“National Treasure: Book of Secrets”
“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” is another treasure-hunt travelogue, an “Amazing Race” through pseudo- archaeology and history. This time the Lincoln assassination is revisited. A Gates family ancestor was involved, something to do with a “Playfair cipher,” a coded message. Cut to the present day, when the Gates family name is dragged through the mud by a Southerner (Ed Harris) with an ax to grind. Maybe the Gates ancestor planned Lincoln’s murder. 124 minutes Roger Moore, The Orlando Sentinel
“Diary of the Dead”
Seven University of Pittsburgh film-school students and their teacher are interrupted by a nationwide viral “event,” just as they shoot a mummy movie. As the recently deceased lurch back to life to bite and create other living dead, the obsessed director, Jason, videos everything as he and his friends make a dash for home in an ancient RV. A blur of TV news coverage pops up on the RV’s television as they take the back roads to try to connect with friends and family. Listen and you’ll hear various horror filmmakers as TV news commentators. The kids rediscover the zombies can be stopped only by smashing their brains. A bite by the dead slowly transforms the living into zombies, leading to some hard moral choices when boyfriends, best friends or classmates are bitten. 95 minutes Roger Moore, The Orlando Sentinel
