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TheScience_Geek
Reviews
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Critics are definitely wrong about this one.
The Da Vinci Code has generally been trashed by critics, and after seeing it I cannot comprehend why. Controversy or no, this is one of the best mystery/thrillers I've ever seen, and the 150 minute runtime is exactly as long as it takes. You'll find yourself trying to figure out whose side everyone is on, and the story throws a bunch of wonderful twists at you. There are, perhaps, a few scenes that didn't need to be put in, and the small amount of nudity is completely unnecessary. Personally, I'm surprised that this movie didn't draw an R rating, with the amount of intensity, mildly disturbing scenes, and nudity in it. It does drag at times, but in general the movie has an excellent pace and keeps you moving right along. There are a few moments of humor ("then you'll just have to shoot us...starting with him"), but for the most part it is a dark and engrossing thriller.
In short, go see it subject to these conditions: 1) If you're an easily offended Catholic, don't touch it. It is just as inflammatory as the hype says. 2) Do NOT take children to this. I wouldn't touch this with anyone under 14-15. 3) If you hated National Treasure, don't touch it. The two are very similar movies.
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Mission Accomplished!
I just got back from seeing M:i:III, and I'm still breathing hard. This was quite simply one of the best action movies ever made, behind only The Fifth Element and S.W.A.T. for me.
Pace: Perfect. Absolutely perfect. So perfect, in fact, that there's nothing more to say.
Draw-you-in-ness: Also superb - towards the end of the movie I found myself almost throwing Ethan's punches. Cruise captures the character far better than he did in M:i:II, and the villain is chillingly portrayed as pure unadulterated evil.
Suspense: Only in the last few minutes will you finally be able to figure out where everyone's loyalties lie. Every scene throws a new shocker at you, and you'll find yourself wondering which way to turn.
Effects: Things are supposed to blow up in M:i movies, and you won't be disappointed. The effects are nothing special, but when things blow up it looks realistic.
The only reason this doesn't get a 10 from me is the totally extraneous and unnecessary political shot fired in one scene, and the somewhat formula plot. Still absolutely superb, and worth every penny - as long as you don't miss a second of it. If you do, catching up simply isn't happening.
Category 7: The End of the World (2005)
A perfect disaster...of a movie
WOW. That was, without a doubt, the worst movie I have ever seen. The plot line follows our heroine, the (obviously democratic) new single, stay-at-home supermom who can deal with anything and a meteorologist who was apparently fired because the white house didn't like the implications of a report he wrote, etc. The movie was, as an amateur scientist, truly appalling from a factual point of view. Blatant factual errors noted:
-During a conversation in Washington D.C., a satellite photo in the background shows a Hurricane (probably 2004's Isabel) hitting North Carolina and moving north almost over them...but it's sunny outside.
-Radar imagery of the killer storm is really of a joe-average cold front.
-The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which is entirely stone, shot out sparks when hit by a tornado.
-A fairground haunted house face continues cackling even without power and thrown through a window.
-Category 6 tornadoes...Tornadoes are not rated by categories.
-They fly into the superstorm with a Navy spy plane which barely seats 2, and apparently modify it to pick up weather information in a day.
-A mobile home snaps clean in half when it hits a wooden telephone pole, just because our heroes are behind it
-Coordinates mentioned for two people "30 miles south of Detroit" were in New York State.
-After mentioning a new superstorm developing in the Caribbean, marks are made on a map over the Bahamas (which are not in the Caribbean)
-"This is a definite Category 5 storm - winds have got to be gusting 150mph" - Category 5 hurricanes are 156 mph and up, and gusts don't count.
-Footage of a Category 5 hurricane hitting Florida was stock of the Category 2 (at the time) Hurricane Rita hitting the Florida Keys.
-"Chunks of Mesosphere" are supposedly falling from the upper atmosphere. Not only is this completely impossible, but they manage to also forget the two layers of atmosphere in the way.
-Category 7/8 storms are mentioned, the scale only goes up to five.
The story could easily be called "How all the evil republicans in the white house and churches are killing us all". The Kyoto treaty is mentioned, and the evil Chief of Staff remarkably resembles Cheney.
I'll watch next week just to laugh at it. Unless you desire to laugh at pathetic disaster movies, though, find better uses for two hours of your time.