And etc…

I finally saw Napoleon Dynamite (with Brian and Jenny, my in-laws, also Matt was there). I was expecting to hate this movie because apparently I’m supposed to hate it the first time around (though this was technically my second viewing, but that’s a really long story that I’m not going to relate here). But I liked it. At least most of it. There were a few parts where I just wanted to punch some people, but that happens a lot to me, so it’s not really a statement towards the quality of the script and/or movie.

I also saw The DaVinci Code. It’s a lot like Napoleon Dynamite in that they are both named after Europeans and have men in the leading roles. The lead actors also both have bad haircuts and are purportedly attractive in real life, despite the appearances of their characters.

I’m going to have to side with the probably large group of people who feel that the Dan Brown’s book was more entertaining than the movie. This is probably because the book had really short scenes, while the movie had really long scenes. Part of Brown’s writing style seems to revolve around the one-page chapter. I’m thinking this has a lot to do with his book’s popularity. The shortness of the chapters not only holds your attention, it makes you feel as if you’ve accomplished so much more when you reach that next chapter. It’s motivational, really.

Another reason I preferred the book? The flashback scenes in the movie were just creepy. They also closely resembled the moments when Langdon was “remembering” things, and when there was just a weird moment of history intermixed with present day. It made me feel like I was in a virtual reality chamber. Or, rather, that the characters were.

Matt told me he liked the movie more than the book because Langdon seemed like less of a genius and more of an everyday guy. I don’t know if I totally agree, but I have to second the idea that Tom Hanks’ haircut certainly gave him more of a trailer-court-ish-everyday-man-look than an academician-look. This is probably personal bias. I have to stick up for the hair of those of us in the academy. A few bad hair people does not a stereotype make!