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May 20, 2006
Saw it
What I do for you people.
It's almost 1am, so no review until tomorrow, but some initial impressions.
1) It's really boring. It's so boring that by the time you get to the end of the last half hour - which follows the capture of Teabing and covers the Rosslyn Chapel, etc, stuff - whatever came before seems like a totally other movie that happpened a long, long time ago. It was a very odd feeling.
2) Tom Hanks should never speak to Ron Howard again. Or his agent. What a dreadful, dreadful part for him, and I hope his lips have come un-pursed by now. I'm worried about that.
3) So...when did full rear nudity become a part of PG-13 movies? 'Cept for the lash marks, nice bod, Paul Bettany.
4) I kept wanting big metal arms to come writhing out of Bishop Aringarosa's cassock so bad. That would have been awesome, and turned this baby completely aound. Someone, please Photoshop that.
5) Do nuns ordinarily run aound London in packs of 10? Just wondering.
6) During the opening sequence, when Sauniere is running though the Louvre, I swear, all I could think of was the trailer to The Norman Rockwell Code. See. Films do have an impact.
7) Jesus was "merely" mortal, but we all need to go kneel at Mary Magdalene's tomb. Because she's the wife of Jesus. Who was merely mortal. And she was bearing his baby. So we should go kneel at her tomb. Because she was married to Jesus. Who was merely mortal. But...
8) WHERE IS MARY MAGDALENE'S TOMB? WE'VE GOT TO RACE AROUND EUROPE, KILL PEOPLE, RACK OUR BRAINS TO FIGURE OUT STUPID PUZZLES, STAND AROUND IN RESTROOMS AND VILLAS TALKING FOR HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS ABOUT WHERE IN THE WORLD MARY MAGDALENE'S RELICS ARE. WHY HAS THE CHURCH HIDDEN THEM? WHY DON'T THEY WANT US TO REVERENCE HER? WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE SUPER-SECRET SPOT WHERE PILGRIMS CAN FLOCK TO HONOR HER?
7) The reaction at the showing I went to was meh. Here's what happened. David is in town to help celebrate Katie's confirmation (last Thursday night). So, we decided to go - he would go see Silent Hill, and I would use my free pass to see DVC. I dropped him off, he went in to Silent Hill, but did not check the board before he did so, to notice that the DVC showing I would go to was sold out. And the girl in the ticket booth just stared at me when I tried to explain that I really didn't want to go to the 10:20 showing and I needed to tell my son that I couldn't get in. Hmm.
So, I went ahead and bought the ticket to the later show, hung out, peeking into the theater until the show I'd wanted to attend began - and I mean really began, past the previews, just to assuage my conscience - saw at least 15 empty seats, and grabbed one.
As you would expect, the crowd at this 9:40 show was mostly people in their 20's, and it was clearly a date movie. And even though it was late when the show let out and people were tired, there was just no end-of-a-good-movie bustle and chatter. The movie ended, the lights went up, and the crowd dispersed in near-silence. I stood at the door and listened to them once they started talking, and this is what I heard several times:
"Did you like it?"
"Eh, it was okay."
So - I'm thinking this will have a sizeable opening weekend, but maybe even get a drop-off as early as Sunday, and for sure will not have repeat business. It's not going to bomb, but it is definitely not a film that engages or that people are going to fall in love with.
More tomorrow. Or- later today.
Posted by Amy Welborn | Permalink
Comments
That was indeed a labor of love.
Posted by: Lynn at May 20, 2006 1:26:16 AM
mostly people in their 20's, and it was clearly a date movie.
I would be surprised if any large numbers of teenagers wanted to go see it, and would be doubly surprised if any early or pre-teens wanted to see the movie. It does not surprise me that guys would go only if they were dragged to it by their girlfriends/wives.
for sure will not have repeat business
Well, it may not be a "bomb," but it is certainly a "dud" without repeat business. Its the repeats that push movies into blockbuster status -- folks going to see Star Wars or Spiderman five or six times.
