The second part of my double-header included a midnight showing of Angels & Demons, the sequel/prequel to The DaVinci Code.  After a refill of my drink, I found my seat and relaxed.

If you have read the books, then you know that Angels comes before Code; however, with some quick wordplay, Ron Howard and Company turn this into a sequel from the movie perspective.  Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon, who is asked by the Vatican to help resolve a crisis involving ancient societies and missing cardinals.  What follows is decently-paced trek through Rome to find and prevent murder.  Ewan Macgregor is well-cast as the Camerlengo and the rest of the supporting cast handles their duties satisfactorily.

The movie is the equivalent of the Cliff Notes version of the book.  I know that a 700 page paperback is not going to scale well to a two-hour movie, but I give Howard credit for hitting most of the big plot points and story beats.  Still, there was a lot missing.  Given all of that, I am still glad I read the book before seeing it.

Unlike Code, which condemned the Church, Angels actually shows support for it.  This is why there wasn’t a massive backlash last week when the movie premiered.  While Howard did a great job of utilizing movie tricks to make the movie come to life, I can’t help but wonder what it would have looked like if they had actually gotten to film inside the Vatican.

My advice:  matinee or AMC-half-price – not quite worth full-price, but not that bad of a choice either.  It is definitely faster-paced than Code and more memorable…

After a fun meal with Lisa, I found myself wanting to see a movie.  Regal Winter Park, which I was close to, had a midnight showing of Angels & Demons, but it was 8 PM.  Looking at the times, I could either see Star Trek a fourth time or go to something I hadn’t seen.  I chose the latter, not having high hopes.  I killed an hour at Borders and then wandered over to the theater.  I settled in with my drink as the first person in the theater.  A few couples showed up, including one that sat right behind me and started taking phone calls.  After a few looks from me, they left.

The movie is what happens when studios combine two guaranteed moneymakers: anything Christmas-Carol related and romantic comedies.  Matthew McConaughey plays the “Scrooge” in need of saving, which is good because it allows him to play the jerk.  Given the press surrounding this guy for years, it is no surprise that he appeared comfortable in the role.  Jennifer Garner plays the role of the “one that got away”  Unfortunately she does not have much chemistry with the lead, much like many of her past movies.  It is a shame, but she seems so rigid in all of her roles.  The supporting characters are well-cast, including our “Marley,” Michael Douglas.  The movie follows a predictable course and has just enough laughs to keep you from giving up on it.

My advice:  wait for cable or DVD – this one does not need the theatrical treatment…