The Scene: The Eternal City challenges ‘Angels’

It’s been three years to the month since Dan Brown’s book "The Da Vinci Code" hit theater screens, becoming a worldwide blockbuster. Now superstar Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard are back with another of Brown’s best-sellers, “Angels & Demons.” Unlike the previous effort in which the Oscar-winning duo went on a shooting spree across several European countries, the new film takes place in just one locale, Rome

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Scientists chasing killer tornadoes across Midwest

It sounds like something from the movie "Twister" — teams of scientists in vans, armed with high-tech measuring equipment, barreling across the Oklahoma plains in search of tornadoes. But these scientists are colleagues, not rivals, and these storms aren’t Hollywood digital wizardry but the real thing. Welcome to VORTEX2, or V2 for short, the largest and most ambitious field experiment ever devoted to studying tornadoes

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‘Angels & Demons’ actors: What controversy?

Three years ago, the film based on Dan Brown’s novel "The Da Vinci Code" was the focus of protest and controversy, with a Vatican archbishop calling for a boycott and Catholics at many levels refuting plot points. But when it comes to the new film based on a Brown novel, “Angels & Demons,” star Tom Hanks says talk of controversy is much ado about nothing

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Former ‘Top Gun’ leads Hubble repair mission

So, what’s harder, steering a space shuttle or out-machoing Tom Cruise on the set of "Top Gun"? Scott Altman laughs when he answers the question. “Flying a space shuttle is a little more challenging than what we did in the movie, although the flying was a lot of fun,” said Altman, who knows more than a little about both.

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The Scene: ‘Trek’ actors dive onto Vulcan

Acclaimed filmmaker J.J. Abrams was presented with a specific challenge when he agreed to direct this summer’s highly anticipated prequel to the phenomenally successful sci-fi franchise, "Star Trek." He had to figure out a way to include action that would please a modern audience and utilize current movie-making techniques — while still having everything ring true with characters that fans know extremely well. He answers this call throughout his film

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The New Star Trek Will Leave You Beaming

After 43 years, our relationship with the Franchise had grown so familiar and worn that we’d quietly moved into separate bedrooms. If we’d had the energy, we might have signed divorce papers. Nonetheless, every few years, the Franchise put on a new outfit and twirled around hopefully.

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