Often called the Top Ramen of literature, Dan Brown has nonetheless penned multiple bestsellers, most notably the mega-mega-mega-hit The Da Vinci Code. There are many things to be said about this book, but most of them have been said already. I fondly recall the words of a critic pointing out that the phrase “Da Vinci Code” makes no sense, given that “da Vinci” is not a last name but rather meant to signify “from the town of Vinci.” The critic stated that you might as well write a book about Jesus and call it “The Of Nazareth Code.”

However, this is an admittedly small quibble. Many people call history’s favorite Leonardo by the name “da Vinci” just for clarity’s sake, and because, as far as I know, nobody else famous ever came from Vinci. The biggest problem with Brown’s work, as usually happens in these situations, is that people take it way too seriously.

Dan Brown is an author, not a scholar. The Da Vinci Code is a work of pure fiction. While some facts are true, others are completely made up. That’s okay - it’s just a novel. Really. This goes for both the Brown cultists and offended Christians who call the book blasphemy for denying the virgin birth. It’s a book. Read it, enjoy it, then toss it aside in disgust the next morning when you realize what you’ve done. (This policy worked fine for me.) But if you haven’t the time, of course, there’s always the movie.

(Yes, I’m back on track. This is a movie blog after all.)

Given the success of The Da Vinci Code, the producers have naturally decided to film Brown’s first Robert Langdon novel, Angels and Demons. Tom Hanks will reprise his role as Langdon, and it has recently been announced that Ewan McGregor will join the cast as an unnamed “powerful Vatican insider,” according to Variety.

Filming will begin this May, so get ready to do battle against the Illuminati and the Catholic Church and all those other secret societies who strangely don’t seem to have much of an agenda in real life.

Popularity: 3% [?]