“Art School Confidential” 3 out of 5 paws.

The movie “Art School Confidential” is director Terry Zwigoff’s hilarious commentary about the obscenely hypocritical world known as the art world. Seen through the eyes of young art student, Jerome (Max Minghella), the film shows the year at art school that the protagonist attends while subtly, although sometimes not so much, making fun of how the art world portrays itself. Real genius is denied, everything is based on fads and the nature of beauty is a dangerous thing.

Some of the funniest points of the satire are done, surprisingly, through secondary characters. All the secondary characters fulfill a stereotype of a certain type of art school student. There is the film school nut who uses too much imagery in his film, the gay fashion design major, the bi-polar art chick and the egotistical “all my work is genius” artist. All these characters are funny in their own right, but what is surprising is that every single one of them, in the end becomes jaded. What does that say about the art world?

Although his depiction of the art world is surprisingly dead on, the actual story itself and the character development still needs a little work. The story, being centered on the Strafford strangler, a murderer who is killing around the art school, has some major plot holes in it. The plot never truly tells you who is the strangler, only hints at it and the nature behind the killer is a little thin.

The characters are also stretched, sometimes, a little thin, especially when characters start appearing, seem important, and then disappear from the movie like they never even existed. The character of Jerome is also under-developed and dives into the realm of lost souls a little too fast it seems.

All in all, the movie is funny but could have been done better. Although if you are an art student or interested in the directors take of the art world it is definitely worth checking out.

“The DaVinci Code” 3 _ out of 5 paws

“The DaVinci Code” has been the most anticipated movie of the summer. With the book selling over 40 million copies worldwide, the movie was a shoe in for instant blockbuster success. However, the question remains, was it worth it?

Fans of the book might be slightly disappointed at director Ron Howard’s mediocre adaptation. Although the movie hits all the main elements of the book, Howard’s movie seems a little too choppy for all the information. He completely rushes through the beginning, one of the best parts of the book, he completely fabricates some of the issues from main character Sophie Neveu’s (Audrey Tautou) past and he added new villains to the movie, particularly within the Catholic order of Opus Dei.

However, the movie did get some things right from the book, like the entire part surrounding the notorious character Sir Leigh Teabing (Sir Ian McKellen). Teabing, for the majority, saved that movie from utter ruin. The acting and development of the character is right on the money from the book’s character. He is not only funny, but also smart and ever so slightly diabolical. Fans of the book will not be disappointed with Teabing.

Also, the choice of Tom Hanks playing intellectual badass Robert Langdon was definitely a poor one. Who in their right mind decided to cast Hanks in that role? Seriously people, the man was pretty much all-wrong for the role. Why couldn’t the producers have chosen Harrison Ford for the role, especially since in the book they describe Langdon as looking like Ford? Who knows. All that is known is that Hanks was the worst choice for a character out of the entire movie.

Although, the movie was good for first time watchers, it explained the basic story line and plot twist appropriately in the two hour and 15 minute movie. First timers will definitely like it. It is a good story adaptation solely by itself. However, it is only when you compare it to the book the story tends to get sticky.