When I blogged over the fuss and furor surrounding The Da Vinci Code not so long ago, I expressed the thought that the movie would be, like the book IMO, not very good. In fact, I went as far as to speculate that it might be "almost as atrocious as Mission Impossible." Well, we went last week ... in a rush ... just before we rushed to the cottage and then rushed back and then rushed around.
Most critics seem to be panning the movie, so I wasn't expecting to like it, but I did. For me, it was a dang sight better than a lot of Hollywood's efforts. Maybe it helped to have read the book. Maybe it would have been hard to follow for others. I don't know, but I thought it was a decent flick, and I'm glad that I went.
In fact, I think I liked it better than the book ... although that isn't necessarily saying a lot.
And yes, I still think that The Church is safe.
Following are excerpts from today's lead editorial in The Toronto Star. It reflects concerns of many Canadians about how we are perceived south of the border. I presume that I am safe to post this much content under the laws of copyright, but I am no expert in the matter. It seems pointless to try to rephrase it all, but perhaps I am simply too lazy. A point of note: part of what I chose to snip was at pains to declare that this was not true of the White House and President Bush who seem to understand and appreciate the situation.
Canada just cannot seem to shake a widely held myth in the United States that it is soft on terrorism and an open "gateway" to be exploited by potential attackers.
Despite the arrest last Friday of 17 Ontario men and youths on terror-related charges, there is still much ill-informed grumbling about Canadian weakness by commentators on U.S. television programs and from several irresponsible, but high-profile, politicians ...
Portraying Canada as a source of danger conveys an utterly false impression of this country's deep commitment to maintaining order and to waging a war on terror.
The arrests and security measures on display last weekend reveal that Canada is prepared to defend its values, institutions and people from those who would do them harm.
This nation's much criticized immigration system is surely no worse, and its border security no more porous, than that of the United States ...
Regarding American views of Canada...
ReplyDeleteMost Americans feel this way about every other country on the planet. We're really not that bright and we find it easier just make up stuff than actually learn about the the world beyond our borders. In fact most of what we "know" of Canada is based on Doug and Bob McKenzie skits and maybe a couple of Red Green shows.
I forgot the :) in my pervious post... it was meant to be a little self deprecating humor, not a real slam on Americans... well, mostly :)
ReplyDeleteNot all of us south of your border agree with that nonsense.
ReplyDeleteMy next baby step - learning how to cross words out on a post.
I think, too, Americans are learning that there is so much baloney in the news - that stories are skewed with carefully chosen words to bring the reader to the news agency's views. Personally, I think that any man willing ot exchange his life for the death of another man is tough to defeat - and the answer is not tightening up borders and making more walls, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI spent four months going from Toronto to Victoria Island. I loved Canada and Canadians. They talk funny but they can't help that, their hearts are in the right place.
ReplyDeleteI don't make the mistake of confusing the people with the government.
We are in the midst of "broken borders" hysteria down here. People tend to forget that the 9/11 terrorists walked through the front door instead of sneaking through the back window.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm glad you liked the movie better than the book. For me it was the other way around. I liked the book better. Somehow the movie seemed to be a bit rushed. Some of the things that I read in the book made me stop and think about it, while in the movie, those things were mentioned briefly and then they moved on. That was a bit disappointing to me. Also disappointing were the locations. Reading the location discriptions in the book was much more enjoyable than the few lousy scenery shots in the movie...
ReplyDeleteMy mom hadn't read the book and the first thing she said after seeing the movie was: "Well, I don't understand what all that fuss about the book was about! This movie was just a story. It sure all hell did't make me question religion. After all, it's just fiction.'
Have a nice weekend!
Yeah, I've heard that said by some Americans too. Most of us don't feel like that!
ReplyDeleteI have yet to see The Da Vinci Code .. but I have heard both good and bad about it.
ReplyDelete---
The idea that many Americans have false perceptions on what our Canadian capabilities are is certainly not new. Talk about tunnel vision.
Quite frankly, with our southern border basically as open as can be, from reports I have heard, seems to me that Canada has nothing to worry about and should not be criticized at all. My hubby and I pay not one lick of attention nor even listen to the news anymore...since we got internet, we depend more on it. Better balance. I mean how balanced is it when every major network during say some national event will be posting the EXACT SAME WORDS even??..you can flick back and forth between channels and not miss a word. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. In fact, MOST all of the people we know very well, pay very little attention to the news. They all realize it is more for entertainment than anything else. So reassure your friends there that not all Americans believe what the news media puts out...about ANY SUBJECT!!
ReplyDeleteMy hubby and I went to see The DaVinci Code last night. We enjoyed it. I must admit though that I had a hard time keeping track of who were the good guys and who were the bad guys.
ReplyDeleteI thought the movie treated traditional beliefs respectfully.