The published production costs were $125 million, not counting advertising costs. Although it has gotten more free publicity than any other movie in memory, I have seen tons of broadcast and print ads for DVC, so I would think that the advertising costs were substantial -- perhaps pushing the break-even point up to $150 million. It will certainly break that world-wide, but I'm not so sure about the domestic numbers.
One thing that is becoming clearer -- Next week's X-Men 3 will blow DVC away when it opens.
Posted by: Bender at May 20, 2006 2:04:01 AM
I saw the film too (before I do a presentation on it tomorrow) and agree with these prelim points; here's 2 others:
> does anyone stay for the 10 minutes of end credits? To the bottom line about all resemblance to reality is accidental? To penultimate lines about who gave them permission to violate sacred spaces (Lincoln, Winchester; and the government of "O so Catholic"(95%)Malta....) Amy, you must not have stuck around, or you wouldn't have heard any exiting conversations
> Not only do we kneel to the relics of the wife of a mere mortal, but we can't kiss and touch the one who is the current in the blood-line of this mere mortal. What weird chemistry. Oh, wait a minute....back up...it's not a wife of a mere mortal, it's a goddess married to a mere mortal. (Reminds me, I must look into the term for sleeping with gods...)
Posted by: thomas at May 20, 2006 2:05:44 AM
Amy! You pulled the old "buy a ticket for one movie and go see another" switcheroo. (Granted, it was the same movie, just a different show time, but boy is St. Peter gonna lay into you on that one!)
What're you gonna tell us next — you snuck in some unauthorized Goobers?
Posted by: Shaun G at May 20, 2006 2:20:50 AM
I'll wait for when the library gets a copy. Any chance you could get a passable drinking game out of it?
And I sincerely hope that sneaking in Goobers is a venial sin at most, because, um - no reason :).
Posted by: Sonetka at May 20, 2006 2:40:25 AM
"5) Do nuns ordinarily run aound London in packs of 10?"
Yes the place is overun with feral ones!
;-)
Posted by: Paul at May 20, 2006 2:51:22 AM
There are times when unabashed mockery is nearly as effective as the most careful apologetics. This is one of those times.
Posted by: Richard at May 20, 2006 3:52:23 AM
Thank you, Amy. Sweet dreams!
Posted by: Joan at May 20, 2006 4:01:56 AM
I hope you offered this up. Sitting through this pretentious potboiler of a movie should be worth at least a year off purgatory!
Posted by: Donald R. McClarey at May 20, 2006 6:51:45 AM
BTW, the full version (30 minutes) of The Norman Rockwell Code is up here. Very funny.
Posted by: Karen LH at May 20, 2006 7:18:09 AM
My two sons, ages 15 and 26 went to see "Hedge" and said it was fantastic! They both gave it a "9" out of a 10. They know I am not into animation, but both said even I would love it. My wife and I are going today. My 24 year old son bought a ticket to "Hedge" and somehow ended up in DVC :). I haven't talked to him yet.
Posted by: William at May 20, 2006 7:21:45 AM
Just listened to the latest Ebert and Roeper podcast last night. They gave DVC two thumbs up. The gist of their review was that of course the movie slandered Opus Dei and the Catholic Church, but that any moron could see that the "history" was all made up, so who cares?
OK, fine. I unsubscribed to their podcast.
Posted by: Karen LH at May 20, 2006 7:29:13 AM
I would expect that all the book's fans would flock to the movie, and that right quick, so of course it should open strong. And then?
Posted by: Fr Martin Fox at May 20, 2006 7:55:21 AM
Full-bum nudity in PG-13 is old, olllld hat. Ask a knowledgeable movie person about what is and isn't allowed in PG-13, the no-man's-land of ratings. For instance: You can beat the crap out of someone with whatever weapon you want, as long as you avoid the head, and be PG-13. So, for instance, you can place a hungry rat under a glass dome on a man's stomach and let everyone watch him start nibblin' -- that's fine.
