Shopping on the DVC

So The Da Vinci Code has opened. I have been of two minds about seeing this. On one side, the book was such simple fun action/adventure/mystery with some thought thrown it, how can the movie not be a good ride? And on the other hand, I don’t want to spend two hours fidgeting in my seat mentally consumed by how badly Tom Hanks needs a haircut.

From the San Francisco Chronicle’s review (by Mick LaSalle)

There are reversals of expectation, miraculous escapes from certain doom -- all the things that make thrillers thrilling. But “The Da Vinci Code” isn’t thrilling. It’s not a complete dud, either. Though it's tempting to deal in extremes when talking about the year's most anticipated picture, the truth is that “The Da Vinci Code” is a pretty-good-but-who-cares effort, a moderately interesting diversion that will hold audiences in the moment but leave them unmoved and unchanged. For a routine entry, that wouldn't be bad, but for a 153-minute blockbuster, directed by Ron Howard and written by Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”), there's no pretending it lives up to expectations.

That about sums it up. But Mr. LaSalle does give me my favorite press quote of the day (in bold, emphasis added):

Give credit to Bettany for a gutsy performance. After seeing him half nude and flagellating himself, it’ll take a while for audiences to buy him as a romantic lead. If only for the lack of opportunities, no one wants to get typecast playing lunatic albino monks.