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INFERNO Starring Tom Hanks Debuts on Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD January 24th

The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons were just the beginning and now with INFERNO, two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks (Best Actor: Forrest Gump, 1994; Philadelphia, 1993), two-time Academy Award winner Ron Howard (Best Director & Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind, 2001) and bestselling author Dan Brown are reunited for the latest intense thriller in this billion-dollar franchise. After waking up in a hospital room in Florence, Italy, with no memory of what has occurred for the last few days, Robert Langdon (Hanks) suddenly finds himself the target of a manhunt while solving the most intricate riddle he’s ever faced. Joining the international adventure are Felicity Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Irrfan Khan (Jurassic World), Omar Sy (X-Men: Days of Future Past), Ben Foster (Hell or High Water) and Sidse Babett Knudsen (“Westworld”). INFERNO debuts on digital,4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD January 24 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

The INFERNO Blu-ray, DVD and digital releases are loaded with exciting and never-before-seen bonus content, including deleted scenes and six intriguing behind-the-scenes featurettes. Director Ron Howard shares his process for bringing to life the iconic imagery described in Dante’s Divine Comedy and the powerful themes that the classic story infuses into the film in “Visions of Hell,” while in “Ron Howard, A Director’s Journal,” viewers follow the acclaimed auteur as he returns to the world of Robert Langdon and documents his journey via social media. “Inferno Around the World,” highlights the stellar international cast involved in the film and the crew’s unprecedented access to stunning locations across the globe. Novelist Dan Brown, Director Ron Howard, Screenwriter David Koepp and Tom Hanks explore the evolution of Robert Langdon across the franchise and the new insights discovered about the hero in “A Look at Langdon.” Felicity Jones is front and center in “This Is Sienna Brooks,” which shines a light on one of the film’s most complex characters and the precision with which the Oscar® nominated actress (Best Actress, The Theory of Everything, 2014) brings her to life, while Ben Foster’s character gets the spotlight in “The Billionaire Villain: Bertrand Zobrist,” where viewers go inside the mind of the brilliant but dangerous villain and hear from Foster and the filmmakers about crafting this terrifying character.

Synopsis:
In this contemporary action thriller, the famous symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia and finds himself the target of a manhunt. Langdon teams up with Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories. Together, they race across Europe and against the clock to stop a virus that would wipe out half of the world’s population.

Directed by Ron Howard with a screenplay by David Koepp, INFERNO is based upon the novel by Dan Brown. The film is produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard with David Householter, Dan Brown, William M. Connor, Anna Culp and Ben Waisbren as Executive Producers.

Blu-ray, DVD & Digital Bonus Materials Include:
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Six Featurettes:
“Ron Howard, A Director’s Journal”
“A Look at Langdon”
“The Billionaire Villain: Bertrand Zobrist”
“This Is Sienna Brooks”
“Inferno Around the World”
“Visions of Hell”
INFERNO has a run time of approximately 121 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, disturbing images, some language, thematic elements and brief sensuality.

INFERNO (2016) – Review

So what is essential to big box office stars in this day and age? Besides loads of charisma and the ability to not bump into furniture, or other actors, while delivering dialogue? Why, you’ve got to be part of a franchise, one that will reap lots of follow-ups and even prequels (merchandising can be pretty great too). And if you’re really a superstar, you’ve got more than one franchise. The king might be Harrison Ford who was part of the Star Wars and Jack Ryan series, and who promises to return as Indiana Jones. And he may just have a fourth with a new Blade Runner flick (35 years since the original). Last week Tom Cruise starred in a second Jack Reacher thriller as he’s prepping another Mission Impossible entry. This week, another Tom (Hanks) is back on-screen after only a month or so since the biopic SULLY with the third film in his live-action franchise (the other one being the TOY STORY series in which he provides the voice of Woody). It’s been seven years since Mr. H has stepped into the very worn shoes of globe-trotting historian Robert Langdon, the hero of Dan Brown’s best-selling novels. First was THE DA VINCI CODE, then ANGELS & DEMONS, and now he faces an INFERNO.

