Why Anthony Lane is priceless: There has been much debate over Dan Brown’s novel ever since it was published, in 2003, but no question has been more contentious than this: if a person of sound mind begins reading the book at ten o’clock in the morning, at what time will he or she come to… Continue reading

Well, here’s the boffo box office news on the Da Vinci Code’s opening weekend: Not surprisingly “The book’s fervent popularity meant that Sony could sit back while the clamoring of fans and protesters did much of the publicity work—condemnation from the Vatican and other religious groups only played into Code‘s mystique…” (my emphasis) No kidding.… Continue reading

A.N. Wilson on seeing the over-hyped movie: There are no good Catholics in this film. The monk-murderer is the militant representative of an Catholic organisation that is portrayed as fraudulent and malignant. In a free society, we are entitled to portray Catholics as we please, and to debate their faith. As I have already hinted,… Continue reading

In Rome, the Rev. John Wauck muses on what excellent opportunities a better writer than Dan Brown would’ve exploited: In the nave of the Church of St. Mary Magdalen there are six statues – all women, each representing a different feminine attribute: lacrimabilis, simplex, verecunda, humilis, fidelis and … secreta. I thought to myself: how… Continue reading

With characteristic good humor, Ed Brayton asks: “When did Pat [Buchanan] turn into the Church Lady from Saturday Night Live?” About 15 years ago, in my opinion….