What A Dollar Has To Tell You - 13 Gentle Reminders

Are you looking for The Dan Brown Code?

christopher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:29:29 +0000

An untraceable source…

christopher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:27:38 +0000

As I watched National Treasure, I couldn’t help but feel that someone was trying to beat Dan Brown to the punch. Now, while The Da Vinci Code (scheduled to be made into a major motion picture next year, rumored to star Tom Hanks) has little to do with Masons (well, maybe a little, but not really in the grand scheme), it does cross-plots with National Treasure a bit when we find ourselves watching the Knights Templar plunder a treasure hidden beneath the Temple of Solomon. And the analysis of codes and riddles by Benjamin Gates, Nicholas Cage’s character in the movie, seems straight out of the world of Dan Brown’s character, Robert Langdon. Brown’s successful book series could become quite a movie franchise if Hanks and company make The Da Vinci Code as inspiring on screen as it was in print… but here’s the kicker: The next book in the Robert Langdon series (Brown is still working on it) is supposedly set in the Washington DC area, and it’s supposed to deal with a Masonic conspiracy…. Sounds a wee bit like National Treasure preempted that plot. Conspiracy theory, anyone?

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National Treasure (2004)

christopher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:26:47 +0000

“The Clues Are Right In Front Of Your Eyes”

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The Da Vinci Code (2003)

christopher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:25:20 +0000

“The Secret Is Hidden Right Before Your Eyes”

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What a Dollar Has to Tell You © 2001

christopher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:24:35 +0000

“The most evident thing is invisible to your eyes”

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Chicago Sun Times - Roger Ebert - National Treasure

christopher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:23:49 +0000

If you are one of the millions, like me, who plowed through The Da Vinci Code, you can be forgiven for thinking they’ve made it into a movie. And in a way, they have, but the movie is titled “National Treasure.” This new Jerry Bruckheimer production is so similar in so many ways to the plot of the Dan Brown best seller that either (a) the filmmakers are the only citizens of the entertainment industry who have never heard of The Da Vinci Code, no, not even while countless people on the set must have been reading the book, or (b) they have ripped it off. My attorneys advise me that (a) is the prudent answer.

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New York Times - A Secret Treasure Map That Ends in Manhattan

christopher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:22:57 +0000

“National Treasure” was produced by that Hollywood Midas, Jerry Bruckheimer, and directed by a Hollywood hack, John Turteltaub (”Three Ninjas,” “The Kid”). With its ludicrous frisson of patriotism and a nod to “The Da Vinci Code,” a more cynical grab for Hollywood gold is hard to imagine. What does it tell us that a couple of important clues are to be found in drawings on the backs of hundred-dollar bills? But “National Treasure” is so witless and shoddy it suggests that Midas may have lost his touch…

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About.com - Is National Treasure like The Da Vinci Code?

christopher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:21:17 +0000

National Treasure is similar to The Da Vinci Code in that it’s about decoding clues on historical artifacts to lead the hero to the ultimate treasure. But the filmmakers downplay the connection, and in fact, the movie was in development long before The Da Vinci Code was published…

…Producer Jerry Bruckheimer added, “I haven’t read The Da Vinci Code, but my guess is that [comparison] is a good thing, because it’s a best selling book, and you know, we’ve been working on this thing for 8 years. We’re thrilled it became such a huge success, and hopefully people who read that will come see this. I mean, they’re totally different. My understanding is it’s about the Vatican and the Church and everything else, and this is more about American history.”

Seattlepi.com - Cage is a lightweight in ‘National Treasure’ role

christopher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:20:24 +0000

The new Nicolas Cage action movie, “National Treasure,” is a total rip-off of the mega-best-selling novel, “The Da Vinci Code,” but since that book is reportedly a rip-off of other books, I suppose there’s no sense in getting overly indignant about it

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Movie Smackdown - The Da Vinci Code (2006) -vs- National Treasure (2004)

christopher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:19:39 +0000

Of course, what neither “The Da Vinci Code” or “National Treasure” had was an ounce of credibility in the search for the secret or search for the treasure storylines they pursued. Each one sets up its cliff-hangers briskly, places the characters in grave danger, allows for nearly impossible escapes, and then takes us to the next plot point. Here’s one more point of commonality: both of these films are much better in their front halves than their back halves. As mysteries at the beginning they both more-or-less work. But as the logic falls apart in each, so did my patience.

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