Langdon is not the first face at the start of this thriller. We meet billionaire/bio-engineer Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster) as he delivers a “TED-like” speech to a large, throughly engaged audience. As a huge monitor behind him displays gritty news footage, Zobrist warns of the dangers of over-population. Cut to him being chased through exotic streets by sinister agents, a chase that ends at the pinnacle of a tower, where Zobrist plunges to his death before he can be captured. Cut to Langdon (Hanks) as he suffers through many gruesome dream images (scarred faces, explosions of blood) before finally waking up in an Italian hospital bed (as in Florence, Italy). The American has no idea what’s he’s doing there until his British doctor Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones) explains that a bullet grazed his skull causing temporary amnesia. As Langdon slowly gets his bearings, a policewoman is spraying bullets in the corridor outside his room. Langdon and Brooks flee to her apartment as his memory begins to return, He finds a tiny tube in his pocket which projects a painting that depicts Dante’s version of Hell. Finding Zobrist’s signature on the image, Langdon realizes that he’s on a mission to decipher clues as to the location of the billionaire’s final project: a super-virus attached to a timer that will wipe out half of the world (“better that than face complete extinction in 100 years”). The historian and the doctor embark on a race against the clock while being pursued by dogged World Health Organization agents ( Omar Sy and Sidse Babett Knudsen) and a criminal kingpin (Irrfan Khan).

These films have given the ever-entertaining Hanks a chance to be something of an action hero, albeit one that’s not proficient in weapons or combat. That could make for an interesting franchise focus, but for most of INFERNO, Langdon is dazed and confused, and a sweaty bloody mess. When he’s not trying to regain consciousness, Hanks is on an endless treadmill with new exotic locals popping up behind him. In the last act, there are flashbacks of a rekindled romance, but we’re quickly on to the chase once more, wasting the talents of this two-time Oscar winner. Recent Oscar nom Jones doesn’t fare much better, either leading or being dragged by Hanks, her Brooks is modern take on the classic Hitchcock female partner, but written with little personality. The same can be said of Omar Sy saddled with the role of the dogged, determined pursuer, always a few steps behind the always on the run couple. Knudsen, as his WHO boss, spends most her time barking orders, until we learn of her personal connection in the third act. Foster displays little of the intensity he exuded in HELL OR HIGH WATER, making Zobrist too aloof for a fervent doomsday zealot. What little life the film possess is thanks to the spirited work by Khan as the ruthless, almost Bond villian-like mastermind with a wicked sense of humor, deadly and deadpan.

Like Hanks, director Ron Howard also returns for this third Brown adaptation. We get the feeling that the populist, everyman filmmaker is having a blast with the horrific images in Langdon’s fever dreams, The “nice guy” gets to finally cut loose. Unfortunately all that is quickly pushed aside after the first 30 minutes, so that the film can settle into a monotonous pattern of chase, find clues, hide, repeat…ad naseum. Perhaps the talented screenwriter David Koepp felt that he couldn’t detour from the puzzle-solving plot of the best seller. The foreign locations make for a lovely travelogue, but the characters are more like chess pieces being moved from one square (or country) to the next. By the film’s final showdown, the ridiculous aquatic concert fails to jump-start this limp (attempted) mass-murder mystery. To be short (unlike this tedious flick), INFERNO generates very little heat.

2 Out of 5

WAMG Giveaway – Win the THE DA VINCI CODE and ANGELS & DEMONS Blu-rays

In advance of the theatrical release of INFERNO on October 28, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the global phenomenon by bringing the blockbuster films THE DA VINCI CODE and ANGELS & DEMONS back to Blu-ray Oct. 11. Two-time Academy Award® winner Tom Hanks (Best Actor: Forrest Gump, 1994 Philadelphia, 1993), Academy Award winner Ron Howard (Best Director & Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind, 2001), and bestselling author Dan Brown teamed up for both thrillers that followed the exploits of symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks).

Now you can win these Blu-rays of THE DA VINCI CODE and ANGELS & DEMONS. We Are Movie Geeks has two pairs of the Blu-rays to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment below and answer this question: What was the first Tom Hanks movie directed by Ron Howard? It’s so easy!

We’ll pick the winners next week.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES. NO DUPLICATE ADDRESSES.

2. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES.

No purchase necessary

THE DAVINCI CODE (2006) – The murder of a curator at the Louvre reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected since the days of Christ. Only the victim’s granddaughter and Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), a famed symbologist, can untangle the clues he left behind. The two become both suspects and detectives searching for not only the murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect.

Blu-ray extras:

– All-NEW: Launching a Legacy: Interviews with Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Dan Brown and Brian Grazer about The Da Vinci Code
– First Look at Inferno
– Deleted / Extended / Alternate Scenes
– Select-Scene Commentary with Ron Howard
– 17 Featurettes
– Trailers

ANGELS & DEMONS (2009) – A murder in Paris’ Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery. For 2,000 years a secret society closely guards information that — should it come to light — could rock the very foundations of Christianity.