One F-bomb is OK for PG-13, but two is R, and only if the single F-bomb is used in a non-sexual sense. Rob Reiner had a great observation: "You can say, 'I want to f--- you,' and that's R. But 'I want to f--- you over,' and that's PG-13."
Posted by: Nance at May 20, 2006 8:18:42 AM
One thing I'm proud of...here in the Philippines, TDVC got an R18 (Restricted to 18 years old and above) rating.
Posted by: Cristina A. Montes at May 20, 2006 8:35:28 AM
Hi Amy, I did it! At your service!
http://echoromeo.blogspot.com/2006/05/monsignore-aringarosa-und-das-da-vinci.html
I am not sure about the license of changed movie pictures. But as far as my copyrights are concerned you may use it ...
Greetings
Peter
Posted by: Peter Esser at May 20, 2006 8:42:58 AM
Here's a working link to Peter Esser's website. Nice photoshop! (And now I know what Amy was talking about -- I haven't seen the Spiderman film he was in and didn't make the connection.)
Posted by: Andrea Harris at May 20, 2006 9:12:17 AM
Amy, as Lynn said above, that was indeed a labor of love. But definitely worth it to get the exit comments. Thanks for the aspect that the MSM will certainly miss.
Posted by: Mary Kay at May 20, 2006 9:17:02 AM
Thank you, Andrea! (I didn’t even try to set a HTML-Tag …)
I haven’t seen SPIDERMAN either, it became only clear to me when I googled for »Aringarosa«.
Posted by: Peter Esser at May 20, 2006 9:24:08 AM
I'm a movie barbarian. I don't see art films, "chick flicks," romantic comedies, blockbusters, anything overhyped (Titanic, Brokeback Mountain, ad nau), anything that won something at Cannes, anything with an "ensemble cast," anything with those little gold palm leaves on it, or anything with period costumes (unless it's Braveheart or Troy). Three questions I ask about a movie:
Does it have space aliens?
Does anything get blown up?
Do any space aliens get blown up?
Must have a "yes" to two out of three for me to see it.
I know: total barbarian.
Fr. Philip, OP
Posted by: PNP, OP at May 20, 2006 9:33:00 AM
Free speech reigns. We crazy Catholics and other Christians haven't disgraced the Holy Name by engaging in verbal or physical violence. More attention has been drawn to the de-constructionism spawned by over-application of the historical-critical method. I know people who have been inspired to read good histories of the Church, and even dust off their Bibles. I personally didn’t have much of a grasp on the heresy of Gnosticism, and its contemporary manifestations.
I would like to let Bender know that there was a lot of "buzz" in my daughter's eighth grade class (in a Catholic school) about the many that were eager to attend the local opening of The Movie. I don't plan to ever waste a minute of my life on reading the book or watching such nonsense, but I must admit that some very good things may come from all of this attention.
Even though this is but a cultural moment, I’m glad to see that it properly is being used. This seems to me to well represent the mystery of paradox. I wish that Chesterton were available for comment. May God continue to bless and use knowledgeable Catholic and other Christian apologists to make good the net effect of this book and movie. In the words of our Lord, as memorably depicted (with license) in Gibson’s similarly controversial movie, as having been proclaimed on the way of the cross, “Behold, I make all things new.”
“The one who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Then he said, "Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true."
He said to me, "They are accomplished. I (am) the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water.” Revelation: 21 5-6
Posted by: Joseph R. Wilson at May 20, 2006 9:33:26 AM
Haven't been near the cineplex yet, but I stand by my assertion that FOUL PLAY will always be the definitive evil albino movie.
(And, hey, where are all the innocent albinos? There's a niche protest group for you...)
Posted by: Ellyn at May 20, 2006 9:46:46 AM
Fr. Philip,
I know that priests are real people too, but it always surprises me when they talk like them. I will never forget the day Fr. Robert walkind into LitTrad and began his lecture with, "I was reading a copy of Guns and Ammo the other day..." Unfortunately I don't remember anything he said after that! Thanks for the chuckle!
