Angels & Demons (2009) and a little about our trip to Rome

It was fun to see this a week after Amy & I returned from Italy (unfortunately she wasn't able to join Jack & me for the movie that day). Rome was at the end of our trip, and we had only a couple of days to take three tours and walk around the city center before returning home. One of these tours was of the Vatican museum, where we learned, among other things, that the Swiss Guards must be bachelors, and that the Vatican is a country in its own right. Our 20-something American guide, speaking into a microphone that transmitted into our headsets (I loved the headsets as long as I could keep within wireless range - our group of about 50 had been recruited individually outside St. Peter's, left), said goodbye as we entered the Sistine Chapel, below. He told us that a Japanese corporation had made an extensive and expensive restoration of the landmark ceiling in exchange for copyrights on the images. So no photographs were permitted. Our guide said, "Go ahead and shoot. If you get caught, blame me." The guards hollered, "NO PHOTO," in deep voices. I removed the lens cap and hoped that the auto-focus switch was in the "on" position as I clicked the camera at waist height. A guard walked up to me and disapprovingly tapped my lens with his finger (I made a big show of wiping his fingerprints off). So it made me smile that so many scenes took place inside the chapel (apparently Allan Cameron's production design crew was allowed to take pictures so they could recreate the paintings on their set--read the "Filming" section of the Wikipedia article for more details). As it happens, we also visited another key location, the Piazza del Popolo, on our own (just before getting terribly lost in the Borghese Gardens), and noted that it contained one of the several obelisks that another young American tour guide told us about (he opined that it must have been quite an ordeal to drag the huge stone structures to Rome from Egypt).

Anyway, back to the subject at hand: director Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon, The Da Vinci Code (2006), A Beautiful Mind (2 Oscars - 2001), Ed TV (1999), Parenthood (1989), Gung Ho (1986), Cocoon (1985), and Splash (1984), when he and Tom Hanks were both just starting their movie careers, just to name a few of my faves) has given us another entertaining movie with high production values--not his best, but still worth seeing. I read The Da Vinci Code before seeing it in 2006 (usually I don't read first, but I figured 80% of the audience would've done so) but I haven't read the other Dan Brown book. It was a compelling story, though violent like its predecessor. I liked the way the camera moved in and out of the crowds and the overhead shots of when the police pushed all the people out of (the set of) St. Peter's square. Clearly, there were many sets constructed for this one. Tom Hanks (Oscars for Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994); nominated for Big (1988), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Cast Away (2000); and I have liked lots of his other movies, including Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Punchline (1988), and Volunteers (1985)) was just fine reprising his role as Robert Langdon in the prequel-turned-sequel. Equally serviceable performances were turned in by the supporting cast: Ewan McGregor (brilliant in Trainspotting (1996) and Cassandra's Dream (2007), also was in the questionable Star Wars prequels I-III (1999-2005)) as Camerlengo McKenna, Ayelet Zurer (she is Israeli) as Vittoria (who was Italian), Stellan Skarsgård (hilarious as the temperamental director Werner on last season's Entourage and in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2000), but usually plays dramatic roles such as in Timecode (2000)) as Commander Richter, and Armin Mueller-Stahl (long list of non-starring roles) as Cardinal Strauss. Howard's father, Rance Howard, had a cameo as Cardinal Beck.