I avoid it? Should I? Too many questions, not enough answers, so I am going to just go along with the tide, and read the book. Yeah, I bought a copy, and I even though I disagree with the author, I paid $4.99 and I am going to give up some of my time to read it. I will let you know what I think when (or if) I finish it. If I like it I might watch the movie when it comes out on DVD!