And thanks Amy for your brief impressions. Looking forward to the full review.
Posted by: Charlotte at May 20, 2006 9:55:58 AM
I don't care how much Ebert liked it as long as he continues to compare DVC believers to 9-11 conspiracy nutcases. Once "nobody believes that", no one will believe it.
Posted by: Jon W at May 20, 2006 10:06:54 AM
If the story were about a world-wide Jewish conspiracy, would it still be an innocent read at the beach? Of course not. That's the point that has been missed by the media. This isn't just about offending Christian theology. It is anti-Catholic. The Catholic Church, like Judaism, is eternally corrupt and covering things up, a threat to man's freedom.
Posted by: Jason at May 20, 2006 10:21:37 AM
"where are all the innocent albinos? There's a niche protest group for you..."
Albinos condemn 'Da Vinci' assassin
Posted by: McO at May 20, 2006 10:40:35 AM
Looks like a strong opening:
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/first-bo-reports-on-da-vinci-code/
Posted by: Lickona at May 20, 2006 11:09:24 AM
I hadn't planned to see DVC (not last night, not ever) but a friend called with an extra ticked to the ball game (KC v. St. Lou - great fun with the cross-state rival angle - also rumors that their excellencies, +Naumann of KCK and +Finn of KCMO - both natives of St. Louis were in attendance) so I figured it could be a good way to spend an evening (I don't think it counts as part of the "othercott") As it turns out we sat behind an albino fellow at the ball game - I refrained from asking him if his name was Silas or whether he was a murderous Opus Dei monk!
Posted by: Fr. Totton at May 20, 2006 11:35:18 AM
The thing about this movie is that it reminds me I need to get my hair cut before I start to look like Tom Hanks.
Also, I wonder if Leonardo would be amused by all the crazy stuff his painting has been through.
Posted by: Jason LaLonde at May 20, 2006 11:51:57 AM
Wow, the Barny Fife impersonation by the symbologist in the Norman Rockwell Code is Oscar-worthy.
Posted by: Jim in Chicago at May 20, 2006 12:11:45 PM
I would like to let Bender know that there was a lot of "buzz" in my daughter's eighth grade class (in a Catholic school) about the many that were eager to attend the local opening of The Movie.
Perhaps, but I wonder how many of them are going to go spend their allowances on a matinee showing? And any interest they might have had most certainly did not originate with them (what kid reads adult books, especially those with historical, religious, conspiratorial, mystery, thriller themes?), but originated in adults around them talking to them, as well as in the controversy (that, frankly, we opposers have pushed along). I'm telling you, the early and pre-teens are going to be saving their money for X-Men 3.
As for me, who has known a few true Cubans, I'm planning to go see Andy Garcia's, "The Lost City."
Posted by: Bender at May 20, 2006 12:19:10 PM
Charlotte,
Fr. Robert reads "Guns and Ammo"?!?! Well, well...something to tease him about in the sacristy!
Fr. Philip, OP
Posted by: PNP, OP at May 20, 2006 12:36:21 PM
I watched Ebert & Roeper review DVC this morning. I too was disappointed that they gave it two thumbs up. They seem to be in the minority on this one. However, both did admit that the book and movie were slanders against Catholics and Opus Dei. I did love it when Ebert said that anyone who believes that DVC is true needs to take up a more serious hobby, such as looking for UFOs.
Posted by: Fr. Bryan at May 20, 2006 12:52:30 PM
We stopped by the theater a little while ago to pick up our tickets for Over the Hedge tonight. There were people from one of the local Bible churches handing out pamphlets about DVC. I sort of jumped on the poor guy who handed us one: "We're not going!" I hope he realized that my reaction was to the movie and not to him.
