Angels and Demons

Ron Howard is not only an acting prodigy, molder of creative inspiration, and a great writer; he also has an amazing ability to take imagination and perfect little moments in his mind and make them into masterpiece films.
He has taken years to refine a talent I hope to one day understand. Directing is somewhat of an easy craft, if you think of the bigger picture. The actors do the acting. The composers do the music. The crew makes it pretty, backstage makes it flow, and the management (stage management, photography director) make sure every detail is exact. But the most crucial role a director can know, is everything. You must know how the actors feel and think to put your ideas in their heads. You must know the way to work the camera to get the angles you want, how to work the lighting system to create the proper mood. You must know, everything.
It is not an easy job. Preciseness is honed and held close, always accessible.
Ron Howard's movies; such as Apollo 13, Far and Away, and Ransom; inspire me.

Today I watched Angels and Demons. I'm sure you are all aware of the controversy surrounding it's predecessor, The Da Vinci Code. Even though in Angels and Demons first publications there were inaccuracies of the places in Rome and the Italian language used, the issues were soon cleared up. As for the controversy surrounding this particular book were far fewer in the seemingly unconnected sequel.
Yes the Catholic church was upset, and yes things were said. But as actor Tom Hanks put it, "Everybody is looking for some scandal whether a scandal exists or not."

The beginning shots of the movie wrapped around and connected with the ending through unfocused lens angles, also beginning and ending with the ring of the Pope. There were a few scenes that were minute in the relevance to the movie, such as a scene with a camera propped outside the driving car shooting behind the car. However, other tiny scenes created a sense of realism. How the events were effecting the public. These scenes were shots of reporters, and general public to express the feeling such as celebration and fear. One scene in particular stood out to me as a metaphorical meaning in the movie when two groups of people began to argue and the erupt in physical fighting. To me it represented how the characters began to turn on one another and suspect everyone.
I really liked the different angles chosen by Howard to express and follow the characters. The scene in the Catholic, warehouse if you will, was well depicted. It could have, however, gone without the visuals in the characters view as they lost oxygen. I enjoyed, and found it quite ironic, that once the glass broke the power went back on.
Even though this book, or in my case movie, did involve death and possible city inhalation, I found The Da Vinci Code more enthralling. It seemed to lack conviction in the beginning and towards the middle. Things began to pick up, but the urgency still seemed to be lacking, and the mystery behind the villain was not as great. In the first there was so much known about the villain, and you got to connect with him. In Angels and Demons , however, you barely knew him at all.
The music picked was very powerful, and conveyed to the audience the exact moment when they should feel and to what feeling it would be. The moments with the choir were much more touching and added the historical aspect.
I also enjoyed how they depicted the Catholic church. It wasn't with hate, spite, or any bitter feelings. Instead, there was more of a reaching to understand and not mock. A sense of joining the two; religion and science. I liked that idea. I really liked the speech Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor) gave to the members of the church. About how science was the unruly child who was rushing into life and into explanation, but religion was the elder trying to calm the spirit. Trying enlighten science with the ways of life. It was touching, and I enjoyed that idea. It was very refreshing compared to all the mockery currently surrounding religion. Yahweh was also referenced, which rarely if ever happens.
I liked the ideas in this movie (book), and I liked the ways that Howard portrayed them. The scenes were short, or perfectly spaced to explain what needed to be said.
I could feel the anxiousness towards the end in the way the drum beats hit with the footsteps of Langdon and Vetra.
I know I have been summarizing the movie in it's writing and how the Author made it, but that is because of the closeness Howard stayed to the book. Most of the time, things are torn apart and much different than the original. If that were so this review would be different. However, since the two are so alike, I am able to slip in and out of both and relate them. If that makes sense.
:)
K, I liked the movie. I liked how Howard did it. Nuff said. ;)

Hey Jude

Hello and welcome to my pilot blog.
:)
So, I've moved. But you know that. I am staying back from job hunting and house hunting, so during the day I'm going to start a little research. Movies.
That's what I hope to soon get into, so I am going to start with the basics. Im going to watch a movie or two a day and study the shots, angles, and pretty much everything else about it. So... there! I watched 500 Days of Summer today, but I will critic it later. Tomorrow I will re-watch it, and tell you all the details.
The idea for the blog came to me almost at the end of this movie, so I didn't get the full absorption from it.

That is all.