My daughter and I went to see The Da Vinci Code yesterday. We were at an 11:30 am showing, and the theatre was nearly full. I had diminished expectations based on the advanced reviews, but I enjoyed it. One criticism was the lack of chemistry between Hanks and Tautou, which I found not to be the case. Their relationship was never meant to be romantic. Hanks was her knight in shining armor, and she adored him for showing up and helping her through a difficult process. That rang through loud and clear to me.
I did find the film a little slow. The novel had a dramatic drive that never let up, a narrative imperative that the movie lacked. I can’t put my finger on what I’d change, though. Sir Ian was terrific, and I liked Jean Reno as Fache. Paul Bettany didn’t do as much for me, and I couldn’t help seeing Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus for some reason. I could feel the additions to the script that helped distance some of the controversy, but that wasn’t a fault, just an awareness.
The film opened big—it’ll be interesting to see what word-of-mouth does, and how it holds up on week two.
I watched Capote on DVD on Saturday night. I read In Cold Blood a long time ago, probably in the early 1980s. I was superficially aware of Capote’s character, affectations and reputation, how he invented the non-fiction novel and also a little of the extent to which he influenced the outcome of the story he was telling. I also knew that he was the inspiration for Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird but wasn’t aware that Harper Lee accompanied him to Nebraska while he was researching the Clutter case or to what extent writing the book ruined him personally. A good, solid, interesting Oscar-worthy film, with three interesting making-of featurettes. Hoffman channeled Capote, no question about it.
I finished The Ruins by Scott Smith (A Simple Plan) on Saturday. Halfway through the book I saw no way out for the characters. I couldn’t figure out an ending. Smith’s solution was impressive. I wish I could say more about it at this point. A chilling book, though. Check it out when it’s published in July. I have no idea what Smith does when he’s not writing (he’s been 13 years between novels) and his biography is a stark two-line statement about where he was educated and where he lives. He’s supposed to tour with the book, so I’m looking forward to learning more about who he is.