The pamphlet's not too bad. Not great, but not too bad. It's called The Da Vinci Code: A Companion Guide to the Movie, written by Josh McDowell and connected with www.JesusAndDavinci.com, if anyone else has seen it.
Posted by: Karen LH at May 20, 2006 1:38:41 PM
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it appears that the "Othercott" is having a limited impact, if any. From BoxOfficeMojo.com, here are the top 5 estimates from Friday:
Da Vinci Code $29.5 million
Over the Hedge $10.95 million
MI 3 $3.39 million
Poseidon $3.05 million
See No Evil $1.65 million
Thus you can see Duh Vinci made more on Friday than the rest of the top 5 combined. :-( Over the Hedge was beaten by a nearly 3-1 margin.
I think the best we can hope for at this point, for this weekend, is for OtH to close the gap to a 2 or 2.5 - to 1 margin.
Posted by: Edward at May 20, 2006 4:34:18 PM
Well, i think the point is not for Over the Hedge to beat the Duh Vinci Code, but simply for it to be a good alternative to Dan Brown's overly hyped and widely publicized movie.
I thought it extremely unrealistic for 'Hedge' to beat 'Duh Vinci'. It would have worked if 'The Passion of the Christ' had run side by side against 'TDVC', but this is not a Christian movie we are talking about, but simply a family movie that many Christian families do not feel compelled or obligued to see, no matter how good it might be.
Posted by: Veronica at May 20, 2006 5:00:00 PM
Othercott report from Central Illinois. We went to see Over the Hedge today, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Many "kid" movies I merely tolerate for the sake of our three kids, but Hedge was really rather amusing. The voice acting was top-notch. William Shatner gave a very good performance as Dad Possum, with the animation aping well his usual histrionic poses. I have waited a very long time to see Shatner portray road-kill as he does in this movie! The kids loved it and Mom and Dad laughed along with them. Unlike the DVC, I think Over the Hedge will have good word of mouth.
Posted by: Donald R. McClarey at May 20, 2006 5:14:16 PM
I've not seen it, I really don't intend to. It's just not that interesting to me. I didn't see the last temptation, I didn't see the Mel Gibson dibacle. I think the consolation for those that don't like this movie will be the horrible reviews it's getting. I mean it's getting SUCH BAD reviews as to almost make the idea of protesting it a waste of energy - the reviews are doing the work for you.
Posted by: PW at May 20, 2006 5:16:03 PM
How can anyone be surprised at the takings of DVC on the opening weekend! You KNEW that it would be a big hit.
But will it be a repeat hit such as The Passion of The Christ and Brokeback Mountain? Fat chance.
Posted by: Jimmy Mac at May 20, 2006 6:14:24 PM
Bender,
Actually, quite a few kids are reading or have read DVC -- an eighth grader in my homeroom was reading it this past week with plans to see the movie this weekend.
And an informal straw poll I did at the beginning of the year revealed that more of my students (around 60 out of the 83 juniors I taught) had read DVC than had read their required summer reading. *sigh*
It did open up an avenue for discussing the inaccuracies of the book, though, so I suppose some good came out of it somehow. The sad part is the number of parents who'd read it and passed it on to their children. Even sadder are the parents who believed it. I really wanted to ask some of those folks why, if they believed the Catholic Church was a foul patriarchal hoax, were they spending fifteen grand a year on Catholic school for their children?
Posted by: Scherza at May 20, 2006 7:15:07 PM
lots of DVC talk when E&R reviewed National Treasure (MP3), which they gave two thumbs down. And that was a movie that had more positive reviews than this one.