Blu-ray extras:

– All-NEW: Legacy of Langdon: Interviews with Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Dan Brown and Brian Grazer about Angels & Demons
– First Look at Inferno
– Deleted / Extended / Alternate Scenes
– 7 Featurettes
– Theatrical Trailers

Join the “INFERNO – JOURNEY THROUGH HELL” Experience with Author Dan Brown

Beginning today, moviegoers highly anticipating the release of INFERNO starring Tom Hanks can play the part of Robert Langdon himself. In a three-week race against time, fans can decipher clues and solve a series of complex and challenging riddles created in collaboration with Dan Brown in Sony Pictures’ “Inferno Journey Through Hell” interactive experience. Built with technology from Google, audiences who solve the puzzles will have the chance to win a grand prize trip to Italy* befitting of Langdon himself. Inferno, the highly anticipated suspense thriller from Columbia Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, will be released in theaters nationwide on October 28.

Each week, users go to Inferno-movie.com<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013VOc_50lODCq_hGLKkoSG2rb_SAKQYVxxIojFpJkpsjbd-ADds9WTm1FbsCZuCSVf5NHAgh3b8rF0quQzer5oxMRTd2bZ9NIcTUtwukneW2b9VRgWkbPP5Gi8dtS914op7cdGWHoOqcUS7ISkQnLaxmxorVgjrFdlZikgnl7TW0=&c=SbjCOJTNvvvp-GnerChxoc8o2SqfMBZ83YODo8dt7Coa5ur7_Huvww==&ch=RqDdRHFS9RGAmQm9eggp6j9HaWR729Vbo0fKhJCZtlVb8RDDeG9XGw==> to find three new puzzles themed to the circles of hell as depicted in Dante’s Inferno. Finding clues hidden throughout Google products (Google Maps, Gmail, Google Search, Google Play, Google Docs, Google Cultural Institute and YouTube), and the world’s most popular social platforms, players will complete up to three puzzles each week and will have the opportunity to win weekly prizes, culminating in one grand prize – an Italian getaway with stops in Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice. As each new set of puzzles are unveiled week-to-week, the experience will become increasingly difficult to solve as the “Inferno Journey Through Hell” progresses to its ultimate mind-bending final challenge.

“Dan Brown is a master of creating suspenseful and intellectual mysteries that are known for interweaving classic references to art and history while also using hidden codes and symbols. For the first time, Dan has collaborated with the studio and our partners at Google to develop an online puzzle-based challenge that is filled with his signature brand of entertainment. The ‘Inferno Journey Through Hell’ will lead fans through many fun twists and turns while also giving them the chance to win some pretty spectacular prizes,” said Elias Plishner, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Digital Marketing for Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“I’m excited to bring together the technology of Google and the code-breaking elements of the Robert Langdon series. The experience allows audiences to bring Robert Langdon’s world to life by deciphering puzzles and utilizing online tools at their fingertips,” said Dan Brown, author of the Robert Langdon series.

Ron Howard added, “One of the reasons why the Robert Langdon books and movies are so much fun is that the audience has the chance to solve the puzzles as he does. That’s why I’m so excited about this promotion – it brings Inferno to life. With the puzzles that the studio and Dan have created, powered by Google, you have the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be Robert Langdon.”

“We are always glad to see our products being used in clever, compelling and engaging ways,” said Alex Angeledes, Industry Director for Media & Entertainment at Google. “Sony Pictures has given fans unique ways of discovering the depth and complexity of this film in ways that appeal to modern moviegoers.”

*NO PURCHASE/CHALLENGE COMPLETION NECESSARY. Starts 8:00:01 am PT 10/3/16. Ends 12:00 pm PT 10/24/16 online & 10/25/16 for mail entry postmark. Consists of 3 weekly & 1 GP drawing. Open to legal residents of 50 US & DC & Canada (except Quebec Prov.) 18+. See Official Rules at www.InfernoSweepsRules.com<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013VOc_50lODCq_hGLKkoSG2rb_SAKQYVxxIojFpJkpsjbd-ADds9WTm1FbsCZuCSV0G9QDMC6ekSOSU_L1CzteDHkWdpfWlhoSoLHZ8VFAIpUb_fID8aNocxeA34eSlqgdPTM3lUq7HhkO2mnoOo4dU_ucwgaJ5RRY5QaG3yGZj_fiyTkG7XFAA==&c=SbjCOJTNvvvp-GnerChxoc8o2SqfMBZ83YODo8dt7Coa5ur7_Huvww==&ch=RqDdRHFS9RGAmQm9eggp6j9HaWR729Vbo0fKhJCZtlVb8RDDeG9XGw==> for complete details incl. entry periods and how to enter by mail. Void where prohibited.

