Film Forum

Episode Recap

Episode 8

May 30, 2006 

Films Reviewed: The Da Vinci Code and X-Men: The Last Stand

Commentary: Remembering Paul Gleason

Special Guest: Jake Jacobsen of the Atlanta Film Festival

Regarding Da Vinci Code:

Matt: The only thing wrong with this adaptation of Dan Brown’s “controversial” novel is the casting.  Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou are wrong for their parts and they have the chemistry of dead fish.  While they don’t smell, they aren’t exactly alive, either.  Two stars.

Aron: I thought this was one of the smartest films I’ve seen this year.  The puzzles that the film present are very intriguing and will keep you thinking long after the final credits roll.  And you won’t recognize Paul Bettany as the albino monk!  Three stars.

Average Rating: **1/2 (out of ****)

Regarding X-Men: The Last Stand:

Aron: The X-Men franchise is three for three in giving us great movies!  This film, about a potential cure for the mutant gene, is riveting from start to finish.  Brett Ratner takes over the reins from Bryan Singer seamlessly.  Four stars!

Matt: This entry in the franchise is good, but not great.  While X-Men fans finally get to see elements of the comics not seen on screen before, I couldn’t help but feel that the elements that made X2 such a great film were missing here.  It’s still worth seeing.  Three stars.

Average Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)

Commentary: Character Actor Paul Gleason passed away this weekend from a rare form of lung cancer.  Aron and Matt took a few minutes to review his career.

Special Guest: Jake Jacobsen of the Atlanta Film Festival stopped by to give us the scoop on some of the films premiering at this year’s festival.  Click on the above link to find out more!