Posted by: Fred at May 20, 2006 7:44:30 PM
Jimmy Mac, Brokeback Mountain was a "repeat hit"? I take it you are still stuck on that old agenda of trying to convince the world that America fell in love with a movie that is a gay romance. Brokeback grossed $83 million, which put it 21st among the top grossing films of 2005. It was not as big a "hit" as Flightplan, Fun With Dick and Jane, The Pacifer, Robots, Fantastic Four, Hitch, or The Longest Yard, which are some of the 20 other memorable and beloved movies that did better than Brokeback in 2005. Immagine where Brokeback would have finished had it not received the overwhelming (and positive) free publicity that it did. Perhaps by "repeat hit" you mean that it is a movie that people saw multiple times. I would not be surprised if that were the case because Brokeback appealed to such a small segment of society (people from San Francisco, West Hollyhood, lower Manhattan, etc.) that its devotees would have had to have seen it muliple times in order for it to reach the $83 million total gross. Even if you are right that the Da Vinci Code will not be a "repeat hit," it will certainly far out gross Brokeback Mountain. Gay romance may not have mass appeal, but anti-Catholicism does.
Posted by: Dan at May 20, 2006 8:00:36 PM
Over the Hedge was very fun. I'm really glad we went. Stay through the credits: there's a cute Easter egg at the end.
Posted by: Karen LH at May 20, 2006 9:02:25 PM
From opening grosses, DVC will probably draw a comparable amount to MI 3 two weeks ago. A great Friday night date movie, but word of mouth will hold down crowds thru Sunday night. OTH peaked today but will have legs beyond this weekend, and certainly in DVD. Fox execs must be happy campers with bang-up business coming for X-Persons. Will fit Father Phil's criteria: aliens (mutants,) stuff that blows up real good. For Tinseltown, The Desperate Summer will continue- probably lots of musical execs games at the studios by Labor Day. Sony had the marketing for DVC all wrong. Should have oriented it exclusively to the downtown art houses so the cognoscenti could ooh and ahh over the cinematography and hidden meanings. Not the multiplexes with chick flix, kid flix, or those with aliens and things blown up real good. Opie was due a legitimate bust in his directing career. Comforted by the fact that Scorcese following up Last Temptation with Goodfellas. Ronny might do the same- if he dries his tears. Thanks, Amy, for viewing this nonsense. You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din.
Posted by: Gerard E. at May 20, 2006 9:21:27 PM
I protested the movie Friday and Saturday, and there were far, far fewer people on Saturday than Friday. Hopefully this is not just a local phenomenon.
The movie has a definite fan base of people who relish seeing the Church slandered. I don't know that anyone else will want to see it once they hear how boring it is.
Posted by: Ben Douglass at May 20, 2006 9:44:38 PM
"Over the Hedge was very fun. I'm really glad we went. Stay through the credits: there's a cute Easter egg at the end."
Over The Hedge was GREAT! I took my daughter and 10 of her friends from her girls club. Didn't make it to the Easter Egg thingie. Daughter said she had to go to the bathroom about 2/3 into the movie but wanted to wait. Waited till the very end! Then we all rushed out.
John
Posted by: John Gordon at May 20, 2006 10:01:28 PM
Fr. Philip wrote that he asks three questions about a movie:
Does it have space aliens?
Does anything get blown up?
Do any space aliens get blown up?
Must have a "yes" to two out of three for me to see it.
Fr. Philip, this sounds exactly like my husband.
It is a standing joke between us that unless any given movie contains at least one scene in which a helicopter, under a hail of bullets, crashes into the side of a mountain, followed by a huge explosion, my husband isn't interested in seeing it.
Last year, I was able to convince my husband that the movie Pride & Prejudice, based on Jane Austen's 1813 novel, might contain a helicopter-crashing-into-a mountain-scene, but I couldn't promise.
He enjoyed it just the same.
Posted by: Marion (Mael Muire) at May 20, 2006 10:02:43 PM
Oh, yes. The reason Ebert and Roeper gave National Treasure two thumbs down: unrealistic plot.
Posted by: Fred at May 20, 2006 10:20:04 PM
I just saw "Hedge" and think that before all is said and done "Hedge" will have made more money that DVC. After this weekend, DVC will lose ground to "Hedge".