ABOUT INFERNO
Academy Award® winner Ron Howard returns to direct the latest bestseller in Dan Brown’s (The Da Vinci Code) billion-dollar Robert Langdon series, Inferno, which finds the famous symbologist (again played by Tom Hanks) on a trail of clues tied to the great Dante himself. When Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories. Together, they race across Europe and against the clock to stop a madman from unleashing a global virus that would wipe out half of the world’s population. The screenplay is by David Koepp, based upon the novel by Dan Brown, and the film is produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.

ABOUT DAN BROWN
Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has become one of the best selling novels of all time as well as the subject of intellectual debate among readers and scholars. Brown’s novels are published in 56 languages around the world with over 200 million copies in print.

In 2005, Brown was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME Magazine, whose editors credited him with “keeping the publishing industry afloat; renewed interest in Leonardo da Vinci and early Christian history; spiking tourism to Paris and Rome; a growing membership in secret societies; the ire of Cardinals in Rome; eight books denying the claims of the novel and seven guides to read along with it; a flood of historical thrillers; and a major motion picture franchise.”

The son of a mathematics teacher and a church organist, Brown was raised on a prep school campus where he developed a fascination with the paradoxical interplay between science and religion. These themes eventually formed the backdrop for his books. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he later returned to teach English before focusing his attention full time to writing.

Brown is currently at work on a new book entitled ORIGIN, to be published in September, 2017.

THE LOST SYMBOL Author Dan Brown Will Be Screenwriter On Next Film

The Hollywood Reporter’s Risky Business blog is reporting that the mega-selling mystery author Dan Brown has taken over writing duties on the film adaptation of The Lost Symbol.

Columbia Pictures is developing the film version of Brown’s most recent novel, which was published in 2009 and sold more than a million copies in its first day on shelves. In it, Brown’s regular protagonist, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, gets mixed up with the Freemasons in Washington, D.C.

The 2006 adaptation of The Da Vinci Code and the 2009 version of Angels & Demons grossed $1.24 billion at the worldwide box office for Sony. But this is the first time Brown has taken on screenwriting duties. Akiva Goldsman penned Da Vinci and co-wrote Demons with David Koepp.

Oscar-nominated Eastern Promises scribe Steven Knight first took a run at the Symbol screenplay. Although Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment is once again producing, Howard, who directed the first two Brown adaptations, has not committed to directing Symbol. Nor has star Tom Hanks officially come on board to reprise Langdon.

Regardless, given the sure-thing built-in audience, Sony is sure to have Symbol in theaters sooner rather than later. With Men in Black III and the Spider-Man reboot already set for summer 2012, here’s betting that Brown’s latest is on screens the following summer.

Source: THR/Risky Business

Review: ‘Angels and Demons’

Ron Howard and Tom Hanks have returned to bring ‘Angels and Demons’ to the big screen. This book-to-screen adaptation is the follow-up to ‘The Da Vinci Code’ both written by Dan Brown. For those of us that have not read the books, myself included, the underlying thought is a hope that the books are far better than the movies. I remember seeing ‘The Da Vinci Code’ in the theater, which is odd because what I remember most is the struggle I experienced in trying to stay awake through the movie. Maybe I missed something by not reading the book first, but the movie had little interest outside of Paul Bettany’s performance.

‘Angels and Demons’ does not suffer the same dismal fate of boredom, but that’s not to say it doesn’t have it’s problems. For the most part, this movie is a perfectly acceptable action/thriller on the level of what would be accepted from any mediocre-to-average film from the genre. Technically, the film successfully keeps our attention and moves along at a fairly productive pace. This pace does slow down considerably as the two-hour eighteen-minute running time progresses. If nothing else, the film is filled with plenty of fascinating relics and architecture to gander, providing us with an alternative remote tour of the Vatican City.

The acting as well is acceptable on the same level, but is not anything of significant note. Surprisingly, Tom Hanks does not seem to garner the same presense on screen in this movie as he usually does, nearly becoming a set piece than the star at times. No single performance stands out, but Ewan McGregor is enjoyable with his Irish accent. McGregor plays the “Karma Chameleon”… at least, I enjoy calling him that. He is actually called the “Camerlengo” Patrick McKenna, essentially the right hand man to the Pope himself. For those of a Catholic background, feel free to correct me if I misinterpreted this position, but I think it gets the point across. A large part of what makes this movie somewhat interesting, and then ultimately makes this movie a failure lies within this character, but not McGregor’s performance.

