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Let's trash The Da Vinci Code
Entered on: May 17, 2006 11:54 PM by Swerb
I saw the movie today, and it stunk. I'll post a copy of my review later. But I've been reading other reviews, and decided to compile comments trashing Dan Brown's lack of compositional skill. Some of my favorites so far:  
 
"The movie isn?t content with its own stupidity ? it actively assumes that the audience is operating on a simian mental level (although considering how bad the writing in Brown?s original novel is, maybe the movie is overestimating the fanbase)." - CHUD.com  
 
"To their credit the director and his screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman (who collaborated with Mr. Howard on "Cinderella Man" and "A Beautiful Mind"), have streamlined Mr. Brown's story and refrained from trying to capture his, um, prose style. "Almost inconceivably, the gun into which she was now staring was clutched in the pale hand of an enormous albino with long white hair." Such language ? note the exquisite "almost" and the fastidious tucking of the "which" after the preposition ? can live only on the page." - New York Times  
 
"Yet despite all this, it doesn't make sense to completely dismiss "Da Vinci" for its lacks any more than it would have to write off the novel because it's filled with clunky on-the-nose sentences like "Sophie felt herself staggering backward in amazement" and the always popular "Then everything went black."" - L.A. Times

NEWS 353 - 9 Comments
From: Swerb Entered on: May 18, 2006 12:02 AM
I post these because I recall an earlier discussion in which Bert trashed Dan Brown's mentally unchallenging non-style. I, however, find it ironic how unwieldy the L.A. Times writer's sentence is, especially in light of his criticisms of another hack's lack of skill...
 
From: Jackzilla Entered on: May 18, 2006 12:07 AM
Well, Swerb, you say it stinks, but so far on Rottentomatoes 14% say otherwise... Laughing
 
From: Ross Entered on: May 18, 2006 8:13 AM
Thank you Swerb!  Vindication!  I will show this to the sods I work with (that's right, I called you sods.  I don't even know what that means) because I got into a discussion last week about how horrendous his writing is.

 
From: Ross Entered on: May 18, 2006 11:40 AM
And yet.... Ebert liked it. You fucking Ebert fans...
 
From: The Bone Entered on: May 18, 2006 1:49 PM
I don't give a fuck, I enjoyed the book. I hate Tom Hanks so I probably won't see it in theaters but I'll pop a bag of popcorn when it comes out on HBO.

 
From: BigFatty Entered on: May 18, 2006 7:08 PM

I am in the Bone camp here.  I enjoyed the book when I read it and didn't even notice the crappy writing.  When it is called out, I see the crappiness, but I enjoyed the read.  It was the first non-fiction book I had read in years! 

Loved it! 


 
From: Ross Entered on: May 18, 2006 7:12 PM
If you think that book is non-fiction, it's no wonder you didn't notice the crappy writing.

 
From: Jackzilla Entered on: May 18, 2006 7:35 PM
Ross said:
If you think that book is non-fiction, it's no wonder you didn't notice the crappy writing.

HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!
 
From: The Bone Entered on: May 18, 2006 8:09 PM

Fatty, your self-fornication is of the highest order.

However, what I do like is that Dan Brown interlaces irrefutable facts with legend and folklore, add a solid helping of conspiracy theory to weave an interesting story. Now I've seen him interviews and he passes a lot of what he writes as fact - when it's clearly bullshit of the highest order but I could care a less. It's still a fun story.


 

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