Posted by: William at May 20, 2006 10:21:16 PM
My friend and I went to "Over the Edge" this afternoon,in Times Square. We giggled throughout and had a great time, though I don't think we "professional" women were anywhere near the target audience for the film. We both agreed we'd gladly see it again - for Steve Carrell's hyperactive squirrel alone!
HUGE lines for the DVC, but our theater was pretty full too. There were protesters handing out leaflets before and praying the rosary after. Someone from a newspaper was interviewing one of them.
I honestly think that OTH has a good chance still to beat DVC. Not many parents would be able to take their kids to OTH on a Friday afternoon - they'd be working and the kids still in school. I don't imagine that Friday night is a big movie night for families with small kids either. I think most of the audience for OTH will be there Saturday and Sunday afternoons. We'll see. . . DVC will still probably make at least 60-70 million this weekend, but won't last long (even the people who rushed out to see it Fri night only gave it a measly 6.2 at imdb.com. Then, please God, let it be a fad that's on its way out!
Posted by: Lori Pieper at May 20, 2006 10:52:47 PM
Found this choice quote from Hans Jonas' The Gnostic Religion, p. 95,
Sound familiar?
"The elevation of Cain, prototype of the outcast, condemned by God to be “a fugitive and a vagabond” on earth, to a pneumatic symbol and an honored position in the line leading to Christ is of course an intentional challenge to ingrained valuations. This opting for the “other” side, for the traditionally infamous, is a heretical method, and much more serious than a merely sentimental siding with the underdog, let alone mere indulgence in speculative freedom. It is obvious that allegory, normally so respectable a means of harmonizing, is here made to carry the bravado of non-conformity. Perhaps we should speak in such cases, not of allegory at all, but of a form of polemics, that is, not of an exegesis of the original text, but of its tendentious rewriting. Indeed, the Gnostics in such cases hardly claimed to bring out the correct meaning of the original, if by “correct” is meant the meaning intended by its author—seeing that this author, directly or indirectly, was their great adversary, the benighted creator-god. Their unspoken claim was rather that the blind author had unwittingly embodied something of the truth in his partisan version of things, and that this truth can be brought out by turning the intended meaning upside down. The figure of Cain, after which a gnostic sect called itself (for the Cainites, see Iren. I. 31. 2), is only the most prominent example of the working of the method. In the construction of a complete series of such countertypes, stretching through the ages, a rebels’ view of history as a whole is consciously opposed to the official one. The siding with Cain extends consistently to all the “rejected” among Scriptural figures : the passage quoted above continues with a like elevation of Esau, who “did not receive the blind blessing but became rich outside without accepting anything from the blind one” (bc. cit. 9) ; and Marcion, whose hate of the Old Testament creator- god led him to the most radical conclusions in all respects, taught that Christ descended into hell solely to redeem Cain and Korah, Dathan and Abiram, Esau, and all nations which did not acknowledge the God of the Jews..."
Posted by: Perry Robinson at May 20, 2006 11:21:54 PM
I just got back from watching Flight 93 with four of my kids. This is a very powerful film. Here is an account of a real conspiracy, wirh a lot of bachground previously unkown to me. It didn't seem at all exploitative.
There are clashes of faith and culture; and notable differences in gender roles. My adult daughter said that the heroism made her trust men more. We had an interesting discussion about the simultaneous praying to Our Father and Allah during the hijacking. This film is important in a way that DVC could never be.
Posted by: Joseph R. Wilson at May 20, 2006 11:31:13 PM
Yeah, it's not unheard of for one opener to outgross another opener on the first weekend, but have the second movie make more money in the long run. For example, on the weekend of November 7, 2003, The Matrix Revolutions had a domestic opening of about $48.5 million, and the Will Ferrell Christmas comedy Elf opened in second with $31.1 million. But Matrix suffered a 66% drop in its second weekend, and 57% in the third weekend. Elf had much better legs and wound up with a larger total gross.