One of the biggest under-achievements of ‘Angels and Demons’ is it’s formulaic presentation. One could simply take ‘National Treasure’ and remove the plot of Nicolas Cage hunting down long lost American historical items planted by the Masons and transplant it with Tom Hanks hunting down secret religious and scientific symbols planted by the Illuminati. ‘Angels and Demons’ fells very familiar in this way, which adds to the fact that the movie is very predictable.

Much of the story’s mystery is lost due mainly to the lack of suspense and the excessive use of blatant foreshadowing and extrapolation of information we need not know in advance. For those who have read the books, I can only imagine this makes the film even less interesting. Even given that the film is nildly entertaining as an action movie with a far-fetched concept, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the ending. Of couse, I am not going to reveal this (in respect of those who have NOT read the books) but I felt the scene in which the film “should” have ended was deprived of it’s relatively powerful nature by another. The chronological ending, I guess it was maybe 15-20 additional minutes, is both ridiculous and far less effective. Upon viewing ‘Angels and Demons’ and reaching the above said ending that “should” have been, I would have given the film a solid three star rating out of five, but with the added portion at the end of the film, it drops to a less respectable two and a half stars.

[Overall: 2.5 stars out of 5]

Columbia prepping for third ‘Da Vinci Code’ Film

angelsdemons

With less than a month away from the release of ‘Angels & Demons,’ the second film featuring the Robert Langdon character, Columbia Pictures is preparing for a third installment in the series.Ã‚ ‘The Lost Symbol,’ based on Dan Brown’s new Langdon novel, comes out in bookstores on September 15th, and Columbia is not letting the book go without a feature film companion.

The novel is going to have a first printing of five million copies.Ã‚ The announcement Brown had finished his manuscript for the novel came today by Sonny Mehta, chairman/editor in chief of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Ã¢â‚¬Å“This is a great day for readers and booksellers,Ã¢â‚¬ said Mehta.

Here is hoping that ‘The Lost Symbol’ is more ‘Angels & Demons’ than ‘The Da Vinci Code.’Ã‚ The first story was only decent in book form and came off as boring and overbearing when it was adapted to the screen.Ã‚ ‘Angels & Demons’ is a much more action-oriented story, and I’m sure it will serve to make a fine feature film.

Source: Variety

Some People, They Just Don’t Learn…

The Catholic League plans to square off once again for round two with director Ron Howard and author Dan Brown, claiming that ‘Angels and Demons’ is filled with falsehoods. Seriously, do they really think anyone takes the book, or the movie, as “factual”? I’m sorry if I offend anyone here (not really) but, I find this whole thing completely ridiculous.

I fully support a person’s right to free speech and to demonstrate their beliefs as they see fit, so long as it does not hinder another person’s rights… however, that also means that I am within my rights to laugh my A** off at you for claiming you’re a follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. In other words, it’s just a movie! Get over it!

The best part of all this is that the Catholic League’s attempt to shut down ‘The Da Vinci Code’ in 2006 ultimately resulted in helping the movie’s success and profitability. Raising awareness about a movie, book, etc (good or bad) is generally a sure fire way to guarantee it’s financial success. So, considering their approach to ‘The Da Vinci Code’ failed, the obvious path would be to pursue a different approach… nope! Try, and try and try again, surely it will pay off eventually, right?

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. — Albert Einstein

[source: Variety]

New ‘Angels & Demons’ Photos Surface

Four new photos have surfaced from the set of Tom Hank’s new film ‘Angels & Demons’. ‘Angels & Demons’Ã‚ is the follow-up to the somewhat successful ‘Da Vinci Code’ and both are based on the best selling novels by Dan Brown.

In the interview given by Brian Grazer in today’s USA Today, Grazer tells of the location problems with shooting a movie set in the Vatican yet not able to be shot there. He also addresses the problems with the first film (staying true to the novel , seemingly long and staged) and hopes to correct them in ‘Angels’.

The photos below show Hanks again as Harvard religious authority, Robert Langdon. There are also photos of Ewan McGregor as a priest (way to go Obi-Wan!).

‘Angels &Demons’ is due to hit theaters on May 15th, 2009.
Continue reading New ‘Angels & Demons’ Photos Surface

‘Angels and Demons’ … New Teaser Poster

It is here Ladies and Gentlemen the new poster for the upcoming film “Angels and Demons”. This new Ron Howard Flick brings back our favorite author slash adventurer seeker Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, back with even more adventures to come along. “Angels & Demons, published in 2000, introduced the Langdon character. In Angels, Langdon’s character is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization – the Illuminati.” So I can’t wait how about you.

source: www.canmag.com

The book written by Dan Brown tells you all that happens before the DaVinci Code

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