The Movie Show with Dr J

First on our list tonight is the much anticipated film adaptation of Dan Brown's bestseller airport thriller "The Da Vinci Code". Director Ron Howard, best known for his work on Russell Crowe epics, has attempted to make both a faithful and financially viable version of the novel that has taken the world by storm with its controversial claims about the church and its quest to suppress femininity.

Now I only very recently read the book myself having been convinced that if I didn't read it prior to seeing the film I never would. So with the novel fresh in my mind I went with 2 other terns to see if the movie which got canned and Cannes would have anything to offer.

To be honest... it didn't.

Tom Hanks looks like he's not even trying to act in this extremely lengthy blow by blow account of the book. Ian McKellen really should stick to Hobbits and X-Men (see below) and the bits they cut out and added didn't really work.

The only redeeming feature of the 3 hours was the refreshingly beautiful Audrey T who kept me entranced long enough to stop me from nodding off. I haven't seen her most famous work "Amelie" but will definitely need to stop by my local Blockbuster now to become better acquainted with this French belle.

The second movie in our review list this evening is "X-Men 3: The Last Stand". Now I've never really watched the TV cartoons or read the comics, but the prior 2 movies in this trilogy have been of substantial quality (and of course star the ever fabulous Famke Jannsen and Anna Pacquin).

So late last night (when I should have been sleeping for my overtime shift today) I snuck off to see a late session of this action comic adventure.

And it delivered. It restored my lost faith in cinema after the Da Vinci Con.

The plot was slightly poorer than the previous two, but the action and style made up for it. Not too overdone with action, it allowed sufficient character development without allowing one to feel bored.

The only saddening thing is that this will inevitably be the final installment in this series which means that for a closing chapter it didn't quite close off the ends I would have liked it to. There's too much left lying undone and too many characters fates uncertain.

But then again, in reality who ever lives happily ever after?