Posted by: Edward at May 20, 2006 11:48:48 PM
stuff that blows up real good
Wow, a Big Jim McBob reference eh?
I went to go see "The Lost City," by Andy Garcia, which is in very limited release and is about a cabaret owner and his family in Havana before and after the fall of Batista and rise of Fidel. It too is fairly slow-moving, but a good slow-moving, in a stylish way. This was Garcia's baby, and you can see that it is a labor of love for him, who fled Cuba because of Castro. The performances are all very intense and heart-felt, as are most Cubans you meet when it comes to Castro, who turned an island paradise into a festering cesspool.
Speaking of audience types -- I have to say that this was, by far, the oldest audience I have ever seen at a movie. I think that I, at 42, may have been the youngest one there, so I would gather that, for most of them, the fall of Havana and the rest of Cuba was quite personal.
Posted by: Bender at May 21, 2006 12:47:37 AM
Marion,
A helicopter in Pride & Prejudice? Brillant.
My taste in movies is pretty barbaric, but I make up for it in my literary taste...particularly my taste in poetry! I'm working on getting my fiction library up to speed. Poetry and good literary fiction are both essential to the preacher.
Fr. Philip, OP
Posted by: PNP, OP at May 21, 2006 7:10:59 AM
I also had a go at transforming Aringarosa into Doc Ock. You can have a look at http://shannondonahoo.com/?p=42.
(I loved your version Peter.)
Posted by: Shan at May 21, 2006 10:03:04 AM
I too saw United Flight 93 last week and while the pace and timing of the movie intrigued me - and gave me someone else's perspective of a day I clearly remember living through - I thought the acting was awful. The characters (especially the military and FAA) were cardboard cutouts who uttered banal lines like: "Hey, I think I got a hijacking." "A hijacking?! We haven't seen one of those in years." with a complete lack of investment or emotion. It wasn't altogether a terrible movie, because of the truth of the story, but the quality (of acting, cinematography, etc.) was pure rot-gut.
As far as Over the Hedge, I remember seeing previews several months ago and thinking it looked like a neat movie - one I might like to see. This was before I made the connection about it going up against the "Duh" Vinci Code. Normally, I don't pay to go see animated movies in the theater (even if they look like neat movies) but if my $8 to see Over the Hedge can be another nail (however small) in the coffin of Dan Brown's "Duh" Vinci Code, maybe I will go see it.
Posted by: Fr. Totton at May 21, 2006 3:25:42 PM
Fr. Totton,
"I thought the acting was awful. The characters (especially the military and FAA) were cardboard cutouts..."
In defense of these "actors," most of the military and FAA in the movie, especially the main characters, were the real people playing themselves. I think it must have been hard for them having to relive that day. Yes, it might not have been filled with Oscar worthy performances (one must portray a gay sheepherder to win one of those), but I thought it was a very powerful film. Of course, what do I know. ;-)
Posted by: David B. at May 21, 2006 6:19:44 PM
"Castro, who turned an island paradise into a festering cesspool."
Well, let's not make over generalizations, shall we? Regardless of personal feelings towards Fidel, revolutions do not merely spring from the head of Zeus.
I once met a woman whose earliest memory was of her grandfather shooting a worker on the plantation because the worker dared to talk back to him. It was of course, not investigated by the local police because after all, the man was a peon. Sometimes it is good to be a rich plantation owner.
Posted by: mayangrl at May 22, 2006 12:43:40 AM
Well, let's not make over generalizations, shall we?
Well, considering the Cuban friends, co-workers, and roommates I've had, people who have actually lived in Castro's paradise, and what they have expressed, it is an understatement, if anything.
Posted by: Bender at May 22, 2006 1:15:08 AM
It was overall a rather lame movie. There were some interesting shots of people using minimal light, kind of cool, but the story arc and the dialogue were stale. It was as if a 16 year old Tom Clancy had written the screenplay for Foucault's Pendulum.
Posted by: Troy at May 22, 2006 3:44:14 PM
